Patchouli, True (Pogostemon cablin), packet of 100 seeds

(8 customer reviews)

$4.95

Family:  Mint (Lamiaceae)

Hardy to Zones 10 to 12, normally grown as a potted plant and brought indoors for the winter

(Pogostemon patchouli) Tropical perennial native to Asia.  Iconic essence of the Hippie Culture that arose during the 1960’s and dissipated thereafter, leaving little archaeological evidence in its varicolored wake.  The patchouli plant (and the reddish essential oil obtained from it) evoke images of sweaty sun and green lawns in Berkeley, the strains of Mr Tambourine man drifting across a lucid landscape, smiles and avocados, lace stockings, violet-paned sunglasses, brown breasts with dancing nipples and matchboxes containing (not matches).  Plant prefers full to part shade, moist, rich soils, humidity. The plant thrives under good care but fades fast with neglect–it needs watering almost daily, has zero tolerance for frost and will sunburn if not protected by shade.  The seeds are small, and are best sown in warm soil, in the light. My favorite method for planting seeds of this sort is to prepare a pot or flat with nice humusy potting soil, filling to the lip and leaving the surface rough, not smooth and patted down.  Then, sprinkle the seed over the surface of the soil and tamp firmly.  This allows the seed to fall down between the roughened particles of soil, and then when you tamp it down with the palm of your hand, the seed is nestled into place on the surface or barely sub-surface.  Then, mist with water very carefully so as not to dislodge the seeds, and keep in the light, ever-moist,  and nice and warm until germination, which takes between two and three weeks.  Allow the seedlings to grow closely together at first, and when they attain their second set of true leaves, then individuate them carefully and pot up individually to 4 inch pots.  Grow them out that way for awhile, until they fill the pot with roots, and at that point transplant up to gallons. Soon after that, you can make a harvest of the leaves to produce a patchouli sachet, or you can extract your own essential oil if you have a distiller.  The leaves emit fleeting whiffs of the patchouli esters, and the flowers are strongly aromatic.

100 seeds/pkt, Open Pollinated, Untreated, NO GMO’s

 

In stock

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4.5 out of 5 stars

8 reviews

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What others are saying

  1. 2 out of 2 people found this helpful
    Tanya

    Far out man!

    Tanya (verified owner)

    Tiny seeds , took a long time to germinate. I thought I must have ruined the batch, and was going to reuse the soil for another seed, then all of a sudden the tiny seedlings emerged. I now have 50 patchouli plants. I don’t need more but I want to grow them again, just to observe the process again.
    It is my new favorite plant!

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    • One person found this helpful
      Richo Cech

      Richo Cech

      hi tanya, i could tell people from dawn to dusk about how the patchouli is viable and takes a long time to come up and when it does, germinates all at once, and they wouldn’t listen, but they’ll listen to you. Thanks very much, you said it all. richo

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  2. One person found this helpful

    Question

    m.a.kinkaid (verified owner)

    Have you grown any Pogostemon heyneanus? I just started seeds of both, one from you and the other from a shop on Etsy.

    Hefty makes these dinner trays that are perfect for starting seeds, and they are sturdy enough to be reused for a very long time.

    I have the heat mat set at 83, so hopefully they’ll grow.

    This is my second attempt at growing P. cablin; I had excellent germination previously, but the seedlings stalled and died. I have better soilless media and am better prepared for this batch- hopefully.

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    • One person found this helpful
      Richo Cech

      Richo Cech

      Hello M.A.
      Thanks for the note. We used to offer Pogostemon heyneanus but found that it contained little of the essential oil of patchouli, so despite the fact that it was a pretty flower, we dropped it. I do think that heat mats and soilless medium can sometimes work and are also sometimes the cause of the failures you mention. If you want to check out our techniques feel free to paste this youtube link into a browser https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdd6SdW5sHs
      richo

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  3. 2 out of 2 people found this helpful

    Question

    thenaekedgardener

    Greetings Richo.
    Is Patchouli edible in any fashion? Where is the scent emitted from? What part is used for extraction of essential oil?
    As always; wisdom like yours is highly appreciated from here! Thank you, -naeked

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    • 3 out of 3 people found this helpful
      Richo Cech

      Richo Cech

      hi justin, patchouli leaves are nontoxic and edible although not particularly tasty. the essential oil is extracted in the usual manner from the fresh or dried leaves. one variance is that the oil needs to be aged for some time before it develops the characteristic aroma. This is why patchouli leaves smell only vaguely like patchouli oil. richo

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    • One person found this helpful

      Tanya (verified owner)

      I like the taste , and have put it in lentils.
      I think it would lend flavor to a mushroom dish too.

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  4. Question

    Helen (verified owner)

    When will the patchouli seeds be available? Thanks!

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  5. Question

    Gena

    I am trying to find true patchouli seeds? Is there a waitlist?

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  6. Question

    Valiant

    Hello

    I would love to purchase some of this seed for our farm, but it is currently noted as out of stock. Please let me know if there are any available seeds for purchase – we would love to get them started as soon as possible.

    Many Thanks

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    • Richo Cech

      Richo Cech

      Hi, Thanks for contacting. The way we can let you know is for you to hit “waitlist” on patchouli seeds–then you will automatically get an e-mail when we harvest the seeds and have them ready for distribution. Plants currently experiencing the midwinter blahs, you inspire me to repot them! Richo

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    • Jony

      Hello! When do you expect to have seeds and/or plants back in stock. I did add my name to the waitlist.

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    • Richo Cech

      Richo Cech

      hello jony, thanks, you did the right thing! We’ll have these back in stock when the rose sunglass goddess again visits, trailing her sexy perfume that fills any room. Generally midsummer, when the clothes come off. r

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  7. Question

    Dolly Danger

    I’m interested in when your seeds will be back in stock. Please let me know!

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    • Richo Cech

      Admin Richo Cech

      Thank you for alerting me to this, we are not out of patchouli seeds, we have plenty, I have re-enabled this, you can order. r

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    • Sarah ATTOUMANI

      Bonsoir, je suis intéressé par ces graines. Pourriez-vous me dire quad ca sera disponible s’il vous plaît? Merci

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    • Richo Cech

      Admin Richo Cech

      Bonsoir, le paquet de graines patchouli est disponible, n’hésitez pas à commander, nous vous l’enverrons!

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    • liz

      When will 2020 patchouli seeds be in? Can’t wait!

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    • Richo Cech

      Richo Cech

      Hi Liz,
      Thanks for letting me know that this was showing out of stock. The new crop seed is in and you can feel free to order.
      Best regards,
      Richo

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    • Cecilie

      Hi, are the seeds back in stock? And do you mail to Denmark, by any chance? They’re very difficult to come by, so I would be really grateful if you did. Kind regards, Cecilie

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    • Richo Cech

      Richo Cech

      Hello Cecilie, We’ll have patchouli seeds again. I’m sorry to report that the government of the EU has effectively shut down our exports of garden seeds to the EU. Richo

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    • Melody

      Richo- your seed monograph of the plant above may be the best plant description ever. Enjoyed, even though I wont be growing this plant this year.

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    • Richo Cech

      Richo Cech

      hello Melody, nice of you to say that, we all still dance in that lucid landscape, if only we open the third eye to see it… richo

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  8. Question

    Theresa Wilson

    When will you have back in stock Patchouli Tru

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  9. One person found this helpful
    Christopher Gon

    Christopher Gon

    Zone 9a/Charleston, SC: germination was fast but not good, very few seedlings from the packet. Seed truly IS like DUST……………..started 10/16, got the few seedlings through the admittedly minimal winter although they were “leaf” damaged during a freak cold spell late March when it got down to 25 for a few hours…….planted them outside in an area that is quite shady and more or less forgot about them. THEY ARE HUGE AS I TYPE THIS! 2 x 3??? This plant seems to be able to handle dry soil yet very hot and humid air as well as shade……………with care and awareness I think this one would be successful even into a zone 8b…..

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    • One person found this helpful
      Richo Cech

      Admin Richo Cech

      Hello there, thanks for your feedback, which reminds me of the “environmental” variable. My experience is that seed germination is slow and excellent, not fast and not good. My experience is that the plant is very fond of water, although I suppose this may be supplied by way of atmospheric humidity vs. frequent watering. In any case, your vote seems fair under the circumstances, and I appreciate your taking the time to fill us in. richo

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    • Aja (verified owner)

      I planted these just a hair over two weeks ago, and I’ve been eagerly watching the tiniest sprouts rise from the soil. This is my first time trying to grow patchouli, and I feel it’s going very well so far! I’ve kept them in the warmest room in my apartment with some grow lights on and I’ve dutifully kept the soil moist. The same day I planted these, I planted some sweetgrass; there’s been no sign of life in that container EXCEPT for one more baby patchouli sprout poking out. I’d consider that a happy accident.

      Can’t wait to see how the patchouli progresses!

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    • green

      green

      Hello Aja, Even in the most perfect of conditions, I’ve never seen a patchouli sprout in under 3 weeks. Sweetgrass, similarly, is a very long germinator. r

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  10. One person found this helpful
    B. Moser

    B. Moser

    These seeds are awesome! Every seed grew into a big beautiful plant. They are easy to grow, gave me no trouble what-so-ever. Anyone who sees them asks to take one home. They smell amazing but not overpowering. Love it!!!

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    • jefflin breuer

      Can you grow them indoors or can you grow them in pots? I’m in zone 8b and we have had a few weeks of extreme cold for our area the last couple of winters. If we had a cold snap could I bring them inside?

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    • One person found this helpful
      Richo Cech

      Admin Richo Cech

      Hello Jefflin,
      Unlike most plants, these do extremely well as an indoor plant and only really thrive outdoors in the moist tropics. The plant likes moist shade. One issue–the seeds require a professional setup to germinate and are extremely slow to develop. Given that we have a large population of patchouli plants looking for a home, and looking very good right now, I recommend getting a plant and repotting to a gallon and situating on a windowsill. Water frequently. Richo

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    • Fabiola

      When will you have more patchouli seeds?

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    • Richo Cech

      Richo Cech

      When the birds trill come spring, and the patchouli flowers senesce, the seeds will be there, yielding to careful caress. To release its powers, one envisions the summer sun and heaving skin well-oiled. Hit “waitlist.” Richo

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