The best way to propagate two-year-old pansies is through seeds. The perennial varieties can also be propagated by division. You buy the seeds or harvest them from your own plants, which can also sow themselves.
How to propagate pansies?
Pansies can be propagated by sowing seeds or dividing them. Biennial varieties are propagated by seeds sown 1 cm deep. Perennial horned violets can be divided after flowering and transplanted to a new location.
Most pansies and horned violet varieties are biennials. This means that the plants will flower the following year after sowing and then die. You can simply leave the bloomed pansies until the seed capsules form from which you can get seeds. However, the resulting plants may have other properties in relation to
- color,
- Size,
- Winter hardiness,
- Flowering time and duration
have more than the mother plants. It has to do with the fact that most breeds are F1 hybrids, whose seeds often do not fall properly.
Propagation by sowing
When sowing, please note that the seeds are dark germinators. You sow them about 1 cm deep and they will germinate after about 1-2 weeks. The soil should be kept evenly moist and locations that are too sunny should be avoided. After about four weeks, the seedlings can be separated. When the small pansies are about 5 cm tall, they are transplanted to their final location in the garden.
When should sowing be carried out?
In order to enjoy blooming pansies in the fall of the same year, you have to plant the seeds in the ground by July. The first flowers appear in October/November and remain with us through the mild winters until spring. Sowing for the spring and summer flowers of the following year should be carried out between August and September.
Reproduction by division
In contrast to the short-lived pansies, horned violets are often offered as perennials. They tolerate heavy pruning after flowering. In order to keep the growth of the horned violets compact, the cut plants should be divided and transplanted to the new location.
Tips & Tricks
Home-grown pansies are more resilient. When buying seeds (€2.00 at Amazon), make sure they are well winter hardy, which is particularly important for horned violets and wild pansies.
