Hi, I got some tarragon seeds, but I'm having a difficult time with them. They seem to all germinate really well, shoot up to about 5mm, and then slowly die. All my other types of seeds are doing fine.
I've heard tarragon is hard to grow from seed, but I was wondering if you folks have any tips for successful tarragon growing I could try?
Thanks.
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PunkRotten
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A lot of perennial herbs are tough to sprout and grow successfully to a mature plant (In my experience at least). Takes a bunch of patience and very special care. In my experience they are slow to germinate and can't be too wet, and can't be too dry. You have to be very attentive to them. I have not grown Tarragon, but I would imagine it is similar to most other perennial herbs. I have grown from seed:
Lavender - Tried about 4 times, best I got was a few plants a few inches high but they dried out. Other attempts either died from damping off or drying out. Takes a while to germinate too.
Anise Hyssop - Similar to above, but I have managed to get a few plants successfully to a mature stage.
Yarrow - Same as above, and now have two plants that are growing good.
Oregano - Success the first try. Now have a nice little plant in a pot several inches high and looks promising.
Thyme - Tried twice, first time it dried out. second time they sprouted but got dampened off.
Chamomile - mixed success. Lost some, but some matured to full grown plants. Have a nice plant outside now and another sprouted and under lights.
Self Heal - Just got some to sprout. Have a feeling it is pretty hardy.
There is a few others I have tried but can't recall at the moment. I would suggest using some really light soil, possibly soil-less media like seed starting mix. Be generous with the seeds and barely cover them. Also sprinkle some on top too. Wet the soil them cover with plastic or a dome. And have it under artificial light or in a location that gets indirect or partial sun in the morning or evening. Some herb seeds need to be barely covered others do not need to be buried at all. Some need light to sprout. Check every other day and if it looks dry use a spray bottle. Once they sprout remove the plastic/dome and put under grow lights ASAP. From there be very careful with watering, not too much or not too little. You need to have enough water that it does not dry out and not too much that it dampens off.
Lavender - Tried about 4 times, best I got was a few plants a few inches high but they dried out. Other attempts either died from damping off or drying out. Takes a while to germinate too.
Anise Hyssop - Similar to above, but I have managed to get a few plants successfully to a mature stage.
Yarrow - Same as above, and now have two plants that are growing good.
Oregano - Success the first try. Now have a nice little plant in a pot several inches high and looks promising.
Thyme - Tried twice, first time it dried out. second time they sprouted but got dampened off.
Chamomile - mixed success. Lost some, but some matured to full grown plants. Have a nice plant outside now and another sprouted and under lights.
Self Heal - Just got some to sprout. Have a feeling it is pretty hardy.
There is a few others I have tried but can't recall at the moment. I would suggest using some really light soil, possibly soil-less media like seed starting mix. Be generous with the seeds and barely cover them. Also sprinkle some on top too. Wet the soil them cover with plastic or a dome. And have it under artificial light or in a location that gets indirect or partial sun in the morning or evening. Some herb seeds need to be barely covered others do not need to be buried at all. Some need light to sprout. Check every other day and if it looks dry use a spray bottle. Once they sprout remove the plastic/dome and put under grow lights ASAP. From there be very careful with watering, not too much or not too little. You need to have enough water that it does not dry out and not too much that it dampens off.
If you are growing tarragon from seeds it is probably Russian tarragon. The flavor is not the same as French tarragon.
This plant likes soil that drains well. Try planting seeds in a drier mix by adding more perlite or sand to the mix. You could add a little dolomite or use a cactus mix instead. It likes slightly alkaline conditions.
After the seeds sprout, water them only when they are almost dry.
If you want to grow French tarragon, you need to get a cutting. It does not set seeds.
French tarragon is a fussy plant it does not like it too cold or too hot. Russian tarragon is less fussy than French tarragon, but not by much.
This plant likes soil that drains well. Try planting seeds in a drier mix by adding more perlite or sand to the mix. You could add a little dolomite or use a cactus mix instead. It likes slightly alkaline conditions.
After the seeds sprout, water them only when they are almost dry.
If you want to grow French tarragon, you need to get a cutting. It does not set seeds.
French tarragon is a fussy plant it does not like it too cold or too hot. Russian tarragon is less fussy than French tarragon, but not by much.
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sizzler5233
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I used to grow herbs many years ago and found that the secret was to pinch them out as soon as you can. If you look to where the leaf meets the stem (the crutch) there's a small knob which is the dormant leaf bud. While ever there's growth above that the lower leaves won't grow. I the stem above the leave bud is removed it tells the plant to signal growth of the dormant leaf buds closest to the stem which is missing. Because these usually grow in pairs, where you remove one, two will grow back to produce two new stems where there was only one before. Well fed and watered the plant should then thrive. Hope this helps.
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madonnaswimmer
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- Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
+1imafan26 wrote:If you are growing tarragon from seeds it is probably Russian tarragon. The flavor is not the same as French tarragon.
If you want to grow French tarragon, you need to get a cutting. It does not set seeds.
Learned this the hard way a few years ago. Now I get my Tarragon from the local nursery and taste the leaves before I buy!
For people living in the tropic zone. French tarragon cannot handle heat.
Grow Mexican tarragon instead. Tagetes lucida is a tarragon substitute. It is a direct substitute for French tarragon and much easier to grow in warm climates. It is a perennial marigold and grows from seeds and cuttings.
https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/news ... ragon.html
Grow Mexican tarragon instead. Tagetes lucida is a tarragon substitute. It is a direct substitute for French tarragon and much easier to grow in warm climates. It is a perennial marigold and grows from seeds and cuttings.
https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/news ... ragon.html
I have had problems with French Tarragon in the past. I cannot leave it outside since it can not handle the cold, and if left in a pot, it seems to eventually strangle itself. This year however I am growing Russian Tarragon instead. While the flavor is not suppose to be as delicate as the French variety, it is a very large fast growing plant that is hardy to -20 F. My seedlings are ready to be transplanted so I will post some pictures as they develop.
