How to Grow Maltese Cross From a Seed

Mix 1 cup of sphagnum peat moss and 1 cup of perlite together two to three months before the last expected spring frost. Moisten the mixture with water, and pour half of it into a clear plastic bag or container. Pour the Maltese cross seeds into the bag or container. Pour the remaining peat-perlite mixture over the seeds. Seal the container, and place it in the refrigerator for two to three weeks.

Mix equal portions of sphagnum peat moss and perlite together. Pour the mixture into small containers or seed flats and moisten it with water.

Remove the seeds from the refrigerated peat-perlite mixture. Spread them over the top of the peat-perlite mixture in the seed flats or small containers. Press the seeds down lightly but do not cover them with the mixture.

Put small containers into large clear plastic bags and seal them shut or set them in an old aquarium and cover the aquarium to hold in the moisture. Cover seed flats with a flat piece of clear plastic. Set them in bright, indirect light in a room where temperatures remain at 68 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

Open the clear plastic bag or clear plastic cover over the aquarium or seed flats to let some air circulation around the seedlings. Mist the peat-perlite mix if it begins to dry.

Transplant the seedlings into separate containers or peat pots with a soil-based potting mix when they are 1 to 2 inches tall. Water them when the soil begins to dry.

Mist the seeds with room-temperature water from a spray bottle if the peat-perlite mix begins to dry. The seeds usually germinate within three to four weeks.

Set the seedlings outdoors in a shady spot for a few hours each day beginning one to two weeks before planting them in the garden. Increase the amount of time they spend outdoors gradually, eventually giving them brief direct sun exposure. Water them when the top of the soil dries.

Plant them in a sunny or partially shady planting site after the last hard spring frost. Mix sphagnum peat moss, compost or well-aged manure into the soil at the planting site to increase fertility and draining capabilities prior to planting the seedlings.

Plant the seedlings 1 to 1 1/2 feet apart. Give them 1/2 to 1 gallon of water two to three times per week for the first three weeks until they become established. Give them less water if the soil stays too wet. Water them more often if the soil dries too quickly. Maintain lightly moist soil. Spread 2 to 3 inches of organic mulch around them to help retain moisture in the soil and control weeds.

Water them once per week or so after the first few weeks. Give them 2 to 3 gallons of water at a time. Deadhead the flowers as they fade. Trim the plants back to 2 to 3 inches tall in late fall or early winter. Cover the plants with 4 inches of mulch for the winter in USDA zones 6 and 7.

Sprinkle 10-10-10 or 8-8-8 fertilizer over the soil around the Maltese cross at a rate of 1/4 cup per 25 square feet of garden area in the spring. Do not allow the fertilizer to touch new leaves.