Q&A for How to Grow Poppies

I recommend watering the poppy seeds daily in order to help with germination.

If you are growing perennial plants, leave all greenery after flowering. If you are growing perennials you can choose to leave the greenery or cut it out.

For annual poppies such as Somniferum, Setigerum, BreadSeed, they usually bloom directly following the summer solstice. That's when they usually kick into flowering stage or begin to "bolt" (depending on whether you planted in spring, or if you planted the previous fall - in which case, they may bloom sooner). But only if the temperatures remain below 90ºF, as they risk overheating if hotter. eave them in the ground until they turn brown and the pods begin to "rattle" with seeds. The video in this article will help you to understand.

You can, but it's best to replenish the nutrients in the soil if growing Poppies in the same place for consecutive years. Poppies suck up a LOT of nutrients from the soil (especially nitrogen). Also, most of the time, Annual Poppies will reseed on their own when temperatures rise. In cooler areas however, this may not occur. Also beware of birds, slugs, and other pests.

It's common for the petals to fall off after about 48 hours. The plant still must produce a pod full of mature, viable seeds before the rains return, and naturally, is attempting to avoid extinction. The flowers are only there for the bees.

This is called the "cabbage stage". Depending on the time of year and where you live, the cabbage stage can last through the whole winter. They will begin to bloom once the weather begins to get warmer. Make sure they get full sun, and the flowers will bloom in no time.

Poppies can be planted any time of year depending on where you're located. Wherever you're located, plant poppies when the temperature in your area is between 35 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit (or 1.6 to 18.3 degrees Celsius). When the temperatures begin to rise, so will your seedlings (just be sure to protect them from the many things in nature that will kill them (as demonstrated in the Video Tutorial within this Article). Poppies will only grow if temperatures that are cool, but once mature, can withstand temperatures up to 90º (ºF).

This depends on whether you have perennials or annuals. Annual poppies can self-pollinate in addition to being cross-pollinated by bees. When they self-pollinate, their offspring will be the same color. When they are cross-pollinated, the poppy produced will be a cross between the two parent poppies.

It will take about 9 to 12 weeks for most varieties. But some hybrids are bred to bloom in just 55 days, such as the "Izmir Afghan GMO Poppy 'Special' Poppy Seed". (This poppy allows Afghan farmers to yield more than double what they used to per year.)

There are some 'USER Submitted' pictures on the right sidebar within this article. The first two are 'Papaver somniferum' (red & violet.) The next set are called Champagne Poppies (peach colored).) Almost all the others are 'Orientele' Poppies, except for a couple others, one being a ‘Tulip Poppy’ (Papaver Glaucum.) Try an online search using the phrase: 'Botanical Identification – Submit your Pics – Find an Answer.' There are some great resources that specialize in Poppies especially.

Yes, this is true. The first known white P. Somniferum seed was called "The Elka" poppy. But nowadays, with hybrids, there's also a variety called "Album". Both are of the Papaver somniferum strain (aka: opium poppy). White seeds have a higher oil content and are sweeter than their nutty tasting blue/gray cousins, but rarely sold on spice racks. Try looking online--a common name for the elka is: "Heirloom Pure White Poppy". For Albums try: "Izmir Afghan Galania Poppy". There are also peony varieties such as "White Cloud Peony Somniferum".. See the four main colored poppy seed types at the beginning of the video in this article for a visual display.

It is assumed you meant to ask which ones are "safe to eat" or otherwise known as the kind you would find on a bagel. Those are called "Papaver somniferum" and are usually the blue/grey Variety. But there are also white poppy seeds (variety: "Elka") under the same species, which are also edible, and carry a higher fat content (oil content) than the blue/grey seeds have.

They can withstand some freezing temperatures, but not for too many days at a time, especially if they are covered in snow, as it'll kill them much faster. This is based upon the assumption that you're talking about a plant that was planted in Fall, for 'over-wintering', and is in the cabbage stage.

There are plenty of online vendors, but be careful when choosing one because there are many seed "re-sellers" out there acting as growers who have never grown a poppy in their lifetime. One good way to verify the validity of a vendor is to always make sure they have a substantial collection of their own original photos (even videos) of their flowers.

That's because 'Papaver' Oriental Poppies are perennials, not annuals like the Breadseed Poppies (P. 'Somniferum') are. Perennial Poppies will bloom each year from their bulbs, whereas annuals need to start from seed.

You can, but this method is unproven since all plants are different. There's no way to prove whether the "un-pinched" version of that same plant would have still given you just as many blooms, more blooms, or not as many.

Yes, you can. They never grow as big as they could if you sow them directly in the ground, though, and you need to make sure it's very well draining potting mix soil. Line the bottom of the pot with rocks & perlite for better drainage.

The flower petals only stay on the plant for about 48 hours. After that, the yellow center continues to swell for the next 14 to 17 days, changing in color to a faded green-blue. In order to harvest the seeds, you must allow them to stay in the ground until they turn brown and begin to rattle when shaken. Altogether, it takes about 30 to 45 days from flowering until total seed maturity.

Only Papaver Somniferum Poppies produce the alkaloids used to manufacture both medicinal and illicit opioids. They are also known as 'Breadseed Poppies,' or 'Papaver Paeoniflorum.'

4-8 hours of sun a day is optimal.

You haven't done anything wrong. By the end of June, you should be "in bloom." Your plants are currently in what is known as the "cabbage" stage. If any Poppies are closer than 12" to 18" from one another, make sure to "thin" them out. Just give them room, and they will bloom.

It is -- bulbs are very good at growing in pots as long as they have lots of room for the roots to spread. Go ahead, poppies are very good at decorating your garden!

Late summer to autumn, depending on when you planted them. If you planted in spring, you would harvest the seeds in early autumn. If you planted in winter you would harvest in late summer.

Yes, the ones that you didn't lose will live. However, it's probably a good time to apply slug bait so you don't lose the others to slugs which are attracted to moisture and poppy seedlings.

Around 1.5 centimeters (the size of your thumb) is best. If you plant them closer, the seeds can clump together, which renders them useless.

It depends on how the seed copes with life (germination, stem growing, roots growing etc.). If you have an average poppy giant and planted it in a small tub, watered it and put minimal fertilizer, it will take around from spring to late summer for the flowering to take process. To conclude, it would take around four to five months for your poppy to get to its flowering stage.

They could be sun-bleached, or the seeds might have been packaged incorrectly.

If you trim small leaves and other parts that are useless then yes, it is okay to trim it. But if you mean to trim any part of the flower, then there is no part you should ever trim unless you want a dead poppy in your garden.

No, wait until your plant has grown about 2.5 inches and then cut. When you cut it, make sure that you don’t cut any of the other plants. If you don’t understand, read section 2 on caring for you poppy plants again.

Yes, you can. As poppies are small seeds, they are best transplanted between small tubs to the natural ground as they get older (the best poppy to buy if you want to put it in a big tub is the poppy giant, they grow quite tall, about three quarters the height of a sunflower). Put the poppies in a small area where the soil is slightly compressed, but not too compressed, as it will put too much pressure on the seed(ling), so it can grow upwards and straight instead of it being droopy.