Guizotia abyssinica
Niger seed
Common names: Ramtil, Ramtil herb
At a glance
- Light
- Full sun
- Lifespan
- Annual
- Flowering
- Aug–Oct
- Hardiness
- Cold damage below 0 °C
- Water need
- Low
Photo: Silvestresbrasileiros · Public Domain · Source
This description was machine-translated.
Description
Ramtil herb, botanically Guizotia abyssinica, originates from the highlands of Ethiopia and is an annual member of the daisy family (Asteraceae) with loosely branched growth. It grows 1 to 1.5 m tall, bears opposite, lanceolate leaves, and from August produces small yellow flowers that resemble tiny sunflowers. The flowers serve bees and hoverflies as a late food source. In the garden it is used as a summer green manure for warm beds, including lean, light soils. It grows quickly, suppresses weeds, roots deeply with a strong taproot, and produces a large amount of plant biomass for building up humus. It does not fix nitrogen. It loves warmth, so it is sown only after the Ice Saints (mid May), and it dies with the first frost.
Care instructions
Sow Ramtil herb only after the Ice Saints, from mid May (calendar week 20) through the end of July, in a sunny, warm spot. The soil should be loose, permeable, and rather lean. Water evenly until the seedlings emerge; afterward the plant tolerates drought well. If you do not want it to stand until frost, cut or mulch it at the beginning of flowering in August, before the stems become hard and seeds ripen. Chop the shoots so they decompose faster, then work them in shallowly or lay them down as mulch. As a member of the daisy family, it belongs to the same family as lettuce, chicory, and salsify. Do not plant these vegetables directly afterward on the same bed; instead rotate the area or give the bed a rest. Typical mistake: sowing too early in cold soil, which causes poor germination.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Garden year
SowingMay–Jul
FloweringAug–Oct
Germination
- Soil temperature
- from 15 °C, ideally 22 °C
- Days to sprout
- 5 to 10 days
- Light
- Sprouts in light or dark
- Sowing depth
- 1 cm
- How to start
- Sow straight into the bed
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
well-drained, sandy, loamy, lean
Niger grows on almost any garden soil, best on loose, well-drained loam or sandy loam. It copes well with lean and at times dry spots, which makes it interesting for light soils too. A pH between 5.5 and 7.5 suits it. Avoid waterlogged, heavily compacted areas, or loosen them deeply before sowing so that the taproot can grow downwards.
Feeding
Light feeder
Niger needs no fertiliser. It grows quickly even on nutrient-poor soils and draws nutrients from deeper layers with its deep taproot. On very depleted beds you can rake in a little mature compost shallowly before sowing. The benefit for your bed comes later from the plant mass, which stays as mulch or is worked in.
Overwintering
Niger is not hardy. The first light frost in autumn already kills the plants. You do not need to clear anything: the plant mass stays on the bed as a mulch cover and protects the soil over winter. The stems are tough, so in spring chop them up with shears or a spade before you work them in shallowly or rake them off. Self-seeding is rare here in Central Europe.
Propagation
Methods
- From seed
You propagate niger by seeds that you buy as green manure seed. Sow directly into the bed, because it tolerates transplanting poorly. Wait until after the Ice Saints, from mid-May (week 20), when the soil is properly warm, and sow until the end of July. The seeds are very small: prepare a fine, crumbly seedbed, scatter them broadcast, rake them in at most 1 cm deep and firm the surface. Keep the soil evenly moist until emergence; in warmth that takes about a week.
Companion planting
Companion planting is partly traditional gardening lore. Where the reason is known, it is given.
Some of these explanations were machine-translated.
For your garden
Grow Niger seed yourself
Gartenkern tells you when frost is coming, when to sow and when to harvest, for your location.
Free, no time limit
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