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What Kind of Soil Do Black-eyed Susans Like?

Black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia hirta), also referred to as orange coneflowers and gloriosa daisies, thrive in full-sun to partial-shade locations. Their flowers look like large daisies, with the blooms reaching widths of 3 or more inches. The petals range from yellow to fiery reds and orange with many variations in coloration, including bicolors. The plants are annuals, biennials or perennials, depending on the variety. The biennials produce a rosette of foliage their first year and bloom their second year. The biennials and perennials are hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 2 through 11.

  1. Soil Texture

    • Although black-eyed Susans grow best in loamy garden soil with high fertility, they tolerate a range of soil textures, from rocky or sandy to silty or clay soil. Adding copious amounts of organic matter in the form of compost, peat moss or well-rotted manure improves both clay and sandy soil while promoting good drainage. Although black-eyed Susans don't require soil amendments and often grow wild along gravelly roadsides, adding organic matter to poor soil promotes healthier plant growth.

    Soil Fertility and pH

    • Black-eyed Susans prefer rich soil that is high in nutrients and has a pH level below 6.8, but they also grow in soil with low fertility and soil with a higher pH level. They even tolerate soil salts. Adding organic matter to soil provides black-eyed Susans with the nutrients they need to thrive and produce abundant blooms. Those grown in poor soil generally produce less showy blooms. Water-soluble fertilizer with a formula of 24-8-16, mixed to a rate of 1 tablespoon per 1 gallon of water and applied at a rate of 1 to 2 quarts per plant on a seven- to 14-day cycle, can be used to boost plant growth and enhance blooming.

    Soil Moisture

    • Evenly moist, well-drained soil is ideal for black-eyed Susans, but, again, the plants are not fussy about their growing conditions. Although they perform best when they receive 1 or 2 inches of rain per week, they withstand dry soil and drought. Supplemental watering to saturate the soil to the root level once or twice each week during dry spells promotes healthy plant growth and ensures the black-eyed Susans get the moisture and nutrients they need for optimal growth, but watering usually is not necessary to keep these rugged plants alive.

    Considerations

    • Black-eyed Susans can be sown along hillsides and in wildflower gardens and allowed to survive on their own with little care from you. They typically naturalize easily and blanket the area with color for years. When grown in a flower garden with fertile, well-drained soil and watered regularly, however, the plants respond with vigorous growth and abundant blooms.

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