How to Grow Coneflower Plants
Coneflower plants, also known as echinacea, are hardy, colorful, easy to maintain perennials. In addition to gracing gardens, these plants are also popular ingredients in herbal teas. While you can buy echineacea plants at many nurseries, it is more satisfying and more cost effective to grow your own coneflower plants from seeds.
Materials
- Egg carton with small holes poked in the bottom
- Scissors
- Potting mix
- Milled sphagnum moss
- Plastic wrap
- Tape
- Plastic cell packs
- Refrigerated coneflower seeds
- Shallow pan large enough for the egg carton
- Water
Procedure
- Fill the cups of the egg carton with potting mix, leaving about 1/4 of an inch between the top of the soil and the top of the container.
- Place three to four coneflower seeds on top of each cup of dirt.
- Sprinkle 1/8 of an inch of spahgnum moss on top of the seeds.
- Fill the shallow pan with room temperature water, and place the carton in it. When the top of the soil is moist to the touch, remove the carton from the water.
- Cover the container with plastic wrap, and secure the wrap to the container's sides with tape. Use the scissors to cut a small ventilation slit in the plastic wrap.
- Place the container is a spot with no drafts that stays at a controlled room temperature of around 70 degrees Celsius. The soil temperature needs to be approximately 65-70 degrees Celsius for the coneflower seeds to germinate.
- Watch the seedlings for signs germination which should take about 2-4 weeks. As soon as you see growth, remove the plastic wrap, and move the container to a sunny spot.
- Keep the seedlings moist by watering them as described in step 4. You should keep them moist, but do not let the soil become muddy.
- Check the plants for leaves. When you see several leaves on a plant, transplant it into a plastic cell pack filled with the potting mix.
- Return the transplanted coneflower to the sunny spot, and water it as needed to keep it moist. Do not over water. If the temperatures outside are above 50 degrees Celsius, place the seedlings outdoors in a protected sunny spot, out of the wind during the day, and bring them in at night. Natural light is very beneficial for these young plants.
- Plant your seedlings in well drained, fertile soil in full sun after the last frost.
- Water and weed the young plants throughout the growing season. After a season to become established, your coneflowers will be much hardier and require less pampering.