How to Grow Poppies in Fungus

Select a location in the garden that receives at least 8 hours of sunlight daily. Oriental poppies have a strong taproot; choose a permanent location for planting seeds or root cuttings.

Dig a 12-inch-deep, 3-foot-wide hole, setting aside the soil.

Mix 1 part mushroom compost with 4 parts reserved soil. Return 3 to 5 inches of the mixture to the planting hole if you are planting root cuttings. Return all the mix to the planting hole if you are planting seeds.

Arrange the root cuttings 15 inches apart in the planting hole and deep enough to ensure that the crowns are covered by 3 inches of the soil mixture. Water thoroughly.

Scatter the seeds over the prepared soil. Do not cover; poppies require light to germinate. Water thoroughly.

Arrange the drip watering system so one emitter waters each plant.

Cover the flower bed with 3 inches of mulch; however, do not cover the poppy seeds or root cuttings with mulch.

Water regularly to keep the seeds moist until germination, 1 week to 2 weeks. After the seedlings or root cuttings sprout several sets of new leaves, slow the watering to once a week.

Deadhead the flowers to avoid self-sowing, or allow the flowers to develop seed pods as an interesting accent to the garden.

Scatter seeds for fast-growing annuals, such as cosmos, baby's breath or Shirley poppies, over the planting beds when the Oriental poppies begin to die back in the summer. Do not disturb the roots; the Oriental poppies will develop new growth when the weather cools in the fall.

Monitor your poppies for fungal diseases, such as gray mold or blight. Spray with a fungicide according to the manufacturer's instructions.