Native Plants
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Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
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Tuesday - July 21, 2015
From: Round rock , TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Propagation, Seeds and Seeding, Drought Tolerant, Herbs/Forbs
Title: Propagation of Blackfoot daisy seed
Answered by: Guy Thompson
QUESTION:
I have a three yr old Blackfoot daisy. How do you root Blackfoot daisy seeds? When is the best month to grow these seeds?ANSWER:
Melampodium leucanthum (Blackfoot daisy) is so heat- and drought-tolerant that is can thrive where most other plants die. However, starting the seeds growing is another matter, since at this stage moisture is needed and scarification helps. I am going to refer you to a recent Smarty Plants answer to the same question.
"Our usual sources to answer this question failed us, so we wandered around on the Internet and picked up these pieces of information propagating Melampodium leucanthum (Blackfoot daisy).
"Seeds germinate better if acid scarified. When the soil is warm, sow the seed. Cuttings from semi-soft stems root well and should be approaching woodiness."
"Collect seeds from base of outer ray flowers in the Fall."
Here is an article from Dave's Garden that is probably the most informative."
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