How To Grow Snapdragon Flowers From Seed
Snapdragons make such wonderful additions to your cut flower garden and beneficial pollinators love them!
The newly bred Snapdragon Potomac series is a particularly great one to grow from seed.
They are known as the 'all season snapdragon' and they produce very long, thick stems supporting a high-quality flower that has a long vase life, making them the ideal cut flower.
They have also been bred to have strong disease resistance.
Sowing Tips
- Snapdragon seeds are extremely tiny - probably the tiniest seeds you will see, therefore it is best to start them off in small single cell punnets in a greenhouse or under grow lights, as they need a temperature of around 21-24 degrees to germinate. If you are starting the seeds off early, then a heat mat should be used to get the best even germination. Once germinated you can take the heat mat away.
- Start by gently pressing the seeds on top of the soil, as light is required for germination, the seeds can then be covered with vermiculite as this allows the light in and helps maintain moisture.
- Water in the seeds by misting or bottom watering to avoid dislodging the seed or pushing it too far down into the soil. If sowing the seeds into small single cell punnets, be aware they can dry out quickly, and may need watering twice daily.
- Germination should occur at around 7-14 days.
Planting Tips
- Once the seedling has produced its first set of true leaves at around 3 weeks, they can be moved into single cell punnets (larger containers for more room to grow) and transferred into the garden at around 6 weeks into a sunny or partly shaded position.
- If you'd like bushy Snapdragons with splayed stems, you can 'pinch out' the tops when the seedlings are 10cm high, although doing this will delay blooming by 2-3 weeks.
- Most Snapdragons require netting or support to avoid getting damaged from wind.
- We also carry a sweet dwarf Tom Thumb variety reaching up to 20cm, which doesn't need support from winds being great for borders and edging.
- Apply a diluted seaweed treatment every few weeks to encourage growth.
- Snapdragons harvest when the lower 1/2 of the flowers are in bloom.
Fact
Snapdragon is an edible flower but can be slightly bitter, so use sparingly in desserts or salads.
Snapdragon Potomac Appleblossom All Season.
