Tithonia Diversifolia

Description

Golden-eyed yellow flowers open amongst attractive, densely-packed, silver-backed, vine-like, foliage. Originally found in Mexico, this unusual plant can be grown as either an annual or a perennial when it will become almost shrub-like. Its main claim to fame though is its astonishing ability to make the soil more fertile, and it is often grown entirely for this purpose. Incredibly, just to recap on your school chemistry, when used as an environmentally and ecologically sound fertilizer, it contains 1.76% Nitrogen, 0.82% Phosphorus, and 3.92% Potassium. By comparison, all three properties are lower than this in cattle manure, whilst Phosphorus is higher than in poultry and pig manure.

Sowing Advice

These seeds have already been thoroughly cleaned and should be sown into a well-drained, sandy compost at any time of the year, and covered thinly with sand or grit and kept moist. Keep at between 20-25 degrees C. Seeds sometimes germinate within 4 to 6 weeks although some varieties may take very much longer so please be patient. Plant out in the open ground in warmer countries or sow as an annual in more temperate zones, or even in a large container elsewhere.

Key Facts