Astragalus (Astragalus membranaceus) seeds, organic
$3.95 – $49.10
Family: Legume (Fabaceae)
Hardy to Zones 4 to 10 (mulch heavily in colder zones)
(Astragalus membranaceus = Astragalus propinquus, the Chinese herb Huang-qi, Huang qi) Herbaceous perennial native to China. Traditional usage (TCM): increase vital energy and protect against illness. Plants get quite large, flowering to 6 feet, with yellow flowers giving way to pea-like follicles. Plant is a sturdy survivor, and prefers full sun, average soil, and good drainage. Scarify seed lightly on medium grit sandpaper and soak overnight in mycoblast tea or kelp tea, which encourages eventual n-fixing nodulation. Direct seed in early spring, or give 20 days cold, moist refrigeration and then sow cool. Germ in 3 to 10 days. Gallery photo of seeds with roots extending was made possible by scarifying seeds and placing outdoors for 20 days in January, then bringing into greenhouse for germination. Thin to 6 inches apart. Plants flower yellow-white to 6 feet tall.
Packet contains 30 Seeds
1 g contains ~250 seeds
5 g contains ~1,250 seeds
10 g contains ~2,500 seeds
Certified Organically Grown
Question
Susan Alli –
How does this like being in a container or best placement for my Hellish hot summers of Modesto,Ca?
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Richo Cech –
Hi Susan, This plant does well in hot climates and is taprooted, so does not particularly like pots. Give standard garden culture for modesto. richo
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Shivani Spirit –
I started the seeds with just a light scarifying and they germinated well and I now have some beautiful medicine plants!!! Thank you!! I Love growing the medicines that I use!!
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Question
Shivani Spirit –
Hi Richo, I started a few seeds in the spring and now have some beautiful plants. How long should I wait before harvesting the roots? This year or should I wait a few years/. Thanks Shivani
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Richo Cech –
Hello Shivani, In the first year they don’t make much root to speak of, probably best to wait until fall of second year to dig. r
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Question
aler58 (verified owner) –
Is it possible to propagate Astragalus via cuttings? I started seeds this year and the plants are growing well but I may be moving. I don’t want to lose a year’s growth starting from seed next spring.
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Richo Cech –
Hi there, I would recommend instead cutting the aerial parts back to the crown and digging the root and transplanting it to your new garden. Taprooted plants of this nature do not respond well to propagation by cutting. Richo
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aler58 (verified owner) –
Thank you so much for the quick reply!
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Question
Tim Roberts –
Do they normally have that low thick bushy pattern of growth for you? And how tall do they tend to get in your climate? I’m much more used to a far more ‘leggy’ plant with a spindly appearance by comparison.
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Richo Cech –
Hi Tim, We generally see these bushy and low-growing in the first year and up to 5 feet tall, woody and multi-stemmed, very bushy, in the second year. As was previously noted in this feed, the plant requires soil mycorrhizal associations for proper germination and growth. I find that inoculating with a broadscale mycorrhizal inoculant and/or kelp tea to be necessary. Richo
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Question
Arno van den Berg –
Its a little late in the year for growing them I think. Will the seeds germinate well a year later? Do you know how many years the germination rate of this seeds is good?
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Richo Cech –
Hello Arno, Not really, Astragalus seed is fairly short-lived and should be sown upon receipt. It is not late in the year to start growing perennials–perennials can be started, realistically, any time. It is annual plants that have a certain number of days required for their growing season.
richo
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Question
Susan Meeker-Lowry –
My new astragalus seedlings are planted in the garden. We’re supposed to get a freak snowy cold night – down to 28. Will covering them be enough or should I dig up and replant when the storm passes?
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Richo Cech –
Hi Susan,
It depends on how thoroughly they’ve outdoor acclimatized, but I personally would cover them with straw and pull the straw off after the freak snows are passed.
richo
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Question
Nancy –
Does anyone know if this will grow in Costa Rica (near the coast, so maybe 800′ elevation, hot, with distinct wet and dry seasons)?
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Richo Cech –
Astragalus grows almost anywhere
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blick002 –
I started these indoors and transplanted into average garden soil, full sun, zone 3. They were slow to take off the first year, being partially shaded by neighboring faster growing seedlings didn’t help. In their second year they really took off – many bloomed and set seed. A beautiful plant. I’ve neglected to mulch them, but they seem to survive just fine with the heavy blanket of snow we get.
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Kathy –
I’m in S Fla with hot sun in the early and all summer. Would it be better to plant under the oak trees rather than in full sun?
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Richo Cech –
Hi Kathy,
I think full sun is OK even in S. FL. By the way, you really don’t have to cold stratify this particular batch of seed–its coming up in 7 days with just a slight sandpaper scarification and then plant warm.
Richo
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Rene Andalon Aguilar –
It is a seed that has high properties to strengthen the immune system
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Erin –
Question
Any chance astragalus can be grown in a pot?
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Admin Richo Cech –
It can, but the more room there is for the taproot the more medicine you get.
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Deborah Hall –
I have no ida where mine came from, but I’m afraid the taproot will interfere with my other plants. When would the best time to transplant? If it can be transplanted.
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Richo Cech –
Taprooted plants don’t transplant well. Astragalus is a nitrogen-fixer that is kind to other plants.
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Tim Roberts –
Whilst most taprooted things dont seen to transplant nicely, I have been stunned by how well Huang Qi has coped with being roughly pulled from pots and shoved in other places. I’ve done this a bit, and they sulk for a day then just fall back on their amazing toughness, mind you, they are only a few months old and a max of 30 to 50 cm high when doing this, so no big taproot yet.
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Laura M –
Hi there, I’ve seen astragalus listed as up to zone 9. I’ve also seen it said that astragalus grows almost anywhere in the US. I’m in zone 10a in Bay Area (sunset climate zone 16). Would you say astragalus is marginal for where I am? Only looking to plant if I can expect robust vigor and root production. Thanks!
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Richo Cech –
Hi Laura, We list Astragalus up to a Zone 10. The surviving and thriving of astragalus depends much less on climatic concerns and much more on soil mycorrhizae. If the roots kick in, the plant will be happy. We have a lot of trouble producing a good start on this, gardening is about trial and error, you’ll never know if you don’t try. Richo
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Phee –
Is any part of the plant itself edible?
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Richo Cech –
Hello there, yes, the root is edible if extremely fibrous. My recommendation is to dig the root, wash it, cut in sections and boil in soup. You can eat the sections, well, if your teeth are strong enough, otherwise remove them from the soup and the broth will contain the goodies. When we make astragalus tincture, we extract first with hot water–that’s the way to proceed.
Richo
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Leslie Hoppe (verified owner) –
Will deer eat astragalus? Many thanks for your answer!
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Richo Cech –
Hello Leslie, Deer will eat most plants that are soft (and especially mucilaginous) in texture and neutral in taste. Top deer forage is: chicory, plantain, Linden tree. They will even eat some plants that are strong tasting (like peppers). Here are a few tips: 1) Fence them out. 2) Grow diversity, and switch up your plant placement. This confuses them. 3) Keep a dog. 4) Mediterranean perennials like Hyssop, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme are about as deerproof as a plant can get 5) cage your trees–once they get up to 5 feet tall or so, if the leading bud remains unchewed, then–you’re off! Richo
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