Coneflower also known as Echinacea is famous for its health benefits and uses. It is mainly used as a remedy for common cold and flu. Today we are going to discuss whether coneflowers spread or multiply.
Do coneflowers spread or multiply?
Most of the coneflowers spread and multiply after plantation. The spreading and multiplying process can happen in two ways. First of all, almost all the coneflowers spread and multiply through self seeding. Some of the coneflowers also possess the ability to spread by dividing their roots.
Let’s look at some of the coneflowers and find out if they spread or multiply.
Purple Coneflower:
Purple coneflower is very popular in east part of America. The scientific name of purple coneflower is Echinacea purpurea. Poor and lean types of soil are best for growing purple coneflower.
The special thing about purple coneflowers is that they spread and multiply through not only self seeding but also through division of root. No other variety of coneflower has the ability to spread and multiply by dividing its root.
Cheyenne Spirit coneflower:
Cheyenne spirit coneflower is a very colorful flower. It comes in many colors like yellow, orange, pink, purple, red, and white.
It also does not need a lot of water to grow up. Cheyenne spirit coneflower spread and multiply through self seeding. It can not spread and multiply through division of root.
Yellow coneflower:
You might look at a coneflower and immediately think it is a sunflower because of the uncanny resemblance. But the yellow coneflower has fewer petals than the sunflower.
The scientific name of yellow coneflower is Echinacea paradoxa. It is mainly grown in the north part of America.
Yellow coneflower can spread and multiply through the process of self seeding. It does not possess the ability to spread and multiply by dividing its root.
Narrow leaf coneflower:
The scientific name of narrow leaf coneflower is Echinacea angustifolia. The color of narrow leaf coneflower is usually pale purple.
Narrow leaf coneflower can spread and multiply using the process of self seeding. But it can not spread and multiply through division of root because it is not rhizomatous.
How do coneflowers spread? Do coneflowers self-seed?
Coneflowers mainly spread in two ways. Firstly, coneflowers spread by the method of self-seeding. Secondly, they spread via root mass.
Self seeding is the most popular in terms of coneflowers’ spreading in numbers. Every coneflower contains central cone and petals as its center attractions. The cone is the producer of a high number of seeds.
On the other hand, the petals of the coneflower contains a seed at its base. These seeds of coneflower naturally fall on the grounds without any external pressure.
You can also prevent coneflowers from self seeding if you think that the coneflowers are ruining the harmony of your garden by self seeding. You can prune the seed heads before they start falling to the soil.
Then the fallen seeds start germinating in the upcoming Spring season. Germination process consists of five stages. They are imbibition, respiration, effect of light on seed, mobilization of reserves, and development of embryo axis into a seed.
Every type of coneflower can spread with the help of self seeding. But all of them can not spread via root mass.
Only purple coneflower also known as Echinacea purpurea can spread via root mass. Purple coneflower contains fibrous root. That is why it can spread with the help of its root by dividing it.
You will need a spade, shovel, garden knife, compost, topsoil, and gloves before beginning the dividing process.
First of all, you will have to select the purple coneflower you want to divide and water the area. Then you will have to take out the plant using a shovel. You will then have to get rid of unnecessary dirt from the coneflower.
You will then have to use the garden knife to divide the root and plant the divided roots back in the field. You will have to water the recently planted roots to end the dividing process.
How fast and how far do coneflowers spread?
How fast and how far coneflowers spread depend on the growing style of the coneflowers. Coneflowers mainly spread as a herd or in clumps.
Coneflowers have a fast growth rate. It grows to about twenty four inches in terms of diameter. You will need to divide the coneflowers after 3 to 4 years.
One of the cons of growing the coneflower is that it has the habit of spreading too easily. You need to maintain the self seeding of coneflowers in a moderate way. You have to make sure that the coneflowers do not spread too far and too fast.
Does the original coneflower dry and spread by the roots underground?
Every kind of coneflowers does not possess the ability to spread by the roots underground. Generally, the coneflower has a life span of three to four years.
In this span, most of the coneflowers spread and multiply through self seeding and the original one dries after it. This self seeding process yields out more coneflowers.
Purple coneflower is the only variety of coneflower that can spread and multiply through division of root. But it can not spread by the roots underground.
On the other hand, there is a variety of coneflower that can spread by the roots. It is the cut leaf coneflower.
Are coneflowers invasive? How to keep coneflowers from spreading?
Coneflowers spread and multiply through self seeding This characteristic of coneflowers can be labelled as invasion.
So we can say that coneflowers are invasive in nature. There are few steps which you can take to keep your coneflowers from spreading. They are:
Deciding the time:
First of all, you will have to decide the time of the prevention process. You will have to find out when you should start taking necessary measures to prevent coneflowers from spreading.
Generally, special measures are taken during winter and spring to prevent coneflower from spreading.
Implementation of the process:
When winter begins, you can start the prevention process by pruning your existing coneflowers. You will have to prune the seed heads of your coneflowers to prevent them from spreading through self seeding.
You can also wait until spring before starting the pruning process. You can prune some of the coneflowers in the winter and leave the rest alone. When the spring season begins, you can prune the rest of the coneflowers.
The alternative measure:
Pruning can be done in the summer season too. The coneflowers that have lived through their blooming season are cut down during this time.
Pruning the coneflowers will prevent it from spreading and multiplying through self seeding.
Deciding the size and the tool:
While pruning your coneflowers, you will have to decide the length of the part you are going to cut. You will also have to decide the tool you are going to use in the pruning process. You can use sharp shears to assist you in the pruning process.
You will need to cut your coneflower in the range of one inch to four inches. The bigger variant will be needed to be cut into a four inch size. On the other hand, you can cut the smaller variant into a one inch size.
How tall do coneflowers get?
Different varieties of coneflowers have different growth structures. For example, the purple coneflower can grow up to twenty-four inches to forty eight inches tall.
Cheyenne spirit coneflower pink poodle cornflower can grow up to thirty inches tall. White coneflower and hot papaya coneflower can grow up to thirty six inches tall.
Avalanche coneflower can grow up to twenty inches tall. Daydream coneflower can grow up to a height of twenty four inches.
How far apart should coneflowers be planted?
It is important to remember that the growth of the coneflowers is directly connected to the distance between the coneflowers.
If you do not plant your coneflowers maintaining proper distance, then it will tangle with one another and create growth issues.
Usually, you will have to plant your coneflowers in the garden maintaining a space of twelve to eighteen inches between them.
The space will later be disturbed through the process of self seeding done by your coneflowers. But at the beginning of the plantation process, you must maintain the mentioned space between the coneflowers.
Final thoughts
The spreading and multiplying is a natural phenomena found in the growth system of coneflowers. The existing coneflowers in the garden spread and multiply by self seeding. Some coneflowers even have the ability to spread and multiply via division of root.