A single plant has passed the test and now you want to create an entire bed of lady's mantle? There are cheaper ways to do this besides buying new plants. Here is an overview of the best propagation methods.
How to propagate lady's mantle?
Lady's mantle can be propagated by dividing the rootstock in spring, self-sowing after flowering or targeted sowing of seeds between October and January. A partially shaded location with humus-rich clay soil is ideal.
The most proven method: dividing the rootstock
The easiest way to propagate lady's mantle is by dividing its rhizome. This vegetative propagation should best be carried out in spring when the plant has not yet sprouted.
How to do it:
- Dig up lady's mantle
- Roughly remove soil from the roots, e.g. B. Shake off soil
- divide the roots with a sharp knife
- make sure that the fine fiber roots are not injured
- plant the newly obtained plant in a suitable location
Self-sowing – Now the lady’s mantle is taking over
If you prefer to leave reproduction to nature, you can trust the lady's mantle. It likes to reproduce by self-sowing. If its withered inflorescences are not removed after its flowering period, seeds will quickly form. These are spread around the garden by the wind and begin to germinate the next spring.
Intentional sowing: This is how it works
If you want to take the sowing into your own hands, you can plant the lady's mantle seeds at home or sow them directly. Please note that they must experience a period of cold to be awakened from their sleep.
Either you wait until spring and then pick up the seeds, or you take the seeds and put them on the balcony over the winter, for example, or in the freezer for several days. Provided you want to germinate the seeds at home. For direct sowing, the seeds can be sown outdoors between October and January.
The seeds germinate in light and should not be covered with soil or should be covered discreetly. After sowing, the soil is kept moist. The cotyledons can be seen after two to three weeks. As soon as the plants have reached a size of 5 cm, they can be pricked out and/or relocated. The optimal location is partially shaded and has a humus-rich clay soil.
Tips & Tricks
If you want to avoid lady's mantle spreading all over the garden through self-sowing, you should cut off the inflorescences after they have withered. This prevents seed formation.
