Acmella oleracea

How to grow Acmella oleracea – growing condition and care:

Well-drained soil, moist soil, rich soil

How to care:
Prune once a year, fertilizer twice in the spring and in the summer

What is the best way to start growing?
Plant / Seed / Cutting or bending a branch over and covering it with soil

How to propagate by cutting:
Propagating by cutting in early spring as annual, spring to autumn as perianal to use root growth hormone, moist, well-drained soil, better in half shade another option it’s to put in water and switch water every few days

Is it necessary to graft or use vegetative reproduction?
No, but easy start by cutting or rhizome dividing and it’s ensure the color of the flowers

Difficulties or problems when growing:
Aggressive can be invasive

Recommended planting season?
Spring as annual plant, spring to summer in hardiness zone 10b, spring to autumn in hardiness zone 11, all year in hardiness zone 12+, better to plant in spring the plant establish better.

Pests and diseases:
Aphids, thrips, rust, leafhopper, powdery mildew

Pruning season:
All year, better to prune after the blooming season in the autumn to the winter

How to prune:
Dead leaves and bloom stems, but mostly pruned for design

Size of the plant:
0.2-1.2 m, 0.8-4 feet

Growth speed in optimal condition:
Fast growing / Medium growing

Water requirement:
Average amount of water / Small amount of water, can survive few weeks without water ( but better to keep watering regularly

Light conditions in optimal condition for growing:
Full Sun, half shade, in desert or hot summer 85% of sun will be enough and it helps to prevent sunburn on the plants

Is it possible to grow indoor as houseplant?
No

Growing is also possible in a planter /flowerpot / containers:
Yes, grow in containers 10-20L (2.5-5 gallons) or bigger than the plant at least 100-200% need to switch the soil once in a few years by new soil, better to used shallow pot and wider better to do in the winter, wash the soil from the roots and cut the root and prune the plant, use potting mix or peat soil with perlite and mix it with hummus and organic matter, use chopped mulch to keep the soil moist.

Blooming information

Bloom season:
Spring / Summer / Autumn

General information about the flower:
flowers the color yellow in daisy shape

Uses of Acmella oleracea flowers:
Beverage, spice, salad, soups, stews or as herb

Edible leaves

Leaves harvesting season:
Possible all year, but in hot area better to harvest in the spring, colder area end of the spring to the summer, better to harvest without flowers, the moment that the plant bloom, need to wait or to cut the flowers

How to harvest the leaves?
After the plant establish can be cut freely, better to cut in the base of the leaves

Information about leaves:
Leaves soft in linear shape with serrated edges and leaves grow in pinnate structure

Uses of Acmella oleracea leaves:
Beverage, salad, soups, stews

How to grow Acmella oleracea from seed

Sowing requirement:
Well drained soil, sowing temperature 23-28C (73-83F), moist soil, high humidity

Saving seeds and care until sowing:
Dry and dark place, better in the refrigerator

Sowing season – when to plant:
Spring as annual, and will be better in the spring also as perennial but in hardiness zone 11b+ possible in the autumn

How to plant:
Plant in sunny location and keep the soil moist

Planting spacing:
20*30cm (8*12 inches)

Depth of Sowing:
~1cm (0.5 inch)

Conditions for seeds germinate:
Moist soil, better with high humidity

Watering requires for Seeds:
Average amount of water

Germination time:
2-4 weeks

Condition of seedling:
Sunny location with moist soil

Scientific name:

Acmella oleracea

Alternative names: Toothache plant, Paracress, Sichuan buttons, Buzz buttons, Tingflowers, Electric daisy