How to Germinate Gentianopsis

Commonly called fringed gentian, the genus Gentianopsis includes several species of annual and perennial flowering plants found in temperature climates around the Northern Hemisphere. Greater fringed gentian, or Gentianopsis crinita, is widely cultivated in gardens for its showy bluish-purple flowers and innate hardiness, which allows it to survive cold weather with minimal damage. Like most Gentianopsis species, it only grows from seeds since it is biennial and does not survive vegetation propagation efforts. While the seeds germinate reliably, they are slow-growing and must be kept in a sheltered spot for one year before planting out in the garden.

2-inch-deep nursery tray
Peat moss or coir
Fine sand
Garden hose with mist nozzle
Cold frame
3-inch square pots
6-inch nursery pots

Instructions

- 1
  Fill a 2-inch-deep nursery tray with a growing mixture made up of 2 parts peat moss or coir and 1 part fine sand. Spread a 1/4-inch-thick layer of finely ground peat moss or coir across the surface of the mixture. Moisten the growing mixture using a garden hose with a mist nozzle.
- 2
  Sow the Gentianopsis seeds 1 inch apart. Nestle the seeds into the finely ground peat moss so they rest just below the surface. Sprinkle fine sand over the peat moss to help lessen moisture loss from evaporation.
- 3
  Place the nursery tray inside a cold frame or outdoors in a shaded spot. Keep the growing mixture moist at all times to prompt reliable, even germination from the seeds.
- 4
  Watch for germination in two weeks. Prepare individual containers for the seedlings. Fill 3-inch square pots with the same growing mixture created in Step 1. Transplant two seedlings into each pot.
- 5
  Place the individually potted gentians seedlings back into the cold frame. Keep them well-watered, but allow the soil to dry out slightly in the top 1/2 inch to keep them from succumbing to damping-off, a fungal infection.
- 6
  Transplant the seedlings into larger 6-inch nursery pots once they grow too large for their 3-inch square pots. Keep the 6-inch nursery pots in the cold frame until the soil warms to 68 F the following spring.
- 7
  Plant your gentians 1 to 2 feet apart in a moist, partially shaded bed once the soil warms. Keep them well-watered at all times after planting.

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