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Herb growing guide
Eurasian winterfat is a woolly, drought- and cold-hardy shrub of cold deserts from Spain to China, including Ladakh and Tibet. Its seed is short-lived, so success depends on sowing fresh seed, very shallowly, in the cold season.
Freshness is everything. In an Iranian study of Krascheninnikovia ceratoides, germination stayed steady for about 242 days (8 months) after harvest, then fell to zero by 271 days. The North American relative Krascheninnikovia lanata can lose half or more of its viability in the first year; fresh seed germinates at 85-95%, but seed 3 years old or more usually falls below 25%. Sow the seed in the season you receive it.
Not needed, and harmful. Removing the seed coat significantly reduced germination of K. ceratoides. Sow the seed with its woolly covering intact.
Not needed. The Iranian study found no cold treatment was required. Sowing in the cold season gives the seed the cool, moist start it prefers anyway.
Avoid. In K. lanata, seeds that were only partly moistened at warm temperatures (20 °C, 68 °F) showed cell damage. Sow dry seed into cold, moist soil instead.
Cool. Researchers working on K. lanata advise sowing in the cold season to avoid exposing moistened seed to warmth, and USDA reports the best stands from dormant autumn, winter or very early spring sowing. In Ladakh and other cold deserts, sow in late autumn before freeze-up or in very early spring.
Very shallow. USDA recommends surface sowing to no deeper than 6 mm (1/4 in), and good stands come from scattering seed on snow or on moist, firm soil and pressing it in. A seed-production field used 6-10 mm (1/4-1/2 in), so do not go deeper than that.
Well-drained, preferably limy (alkaline) soil. The North American relative tolerates moderate to high salinity but not acid soil, flooding or long periods of wetness. In pots, use a gritty, free-draining mix.
Sow into moist soil and keep it just damp until seedlings appear; never waterlogged.
Full sun. Seeds in the Iranian study were germinated with 14 hours of light a day.
No reliable figure is published for either species. Fresh seed of the North American relative germinates at 85-95%, so if nothing appears in cool, moist soil, old seed is the most likely cause.
Direct sowing avoids root disturbance. If you raise seedlings in pots, use deep pots and plant out while young into a sunny, well-drained spot.
Seedlings of the North American relative survive freezing temperatures. Water only to establish them; growth is fairly rapid in cool weather and very slow in hot summers.
Sources differ. In the Iranian study, cold-room storage gave no advantage over room storage within the first 8 months. For K. lanata, seed showed cell damage after 5-6 years at 5 °C (41 °F), and researchers recommend long-term storage at -18 °C (0 °F) or colder. If you cannot sow at once, keep the seed dry and sealed in a freezer.
It belongs in cold deserts, dry hillsides and gravel gardens. In humid, high-rainfall parts of India, grow it in a raised bed or large pot of gritty soil under cover from heavy rain.
In the Iranian study, seed from rain-fed plants germinated better than seed from irrigated plants, and early October was the best harvest time there.
If animals graze it, USDA advises removing no more than about a quarter of the year's growth in the growing season.
Sow winterfat seed fresh, shallow and in the cold season for a hardy silver-grey shrub.
Not long. Seed of Eurasian winterfat stopped germinating about 9 months after harvest in an Iranian study, and the North American relative often loses half its viability in the first year. Sow in the season you buy it.
No. Removing the seed covering significantly reduced germination. Sow the seed as it is.
In late autumn before the ground freezes, or in very early spring, scattering the seed on moist, firm soil or snow.
