Due to the decorative flowers, the coneflower is a popular plant species in your own garden. The sowing of the perennials is well suited for cultivation if a larger number of specimens is desired.
Win Coneflower Seeds
If you don't want to buy seeds, you can collect coneflower seeds on your own. All you need is a plant in the garden that can be used as a donor. The time for harvesting the seeds is determined by the flowering period. This lasts from July to September. During or after the flowering period, the seeds are harvested:
- Flowers must wither
- make a complete cut
- Remove tubular flowers
- Remove chaff leaves (hedgehog spines).
- expose seed
- harvest seeds
- optional: shake the flower
- Seed color: beige
A single flower provides a large amount of seed. Since it can only be harvested when dried, you no longer have to dry the coneflower seeds yourself before using them. Nevertheless, they must be prepared before sowing, just like the bag seeds.
Tip: Coneflowers will self-seed if you don't remove the inflorescences after they've faded. They lose seeds and with any luck they will germinate around the mother plant and eventually grow into healthy coneflower seedlings.
preparation
The preparation for the propagation is divided into two points, which depend on the source of the seed. If you collect coneflower seeds yourself, you will need to stratify them after harvest into next year. They will not germinate without the cold stimulus. Stratification is performed in the following way:
Source: Dominicus Johannes Bergsma, Zaaddoos Echinacea purpurea (zonnehoed) 05, Edited by Plantopedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Open freezer bag
- Fill in screed sand
- alternatively: peat-screed sand mixture
- moisten well
- Put coneflower seeds in
- put in the vegetable drawer
- moisten regularly
Simply leave the seed in the vegetable drawer until the new season's sowing date is due. Depending on whether you prefer the coneflowers in the pot or want to sow them directly outdoors, there is a different time:
- April to May outdoors
- February to March in pots
Source: S.G.S., 'Cheyenne Spirit' echinacea IMG 7600, Edited from Plantopedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
When cultivating outdoors, you don't need to follow any special temperatures. Echinacea are hardy and even the seedlings can easily withstand cool weather. It is also a good idea to soak the seed in water 24 hours before sowing. This is particularly recommended for seed from the bag, since in many cases it has not received any cold stimulus. It doesn't matter what form of water it is. It just shouldn't be heated.
Sow coneflowers outdoors
Many prefer to sow coneflowers outdoors. It requires little effort, since the seedlings do not have to be brought forward and therefore there is no additional maintenance effort. Before you distribute the seeds in the bed, you should prepare the soil:
- profound
- nutritious
- humorous
- loamy
If you want to plant geraniums, optimal soil preparation is the be-all and end-all.
Garden soil is sufficient for this. At this point, compost should only be incorporated to improve the soil. Sowing succeeds in the following way:
- create individual rows
- up to 5 cm deep
- Row spacing: 20 to 40 cm (depending on variety)
- sowing
- cover with 2 cm soil
- moisten well
When sowing coneflowers outdoors, you have the choice of distributing the seeds either in large quantities in a row or individual seeds at a distance of 40 centimeters from each other. If you choose the first option, you must prick out the seedlings after the germination period of 14 to 28 days, otherwise the rows will be too narrow. This is not necessary with single seed. After the seedlings have been pricked out, they only have to be planted in a suitable location in order to be able to thrive. From this point on, it is important to care for each coneflower as required by the genus.
Tip: Coneflowers are known to be popular with snails. For this reason, put on a snail protection for the plants before the cultivation.
Prefer in pots
Source: Don McCulley, Echinacea purpurea IMG 4818, Edited from Plantopedia, CC0 1.0
In general, the Echinacea genus is not so easy to propagate by seed, since seedlings emerge after very different germination times. Some are ready to prick out in as little as 14 days, while others take a full month. Preparing them is an advantage, as you can end up putting the young plants together in a bed without waiting for individual specimens. This is especially important for projects with different colors if you want them to bloom together. When moving forward, proceed as follows:
- Prepare the seed tray
- fill with growing substrate
- Sow seed on substrate
- Distance: up to 2 cm
- do not cover or cover with little soil
- press carefully
- moisten well
It is then important that the humidity and temperature remain constant. Place the seed tray in a mini greenhouse or cover it with cling film. The germination temperature is between 20°C and 22°C, the location should not be bright. Now let the seeds germinate. During the germination period, constantly check the humidity so that the seedlings do not dry out. As soon as enough pairs of leaves can be seen, the young plants move into individual pots, which will appreciate a substrate rich in nutrients. The location for the young plants should be as follows:
- Light requirement: bright
- no direct sun
- cool
Suitable locations are, for example, unheated rooms or a stairwell that is not too dark. Over the coming weeks, the coneflower specimens will be placed outside during the day to get them used to the outdoors. The planting date is directly after the ice saints, so that the young plants do not have to struggle with late frosts. If you are lucky and the location offers sufficient nutrients, you may be able to look forward to flowers as early as the end of summer. However, these are typically only trained in the second year.
Notice: If you have used seeds you have obtained yourself, you must expect that the result will not be the desired variety.