The easiest way to propagate gentian is by sowing. Garden retailers offer a wide selection of different varieties. If you already have a gentian plant in your garden, you can also harvest seeds yourself to grow new plants.
How do I propagate gentian from seeds?
To propagate gentian from seeds, harvest ripe seed capsules, sow them in loose, nutritious garden soil in the fall and leave the sowing container outside over the winter. In spring, separate and plant the plants in their intended location.
Don't cut off the 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 completely faded and the seed pods have formed.
Only when the capsules and thus also the seeds are ripe can 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.
Collecting gentian seeds
- Cut ripe capsules
- Put in plastic bag
- Shake the bag or tap it lightly
- Seeds fall out
- Sowing in autumn
The seeds should be sown in the fall if possible because they take a long time to germinate. You can sow it straight away or sow it in the pot first. As cold germinators, the seeds need a period of frost. Therefore, leave the sowing container outside over winter.
How to sow the seed
Nutritious garden soil is sufficient as growing soil. When sowing in a pot, you can also use potting soil (€6.00 on Amazon). Make sure that the soil is nice and loose so that moisture cannot accumulate.
Do not scatter the fine seeds too densely and cover them 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 isolated, prick them to a distance of five centimeters.
As soon as they have reached a height of around eight centimeters, plant them in the designated place in the rock garden, a balcony box or a pot.
Make sure there is enough planting distance. For blue gentian, this should be about the same size as the full-grown perennial.
Tips & Tricks
Gentian is protected. Therefore, never take seeds from plants in the wild. If you would like to sow gentian in the garden, you can get all types of gentian from selected garden shops.
