Germination Time for Opus Asters

Preparation

• Start Opus asters directly in the garden in spring, or get a head start on the season by germinating the seeds indoors in the winter. That way, when spring rolls around, your plants are ready to go into the garden. Indoor growers should prepare seeding flats with a quality seed-starting soil. Moisten the soil until the water drips from the bottom of the flat. If you choose to sow directly in the garden, loosen the soil in the planting area with a pitchfork or garden fork and crush any large clumps of soil.

Sowing the Seed

• Sprinkle the Opus aster seeds on top of the soil in the flat and then sprinkle a light dusting of sand or perlite over them. You want them to be just barely covered, so they receive a bit of light during germination. Place the flat in an area with afternoon shade. In the garden, plant the aster seeds 18 inches apart and barely cover them with soil.

Germination

• Make sure that the soil, either in the flat or in the garden, never dries out while the seeds germinate. Don't overwater the soil, though, or you risk losing the seeds or seedlings to damping off, which is a fungal disease. Keep it as moist as a well-wrung sponge. The seeds germinate within 30 days.

Care

• As the Opus aster plants grow, use your fingers to snip off the top 6 inches in June or early July. This encourages the plant to continue blooming. Keep watering the Opus aster to keep the soil slightly moist and, in fall, decrease the amount of water to half what you normally give to the plant.