by Jennifer Poindexter
Are you looking for a fun perennial plant to grow around your home or garden? Have you considered growing Solomon’s seal?
This is a unique perennial plant with a curving stem, grooved leaves, and vivid blooms which show off during the months of April through June. They come in green, white, and pink.
Plus, once they’re finished, the blooms turn to dark-colored berries during the summer months. However, be sure you don’t eat the berries. They’re for looks only.
The foliage of this plant will turn a golden color during the fall. To say Solomon’s seal puts on a show most of the year would be a fair statement.
If this sounds like an intriguing plant you’d like to add to your landscape, you’re in the right place. I’m going to walk you through all you should know while growing Solomon’s seal.
Here’s how you can grow Solomon’s seal around your home:
Growing Conditions for Solomon’s Seal
Solomon’s seal has a few things you must provide in a growing location for it to thrive. The first thing to consider is the planting zone.
Thankfully, this plant is versatile and does well in planting zones three through nine. The next thing to consider is lighting.
Solomon’s seal prefers full to partial shade. The warmer the planting zone, the more you should look for a location with morning sunlight and protective afternoon shade.
This is opposite for cooler planting zones. Once you have the lighting correct, it’s time to talk about soil. Solomon’s seal prefers fertile soil which remains consistently damp.
However, the soil must be well-draining. You must also ensure that this location has room to accommodate the size of the plant as it can grow between a half foot to seven feet tall depending upon the variety you choose.
Take each of these tips into consideration when choosing the perfect growing location for Solomon’s seal around your home. When you’ve found it, you’re ready to move on and learn how to plant.
How to Plant Solomon’s Seal
Planting Solomon’s seal is an easy process that should take place in the spring or fall. When you’ve found the precise growing location, ensure that the plant won’t be disturbed even during its dormant periods.
Once you know it’s safe to plant in your chosen location, begin working the soil and adding compost. The compost provides the plant with the nutrients it needs while becoming established in its new growing location. Ensure the dirt is loose and drains adequately.
Solomon’s seal is typically planted from rhizomes or divisions. Seeds can take up to two years to germinate and sprout.
Place the division or rhizome approximately two inches into the soil. Leave a half foot of space between each transplant as Solomon’s seal will spread.
Once the transplant or rhizome is in place, cover the roots or rhizome with soil and water. Keep the ground consistently moist while the new plants are becoming established.
Now that you know how to plant Solomon’s seal, let’s discuss how to properly care for this plant while growing it around your home or garden.
Caring for Solomon’s Seal
If you’re looking for a showy plant that needs only minimal care, Solomon’s seal could be the right choice for you.
Let’s begin by discussing the things you won’t need to do with this plant. You won’t need to prune or deadhead.
The berries will fall off on their own, and the stems disconnect from the base of the plant at the end of the growing season by themselves.
What you will need to do is water, mulch, and fertilize. When watering, apply it deeply to avoid oversaturating the plant and also to lessen your workload.
Apply water for longer periods of time, fewer days of the week. This should saturate the roots of the plant while also adding moisture to the ground around it.
As water reserves run low, Solomon’s seal will dig deeper to access more moisture in the ground. This not only supplies the plant with more water, it also encourages it to form a deeper root system.
Deeper roots typically equate to a stronger root system and a healthier plant. You’ll know it’s time to add more water by testing the soil.
Stick your finger into the dirt surrounding the plant. When it’s dry to your first knuckle, apply more water. If not, test the soil again in the coming days.
Mulch is also a beneficial step to caring for this plant. It helps keep the roots of the plant cool which is important.
However, it also helps the plant retain moisture. These are both vital to achieving the plant’s ideal growing conditions.
Finally, ensure you fertilize Solomon’s seal once per year. As the plant begins to grow again, and come out of its dormant state, applying an all-purpose fertilizer will supply all the nutrients necessary to form healthy foliage and blooms.
Understanding what Solomon’s seal needs from you, and also what it doesn’t need from you, can make all the difference in how well it does under your care.
Now, let’s discuss how you can head off potential threats when growing this plant around your home and garden areas.
Garden Pests and Diseases Which Could Impact Solomon’s Seal
Solomon’s seal is a low maintenance plant. It doesn’t need a ton of care from you and isn’t difficult to get started once you locate the ideal growing location.
You’ll be happy to know, it also has few threats. The main diseases which tend to impact this plant are fungal issues.
This can be avoided by planting Solomon’s seal where the soil is well-draining, with enough space between plants to ensure adequate airflow, and also where the plant gets some sun.
Cold, wet soil is the ideal breeding ground for fungal disease. By creating opposite growing conditions, it makes it harder for these issues to form.
Also, the only real pests that tend to bother Solomon’s seal are slugs and snails. If you wait until dusk, you may see these pests appear on your plant.
If the infestation is small, you can hand-pick them to remove the issue from your growing space.
However, if the infestation is larger or you want to avoid these pests altogether, try placing coffee grounds or diatomaceous earth around the base of your plant.
Coffee grounds are said to head off slugs and snails because of the caffeine. However, diatomaceous earth creates a dangerous terrain for the snails and slugs to crawl over.
Hopefully these tips will help you to avoid these issues around your garden when growing Solomon’s seal.
You now have the information you need to grow this plant. It’s easy-to-grow, low maintenance, and creates a spectacular show of color throughout most of the year.
If you’d love to incorporate this plant into your yard, use the tips provided here and hopefully you’ll have an enjoyable growing experience with a plant that brings beauty and color to your home for many years.
More About Solomon’s Seal
https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/solomons-seals/
https://pss.uvm.edu/ppp/articles/polygon.html
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