Liriope is a hardy, grass-like flowering plant that is used as a ground cover and as a bordering plant, giving your garden ornamental value. Liriope is also known as lilyturf, or monkey grass depending on their different species such as Liriope muscari and Liriope spicata. Liriopes can thrive in warm weather, but they can be quite strong in winter as well. But the most delicate stage of a Liriope is during its germination.
But how to germinate Liriope seeds? Germination is the most important part of its growth and needs to be carefully handled to ensure proper seed and plant growth. In this article, I am going explain the steps of how to germinate the Liriope seeds and also how you can easily take care of your Liriope.
Key Takeaways
- Liriope is a grass-like flowering plant which is also known as lilyturf or monkey grass that gives an ornamental look to your garden.
- Liriopes can be propagated in two different ways such as propagate by diving the plants or by germinating the seeds.
- The steps of germinating the Liriope seeds are very simple and cost-effective, but it requires a lot of time and patience to grow the Liriope out of the seeds.
- Liriopes are extremely low-maintenance plants as well since they can survive in almost any temperature and soil type.
How To Germinate Liriope Seeds?
There are a few simple steps that you have to follow to germinate the Liriope seeds. The steps are given below:
Step 1: Harvesting Liriope seeds
The Liriope seeds normally appear in the late summer or in the early autumn and you need to wait until the Liriope berries ripen and turn black. Trim out a flower of lilyturf and then dry it until the seeds are ready to collect.
Step 2: Prepare the seeds
What you collected from the plant are the berries which have an outer skin that needs to be removed. In order to do that, you will need to clean the seed in warm water for 24 hours and then clean it further with water and 10% bleach solution for another 24 hours. Then use your fingers to pop out the outer skin as the seed pod will not allow for germination.
Step 3: Plant the seeds
To plant the seeds, you need to prepare a potting mix first so that the Liriope seeds can have proper nourishment to grow. You will need a seeding tray which needs to be filled with the potting mix. Then you need to create a hole in the soil to plant the seeds inside them. The hole needs to be 1-2 centimeters (0.5 to 1 inch) deep. Place the popped seeds into the soil and cover the seeds with more potting mix. And if you do not have a seeding tray, place the tray at least 2.5 cm (1 inch) apart.
Step 4: Watering the seeds
The next step is to water the plants adequately. You need to be careful not to overwater the seeds in the germination process. Otherwise, it can rot the seeds. Spray some water into the potting mix and the seeds are good to go. The soil can dry out in between the whole germination process. So, regularly check the seeds If they need any more water and spray some if they do.
Step 5: Store the seeds
Once the Liriope seeds are all planted in the tray, place that tray in a warm and dark place for 2 months. Keep the seeds in a room where the temperature is at least 77℉ (25℃). Give a regular check on the plants to ensure that they are in good storage condition and temperature. After the Liriopes start to grow the leaves, take them out of the dark place and start to give them some sunlight.
The germination of Liriope seeds is important and once you have the seedling, then you have conquered the most difficult part of growing your own lilyturf plants!
When Can I See The Progress Of Liriope Seed Germination?
The process of germinating Liriope seeds is very slow. It can take 2 months or more than that to complete only the germination process. After the germination, the plants may need an additional 2 months to grow some leaves out of the Liriope seeds. So, you need to wait for at least 4 months or 120 days to see the progress of your Liriope seed germination.
When you have seen the Liriope plants start to grow the leaves, take them to the sunlight so that they can start making their food and grow faster.
After 5 months of germinating the seeds, the plants will grow enough to move out of the seed tray. You need to place them in a larger pot to give them more space for healthy growth.
How To Take Care Of The Liriope Plants?
Liriopes are very low maintenance and do not require much of an effort. You can consider the following take care routine to give your Liriope a healthy environment to grow.
- Give adequate water: In the germination process, when the roots are forming, give as little water as you can. You just need to mist or spray some water in the soil. But when the plant is growing, they need more water. You can then water them multiple times a week, but not too much which can make the soil soggy. When your Liriope plant has fully developed, you can then water it just once a week.
- Fertilize if necessary: Usually, in winter they go to the dormant stage where their growth is just stopped, but sometimes, the Liriope cannot stand the very cold temperature and tends to die. You can feed your plant some slow fertilizer to help it recover from the winter damage if your Liriope also has similar tendencies. You can also use mulch to cover the roots of the plants and give them additional protection from winter.
- Prune regularly: Liriope grows pretty fast and can take so much space in a very small amount of time. It can sometimes get out of control and overtake the plants near it. You need to prune them regularly to keep the Liriope in good shape and prevent them from running wild. You also need to prune the leaves when you see any brown spots in the leaves to keep them safe from potential diseases.
- Check for diseases: No plants are safe from the attack and infestation of several pests and diseases. Liriope can be easily attacked by crown rot and anthracnose. Crown rots tend to make the inner foliage of your plant yellow while anthracnose can leave reddish and brownish spots on the leaves. When the plant is affected by these diseases, prune the affected part off of the plants. And if the plant is infested with pests, then you can spray some organic pesticides such as neem oil, to remove the pests from the plants.
FAQs
To grow your Liriope faster, ensure that the soil has a moderate pH level from 6.0 to 7.0 on the scale. You also need to improve the drainage of the pots or give your Liriope less water, than any average tree to make them grow best.
Liriope is easier to grow from seeds, but it is really time-consuming. It can take even 4 months to completely grow a Liriope from the seeds. On the other hand, if you propagate the Liriope by dividing the plant, it will take almost no time compared to propagating through seeds.
The berries of the Liriope seeds are not poisonous, but it is still not recommended to eat those berries. Although birds sometimes eat them, keep your pets away from these berries as they can affect their digestive system.
Final Thoughts
You can grow Liriope in a variety of ways but from the seeds, they need to be properly germinated. That is why from harvesting to preparing the seeds for germination, everything needs to be handled very well. The plant itself might be sturdy but it needs to reach that point through love and care. Hopefully, with these steps, you can decorate your lawn and garden with bountiful monkey grass everywhere!