Thursday, March 3, 2011

Garden Unusuals: Licorice, absinthium, and marshmallow?

Let's start with the eldest in this post, the Licorice plants. Glycyrrhiza glabra is a member of the legume family, Fabaceae.  it germinated in about a weeks time under a low power heating pad.  Treated the same way as the rest of the plants except for a little heat. Once it germinated it didn't hesitate putting on a thick white tap root and has a large cotyledon to back it up.

 The marshmallow Althaea officinalis was the flavoring used before the modern marshmallows you buy in the store. They were bursting at the seams after a 12hr soaking.  I always make sure I check my water with my kitchen thermometer so that I don't scald the seeds.  I heat the water in a tea kettle or in the microwave and then add the water and seeds in a cup. I try and plant them before they send out their fragile roots.



Artemisia absinthium had seeds as small as poppy seeds. I used a dropper to suck them up and aliquot them into their pots.  They germinated 2 days after being planted in soil. It seems like both absinthium and marshmallow are easy and quick too germinate.

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