Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) - seeds
Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) - seeds
Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera): seeds of a subshrub of the Solanaceae (nightshade) family, native to India and to the dry regions of the Middle East and Africa. Its Sanskrit name literally means smell of horse, referring to the smell of its fresh root.
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Expédié depuis le Jura - Paiement sécurisé - Retrait possible à Francheville
What you receive
What you receive
A packet of Withania somnifera seeds, your choice of 120, 600 or 6,000 seeds. The seeds are small, flat and round, orange-yellow.
Sowing
Sowing
Sow from March to May, in warmth. Soaking for 12 hours in lukewarm water helps them get started. Sow 5 mm deep in well-drained seed compost, at 20 to 25 °C. Germination takes one to three weeks and is not always even: sow generously rather than sparingly.
Prick out at the two true leaf stage into individual pots, then plant out after the last frosts, 50 cm apart, in full sun and very free-draining soil. It is a plant of dry ground: too much water rots it far more surely than drought troubles it.
The mature plant
The mature plant
A grey-green bush 60 cm to 1.20 m tall, with oval, downy leaves, bearing small, inconspicuous greenish bell-shaped flowers. It is the fruits that catch the eye: bright red berries set in a papery beige calyx, like a small physalis, very decorative at the end of the season.
Perennial in its native range, it does not survive our winters in open ground. There are two ways to grow it: as an annual, sown in spring and pulled up in autumn, or in a pot brought indoors, frost-free, into a bright room, which lets you keep it for several years and get fuller specimens.
Collector's seeds
Collector's seeds
These seeds are sold as ornamental and botanical collector's seeds. They are not a food product and are not intended for consumption, and the same applies to the berries, which are those of a member of the Solanaceae. We provide no dosage, no preparation method and no expected effect.
Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions
Can it stay outdoors in winter?
Not in open ground in a continental climate. At best it tolerates a few degrees below zero in perfectly dry, sheltered soil, which is rare in practice. In a pot brought indoors, it overwinters without difficulty.
How long before I have a bush?
One season is enough for a 60 to 80 cm plant and the first berries, if sown early and grown in a warm spot.
What soil suits it?
Poor, sandy or stony, free-draining and preferably alkaline. It does poorly in heavy, wet soil.
Are the red berries edible?
No. As with many Solanaceae, they are not to be eaten. They are grown for their ornamental interest.
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