Poppies are easy to sow and germinate without any problems. It should not be too warm and/or too wet during the germination period. If the seed pods mature on the plant, your poppy will even self-seed.
The seed for sowing poppies can be collected after flowering itself
This shows you how easy it is to sow when the location is right. It should be dry and get as much sun as possible. In addition, the poppy likes a permeable soil, as it does not tolerate waterlogging at all.
Where do you get the seeds from?
You can safely take the seeds for your future poppies from your own existing plants. Usually they germinate without problems. If you don't have any plants from which you can take the seeds or if you would like to have a different variety in your garden, such as the double peony poppy or the ground-covering alpine poppy, then you will find a wide selection of seeds in specialist shops.
Sow poppies correctly
Poppies get long taproots and are therefore difficult to prick out. For this reason you should sow it directly at the desired location. If this is not possible, then sow in pots. Only plant out the seedlings when they have grown into strong young plants. Then put the root balls from the pots completely into the ground, even if several plants are growing in them.
Scatter fine poppy seed broadly over the prepared bed. To make this easier for you, you can mix the seeds with a little sand. After sowing, cover the seeds with a little soil as they germinate in the light. During the germination period, which lasts about 10-20 days, the seeds should always be slightly moist, but not wet.
The best tips for sowing:
- Sow as directly as possible in the desired location
- sow widely
- Mix seeds with some sand if necessary
- hardly cover with soil - light germs
- Keep seeds only slightly moist
- prick difficult
tips and tricks
The poppy not only fits into the classic cottage garden. Why not sow the white Alpine poppy in your rock garden or the Turkish poppy, which can grow up to a meter high, in a sunny corner of the garden.