How to Grow Erica Carnea

Growing Erica Carnea from Seeds

• 1

  Combine three parts peat moss with one part perlite to create a potting mix suited to growing Erica carnea. Fill 3-inch square pots with the mixture to within 1/4 inch of the top.

• 2

  Pour water into each pot until the potting mix feels moist in the top half. Allow the water to trickle out for five to 10 minutes before sowing the Erica carnea seeds.

• 3

  Sow two Erica carnea seeds in each pot. Place the seeds on the surface of the potting mix. Cover them with a very scant layer of peat but do not fully bury them since light aids germination.

• 4

  Place the pots in a bright spot where temperatures stay between 65 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep the pots shielded from direct sunlight or else the potting mixture will dry out too quickly.

• 5

  Spray the potting mixture in each pot with a water-filled spray bottle whenever the surface feels dry. Do not allow the potting mixture to dry out for longer than a day or so during the germination process.

• 6

  Watch for germination one month after sowing the Erica carnea seeds. If both seeds germinate, remove the weaker of the two from each pot.

• 7

  Keep the Erica carnea seedlings under the same conditions as during germination until planting time. Wait until outdoor soil temperatures warm to 60 degrees Fahrenheit before planting them in a permanent bed.

• 8

  Transplant the seedlings 18 to 24 inches apart in a sunny or partially shaded bed with moist, mildly acidic soil. Provide them with 1 inch of water per week.

Growing Erica Carnea from Cuttings

• 9

  Prepare a rooting container before harvesting an Erica carnea cutting for propagation. Fill a 3-inch square pot with a mixture of three parts peat moss and one part perlite. Moisten the top half of the mixture and allow it to drain while you gather the cutting.

• 10

  Select a 1.5- to 2-inch-long cutting from an established Erica carnea plant. Choose a heel cutting from a healthy side branch or a tip cutting. Try to find one with few or no flowers since an actively blooming cutting will be reluctant to put its energy toward root production. Sever the cutting cleanly using sharp shears.

• 11

  Strip off the needlelike foliage from along the lower half of the cutting. Do this by pinching the stem between your thumb and forefinger and gently sliding them down the length of the cutting. Pluck off and discard any blossoms.

• 12

  Press the cutting to half its length into the soil mixture in the prepared rooting container. Make sure the lowest sets of leaves rest against the surface of the soil mixture. Pinch the mixture in against the stem.

• 13

  Place the potted Erica carnea cutting in a warm, bright place out of direct sunlight. Mist the cutting and soil mixture with a water-filled spray bottle every other day. Maintain light, even moisture in the top 1/2-inch of soil during the rooting process.

• 14

  Check for roots approximately one month after potting the Erica carnea cutting. Very lightly tug the base of the cutting and feel for resistance, which indicates it has taken root.

• 15

  Keep the Erica carnea cutting in its pot until the following spring. Plant it in under the same conditions as the parent plant. If multiple cuttings were started, space them 24 inches apart. Provide them with 1 inch of water each week.