The only question is: when to sow echinacea – spring or autumn? Most sources refer to both periods, but we will share some insights into why spring is better for echinacea germination and how to do it right.
How and when to sow echinacea?
First of all, it should be mentioned that echinacea seeds have a poor germination rate of only 15-20%, so people propagate these flowers more often by dividing kero. But why not try to grow echinacea yourself from the seeds you collected? In this case, it will help to know that the most viable seeds come from the edge of the flower. Of course, it will always be possible to use already commercially prepared seeds “at hand”.
Echinacea is sown in autumn or spring, but in Lithuania it is better and usual to sow in spring. Germination of echinacea seeds is improved by stratification, so this process “happening” during the winter will help the seeds to be more energetic and germinate. Flowers are usually germinated indoors in March-April. Echinacea can also be sown in outdoor seedbeds (this is done in May-June), but the seeds germinate poorly in the field.
For indoor germination, the seeds are sown 6 mm deep in pots, boxes or an inspector filled with a good quality seed growing mix. For seed germination, a temperature of 18-21 degrees, a bright location and moist soil (but never too wet or too dry) is maintained. Echinacea sprouts in about 3-4 weeks, and after sprouting and having 3-4 leaves, the sprouts are placed in separate pots or pots.
When to sow echinacea according to the moon?
Maybe you already managed to “write off” the bad sprouting of echinacea to the wrong lunar date? Well, you can try to adjust the corresponding phase of the moon and plant echinacea during the days of the full moon of the Earth.
For those who follow this calendar, in 2024 this corresponds to the days 03.21–04.06, 04.20–05.05, 05.19–06.04. We do not provide specific days for “roots”, “flowers” or “fruits”, as we believe that only experimentation will lead to the desired yield. Perhaps echinacea planted during this period will please you with better germination and healthier flowers.
Lunar Calendar – A gardening guide based on the phases of the moon. The basic rules of what can and cannot be sown or planted
Echinacea planting
Echinacea should be planted in sunny, moist (but not waterlogged), water-permeable, deeply cultivated, fertile, neutral sandy or loamy soil. It is necessary to ensure such a place that other plants do not grow near the echinacea, because flowers do not like “neighbors”.
Seedlings can be transplanted into the flower bed when they produce their first true leaves and are large enough (usually 5-10 cm tall). Sometimes this is done in the same autumn, but it is even better to plant in a permanent place in the spring of the following year. Plants are planted at a distance of 30-50 cm from each other. Flowering of seedlings should be expected in the second-third year. It happens that sometimes the flowers sow themselves.
Echinacea care
Watering. Although these flowers are quite drought tolerant, during hot weather they need to be watered when about 5 cm of the soil surface dries out. Water abundantly and deeply in the early morning or late afternoon (before the sun heats up), avoiding water getting on the leaves.
Fertilization. If echinacea is planted in well-prepared soil, additional fertilization of the flowers will not be necessary. But if the soil is poor or you want to give the flowers an additional “boost”, then fertilizers for flowering plants are used. Slow-acting granular fertilizers are used during transplanting, and liquid flower fertilizers during flowering.
Mulching. Flowers are mulched with compost in the spring without burying their stems.
Pruning Regular cutting of overgrown flowers stimulates the formation of new flowers, so this stage should not be missed. In late autumn, all the stems of the plant are cut, leaving a little stem above the ground.
Overwintering. Adult echinacea are not afraid of winter, but young flowers should be covered.
Sources:
https://www.theseedcollection.com.au/growguide/echinacea-seeds
https://www.gardenary.com/blog/how-to-grow-organic-echinacea-from-seed
Baronienė V., Obelevičius K., Klimavičius D., Rutkauskas A., Vaidelys J. Garden book, Vilnius: Alma littera Publishing House, 2011, pp. 228–229.
