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Herb growing guide
Chinese mugwort is a hardy, rhizome-forming perennial grown for its aromatic leaves. Its tiny seed is dormant and germinates slowly and unevenly, so a warm, steady seed tray and patience matter more than any trick.
Use fresh seed and sow plenty of it. In a Chinese study the seed contained germination inhibitors and showed physiological dormancy; even under the best laboratory conditions only 43-56% germinated. Mix the tiny seed with fine sand so it spreads evenly.
Not needed. The same study found that the seed coat does not block water uptake.
Not established for this species; no study we found tested cold treatment. The laboratory treatment that worked best was gibberellic acid (400 mg/L), which is not a routine home method.
Not needed. Water enters the seed normally, so soaking does not overcome its dormancy.
Aim for about 25 °C (77 °F), the temperature that gave the best germination in testing. In India, sow in the mild post-monsoon or late-winter months rather than at the peak of summer heat.
Press the seed onto a firmed, fine seed mix and cover it with only a thin layer of mix or vermiculite. A deeper cover risks burying seed this small.
A fine, free-draining seed mix. In the field the crop suits deep, fertile, sandy or loamy soils that are neutral to slightly alkaline and drain well.
Keep the surface evenly moist by misting or bottom watering. Never let the tray sit waterlogged; mature plants do not tolerate waterlogging either.
Germination was higher in darkness than in light in the laboratory, so a light cover or a covered tray is fine. Move seedlings into bright light as soon as they emerge.
No reliable figure is published. Because of dormancy, seedlings appear over an extended period; leave the tray in place and keep it moist.
Prick out seedlings into small pots once they can be handled, then plant out into a sunny, well-drained bed. In a Henan trial, spacing of 20 x 40 cm (8 x 16 in) gave the best balance of leaf yield and quality.
Water during dry spells while plants establish. Mugwort sends out creeping rhizomes up to about 20 cm long, so give it room or an edged bed; commercial plantings in China are often established from 10-15 cm rhizome pieces instead of seed.
The plant is described as warmth- and light-loving, yet tolerant of cold and drought. A sunny, well-drained site produces the best leaf.
In China the first leaf harvest is usually around early May, and some regions cut again in early July and early October. Harvest on a dry day after the dew has dried.
In the Henan trial, leaf yield rose as harvest was delayed from early June to early July; a 20 x 40 cm (8 x 16 in) spacing with harvest around 30 June gave the best balance of yield and quality.
Once you have a plant, rhizome pieces are the quickest way to expand a planting, and they come true to the parent.
Start a patch of aromatic Chinese mugwort that will come back year after year.
The seed has physiological dormancy and contains germination inhibitors. Even under ideal laboratory conditions only about half germinated, so sow generously, keep the tray near 25 °C (77 °F) and be patient.
Not necessarily. A study on Artemisia argyi found higher germination in darkness than in light, so a thin covering of fine mix is fine. Seedlings need bright light once they emerge.
No. Chinese mugwort is Artemisia argyi, native to East Asia; common mugwort is Artemisia vulgaris. They are related but different species.
