I studied horticultural sciences at university and in my free time you can find me in my own patch of land, growing anything with roots. I am particularly passionate about self-sufficiency and seasonal food. Favourite fruit: quince, cornelian cherry and blueberries Favourite vegetables: peas, tomatoes and garlic
Ashwagandha is a time-honoured medicinal plant in South Asia and North Africa. Find out all about its uses and how to go about planting ashwagandha yourself.
Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) is an important medicinal plant in traditional Chinese medicine and Indian Ayurvedic medicine. Read on to learn all about ashwagandha plants and their uses as well as information on how to grow them.
Ashwagandha is an ancient medicinal herb that has been used in Ayurvedic and Unani systems of medicine for centuries Also known as Indian Ginseng or Winter Cherry, this wonder shrub is gaining immense popularity in the western world for its many health benefits
If you want to grow your own ashwagandha and reap its healing rewards, the good news is it’s relatively easy to cultivate outdoors With the right growing conditions and care, you can have a flourishing ashwagandha plant gracing your garden
In this comprehensive guide we’ll share some useful tips and tricks for successfully growing ashwagandha in your backyard and creating a gorgeous medicinal garden.
Choosing the Right Location
Ashwagandha thrives in warm temperatures and plenty of sunlight. It grows best in full sun, so choose a spot in your garden that receives at least 6 hours of direct sunlight daily for optimal growth.
While ashwagandha can tolerate some partial shade, too much shade can cause the plant to grow slower and take longer to mature. The more sunlight it receives, the faster and more robust it will grow.
The ideal temperature range for ashwagandha is between 68°F and 95°F. If you live in a cooler climate, you may need to consider growing ashwagandha in a container that can be moved indoors or to a greenhouse/cold frame during the colder months.
The soil should be well-draining and rich in organic matter. Ashwagandha prefers neutral to slightly alkaline soils with a pH of 6.5-7.5. Avoid planting in heavy, clay-like soil.
Starting from Seeds
Ashwagandha can be propagated from seeds or stem cuttings. Starting from seeds is usually more common. Here are some tips if going the seed route:
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Ashwagandha seeds need warm soil to germinate, around 70°F is ideal. Soil temperature is more important than air temperature.
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Plant the seeds 1⁄4 inch deep and 12-18 inches apart in rows or beds after the last frost.
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Water the seeds regularly to keep the soil moist until they sprout, which usually takes 1-2 weeks.
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Thin seedlings to the final desired spacing of 2-3 feet apart once they are 3-4 inches tall.
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Transplant the seedlings on an overcast day or in the evening to avoid transplant shock.
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Use row covers at first to boost growth if starting early in the season. Remove once the weather warms.
Taking Care of Your Plants
Once your ashwagandha seeds have germinated and become established, here are some tips for looking after them:
Watering: Ashwagandha prefers drier conditions but shouldn’t be allowed to completely dry out. Water deeply once a week or whenever the top 1-2 inches of soil become dry. Avoid overwatering.
Fertilizing: Use organic fertilizer like compost, manure, fish emulsion, etc. once a month during the growing season. This will provide nutrients and boost plant growth.
Pruning: Pinch off ashwagandha stem tips when the plant is 6-12 inches tall to encourage bushy growth. Remove any dead or diseased stems promptly.
Staking: Ashwagandha can grow up to 3 feet tall and may need staking to prevent toppling, especially if grown in windy areas. Use bamboo stakes or trellises.
Weeding: Keep the area around your ashwagandha free of weeds by hand pulling or mulching to prevent competition for nutrients and water.
Pest control: Ashwagandha has few pests, but watch for aphids, spider mites, caterpillars, etc. Use organic sprays if needed. Row covers early on can prevent many pests.
Follow these care tips, and your ashwagandha will thrive beautifully!
Harvesting Ashwagandha Roots
The medicinal benefits of ashwagandha come from the roots, which are typically ready for harvest in 6-12 months after planting seeds.
Here are some signs your ashwagandha is ready for harvesting:
- Leaves start yellowing and plant begins dying back
- Small, red berries form (may not occur everywhere)
- Roots are plump and filled out
The ideal time is in late fall or early winter after the foliage dies down. Dig up the entire plant carefully with a shovel or garden fork. Wash off the dirt gently with water.
Cut off the leaves and stems leaving just the roots. Dry the roots quickly in a warm, well-ventilated area out of direct sunlight. A food dehydrator works great if you have one.
Once thoroughly dried, store the roots in an airtight glass jar in a cool, dark place. When ready to use, grind them into powder.
The dried ashwagandha root can be used to make teas, capsules, tinctures, pastes, and powders for medicinal uses.
Tips for Growing Beautiful Ashwagandha
Follow these additional tips for getting the most out of your ashwagandha plants:
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Grow ashwagandha from seeds every year for the best potency and yields.
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Rotate planting locations each year to prevent disease and nutrient deficiencies.
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Grow ashwagandha alongside aromatic herbs like basil, mint and sage. Some report this enhances medicinal properties.
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Start more seeds mid-summer for a continuous harvest. Ashwagandha is a quick grower.
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If growing indoors or in pots, use a quality potting mix and fertilize regularly. Repot to a larger container as needed.
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Monitor plants and take prompt action against any disease or pest problems to avoid losing your crop.
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Talk or sing to your ashwagandha! Some gardeners find this helps plants grow stronger as crazy as it may sound.
With the proper care and conditions, you can have a flourishing patch of ashwagandha in your backyard or garden for years of bountiful medicinal harvests. Not only is it a useful addition to your home apothecary, but with its pretty yellow flowers, ashwagandha can be an ornamental part of your landscape.
Get ready to reap the many benefits of homegrown ashwagandha straight from your natural medicine garden.
You want to know who’s behind Plantura?
I studied horticultural sciences at university and in my free time you can find me in my own patch of land, growing anything with roots. I am particularly passionate about self-sufficiency and seasonal food. Favourite fruit: quince, cornelian cherry and blueberries Favourite vegetables: peas, tomatoes and garlic
Ashwagandha is a time-honoured medicinal plant in South Asia and North Africa. Find out all about its uses and how to go about planting ashwagandha yourself.
Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) is an important medicinal plant in traditional Chinese medicine and Indian Ayurvedic medicine. Read on to learn all about ashwagandha plants and their uses as well as information on how to grow them.
Ashwagandha: origin and characteristics
Ashwagandha, also known as Indian ginseng, belongs to the nightshade family (Solanaceae). This perennial shrub is native to the Mediterranean, North Africa, South Asia and the Canary Islands. Ashwagandha has been used for thousands of years as a narcotic, intoxicant and aphrodisiac. In Europe, it was first mentioned in medicinal plant encyclopaedias in the 16th century.
By the way: you may also find ashwagandha being referred to as winter cherry, but this name makes it easy to confuse with another plant in the same family that sometimes goes by the same name, namely the Jerusalem cherry (Solanum pseudocapsicum syn. Solanum capsicastrum). It is also easy to mix up the name winter cherry with winter-flowering cherries (Prunus × subhirtella), which are different plants entirely.
Ashwagandha shrubs grow from 50 to 150cm tall with felt-like branches. These plants develop many unbranched, light brown roots that grow laterally along the taproot, each of which can reach the size of a thin carrot. Ashwagandha leaves are pubescent (hairy), grey-green and ovoid. They can grow up to 10cm long and give off an extremely unpleasant smell when touched. The green-yellow flowers typically grow in clusters of five from the plant’s leaf axils. They are surrounded by hairy toothed sepals, which, after pollination, form a paper lantern-like sheath around a berry, similarly to physalis (Physalis) or ground cherries (Physalis pruinosa). In the UK, ashwagandha plants flower between mid-July and September. When the berries ripen in late autumn, the dry, brown sepals break open to reveal the red fruit inside. The light brown seeds inside ashwagandha fruits are flat and kidney-shaped, which is typical for nightshades.
Ashwagandha plants can be grown in the UK as a perennial ornamental plant. We do not recommend growing it for its medicinal use, as the potency of the active ingredients is difficult to determine and consumption could result in poisoning.
When planting ashwagandha, opt for dry, warm and sunny locations on nutrient-rich, well-drained soil. These perennial shrubs do not tolerate waterlogging or damp soils, so a drainage layer is necessary, especially when growing one in a pot. If you want to grow an ashwagandha plant from seed, start it indoors on a warm windowsill between February and March. To do this, sow the ashwagandha seeds and cover them with about 2cm of soil. We suggest using a low-nutrient growing medium, such as our peat-free, sustainably produced Plantura Organic Herb & Seedling Compost. Our seedling compost is well-drained and low in nutrients, effectively preventing waterlogging and promoting strong and healthy root growth. Keep the seeds at 20 to 25 °C and ensure the soil stays moist. The first plantlets should appear after 1 to 2 weeks. Prick out your ashwagandha seedlings after the first true leaves appear, and pot them up individually into fresh, nutrient-rich potting soil.
After the last frosts around mid-May, you can start planting your ashwagandha plants outdoors. Allow them a few days to acclimatise to their new environment first. These plants prefer a warm, sheltered spot in the garden bed. A planter that can hold at least 10 litres is also suitable and makes overwintering easier. As ashwagandha shrubs spread, ensure each plant has at least 1m2 of space to grow. When planting ashwagandha in pots, we recommend using a nutrient-rich organic potting soil, such as our Plantura Organic Tomato & Vegetable Compost. Our vegetable compost can also be used to improve poor garden soil.
- Perfect for tomatoes & other vegetables such as chillies, courgettes & more
- For strong & healthy plant growth as well as an abundant vegetable harvest
- Peat-free & organic soil: CO2-saving composition
If you plan on planting ashwagandha in a pot, first place a 5 to 10cm thick drainage layer of gravel, coarse sand or expanded clay at the bottom of the pot. This will improve drainage and help prevent waterlogging. After that, fill the pot partially with potting soil and place the young plant in it at the same depth as it was before transplanting. Fill in the rest of the pot with soil, press everything down lightly and then water thoroughly.
Ashwagandha shrubs are generally low-maintenance, as they do not need pruning or thinning out during the growing season. Water occasionally, but always allow the top layer of soil to dry out before watering again. As these plants pull a lot of nutrients from the soil, we advise fertilising them from June onwards. By this time, the nutrients from the potting soil will have been depleted and the plants will have started to form flower buds. An organic liquid fertiliser, such as our Plantura Liquid Tomato Food, is easy to apply while watering and provides ashwagandha plants with the essential nutrients nitrogen and potassium. Fertilise regularly through to the end of the growing season. Regarding the dosage, we suggest diluting 15 to 25ml in 5 litres of water and applying about once a week.
- Perfect for tomatoes & other vegetables
- Liquid fertiliser for healthy plant growth & an abundant harvest
- Quick & easy application – child & pet friendly
Ashwagandha plants are not hardy in the UK and need to be protected from cold damage. As temperatures begin to drop in autumn, move your plant to a bright, heatable area where it does not drop below 10 °C. Whether in your flat, a conservatory or elsewhere, ensure wherever you move your plant gets enough light and temperatures remain around 15 to 18 °C. Before moving the plant to its winter quarters, feel free to prune it back by half. This not only makes overwintering your ashwagandha plant easier, but it also takes up less space. The plant will sprout again in spring. Watering is hardly necessary in winter, so do so sparingly to prevent fungal diseases. There is also no need to fertilise until the following spring. Alternatively, you can sow new ashwagandha plants each year as ornamental annuals.
If You’re Not Growing Ashwagandha In Your Garden You Need To Watch This!!
FAQ
Where does ashwagandha grow best?
How far apart should I plant ashwagandha?
What is the flowering time of ashwagandha?
How to prepare ashwagandha roots?
Is ashwagandha easy to grow?
Ashwagandha is a beautiful and easy-to-grow plant that can provide you with a variety of health benefits. By following these tips, you can help ensure that your Ashwagandha plant thrives. Ashwagandha is a relatively easy plant to grow, but it does have some specific requirements in terms of soil, water, and sunlight. Soil
Where should ashwagandha be planted?
Choose a spot in your garden that receives full sun to partial shade, as ashwagandha plants prefer well-draining soil and plenty of sunlight to thrive. Additionally, ashwagandha is a relatively low-maintenance plant once established, making it an excellent choice for both beginner and experienced gardeners.
Should ashwagandha be planted in shade?
Before planting ashwagandha, it’s essential to consider the location and sunlight requirements. Choose a spot in your garden that receives full sun to partial shade, as ashwagandha plants prefer well-draining soil and plenty of sunlight to thrive.
Does ashwagandha grow in small spaces?
Ashwagandha is a pretty special shrub, growing in compact spaces, providing plenty of interest in the garden as well as the kitchen, with its striking crinkled foliage and bright red fruit adorning the branches in fall.