Buying a pre-loved catnip and planting it in the garden is no feat. If you are looking for a little challenge and love to watch small seeds grow into pretty perennials, you should grow catnip from seeds.
Choose suitable seed
If you already have catnip and want to propagate it, you can use its seeds. But be careful: Not all catnip varieties are very fertile and produce seeds.
Very suitable and popular varieties include the citrusy-minty scented catnip 'Odeur Citron' or the white flowering variety 'Snowflake'. The 'Suberba' variety forms a nice contrast to 'Snowflake' and is considered to be widespread.
Depending on which variety you choose, the choice of location later depends on it. Varieties with gray leaves like it warm and dry. Green-leaved varieties grow best in a partially shaded and moist location.
Sowing - from beginning to end
The best time to sow catnip seeds is between March and April. The seeds should be stimulated to germinate by June at the latest. Otherwise, the probability that the catnip will bloom in the same year becomes less and less.
How to proceed:
- Sow seeds in seed trays or pots
- Keep 5 cm between each seed
- cover lightly with soil
- put in a bright and warm place
- keep soil moistured
Depending on the temperature, it takes between one and four weeks for the seeds to germinate. The ideal substrate for growth is sandy-loamy, slightly acidic and poor in nutrients. When the plants are 5 cm tall, they are planted in a suitable location. They should only come outdoors after the ice saints in May.
Caution: likes to self-sow
Since the catnip likes to sow itself, you don't necessarily have to take the sowing into your own hands. If you want to prevent self-seeding, cut off the withered inflorescences after the main bloom in summer.
tips and tricks
If you place the seeds in the soil and cover them with a thin layer of soil, you should tamp the whole thing down before flooding with water. Otherwise there is a risk that the tiny seeds will swim away from their intended place.
KKF