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Tabernanthe iboga is at home in the rainforests of West Africa. Temperatures here are always
above 20deg C and frequently above 40 deg C. In fcat, iboga stops growing at about 15 deg C
and looses it's leaves at about 10 deg C. The tips start dying back if exposed to 5 deg C.
Repeated exposure to 4 deg C will cause severe dieback from which the plant may not
recover. A sinlge frost or a couple of nights at 1 or 2 deg C will certainly kill most plants.
The rainforest provides a very moist and humid environment. Iboga plant will adapt to dry air,
but will shed their leavs first. The new leaves will be smaller and tougher, but will withstand
very dry conditions as long as the plant is watered frequently. Hardened iboga plants can be
grown under HPS or other artificial lights. Being rainforest plants they prefer light at levels of
less than 70%. Iboga ideally likes about 50% until it is a couple of years old and can then
tolerate more. having such low minimum light requirements means that this species can easily
be grown along the perimeter of artificial light rigs, where other plants will not be happy. It is
also well suited as an indoor pot plant, but should be kept away from windowsills during
winter.

   

Rainforests produce water by causing condensation of moist air in the lower strata of the
forest. This keeps the rainforest floor damp at all times. The constant flushing of condensed
water means that nutrients are constantly washed away. Most rainforest plants are well
adapted to efficiently capture these nutrients in the upper layers of the forest litter and soil.
When cultivating plant we should try to emulate this soil by using a light mix of leafmould or
composted bark shreddings. Rainforest soils have perfect drainage and this can be a problem
in commercial potting mixes. To avoid waterlogging it is wise to add at least 1/3rd  
sand to the mix. Iboga quickly gets rootbound and needs plenty of space. The efficient
rootsystem is also very vigorous and needs rooms to spread. Iboga is a heavy feeder and
responds quickly to fertilising. Soluble fertilisers are a waste here due to high water
requirement. Composted manures are perfect.

   
  
 

There was a fair bit of seed available until the end of 1999. Most of this was supplied to
retailers by Dan Lieberman (South Africa) who tragically died in a car accident mid 2000.
Most seed sold around the world since then has been from old stock. Shaman Australis has
now sourced a new supplier and is making seed available on a seasonal basis. Iboga seed is
VERY perishable. In poor storage conditions it can loose it's viability within a few weeks. If
kept at optimum conditions it will last about 4 months. To store seed properly it needs to be
stored in a moist environment at about 10 degC. This prevents the seedcoat from drying out.
Very fresh and moist iboga seed germinates easily and without problems. As soon as the coat
dries somewhat the seedling will struggle to emerge from the seedcoat and may rot. The
seedling can be assisted by keeping the seedcoat very moist and soft, or by using a scalpel to
carefully remove sections of seedcoat on a day by day basis. A piece of wet cotton or fabric
can be used to keep the seedcoat moist by draping it over the emerging seedling. A high
humidity environment (humidity dome or tropical hothouse) is essential. If using a scalpel to
help the seed it is important never to injure the cotyledons that are folded into the tiny folds of
the seedcoat. Accessing 1mm per day is all that is needed and prevents excessive damage. As
you ease the constriction with the scalpel, the seedling will slowly push itself out a little
further, thus revealing the next safe place to cut another 1mm. trying to remove the whole
seedcoat at once is almost guaranteed to fail. You should aim to remove the seedcoat within
about a week of the seedling emerging from the growing medium, as any longer may weaken
the seedling beyond recovery. Under normal circumstances the seedling will shed the
seedcoat within 2 days and this is the minimum it should be allowed to try without
interference.

To germinate the seed you will need to prepare a tray, pot or punnet with coarse sharp sand
(please look up the exact preparation, as most other media and plain sand are entirely
unsuitable). The punnet, pot or tray has to be perfectly free draining, which can be achieved
by placing plastic shadecloth in the bottom to prevent the sand from escaping. The sand has to
be at least 5cm deep. Place the seed in the coarse sharp sand about 10mm deep and water
well. Never let the sand dry out, as if the seedling is about to emerge at this time it will dry up
and die. Also, if the medium dries, the seedcoat may dry and prolong germination. Keep seed
at a minimum 25 deg C air temp. However, to achieve good germination the air temp should
be about 30-35 deg C. Lowering the temperature will delay germination and increase
likelyhood of fungal attack. Germination may occur within a few days, but may take up to
several months, so be prepared to keep looking after the seeds throughout their full
germination phase. Never expose seedlings to dry air until they have at least 3 sets of leaves.
This is also the best age to transplant the first time. Their first new growing medium should be
mostly sand (90% coarse sand + 10% good potting mix) and should not contain ANY manure
or other strong fertiliser. Osmocote is a good option here, but should be applied at minimal
rate. Once the plants get to 5 pairs of leaves they are ready for strong growth and normal
fertilising and should be potted into a mix as described in the section above.




Iboga cuttings are fairly easy to root. Take a stem section with two nodes. Remove the leaves
from the lower node and cut off 2/3rds of each remaining leaf. Now insert the lower end into a
tray or pot of coarse sharp sand. Rooting hormone makes no difference in this process. Put the
pot or tray in a hothouse or humidity dome and keep moist, humid and very warm. Callus
forms after about 10 days and roots emerge after another few days. Pot into a sandy potting
mix after 4-6 weeks or when the plant has grown by another node.

    

 A cheap and easy hothouse can be made from a
softdrink bottle. This is possibly the most perfect way
to establish your cuttings. The bottle used should be
at least 500ml. If it is larger than 1l, then the air
might be a little too dry for the cutting, but it will still
work. Choose a pot with a diameter a little larger than
the diameter of your bottle. Fill the pot with coarse
sharp sand, and place the single node cutting at least
3 cm into the medium (note: plant shown here is
NOT iboga - this method can be applied to may
different plants. Growing medium shown is not
sand.). Cut the bottom off the CLEAN plastic bottle
and push it about 2-3 cm into the medium. The plastic
cap can be used to adjust the humidity and
temperature inside this min-hothouse. It is advisable
to never close the vent completely, but for the first
couple of weeks it is best to cover the hole partially to
increase humidity. Place only one cutting per unit to
avoid overcrowding. Watering can be done throught
hole, or the bottle removed for maintainance.

 
   
Most collectors will start their plants in pots as these can be placed into appropriate conditions
without disturbing the roots. Iboga likes a lot of nutrients and will need plenty of root space.
Make sure that the soil never dries out as rainforest plants have no protection from excessive
transpiration. Plants can also be hardened off to survive in non-humid conditions. To do this
without stressing the plant too much, remove all the leaves from the well established plant,
leaving only the tiny growing tips. Now place this plant into a dry but shady spot and always
water it well. As the new leaves grow they will be much harder and smaller. Fertilise only
when it is hot enough for the plant to actively grow. Composted manures are preferable to
liquid fertilisers, but both will achieve results.Regular repotting into larger pots allow the
addition of manure to the new potting mix.