Job's Tears / Yi Yi Ren / Hato Mugi (Coix lacryma-jobi) - The magical grass that gives you pearls

Forget the craft store – now you can simply grow your own jewelry! Job's tears, also known as coix seed or tear grass, is an absolute wonder of nature and a spectacular ornamental grass for the garden. Instead of normal grass seeds, this plant produces drop-shaped, rock-hard, glossy "pearls" that look like polished porcelain. The absolute highlight: Mother Nature has even built in the hole for threading!

Scope of delivery: One young plant in a 7cm pot.

Growth & Appearance

• Lifespan: Perennial in its tropical home; it is usually cultivated as an annual ornamental grass in our climate.

• Growth height: A vigorous, stately grass that usually grows 60 to 120 cm tall (up to 1.5 meters in ideal locations).

• Habit: Visually, the plant strongly resembles young corn. It forms thick stalks and broad, deep green leaves.

• Bloom & Fruit: Rather inconspicuous flowers appear from July to October. The real spectacle follows afterward: the female flowers develop into drop-shaped, pseudo-fruits up to 1.5 cm in size. They ripen in beautiful shades ranging from mother-of-pearl white to silver-gray and blue-gray, and even nearly black, shining as if they had been freshly lacquered.

Origin, History & Other Names

• Other names: The grass is known by many names worldwide. In German-speaking areas, it is often called Tränengras, Perlengras, Christusträne or Moses-Träne. In Asia and English-speaking regions, it is known as Job's Tears or Adlay.

• Origin: Its original home is tropical Southeast Asia (India, China, Malaysia). From there, it has spread to almost all tropical and subtropical regions of the world.

Usage (Jewelry, Culinary & Medicinal)

• As natural jewelry (rosaries & necklaces): The hard shell of the drops is so durable that it cannot be crushed by hand. Since the flower stem runs exactly through the center of the fruit, a perfect, continuous channel is created when the ripe pearl is removed from the stalk. You can thread the pearls onto a string immediately without drilling! For centuries, Job's tears have been used worldwide to make Christian rosaries, Buddhist prayer beads, bracelets, and baby teething rings.

• How long has it been cultivated? The Job's tear is a true historic crop! Archaeological findings prove that it was cultivated in parts of India and China over 3,000 to 4,000 years ago. It was an important staple food in many Asian regions long before rice began its great march to popularity there.

• Is this hard wild form edible? (Dentist warning!): The answer is: Theoretically yes, practically no! While the inner core of the seeds is edible, very nutritious, and gluten-free, the extremely hard, porcelain-like shell of this specific wild form (Coix lacryma-jobi var. lacryma-jobi) is an absolute tooth-breaker. You would have to arduously crack them open with tools. For this very reason, farmers bred a soft-shelled variety (var. ma-yuen) millennia ago. Only this soft cultivar is eaten today in Asia as "adlay millet," cooked like rice, or used for soups and teas. Our hard wild form definitely belongs around the neck or on the wrist – not in the cooking pot!

• In natural medicine (TCM): In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the seeds are known as "Yi Yi Ren" and are used to aid drainage, for joint pain, and for skincare.

• In floristry: The branches with the hanging pearl drops are a dreamlike eye-catcher in autumn dry arrangements!

Location, Care & Gardener Tips (Warning, thirsty!)

• Location: Full sun and as warm as possible. A sheltered spot in front of a south-facing wall is ideal.

• Soil & Watering: This is the secret! In its home, Job's tear is a swamp plant. It does not like normal, dry potting soil at all. The soil must be extremely nutrient-rich and, above all, constantly moist to wet. You can even plant it at the edge of a garden pond or place the pot in a saucer that is kept constantly filled with water.

• Harvesting: Harvest in late summer/autumn as soon as the drops lose their green color, become hard, and take on a slightly grayish/whitish hue. If left on the plant for too long, they will fall off on their own.