- Do not cut flowers
- Collect gentian seeds
- How to sow the seed
- Separate and plant out in spring
- tips and tricks
The easiest way to propagate gentian is by sowing. The garden trade offers a wide range of different varieties. If you already have a gentian shrub in the garden, you can also harvest seeds yourself to grow new shrubs.
After flowering, the gentian forms fruit with numerous seeds
Do not cut flowers
If you want to harvest seeds from your gentian yourself, you must not cut off the flowers. Leave them on the plant until they have fully withered and the seed pods have formed.
Only when the capsules and thus the seeds are ripe should you cut them off.
If you leave the ripe seeds on the perennial, the gentian will sow itself. You will then receive many small gentian plants that you can easily transplant later.
Collect gentian seeds
- Cut ripe capsules
- Put in plastic bag
- Shake or tap the bag lightly
- Seeds fall out
- Sow in autumn
If possible, the seed is sown in autumn, because it takes a long time to germinate. You can apply it on the spot or sow it in the pot first. As cold germs, the seeds need a frost period. Therefore, leave the seed pot outside over the winter.
How to sow the seed
Nutritious garden soil is sufficient as growing soil. You can also use potting soil when sowing in pots. Make sure that the soil is nice and loose so that the moisture cannot accumulate.
Do not scatter the fine seed too densely and cover it with a very thin layer of soil. Water the seeds carefully.
Separate and plant out in spring
When the small plants are large enough to be individualized, prick them out two inches apart.
As soon as they have reached a height of about eight centimetres, plant them in the designated place in the rock garden, a balcony box or a bucket.
Make sure there is enough planting distance. In the case of blue gentian, this should be about the same size as the mature perennial.
tips and tricks
Gentian is under nature protection. Therefore, never remove seeds from plants in the wild. If you want to sow gentian in the garden, you can get all types of gentian from selected garden retailers.