A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2006 How do you grow Poppies

Whats the best way to grow poppies from seeds? I never get them to grow. I must be doing something wrong.

My first thought was to say throw them on the ground and walk away. They are a wildflower and really don't require much care. I had success with them in zone 5 so I'm not sure how they will do in your zone which is much hotter I'd bet. They will not put up with being transplanted I do know that. And they reseed by themselves. But there are a bunch of different kinds of poppies so maybe some are harder to grow than others. The only thing I've had experience with is the wildflower. Good luck finding the information you need.

Poppies need sun to germinate. Place your seed down than barely cover with soil. Water with a mister. Should see them starting in 2 weeks.

Oriental poppies on the other hand do not do well from seeds, you are better off to buy a few then seperate them over the years.

Good luck.

Good luck Mark

There are all sorts of Poppies......I planted some 3 days ago, over my heating cable and they are up........
Don't ask what type it was a swap, and said Poppys.

dodge

Hi Mark,

I really haven't had much luck when I've grown them from seed inside and then transplanted them outside, so I sow them directly on top of the soil in my bed. They need to be in full sun and the soil has to be loose and well-drained. Since the seeds are so small I usually mix about four parts sand to one part seed. This makes it easier to sow and helps eliminate the need for a lot of thinning later. They seem to prefer the cooler temperatures and don't bloom very well when it get hotter (I'm in zone 5). I hope this helps!

Have a BEAUTIFUL day and happy planting!

I've bought Poppy seeds two years in a row, & they never did a thing for me! This year (on a hunch) I'm putting them in the refrigerator for a week or so before I plant them. I don't KNOW that they need to be stratified (although I know it wont hurt them), but I can't think of any other reason that they wouldn't have germinated for me. (seed companies don't always include the information on their seed packets if special treatment, such as stratification or light exposure, is required for a certain type of seed to germinate.)

I'll come back with my results this year. (Wish me luck!)