I grew several from seed. They shoot up the first 2 ft or so in growth very fast and need a deep container for the taproot. I had several, so I put one of them in the ground. Predictably, it died back in the winter to about 8 inches tall. The rest of the top rotted off. It did come back to life in spring with vigor. I was very surprised. It's about 3 ft tall now, and I am awaiting this winter. We still haven't gotten freezing temps yet (today is Nov 30). The coldest it's been is 48 or so. The plant has lost a couple of leaves but is still looking healthy. I hope we get a mild winter. If I can get it through the next 2 years without losing too much wood, I think I can get it to grow larger. Fruiting may be another hurdle.

The other one I have is in a tall kitchen trash bin as a container, with compost, sand, perlite, and rotted coffee grounds as soil. I added a handful of compost worms and a top dressing of woody mulch. I tip-pruned it 3 times during the summer to keep it short ans bushy. I added some fish emulsion, 1/2 strength, every week in the middle of summer and once a month in late fall and early spring. I gave it 1/2 dose of 10-10-10 in the spring.

It needs fertile, well-draining soil high in organics and lots of sunlight.

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