How to propagate Echinacea

Seeding method

Sowing can be done in late April in spring or early September in autumn. After the open-field seedbed is deeply plowed and leveled, water it thoroughly and wait until all the water has seeped into the ground before evenly sowing the seeds.

When sowing, make sure to sow about a thousand seeds per square meter and control the temperature at around 22°C. Seedlings will emerge in 13 to 15 days.

When the seedlings have two true leaves, they can be transplanted.

Division method

Echinacea is a perennial herb. The perennial mother plant can be propagated by division in spring and autumn.

Take the roots of the mother plant out of the ground, be careful not to damage the new roots, remove some of the soil, and remove old and diseased roots.

Use a knife to separate the mother plant from the rhizome, divide it into several plants evenly, keep each plant with 4-5 terminal buds, and then plant them in the prepared substrate.

Cutting method

For seedling raising by cuttings, you need to prepare a large mother plant, move it into a greenhouse for maintenance in winter, and wait until spring to take strong branches, retaining 2 to 4 true leaves but not the growth point.

The length of the branches should be controlled within 5-6 cm, and the cut should be made below the node, and the branches should be inserted immediately after cutting.

The depth of cuttings is one-third to one-half of the length of the cuttings. The seedbed for cuttings should not be too wet, but the surrounding air humidity should be high. The surrounding temperature should be controlled at 22°C, and roots will take shape in 20 to 30 days.

Colonization

When the echinacea seedlings have three branches and are about 10 cm tall, they are transplanted.

Use 15×13 cm nutrient pots for potting, with one plant planted in each pot. The potting soil should be composed of one third each of agricultural fertilizer, garden soil and fine sand, mixed and sieved.

After the seedlings are planted, the soil in the pot should be compacted, watered sufficiently, and placed in a cool place. After 7-10 days, move them to a sunny place and begin normal growth.