Whether for making licorice, sweetening tea, as a natural and tasty teething aid for babies or as a medicinal herb - licorice can be used in a variety of ways. You don't necessarily have to buy it, you can also grow it yourself!
How to grow licorice successfully?
Licorice thrives best in a sunny to partially shaded, wind-protected location in a deep, loamy, moist, nutrient-rich, humus-rich and permeable substrate. The seeds are sown outdoors in May or in pre-cultivation from February to March. The roots can be harvested after three years.
What location does licorice need to thrive?
The licorice feels extremely comfortable in a sunny to partially shaded location in a location protected from the wind. Due to its long taproot, it is not suitable for container cultivation. It is better off in a cottage garden or a herb bed, for example.
What substrate can the plant get used to?
The substrate plays a crucial role if you later want to harvest the roots or runners from licorice. The best harvest results are achieved in a substrate with the following properties:
- profound
- loamy
- moist
- nutrient-rich
- humos
- not too hard
- permeable
Buy young plants or would you rather sow them yourself?
In order to save time and effort, it is advisable to buy young plants. Sowing often turns out to be extremely laborious and unsuccessful. Do you still want to try sowing? Then note the following:
- Normal germinator
- sow directly outdoors from May
- or pre-culture from the end of February to March
If you decide to pre-culture, you should sow the small seeds in a pot. The seeds are sown between 0.5 and 1 cm deep. If the soil was kept evenly moist and the sowing container was placed in a place that was around 20 °C warm, the seeds would probably germinate after 7 to 30 days.
When does licorice bloom?
Liquorice blooms relatively late. As a rule, the flowering period in this country begins around the beginning of August and lasts until October. During the flowering period, violet-blue to creamy-white flowers appear, which sit together in a spike-like inflorescence.
When and how do you harvest the roots?
You have to wait three years before you can harvest the licorice roots for the first time. The plant needs this time to develop strong roots. Harvest the secondary roots or runners in autumn! The taproot is not harvested.
Tip
When planting, make sure to maintain a distance of 50 cm between individual specimens!
