Here is a quick little growing guide for this great plant!
Japanese Indigo (Persicaria tinctoria) – Click for seeds!
A member of the knotweed family, this easy to grow annual plant has long been a part of Japanese culture and is used to produce a beautiful blue dye. This dye is present in the leaves, which can be used fresh, dried, or fermented for special indigo pigment extraction.
How to grow:
Site Selection: Rich soil. Full sun is preferred.
Start seeds: Start indoors several weeks before last frost and plant out after all threat of frost has passed. Germination rates can be low, so overseeding is recommended. Place plants about 1’ apart. Click here to purchase organically grown japanese indigo seeds.
Harvest: Harvest the individual leaves all season. The top 1/3 of the plant may be cut, leaves harvested, then allowed to re-root and replanted.
Processing: Use fresh leaves as direct dye for green to aqua, in a reduction or fermented vat for blues, or dry for later dyeing.
Resources:
Growing Japanese Indigo – Ashley Walker
Others dye plants:
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