# When to sow goldenrod seed?



## Edymnion (May 30, 2013)

*Re: When to sew goldenrod seed?*

Late fall, when you see the goldenrod blooms go away, plant the seeds by basically tossing them out there and then raking it over to just barely till them into the dirt. Not too much though, because they need light to germinate. They also need the cold wet winter to break dormancy.

Side note, goldenrod is good for people as well as bees. All parts of it are edible, and its actually medicinal (low grade pain relief, reduces inflammation, and it is a diaretic).

And FYI because its driving me nuts, you sow seeds, and sew dresses.


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## merince (Jul 19, 2011)

*Re: When to sew goldenrod seed?*

philip.devos, please share the source for the seeds! I like to add some into my garden and was planning on collecting seeds from the wild one here.

Maria Donnelly


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## Just Krispy (Aug 1, 2013)

*Re: When to sew goldenrod seed?*

Late fall is when nature plants its flowers. I have read to wait until first frost and then toss the seeds.


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## MaydayMalone (Jan 19, 2012)

*Re: When to sew goldenrod seed?*

Wow, guys.....I have TONS of goldenrod where I live. I'm not sure how much $$$ you paid for seed, but if you paid the shipping, I would gladly send you as much as you want.


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## khicks12 (Feb 28, 2012)

*Re: When to sew goldenrod seed?*

You seriously buy goldenrod seeds? Your climate, soil, or something must be much different than where I live. Here, all you have to do to have goldenrod is not mow the area where you want it. Maybe I'll start selling goldenrod seeds


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## burns375 (Jul 15, 2013)

*Re: When to sew goldenrod seed?*

If the seed does not germinate until spring, I would wait until spring, prepare the site and spread then.


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## MaydayMalone (Jan 19, 2012)

I disagree. Autumn is the time to sow your seeds. Cover them with the surrounding ground cover.


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## philip.devos (Aug 10, 2013)

*Re: When to sew goldenrod seed?*



khicks12 said:


> You seriously buy goldenrod seeds? Your climate, soil, or something must be much different than where I live. Here, all you have to do to have goldenrod is not mow the area where you want it. Maybe I'll start selling goldenrod seeds


:doh: Sew I am going to so some goldenrod.. Thank you all for your input. Merince, you might want to contact khicks; I got my seed from Outsidepride.com. It is Solidago Goldenrod, cost $8.99, and $2.00 shipping (from Oregon). . I don't know why I chose the Solidago, so you might want to do better due diligence than I did.

About 3 miles from our hives there is a large stand of Goldenrod, at least 1/2 acre. This week I took a bunch of pics, as the bees were all over it. Alas, there is none near our hives, so I want to plant some about 200 feet from the hives.


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

*Re: When to sew goldenrod seed?*

The vendor of the goldenrod seed offers planting advice:


> Sow Solidago seeds directly outdoors in a weed free seedbed. Goldenrod seeds benefit from a late fall planting. The cold, moist weather of winter will actually help break the dormancy of the flower seeds. Broadcast the seed in late fall or early winter and lightly rake the Rigid Goldenrod seeds into the soil. When temperatures warm in the spring, the seed will begin to germinate.
> 
> http://www.outsidepride.com/seed/flower-seed/solidago-goldenrod.html


The USDA offers advice on planting goldenrod, here:


> Seeding Dates: Sow unstratified seed in the fall, November to March, stratified seed in the spring, April to May.
> 
> http://www.plant-materials.nrcs.usda.gov/pubs/mopmcpgolrirnoia.pdf


Seed stratification involves pretreating seeds by _simulating _winter to prepare them for better germination. More on that concept here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stratification_(botany)


On my property, goldenrod grows wild in sunny areas, reseeds itself, and expands its coverage if I remove some trees. I don't find goldenrod in areas of overhead shade.


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## philip.devos (Aug 10, 2013)

*Re: When to sew goldenrod seed?*

Thanks Rader!


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## burns375 (Jul 15, 2013)

MaydayMalone said:


> I disagree. Autumn is the time to sow your seeds. Cover them with the surrounding ground cover.



Sweet. If the seeds require a cold wait, then I would put the seeds in the garage or shed over winter and spread in spring. Many seeds people say require stratisfication don't, if GR absolutely requires it then yes. Im just saying what I would do, my preference would be to sow in spring. Ill do a test plot on my property. Seeds sowed in November, seeds stored inside home and sown in spring, seeds stored in outside shed and sown in spring I doubt there is little difference, but wouldn't know until conducting experiment.


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## mac (May 1, 2005)

Well GR is sown naturally in the fall. Once the flowers turn to fluff the wind blows it around or it just falls to the ground


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## tsmullins (Feb 17, 2011)

*Re: When to sew goldenrod seed?*



MaydayMalone said:


> Wow, guys.....I have TONS of goldenrod where I live. I'm not sure how much $$$ you paid for seed, but if you paid the shipping, I would gladly send you as much as you want.


If the offer still stands, I would gladly pay shipping.

SHane


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## JRG13 (May 11, 2012)

*Re: When to sew goldenrod seed?*

Philip,

I got the same packet of seeds... I swear when I placed the order they had multiple varieties available, a few days later only solidago was listed, therefore, that is why you probably got it.


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