How to Grow Red Salvia Annually

Planting Red Salvia Seeds

• 1

  Pack the seeding mix into 3- to 4-inch peat pots until they are full.

• 2

  Spray the seeding mix with water until it is drenched. Avoid letting the peat pots become too wet since this will weaken their structure.

• 3

  Plant two or three red salvia seeds in each of the peat pots. Press the seeds gently into the mix to ensure there is good soil-to-seed contact, but do not cover them with soil.

• 4

  Place the peat pots into a warm, bright area in your home. Provide eight to 10 hours of light daily for the red saliva seeds to germinate. The seeding mix should be damp but never over-watered, which can cause the seeds to rot. Germination will begin in about two weeks at a temperature of between 65 and 70 degrees F.

• 5

  Transplant the seedlings once all chance of frost is gone and they are about 2 to 3 inches tall.

Growing Red Salvia

• 6

  Locate a sun to partially shaded area for growing the red salvia.

• 7

  Cultivate the soil to a depth of about 12 to 14 inches, using a shovel or a fork. Prepare the soil two weeks before you plant.

• 8

  Mix a 3- to 4-inch layer of aged manure, rotted leaves or compost over the topsoil, using a garden fork or shovel. You can also spread and mix in approximately 1 cup of all-purpose fertilizer, such as 12-12-12, for each 50 square feet of flowerbed.

• 9

  Dig holes for the peat pots that are about twice as wide but the same depth. The spacing of the holes should be about 1 1/2 feet apart for taller varieties, such as Bonfire and Salsa. For dwarf varieties, such as Firecracker and Red Arrow, space the holes 12 to 14 inches apart.

• 10

  Plant one red salvia in each of the planting holes. Firm the soil gently around each peat pot.

• 11

  Water the red salvia generously, using a slow stream of water to drench the peat pots and saturate the soil. Watering the plants to equal 1 inch of rainfall per week, soaking the soil each time you water.

• 12

  Mix 1 tbsp. of a 12-12-12 fertilizer into the soil around each red salvia about four to five weeks after planting. Water thoroughly after distributing the fertilizer.