by johnah on October 29, 2020
Care Of Sneezeweed: Tips For Growing Sneezeweed Wildflowers
Sneezeweeds are plants that grow wild in the desert areas of the world. They are not native to our area but they have been introduced here through human activities. These plants are very useful in the garden because they provide us with many benefits such as their medicinal properties, insect control, drought tolerance and much more.
The following list of tips will help you to grow your own sneezeweed seeds:
1) Choose a location where you want to plant the seeds.
If you don’t like the heat or humidity then choose another place. You can even plant them outside if it gets too hot!
2) Plant the seeds in moist peat moss or potting soil.
Do not use sand or any other type of soil.
3) Keep the seedlings well watered until they sprout.
Watering them every few days is enough. Then water them less frequently till they get established. Once established, keep watering regularly as long as you do not overwater them and they stay healthy.
4) Make sure that the location you have chosen to plant your sneezeweed seeds gets full sun.
If it doesn’t get full sun then the plants will never bloom and you will be disappointed.
5) For proper growth, the soil should remain consistently moist but not waterlogged.
These plants do not like “wet feet”. They are drought tolerant and can survive without any extra watering for long periods of time. However, they will grow faster if watered regularly.
6) Fertilize your plants once per month with a slow release 20-20-20 granular fertilizer.
7) Deadhead or remove spent blooms to encourage more blooming and to keep the plants looking neat and tidy.
Once the bloom is finished, it’s time for the plant to propagate. Sneezeweeds are in the genus Grindelia so they will spread rapidly by “seeds” which are actually little hard round bodies called achenes. If you want to prevent spread, do not allow the plant to go to seed.
8) Do not prune your sneezeweed plants unless it is absolutely necessary.
They do not respond well to being pruned and will likely dieback or die if you do this. Plus, it’s much better for them to reproduce on their own rather than be pruned by a gardener who does not understand their lifecycle.
9) Do not dig up, divide or transplant these plants unless it is absolutely necessary.
Once again they do not respond well to being disturbed. If you think you need to divide or transplant then it usually means that you need to plant more.
10) Do not grow sneezeweed plants if you have a pet or use any herbicide in your yard. This is a bad combination and could be fatal to your pets.
That should do it. Have fun and enjoy your new plants!
Thank you for choosing Care Of Sneezeweed!
We hope that this information has been helpful. Please let us know if you have any questions. The gardening tips contained in this advisory are freely given and all advice given is offered without any guarantee or responsibility whatsoever. Enjoy your day and have a nice gardening experience!
Thanks again!
The Care Of Sneezeweed Team
Sneezeweed plants are easy to grow and add a lot of beauty and interest to any garden. They do best in full sun, but will tolerate partial shade. They like dry, sandy soil but will easily grow in other types of soil as long as it is not continually soggy. Sneezeweed seeds are easy to start indoors or out.
The plants tolerate a fair amount of foot traffic and are attractive to butterflies and hummingbirds.
Sneezeweed plants are in the sunflower family, as their name suggests, they attract bees, hummingbirds and butterflies. They grow to about three or four feet tall and about as wide. The plants thrive in sandy soil with regular watering. They are hardy perennials in zones 3-10 and can be propagated by seeds or root division.
They are also called gray hoarhound because of the fuzzy, grayish leaves that resemble a wooly mint plant.
The scientific name of the plant is “Helenium hoopesii” sometimes spelled “hoopski”. The plant should not be confused with other types of sneezeweed plants that are poisonous. These flowers bloom from July to September and have a soft, fuzzy appearance. Leaves are gray-green in color and the whole plant has a bluish cast.
Sneezeweed Plant Care
Sunlight
Sneezeweed plants prefer full sun but will tolerate some shade.
Soil
Sneezeweed plants like dry, sandy soil but will grow in other types of soil as long as it is not continually soggy.
When and How to Plant
Start sneezeweed seeds indoors in early spring and transplant into the garden about 2 weeks after the last frost. This is usually around the time when the daffodils are blooming. Space plants about 4 feet apart.
Sneezeweed plants can also be planted in early fall.
Care and Maintenance
Deadheading spent flowers will keep the appearance tidy and encourage more blooms. Cut off the dried flowers just behind the leaf nodes.
If you are deadheading on a regular basis then you probably won’t have to do any other grooming of the plants except for cutting back occasional straggling or stray branches.
Sneezeweed plants have few problems with disease or pests.
How to Divide or Transplant
If you start sneezeweed plants indoors you will have to transplant them before their roots become pot-bound. Transplanting is best done on a cloudy day. Prepare the garden bed by turning the soil to a depth of about 8 inches. Rake the bed lightly and level off the bed so there are no high points.
This will ensure proper water drainage.
Sneezeweed plants can be divided. If you are dividing the plants then space the new ones about 2 feet apart.
After planting water thoroughly to settle the soil and remove any air pockets.
Watering
The soil should be kept lightly moist at all times but never muddy.
Fertilizer
Fertilize before planting. You can also apply fertilize annually around the base of the plant after it is finished blooming. Choose a fertilizer that is high in potash.
Pests and Problems
The sneezeweed plant has very few problems with disease or pest.
If you are deadheading regularly then there should be no pest or disease problems.
Sources & references used in this article:
Aloe~ Aloe Vera~ Aloe barbadensis Plant Care Guide by TYW Need – auntiedogmasgardenspot.wordpress …
Effect of Reduced Irrigation on Growth and Flowering of Coneflower and Sneezeweed by A Bayer – HortTechnology, 2020 – journals.ashs.org
GROWN YOUR OWN PEANUTS… KIDS FUN and DIY EASY. by C Beer
Texas wildflowers: a field guide by LPC Guide – auntiedogmasgardenspot.wordpress …
Gibberellin and retardants influence on some ornamental plants and a level of their native growth substances by C Loughmiller, L Loughmiller, J Marcus – 2018 – books.google.com
Old-fashioned Flowers: Classic Blossoms to Grow in Your Garden by LV Rounkova – Symposium on Growth Regulators in Floriculture 91, 1979 – actahort.org
Flowers of the southwest mountains by T Martin – 2000 – books.google.com
1001 Questions Answered about Flowers by LP Arnberger – 1982 – books.google.com
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