TUTORIAL:
Growing Papaver Somniferum Poppies:
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First, visit our Law Section for Answers on whether or not it’s LEGAL to Grow Somniferum Poppy Seeds in your Area.
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VIDEO
PRODUCTS
COMMENTS
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Week 1
Planting Poppy Seeds
Poppies CAN be very easy to grow, and can also grow almost anywhere in the world, and require very little maintenance (once they get going). Generally speaking, growing poppies can be done almost anywhere.
• HOW to plant, simply cast seeds on top of loose, moist soil. No need to bury them – but you can gently press them into the ground, or toss a very thin layer of soil on top. Mix your Seeds with Sand to Spread them as you cast them.
• WHEN to plant will depend on which USDA Zone you are located in, but generally, seeds will sprout whenever Temps rise above Freezing, as Poppies prefer cool Temperatures during the Germination and Seedling stages.
• Poppy Seeds can be planted in either FALL, early SPRING, or BOTH (depending on how Mild your Winters are.
• Results of Planting in Fall will provide earlier, and much larger blooms the following Spring, whereas Planting in Spring will still result in a spectacular display of Blooms, but just in early Summer.
A Common Weed Often Confused for a Somniferum Poppy Sprout
There’s a Weed that grows in most USDA Zones (below Zone 10) that appears to be almost identical to a Poppy Sprout.
So much so, that it used to fool me a lot when I first started Growing Poppies- so to the un-trained eye, it can be difficult to detect the difference between this Common Weed, and a Poppy Sprout.
So, below is a photo that was actually Uploaded to us by one of our Customers who was struggling with finding ANY Poppy Sprouts – In fact, they gave up & killed everything off before we had a chance to reply, and went on to believe we sold them FAKE Seeds.
When in fact, there were Poppy Sprouts in EVERY Photo they sent us. They just failed to recognize them (or, we failed to reply in time -sorry).
So the least we can do, is use this guilt, to help future gardeners like YOU!
All Somniferum Sprouts will have a very faint, Blu-ish tint compared to other weeds – and it’s Stem will be so thin, that it may appear to be ‘Flopped Over’ on it’s side. This is completely natural, as it creates room to “Flex” later in life when their Pods make them Top-Heavy.
Some people prefer to start them indoors under lights, but be sure to start them in Peat Pellets, as poppies do not transplant well because they have very sensitive root systems and one very long Tap Root that can be damaged easily; killing the plant.
But once they sprout, you should put down some Slug Bait. Slugs love to eat tender, young seedlings. I suggest using SLUGGO because the active ingredient is iron phosphate, which is completely harmless to pets and animals, and remains even after it rains.
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Week 3
Protect Sprouts Outdoors:
Be sure to be aware of all the creatures that will ruin your poppy growing experience. Birds, for one, like to eat poppy seeds. So you may need protect against them.
2 to 3 Weeks
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Week 4
More Stages:
3 to 4 weeks
Keep the soil moist for the first couple weeks until you see the sprouts come up. Then cut back on the watering, only watering thoroughly every few days. This helps the new sprouts develop a strong root system by forcing them to search for water deep below the surface. Plus, it lowers the chance of mold and root rot, which poppies are very susceptible to. Keep the soil moist but not too wet.
Be careful when watering not to wash away the seeds or any new sprouts. Water gently with a spray bottle, or use a drip system. I recommend a drip system with either soaker or drip hoses, hooked up to a simple timer.
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Week 5
5 to 6 weeks
After the sprouts begin to grow, you will have to thin your plants to at least 12″ apart. The more room you give them, the bigger they’ll get. When I say thin, I don’t mean transplant, I mean kill. Just pull up the smallest and weakest ones, and leave the biggest and most healthy looking.
By doing this, you’ll get more flowers and pods per plant that are bigger, rather than a bunch of weak, single flowered stems.
STUNTED GROWTH? WEAK STEMS? POPPIES FLOPPED OVER?
This is something many people struggle with and is VITAL information, so I’m adding it to the Tutorial. As we all know, poppies grow Pods full of Seeds once mature. Therefore, they can become Top-Heavy and they need to be able to withstand heavy winds without breaking because their Seeds take 2 to 4 Weeks to mature inside the Pod after flowering, but ONLY if the Plant is still ROOTED with Stem IN TACT.
SO WHY AM I TELLING YOU THIS??
Because the above info is the reason why Poppies create for themselves an extra 1/2″ length of Stem towards the base which may make them appear to “lay down” or “Flop Over” during the Seedling stages. Some people panic and cover this additional length stem by adding more soil at the base.
STOP!! THIS WILL COMPLETELY STUNT THEIR GROWTH!
The additional length of Stem, creates a “hinge-like” effect at the base of the stem so their Stems won’t Snap before their Seeds get a chance to mature. This also helps them to reproduce in Nature -so when the Rains come, and the Pods get too heavy from the water weight, any remaining seeds inside the pod await, on the ground, for nature to take it’s Course. I discuss this in greater Detail in Comment #14 HERE (which is shown at the bottom of this page)
Poppies don’t need to be watered too often Maybe once or twice a week is fine. But when you do water, give it a nice soaking.
This will promote strong root growth. Poppies also like as much sun as possible. Put them in an open field where they will get a lot of sun.
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Week 6
Cabbage Stages:
6 to 7 weeks
POTS, or NOT??
You can grow in Pots (as shown in the Video below), just be careful with Pots, because you don’t want the Soil to get too compacted. Use 5 Gallon Pots for each Plant. Put large, round Rocks at the bottom of the Pot to assist with Drainage.
Then, put a layer of Smaller Rocks on top of those, and a 2 inch layer Perlite above the small rocks. This will hold retain your Soil, while keeping it wee-drained.
Use a light, and fluffy Potting Mix – DO NOT USE MANURE or COMPOST as this will not drain well. Add Organic Fertilizers such as Bone & Feather Meal, Greensand, Seashells, or you can even use shredded plants from the previous years Crop.
Next, you’ll want to start adding your potting Soil, but think about adding Organic Fertilizers in layers too. So that the plant gets it’s nutrients when it’s needed most. So first, add a Fertilizer high in Phosphorus which will be at the deepest level, so by the time it’s flowering, it will have reached it.
Then add your Potash and have your Nitrogen towards the top for Green growth. Or just mix it all together. But either way, make sure you mix as much Perlite into your Soil as Possible. You can never mix in too much.
Center Pot shows the First Layer of Larger Rocks. The Pot to the Right of that, is the layer of Perlite on top of the rocks to support the final layer; The Potting Mix
Remember that Poppies use up a lot of Nutrients, so to be sure to always add fertilizers, especially if you plant in the same area more than once.
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Week 7
Fertilizing:
7 to 8 weeks
Poppies can thrive in both Alkaline and Acidic soils. A good neutral ph will do. But Poppies suck up a LOT of Nutrients from the Soil.
For quick release of Nutrients, I suggest using Water Soluble Organic fertilizers. Adding BLOOD MEAL to your soil, which is rich in Nitrogen, will promote ‘Green Growth’. Then, for the Flowering Stage, a high Phosphorus fertilizer such as BAT or SEABIRD GUANO will work great since they’re water soluble, you can make tea or top dress.
For Long Lasting, Slow-Release Nutrients, use NON Water Soluble Fertilizers: Use Supplements such as Feather Meal & Bone Meal, instead. GREENSAND, will help loosen compacted soils and promote Root growth.
Poppies will begin to bloom 10 to 12 weeks from the time you plant them. Their pedals will drop after about 48 to 72 hours. Then the pods will continue to grow for the next couple weeks. During this period, it’s very important not to water them unless absolutely necessary. Once pods turn a bluish tint with a white film on top, they are ready for harvest.
PRODUCTS…
BELOW, I WILL REPLY TO ANY QUESTIONS YOU HAVE ABOUT GROWING