Porous, well-drained soils are required to grow this crop successfully. Field trials in Zimbabwe on well-drained soil found that plants grow erect with a single stem until the first flower head appears, after which lateral branches develop. However, on poorly-drained soils the terminal growth stops before flowering and the upper portion of the plant dies. Branches will subsequently grow from the base of the plant, but also wither and die without flowering. Soil with intermediate drainage will produce plants that develop a few flower heads, but with very low seed yields.
Seeds germinate quickly, but seedling vigor is poor.
A western African variety from northern Ghana has vigorous seedlings and could be used in developing varieties with better seedling vigor. Research on this species was stopped when yields continued to be low due primarily to poor seed retention. Agronomic studies on V. galamensis began in Zimbabwe during 1983, which are currently unpublished. These studies used the unimproved, yet very uniform germplasm from Ethiopia. Additional vernonia germplasm is being collected in Zimbabwe for future evaluations.