How to Grow Poppy Pods
Opium poppies, known botanically as Papaver somniferum, are upright annual ornamental plants with bluish-green foliage and bowl-shaped flowers in shades of white, red, purple or pink. Though poppy blooms are beautiful, they're also short-lived, lasting just two to four days before fading. Once the blooms have withered and died, the poppy plant produces attractive silver gray seed pods that can be as large as 3 inches in diameter. These poppy seed pods can easily be harvested, dried and used floral arrangements. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Peat moss
- Perlite
- Shovel
- Spade
- Tiller
- Poppy seeds
- Horticultural sand
- Salt Shaker
- Garden hose or watering can
- Water-soluble fertilizer
- Pruning shears
- Clothespins
Instructions
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Look for a full-sun planting location that receives six to eight hours of direct sunlight daily. Choose a location that also offers your poppies rich, fertile and well-draining soil. Select a planting location that provides shade from the harsh afternoon sun if you live in an extremely warm climate.
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2
Enrich and aerate the soil at your selected planting location before sowing your poppy seeds. Spread equal parts peat moss and compost in a 4-inch layer over the surface of the soil. Use a shovel, spade or tiller to work the organic amendments into the top 6 to 8 inches of soil to boost nutrients and improve drainage.
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3
Mix your poppy seeds with a 1/2 cup of horticultural sand to make the seeds easier to distribute. Pour the mixture into an old salt shaker. Make sure to choose a salt shaker with holes that are big enough to allow the poppy seeds to easily pass through.
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Use the salt shaker to distribute the sand and poppy seed mixture over your prepared planting location as evenly as possible. Water your poppy seeds lightly after sowing to help the seeds settle into the soil.
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Water your poppies as often as necessary to keep their soil cool and moist, but never wet, to the touch. Ensure that the soil at your planting location allows for healthy drainage to prevent the roots of your poppies from rotting in standing water.
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Fertilize your poppies once a month while the plant is actively growing. Use a balanced, water-soluble fertilizer to provide your poppies with the nutrients they need to produce healthy pods. Apply the fertilizer application according to the directions on the package.
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Wait for the poppy pods to mature and turn a silver gray color before harvesting them. Hang the harvested pods in a cool, dry and dark location to air dry before using them in floral arrangements.
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Tips & Warnings
Place a sheet of plastic underneath poppy pods that have been hung to dry to catch the many poppy seeds that are released during the drying process.
All parts of the poppy plant, excluding the seeds, are poisonous and should not be ingested.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit poppy fields image by Bohanka from Fotolia.com
