Indigofera tinctoria

Germination

Sow indoors at any time. Prior to sowing soak seed for 24 hours in hand hot water. The seed should swell, if so sow immediately. If not soak again, changing water daily until swelling occurs. Sow 5mm deep into moist, well-drained seed compost. Ideal temp. 16-21°C. Germination takes 30-90 days. Even under ideal conditions germination can be erratic. Transplant seedlings when large enough to handle to individual pots and grow on under glass. Pot on as required, eventually to a 10L pot. Can be moved outside in hot weather.

Growing

Prefers any moist but well-drained soil in full sun. Does not thrive in cold, windy situations. Even when grown against a wall they can lose some shoots in winter cold, dying back to the ground in very cold weather. New shoots should grow in spring.

Cultivation

Pruning group 1 or 7, does not require routine pruning. This plant will benefit from a hard prune in late spring as this will encourage lots of new, young flowering shoots. Propagate by seed or by semi-hardwood cuttings in summer. If harvesting the leaves for dye production do so just before the flowers emerge. Details of how to extract the dye are freely available on the internet.