Sturt's Desert Pea Swainsona formosa 10 Seeds USA Company

Sturt’s Desert Pea is an annual plant from Australia that has absolutely stunning, brilliant red and black flowers. The flowers are in small clusters and are held upright above the procumbent stems. It is a prostrate, sprawling plant with stems that crawl along the ground. Flower clusters have 6-7 flowers. It is one of Australia’s best-known wildflowers. It is the floral emblem of South Australia.

Growing Instructions for Sturt’s Desert Pea

1. The seeds have a hard seed coat that has to be treated, or scarified, in order for water to enter the seeds so that they can sprout. 1. Scarify the seeds by nicking or sanding the seed coat. The seeds can be sanded with sandpaper, a nail file or an emery board. 2. Soak the seeds in water for several hours. 3. The seeds like well-drained soil. Prepare a mixture of half potting soil and half sand, perlite or vermiculite. 4. Put the soil in a pot. 5. Sow the seeds 2-3 mm deep. The seeds germinate in 10-14 days at 65-72 degrees F. It sprouts easily from seed. Cultivation is a lot less tricky if steps are taken to prevent the plants from succumbing to root rot caused by soil fungus. An open, free draining media of 9 parts composted pine bark to 1 part sand serves as an ideal medium for growing the Sturt’s Desert Pea. Bottom watering with a plant tray is normally preferred, as top watering results in water accumulating near the base of the stem promoting root rot. Fertilize it regularly for fast growth and lots of flowers.