Last updated on September 26th, 2022 at 09:25 am
Anise Hyssop, popularly known as the Blue Giant Hyssop, is a very beautiful plant that serves not only ornamental functions but also medicinal and demarcation purposes.
Therefore, it isn’t strange for you to want to plant it in your garden. However, you may likely face the common issue of not knowing exactly how to go about it.
To grow Anise Hyssop in your garden, you’ll have to propagate it properly.
So, if you’ve seen a splendid array of Anise Hyssop and tried to replicate such beauty in your garden without complete success, you may just be missing out on a few things. And you may wonder how to propagate the plant effectively.
So, with that in mind, the following are some tips for you to consider that would be of great help to you when propagating Anise Hyssop:
Properly prepare your seeds; prepare a rich soil; provide appropriate sunlight; water adequately; give room for expansion; remove competition; control invasion; deadhead flowers; prepare for winter; divide the stem when due; and lastly, exercise patience.
11 Tips To Propagate Anise Hyssop?
1. Prepare your Seeds:
A popular and sure way to propagate Anise Hyssop is by seed. Unlike many herbs whose seed are simply bought and sown, seeds of Anise Hyssop require cold and moist stratification before it is sown to achieve best results. Cold stratification is simply the exposure of seeds to cold and moist conditions.
When planted early in the fall, Anise Hyssop experiences natural cold stratification throughout the winter months. This process serves as a preparatory period for the seed before germination can take place.
Alternatively, you can perform cold stratification artificially by storing Anise Hyssop seeds on the top layer of a potting medium or light clayey sand and placing it in the fridge for about a month.
With proper cold stratification, whether natural or artificial, Anise Hyssop will germinate between the first and fourth week!
Also,Anise Hyssop has many varieties, as you know, so after selecting the species of your liking, purchase its seeds from a recognized gardener or nursery to ensure you get healthy seeds.
2. Prepare a Rich Soil:
As in all plants, soil requirement is an essential factor to consider when propagating Anise Hyssop. Even with a good seed and proper weather conditions, the Blue Giant Hyssop will not grow if the soil is not compatible.
Therefore, what soil type does Anise Hyssop require?
Anise Hyssop requires light clayey soil that drains properly. The soil should be slightly acidic or neutral with a pH between 6.0 and 7.0 on a natural seedbed. When potted, a good potting mix is sufficient to propagate this herb.
Your soil should also be organically rich since Anise Hyssop is not fertilizer-friendly. The minerals left behind from used-up fertilizers are very detrimental to Anise Hyssop.
3. Provide Appropriate Sunlight:
This aromatic herb is a sun and heat-loving plant. Once established, Anise Hyssop prefers full sun and will only thrive properly with a minimum of 6 hours of sunlight every day.
Even as a seed, Anise Hyssop requires full sunlight to germinate so, do not bury the seeds in the soil but gently press down on the top of the soil to allow seeds to benefit from the sun.
Have no fear; the seeds are never scorched by the sun after cold stratification, however intense it may be.
4. Water Appropriately:
Though heat-loving, Anise Hyssop, like every other plant, still requires sufficient moisture for the seeds to germinate and for an established plant to thrive.
When you sow anise Hyssop seeds, ensure to water deeply once every week and discontinue after the first true leaves appear.
Furthermore, rainfall and a humid atmosphere are enough moisture sources for the plant when established as root rot easily develops in Anise Hyssop when there’s excess water.
So, refrain from watering the herb when established unless the soil becomes too dry and hard with the absence of rain.
5. Give Room for Expansion:
Anise Hyssop is commonly used as a border plant because of its height, frequent reseeding, and uniform spread.
With this in mind, avoid sowing the plant in a compacted space since the restriction will cause a retarded growth.
In the presence of sufficient sunlight, this herb will continue to spread so, make room for it!
6. Remove Competition:
This herb, as we have seen, has very simple requirements. As a result, it fares badly in the presence of resilient plants like weeds that compete vigorously with the herb. When growing Anise Hyssop, remove all weeds growing on the seedbed frequently.
Furthermore, never grow Anise Hyssop near black walnut trees because they are toxic to the herb. On the other hand, basil, oregano, and thyme are good companion herbs that together produce a unique blend of fragrances.
7. Control Invasion.
Like all members of the mint family, Anise Hyssop is very invasive and would require your pruning attention frequently.
If not harvested, the excess foliage will reduce its ornamental value, and not just that, it will also present a strain on the plant since the plant would be required to provide nutrients for and keep all its foliage healthy.
Therefore, control invasive foliage of Anise Hyssop to enjoy your plant for much longer.
8. Deadhead Spent Flowers:
Naturally, Anise Hyssop grows speedily, producing flowers and then reproduces. This process reduces foliage production, especially if you frequently harvest foliage for consumption.
So, to keep up the spread and ensure unceasing foliage production, you need to deadhead spent flowers.
This pruning will help the plant focus on foliage production rather than reproduction, reducing the pollen attracted visitors.
9. Prepare for Winter:
Anise Hyssop is a perennial that lives about 3 to 5 years. However, an established plant is no friend of the frost since it dies back every winter. Luckily, the same plant will re-emerge in spring!
You can also overwinter Anise Hyssop by covering the soil with mulch or moving indoors if the herb is potted. Indoors, Anise Hyssop should be placed on a window-side to receive full sun as much as possible in this period.
Remember, winter is the best time to sow new seeds so that they are naturally cold stratified.
10. Divide Herb when Due:
After at least three years of healthy growth, Anise Hyssop could decline significantly as an expended plant.
Still, you can rejuvenate the plant by simply uprooting it and dividing it, then replant both parts so it can begin to grow as new.
At first, both parts may begin to die off, but with proper conditions maintained, they will in no time grow fresh and lively to your delight.
11. Do not Despair:
Discouragement could cause you to miss out on a wonderful experience of growing Anise Hyssop. For seed propagation, it could take up to 4 weeks before the seeds germinate.
The plant first dries up significantly when propagating by division or cuttings, only to come alive much later.
With this in mind, be careful not to give up on your propagated plant before they get the chance to come alive! Anise Hyssop is not prone to many pests and diseases and is resistant to deer and rabbits.
The most difficult stage for me is germination. If you scale through this stage, maintaining it can be quite simple, and the Hyssop will thrive well on its own with all requirements present.
Conclusion
Anise Hyssop is a pretty interesting plant to grow. Although the initial stages of propagating it may seem difficult, if you get the hang of it, maintaining it can be quite simple. Luckily, in this article, I have given some tips that will aid your quest to grow this crop.
If you properly prepare your seeds; prepare a rich soil; provide appropriate sunlight; water adequately; give room for expansion; remove competition; control invasion; deadhead flowers; prepare for winter; divide the stem when due, and exercise patience propagating anise hyssop will be a breeze.
References: