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Herb growing guide
Gotu kola is a low, creeping herb of damp, warm places that spreads by rooting runners. It can be raised from seed, but germination is slow and uneven, so sow on the surface, keep it warm and moist, and expect to wait several weeks.
Age matters. In a study from Nepal, freshly harvested seed did not germinate at all, even with treatments, while seed stored for two to three months germinated at 82% without any pre-treatment. Viability then declined in storage and was lost by about 30 months, so sow seed that is a few months old but not years old.
Not needed. The seed's problem is a short after-ripening dormancy, not a hard coat.
Not needed. Gotu kola is a tropical and subtropical plant; it germinates in warmth.
Optional. A soak in warm water at about 40 °C (104 °F) brought germination forward by roughly a week compared with dry seed. Hotter water at 60 °C (140 °F) also sped it up but sharply cut the number of seeds that germinated, so do not overheat.
Keep trays warm, around 25-30 °C (77-86 °F). Normal room conditions in the study ranged about 20-30 °C (68-86 °F). In India this matches the warm months; in cooler climates use a warm windowsill or heat mat.
Scatter the tiny seed on the surface of a fine, moist mix and press it in without covering. Seed kept in darkness germinated poorly.
A fine, moisture-retentive but free-draining seed mix. Avoid salty water or soil: high salinity strongly suppressed germination.
Keep the surface constantly moist, for example by bottom-watering and covering the tray with clear plastic or glass. Gotu kola naturally grows in damp, marshy places.
Bright, indirect light. Germination was best under white or red light and was inhibited under blue and far-red light, which is roughly what seed gets under a dense leaf canopy.
Untreated seed started germinating in the fourth week; warm-water soaking moved this to the third week. Leave trays for at least six weeks before giving up.
Prick out seedlings when they have a few true leaves and are easy to handle, and grow them on in small pots before planting out. National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB) field practice spaces plants 45 x 45 cm (18 x 18 in).
Once established, each plant sends out runners that root at the nodes and fill the gaps. From then on you can multiply your patch from rooted runners or single-node stem cuttings, which is how commercial crops are planted; NMPB lists no pre-treatment for them.
It thrives in moist, fertile sandy loam or clayey soil, grows well in shade and even under orchard trees. Irrigate about every two weeks in dry months.
Leaves are ready about 90 days after planting. NMPB trials took three cuttings a year by hand, in sunny weather, at the fully grown leaf stage.
Yields decline after the second year, so replant from fresh runners or new seedlings.
Runners spread readily; grow it in a pot, a trough or an edged bed if you do not want it in lawns and paths.
Start gotu kola from seed once, then multiply it from its own runners.
It is slow: untreated seed began only in the fourth week in trials. Seed that is too fresh, too old, or covered in darkness may not germinate at all. Sow on the surface, keep warm and moist, and wait.
Yes. Commercial crops are planted from rooted runners or single-node cuttings, which establish without pre-treatment. Seed is a good way to start a first plant.
Yes. Use a wide pot of moist, fertile mix in partial shade, water regularly, and trim runners to keep it in bounds.
