Sowing hollyhocks: the ideal time

A few seeds and a few warm weeks, in the bed or at home. Nothing more is required for young hollyhocks to grow. So there are several time periods for sowing hollyhocks.

Direct sowing in the bed or sowing in a pot?

Hollyhocks, scientifically Alcea, can be sown directly in the garden without any problems. But it is also possible to prefer hollyhocks in the house. In order to find the ideal time to sow, this fundamental decision must first be made. The following points can be decisive:

• Preferred hollyhocks can already bloom in the year of sowing
• Hollyhocks that are sown directly are more resistant
• however, they do not bloom until the second year

Time to move forward

If you sow hollyhocks indoors, the young plants up to the ice saints must be large enough to be planted in the garden. Only then is the danger of frost averted. Because even if hollyhocks are hardy per se, this does not yet apply to the plants freshly grown in the house. Therefore, growing and planting out very early does not make sense. The ideal time to sow indoors is February. March also still offers a good head start in terms of growth.

Time for direct sowing

If you sow hollyhocks in the bed, you can generally do so between April and September. Whereby midsummer with its heat is not so ideal. The period for direct sowing is divided into two optimal time windows:

• from April to mid-June
• in rough areas possibly sow only after the ice saints
• from mid-August to the end of September

Tip: Dry and slightly overcast days are ideal for sowing. Rain can wash away the light seeds, while strong sun quickly dries out the soil.

Find an outdoor location

Hollyhocks form long tap roots and it is better not to transplant them. They are sown where they should later stand and bloom. That is why it is important to choose the right place so that it is also suitable for the next year.

• as sunny as possible
• Partial shade is still acceptable, avoid full shade
• the proximity to walls or fences is good
• North walls, however, are taboo

Tip: Since hollyhocks can grow up to 2 m high, it is advisable to find a place sheltered from the wind. If this is not available, you should at least support the plants early enough so that the flower stalks do not kink.

The floor

The soil at the location where you sow hollyhocks or where you plant hollyhocks that you prefer must not be prone to waterlogging, otherwise these mallow plants suffer from so-called mallow rust. Impermeable soil must be dug up before sowing and loosened up with coarse sand or gravel. If there is a lack of nutrients that free-flowering hollyhocks cannot do without, additional compost must be added. You should ideally carry out these preparatory work a month before sowing and then let the bed rest.

Tip: Loosen the bed deeply and remove larger stones so that the deep roots of the hollyhocks can grow unhindered.

Substrate for sowing in pots

The ideal substrate for the Pot sowing is the well-known and proven cultivation soil. It promotes germination and the first growth of the plants. The hollyhocks only stay in the pot for a short time anyway. After that, a nutrient-rich soil awaits them in the garden. If roots peek out of the pot holes in the meantime, you can transplant the young plants into a larger pot with potting soil.

Sow in the bed

How to sow hollyhocks, the seeds of which are dark germinators:

• Moisten the earth
• Put seeds on the ground
• Maintain a distance of 40 to 60 cm
• Cover 2-3 cm with soil
• Keep the soil slightly moist throughout

After about three weeks, the young hollyhocks will be visible.

Note: If you have sown seeds too densely, you should thin out early. Leave only the strongest specimens. This also applies in the event that a hollyhock has sown itself.

Sow in the pot

1. For each future hollyhock, fill a pot with potting soil.
2. Put a seed about 2-3 cm deep into the substrate.
3. Moisten the soil and continue to keep it evenly moist.
4. Put the pots in a warm and sunny place in the house.

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