Black-eyed Susans (Thunbergia alata) are available to buy from specialist retailers as pre-grown plants for the garden and balcony. However, it is cheaper if you grow the climbing plant yourself from seeds. What you need to consider so that you can successfully grow the black-eyed Susan by sowing.
When and how do you sow black-eyed Susans?
For sowing black-eyed Susans (Thunbergia alata), prepare small bowls with loose potting soil from February to April. Sow the seeds thinly, cover them with soil and keep them moist. The ideal germination temperature is 18°C and can take up to three weeks.
Preparing the sowing
Prepare small bowls for cultivation by filling them with loose potting soil. Preferably use trays for sowing that can be covered with a glass lid or foil.
The best time to sow black-eyed Susans
Sowing can take place from February to April. Since the seeds germinate slowly, you should sow the seeds as early as possible.
This is how the climbing plant is sown
Sow the seed thinly and cover it with some soil. After sowing, keep the surface moist but not wet.
The ideal germination temperature is 18 degrees Celsius. Covering the seed tray with a lid prevents the seeds from cooling down or drying out.
It takes up to three weeks for the seeds to germinate.
Put into pots after emergence
- Prick out into pots
- Trimming tips
- Set up warm and bright
- Keep soil moist but not wet
As soon as the plants are large enough, plant three of them in small pots filled with nutritious soil.
Trim the tips of the seedlings so that the plants branch well and later produce several shoots.
From the end of May the plants can go outdoors
As soon as the danger of night frosts has passed, i.e. after the ice saints, the black-eyed Susans are allowed outside.
Plant them in a sunny spot in the garden or place them in the largest possible planters on the terrace or balcony. Right from the start, provide a climbing aid that the shoots of the black-eyed Susan can climb up.
It takes an average of 15 weeks from sowing to the first flowering. The hard-working climbers bloom until October.
Tips & Tricks
The black-eyed Susanne owes its name to the black wreath inside the flower. In new breeds, the “eye” can also be brown or green or completely missing.
