In industrial poppy cultivation you will mainly find blue poppies and gray poppies, which are used for the production of baking poppies. Turkish poppies, on the other hand, do very well in the home garden. Its flowers grow up to 15 cm large.
What is the best way to plant poppies?
To plant poppies successfully, you should choose a warm, dry location, sow the seeds directly in the desired location, dig the planting hole deep enough and possibly add some well-rotted compost. Moderate watering and different poppy varieties ensure a long flowering period.
The ideal location and the best soil
Most poppies prefer a sunny, dry location. Only the Icelandic poppy can tolerate a cooler climate like it knows from its homeland. Alpine poppy likes a coarser soil with a proportion of gravel. If poppies get too little light, they will bloom only moderately or not at all. The ideal soil for poppies is well-drained and low in nutrients.
Sowing poppies
In most cases, poppy seeds are propagated by sowing. If the seed capsules dry directly on the plant, then the poppy seeds will usually grow out on their own. The seeds then end up widely scattered throughout the bed. This is exactly how you should sow the seeds. To make it easier to spread the fine seeds, mix a little sand with them.
Then sprinkle a little soil or sand over the seeds. But they must not disappear under a thick layer of soil, because poppy seeds germinate in light. After about 10 – 20 days the first seedlings appear. Protect the seeds and later the young plants from too much moisture. They should only be slightly moist.
The propagation of poppies
Root division is also possible for some perennial varieties. To do this, expose the roots in autumn or winter and cut off one or more root pieces that are at least 8 cm long. It is best to plant these root pieces in pots so that the upper edge is even with the surface of the soil. Place pots cool but frost-free and keep the roots slightly moist.
Alternatively, you can also divide the root ball into two or more large pieces. You plant these directly outdoors, while the root cuttings are not planted out until next spring. If the soil is very poor, you can add a little well-rotted compost to the prepared planting hole. By the way, planting opium poppies is not allowed in your home garden.
The best planting tips in brief:
- warm dry location, exception: Iceland poppy
- Better to sow in the desired location than to transplant later
- Dig the planting hole deep enough
- possibly add some well-rotted compost to the planting hole
- don't water too much
- plant different poppy varieties for a long flowering period
Tips & Tricks
Ideally, you should sow your poppies directly at the desired location, as the tender roots can be damaged when pricking out. It is also difficult to transplant without damaging the roots.
