Growing Matilla Poppy

[Anonymous]

Hi,

I have tried growing several Matilla Poppy plants in my yard and so far have not had much luck. I live inland San Diego area and can purchase gallon plants locally although they are rather expensive. The this last one I planted last fall and has been doing ok until recently. The leaves have turned brown and the stalkes a purple green. I have been watering about once a week over the summer trying to get it established, is this too much, not enough? I've been told to cut it to the ground and it will come back up in the spring, is this true? I have heard they are suposed to be easier to grow from seed but I have no idea where to get those. I love the xeriscape natives but they seem to be so hard to get going!</p>

[Anonymous]

It's hard to know whether once a week is too much water without seeing your soil, hours of sun, drainage, etc. They do like lots of sun and good drainage.

Matilija Poppy does go dormant, so the drying up may not be as bad as you think. I have seen purplish stems on new growth too. I would perhaps back off to every 10 -14 days at this point until the rains start.

Are the leaves going brown-dry or brown-mushy? The mushy may be a sign or overwatering, as ours go crispy brown as they die back.

By the way, don't judge all California natives from Matilija Poppy - they are in a class all their own!

Trish

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the response. The leaves seem to be brown crunchy and not mushy. They all seemed to turn this way within a couple of weeks, good or bad? I believe I have the right soil, we have mostly DG, and the location is on a bank so I think the drainage ok. They do grow well in my area, it's just getting it started. The local nursery hasn't been to helpfull with advice. I think they just want to keep selling them to me at $20 a pop. I did get a small amount of new growth since planting so was encouraged it would make it. I know that they do go dormant but didn't know what to expect. Should I cut it to the ground or leave it as is? Do you know when in the spring in my area I might expect to look for new growth?</p>

[Anonymous]

It sounds like they may have just gone dormant earlier than normal. I would wait until later in the year to cut them back we cut our down to the ground in Dec, and continue giving them water every 2-3 weeks during the hot weather. They should start sprouting again by Feb or so.

Trish

[Anonymous]

Tracey -

Plant matillija poppy in the fall - late fall is best in Southern California.

Do not disturb the roots when planting.

Make sure the plating site has excellent drainage.

Water it in well at planting time, but be very sparing of water after that. Lacking the detailed information about your soil, local microclimate, etc. it is hard to say just how much water it should get. Ideally, dry-growing natives should be planted in the fall, watered once and then left to adjust to the natural rain cycles.

This may not be possible in a drought year in your area, but once a week is probably too much water, especially for a fall planted plant. The trouble with planting such a species in spring or summer is that you do have to give it periodic watering, which goes against the natural cycles. The weather is telling the plant it is time to be dry, and here you are giving it water.

From my nursery experience, I can tell you that most people make three or four false starts before finally getting a matillija poppy to take. The keys are: fall planting, avoiding root disturbance, good drainage and bare minimum watering.

Good luck,

Lori</p>

[Anonymous]

Hi Tracey - I live in the Point Loma area and I have not found the Matilija Poppy at any local nursery. Where did you get yours? It's my understanding that it's harder to grow from seed.but a difficult plant to start in any case. -Susan</p>