• Pods of the Piegon pea.
    • Yellow flowers of the Pigeon pea
    • Green pods of the Cajanus cajan
    • Cajanus cajan leaves and yellow flowers
    • Edible fruits of the Pigeon pea.

    Pigeon pea

    €14.00
    VAT included

    Cajanus cajan

    Payment in 3x or 4x with Alma from 90€

    The variety of exotic fruit tree presented on this page is part of our collaboration with the Portuguese botanical garden Orchard of Flavours.

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    Be patient, we’re growing...
    Fast and safe delivery throughout Europe
    Fast and safe delivery throughout Europe
    48 to 72 hours delivery

    Caractéristiques de la plante

    • Cajanus cajan :
    • Family:
    • Origin :
    • Height in its natural environment :
    • Hardiness :
    • Colour of the flower :

    Les plants de Rayon de Serre

    Taille des plantes Rayon de Serre Height : about 10 to 20 cm (depending on seasons)


    croissance de la plante Medium grower

    Descriptif de la plante

    Le mot de Rayon de Serre

    Tired of lentils, beans and other peas? Discover this Pigeon pea, also known as Congo pea or Pigeon fodder, as beautiful as it is tasty!

    It accepts many types of soil, and requires little water, making it an ideal plant for acclimatization to drought. It's also a great natural fertilizer, helping to improve the soil.

    Its pretty little yellow flowers give rise to edible pods. They can be eaten whole and green, like our green beans, or shelled and used in a variety of dishes, such as zambroca, a spicy rice dish from Reunion. As for the leaves, they make excellent fodder for livestock or your pet rabbit!

    Adopt a Pigeon pea from the seeds of Orchard of Flavours' mother plant!

    Miguel tells us more

    Pigeon pea cultivation dates back at least 3,000 years. It most likely originated in India, from where it spread to East Africa and from there, through the slave trade, to the American continent. Today, Pigeon pea is widely cultivated in many tropical and semi-tropical regions. It is a perennial exotic vegetable belonging to the Fabaceae family. A nitrogen fixer, it will tend to enrich your soil. Like lentils, Pigeon peas can be used in soups, salads, curries, stews... You'll find countless recipes on the Internet.

    Tips from the Orchard of Flavours botanical garden :
    - At first, the plant looks fragile and frail. There's no need to keep it in a pot for long. Plant it directly in the soil and protect it with a plastic bottle with the top completely open. Water every day for the first few months if there's no rain. After two or three weeks, the stem will become woody and the plant will begin to take on the shape of a magnificent, fast-growing shrub. A small 12 cm plant planted in July will be 1.5 m in height and diameter by September. Flowering in Southern Europe begins in March. Peas are harvested in June. Our two-year-old shrubs are around 2.5 m tall.
    - Once well established (minimum 1 year), the plant does not require much water.
    - The shrub can be heavily pruned. It has a short lifespan of 3 to 5 years.
    - Our Cajanus Cajuns easily withstood a few short, cool nights (0°C).
    - We use this shrub extensively as a pioneer plant to regenerate the soil and protect other trees.

    Conseils de culture

    Conseil de Culture Rayon de Serre

    Rempoter ?
    Arroser ?
    Apport d'éléments nutritifs ?
    Plante d'intérieur ou plante d'extérieur ?
    Que faire en cas de maladie ?
    -

    Tous les conseils de culture en cliquant ici

    Growing tips

    Repotting

    Repotting

    When you receive your plant, repot it in a pot slightly larger than the bucket, which must be well pierced. Avoid pot covers which prevent residual water from draining away and encourage fungal diseases. Choose a fine potting soil, ideally with added perlite or sand to lighten the substrate (do not use garden soil or acidic soil such as heather). Then plan two repottings per year (spring and autumn), gradually increasing the size of the pot and adapting it to the size of the root network (the roots must have room, but not too much as the plant must be able to dry out its substrate between waterings). This avoids having to add fertilizer, which always risks burning the fragile roots of the plants and making the plant wither as soon as the fertilizer is stopped.

    Watering

    Watering

    Moderate watering: watering should be copious (the whole root ball should be wet), but wait until the substrate has dried deeply before watering again (you can stick your finger in the soil: as long as you feel moisture, do not water). Your plant will recover better from a lack of water than from an excess of water. Always water at the base of the plant, and do not mist it, because stagnant water in the armpit of the leaves favors cryptogamic diseases. If your atmosphere is too dry, put bowls of water nearby (above radiators for example), so that evaporation humidifies the air.

    For an indoor planting

    For an indoor planting

    Your plant must be taken out in summer, a half-shade is appropriate for it. It must be put in a cold room in winter, i.e. a room free of frost but not heated. It fears excessive humidity when temperatures are low, so drastically reduce watering. Be careful: do not take it out and bring it back in all the time, it must be taken out in good weather, then brought back in when the cold weather arrives, because plants adapt their foliage to their environment, which should not constantly change. It often happens that plants lose their foliage when they are taken out and/or brought in, don't worry, your plant will adapt and will emit its new foliage accordingly.

    For an outdoor planting

    For an outdoor planting

    If your climate allows it, you will be able to plant your plant in full ground, a half-shade is recommended. We advise you however to cultivate it in pot the first year and to make it spend the first winter in the heat, in order to strengthen it well. Plant it between the end of the risk of frost (generally at the beginning of May) and the end of August, in a soil which must be light and draining; do not hesitate to add sand and fine compost if necessary. Be careful with the minimum temperatures indicated: they are given for a mature plant, and you have to take into account the wind which accentuates the cold felt, as well as the water retention capacity of your soil, which can make the roots rot if it is not sufficiently draining. So take a little safety margin!

    Pruning

    Pruning

    This plant is very easy to prune, which will make it branch out.

    Fertilizer

    Fertilizer

    Our plants are grown naturally, without chemical fertilizers, so we advise you to repot them regularly (twice a year) rather than adding fertilizer.

    In case of pest attack

    In case of pest attack

    If your plants are under attack by aphids or other pests, the best way to control them is by hand. Change their soil, remove as many undesirables as possible by hand and then shower your plants with a strong stream of water to eliminate any eggs that may be present. Spray them (insist on the underside of the leaves) with liquid black soap diluted in water. Repeat the operation several times at a few days interval. Take them outside in good weather, rain, sun and wind will kill most of the aggressors!

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