Shipping Nov – Dec

Bloodroot Live Root (Sanguinaria canadensis), organic

$5.00$27.00

ROOTS ship starting late September.  If you order ROOTS along with seeds, the seeds will ship first and the roots will follow in season. We dig after dormancy in order to assure a good bud set–usually beginning in late August and ending early December.

Bloodroot–the early spring flowers are virgin white, arising from the blood red rhizomes prior to the unfurling of the fleshy, palmate leaves. When transplanting, place the rhizome at the soil surface, buried only about half way in, making sure the rootlets are covered with soil. Then cover with mulch. This is the most dependable way of getting the plant started in your shade garden—planting high reduces chances of rot. After several years the bloodroot will naturalize and self-seed, increasing greatly in size and producing many progeny. The sap of the plant, especially abundant in the rhizome (the root), is bright red and loaded with the alkaloid sanguinarine.  Traditional use (TWM, Native American): expectorant and anticancer agent. Low-dose botanical. High demand in herb trade.

Planting Bloodroot Roots:  Best to plant dormant live roots in the fall for emergence in the spring.  May be planted in woodlands, shade garden or in pots.  Prefers dappled sunlight over complete shade.  Grows best in woodlands under the shade of hardwood trees, not conifers.  Bloodroot is a bit funny about dirt–sometimes it likes a deep humusy soil, but other times it grows enthusiastically on top of limestone outcroppings, the rhizome covered in moss, rooting into rock, not soil.  For all practical purposes, the roots may be planted in regular garden soil in shade garden or in regular forest soil in forest.  No fertilizer or compost is needed.  Rake away existing mulch and plant root on top of the mineral soil, tucking the rootlets into the soil, leaving the rhizome (the barrel-shaped part) half buried in soil, with the bud pointing straight up, and tamp in firmly.  Then cover with mulch, about 2 inches in all.  Regular forest mulch, rotted leaves, or coir work well.  Commercial bark mulch is not a good choice. Plant roots between 6 inches to 1 foot apart. Water once after planting, after which winter rain and snowfall will keep them sufficiently watered. Bloodroot tends to rot, so be careful of overwatering, it is counterproductive.  The roots will overwinter under the mulch and the plant will emerge and probably flower first thing in the early spring.  If during the spring and summer the planting becomes very dry (ie no rain for 2 weeks) then it is a good idea to water them.   That is all the care that is usually required. If potting up, use standard potting soil, three roots per gallon pot. Mulch on top of the pot and place in shade garden.

Live root, Certified Organically Grown

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  1. Question

    Heather Iodaci

    Hi there,

    Are these roots large enough to tincture directly or do you recommend letting them grow much larger before harvesting? Thanks in advance for your advice.

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    • Richo Cech

      Richo Cech

      Hi Heather, I’m sorry, they are out of stock. I do have a large planting coming on. They are so very potent (and a low-dose botanical, mind you) that even a little bit makes a lot. I’m going to try to list bloodroot plants in spring 2021. Richo

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    • Lila

      What zone does Bloodroot grow in.?

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    • Richo Cech

      Richo Cech

      If you double-click on the photo, you get the monograph with all the info:
      Hardy to Zone 4 to 9

      (Red Puccoon, Indian Paint, Tetterwort) Spring ephemeral perennial native to the Eastern hardwood forest biome in the US. Plant prefers shade garden or shade of hardwoods. Bloodroot thrives both in deep, rich soils but will also grow on limestone outcroppings. Traditional usage (TWM): expectorant, antimitotic, wart removal. Bloodroot is one of the earliest blooming of all forest plants, the leaves are deeply lobed, characteristic, and quite handsome. The plant makes strong, low-lying patches that live on for centuries. I’ve known plants for 2 decades and they have only gotten more vigorous, while my human body begins to slow with age! Sow the seed in a shaded pot or flat, or direct seed in the shade garden or woodlands. Rake away all mulch, make a shallow furrow, plant the seeds 2 inches apart, cover with soil and tamp well, then rake the mulch back over the planting. If growing in pots or flats, then mulch the surface. Germination is usually in the first but sometimes in the second spring. Seedlings look like little flat parasols. Grow at close spacing for 2 years, then fall transplant the rhizomes to 6 inches apart. Check my book “Growing At-Risk Medicinal Herbs” for more info on growing bloodroot.

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  2. Question

    Jamon Henderson

    could I be on the waitlist to purchase more than 6 at a time? I was hoping to get 12-18 roots.

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    • Richo Cech

      Admin Richo Cech

      Hello Jamon,
      Please do use the waitlist. When you receive notification that the roots are in, you can buy as many of them as you like.
      Richo

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    • B

      Any idea if the blood red color of the rhizome has anything to do with nitrogen fixation such as with root nodules on legumes?

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    • Richo Cech

      Admin Richo Cech

      Hello B, Yes, I know what you mean, I’ve seen red nitrogen nodules on Red Alder for instance. But in this case, no, the red is due to the alkaloid sanguinarine, which is red in color. Richo

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    • Francis-Olive Hampton

      Hey Richo. Should I wait to buy/plant these rhizomes in fall? About to hit the heat of summer, but can provide shade, which will still be rather hot. Zone 10a.

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    • One person found this helpful
      Richo Cech

      Richo Cech

      Right, these are not available now, it is too late in the year to plant them. If you click “waitlist” you’ll get an auto e-mail when we list them again come september. r

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    • Claire Drouault

      I’m looking forward to buying some bloodroot from Strictly Medicinal as soon as it is available. I failed miserably with roots I purchased last year from a different company, probably because the planting instructions confused me. I couldn’t tell which end was budded and whether to bury the root sideways or on end. I don’t remember what I did but nothing at all came up. I planted in rich shady soil under trees on a bank sloping down to the creek. I may have watered too much? Do you have a video for planting bloodroot?

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    • One person found this helpful
      Richo Cech

      Richo Cech

      Hi Claire,
      Bloodroot is a bit weird because it doesn’t tend to really bury itself in the dirt, not in cultivation or in the wild. If you find it in the forest and brush away the forest mulch, you’ll find the backs of the rhizome (the meaty part) actually above soil level, with the rootlets going down into the dirt (or grabbing into a limestone shelf, bloodroot loves to grow that way). So when you transplant it, you rake away the mulch, nestle the roots down into mineral soil, firm in carefully, leaving half the rhizome exposed, then cover back up with mulch. Then you see the white flowers in the spring. I don’t have a video. I hope to offer bloodroot roots again in the fall.
      Richo

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    • One person found this helpful

      GWYNPETERDI (verified owner)

      Hello, I look forward to introducing this beautiful plant. I ordered some autumn 2019, and got a note that it was back ordered. I followed up by e mail and received one reply that I would hear when they shipped, but then did not hear back. Should I wait till next year? Thank you!

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    • One person found this helpful
      Richo Cech

      Richo Cech

      hi! Please provide your full name and postal delivery address and I’ll send you some roots you can plant now. they will come up in the spring. richo

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