Anyone have luck growing catnip from seed? Ive tried twice using the same pack of seeds (Ferry Morse) and using a bio dome ,with a seed heating mat under it. Ive had luck sprouting everything else so far, expcept these catnip seeds. Im thinking I might just have a bad batch of seeds, I bought another brand, to try. Anyone have tips on starting catnip? Just want to grow some for a treat for my crazy cat.

I'm not all that familiar with the heating pads
and indoor starting that much..

But I would say, is, if you still can't get them to start indoors, wait until later, spring, early summer and just drop some on the soil ***Like mother nature would*** and give it a go that way..

I do know that once you start them from seed,
it's the best way to grow catnip.... when trying to move established catnip, they don't grow as well as from seed...

So, don't give up hope...
*and if you do start them later, will you keep us posted....
We love updates or bad , that's how we learn !!!

I do know the seed should be uncovered, and germination rate on catnip seed is only about 40%, so you may want to use the whole package to get a few plants. Let us know how it turns out for you.

I've never tried to grow catnip from seed (probably wouldn't be able to keep the cats out of it, from the minute it sprouted), & I admit that I haven't looked this one up anywhere, but when I read Weezie's post where she said. that made wonder about all that might happen to the seeds, if Mother Nature were doing it....

My thought is that perhaps it would be cold treated by nature. I suggest that you try putting the seed packet in the refrigerator, to simulate a "winter" for it, & then go ahead & try again later in the Spring. (Not in the crisper... you need to keep the seeds dry.)

Many seed companies don't include important germination requirements such as cold treatment (Stratification) or seed exposure to light on their seed packets, which is really a shame if it discourages a person from gardening! (You might want to read my comment about this issue in the Flowers, Plants and Gardening Forum/Bells of Ireland topic.)

Keep trying & good luck!

I have to admit, most of the time when I referr
to "Mother Nature doing it", it's just dropping the seeds right there, on top of the soil..
like when a plant makes seeds, and dries up come fall time, and then it falls over and where the seeds lay, is where the baby sprouts..
I can't say that "Mother Nature" has a cold period in say like the South.. if you know what I mean...

But my most favoritest plants are the one's that Mother Nature does the best..

And from my readings *and having plants,
both re~seed and try for YEARS to move catnip*,
that when Mother Nature puts the seed down, the cats won't abuse it much... but when you try to transplant an already established plant from somewhere's else, to a new spot, a cat, 10 miles away will make a point to come roll on that plant and pull it out and make it disappear...
The seeded one, will stay there, an occasional roll, or nap on a plant, but usually left intact.
*Well, that's with the 5 cats we used to have* :rolleyes:

I seeded some catnip successfully a few years back, but I don't remember doing anything special. I used bottom heat, and sowed on the surface and placed under lights immediately. I don't think I got very many plants, but it was enough. Now I never have to reseed, but I sure have to weed out the seedlings

May I suggest you look into catmint instead or in addition to catnip? Catmint is a perennial, where catnip is an annual, and every cat I have ever given any to just loves it!

DeepCreekLake,
I was thinking, what kind of soil did you
use to do your seeds in????
That may be a big factor....

Like Terry said, they don't have any problem re~seeding... and I got to thinking, "ain't that the truth"... and was thinking on where ours' survives the most is on just plain gravelly type dirt.. stones and plain dirt...
***no fancy dirt/soil required for those plants,
they are very tough in the yucky soils and the good type soils like a Miracle Grow may be too rich for them????????????

***Sarah, when you say....
</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="COMIC SANS MS, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="3" face="COMIC SANS MS, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by barleychown:
<strong> May I suggest you look into catmint instead or in addition to catnip? Catmint is a perennial, where catnip is an annual, and every cat I have ever given any to just loves it!

Catnip is a perennial in zone 8. I grow catnip outdoors in containers so they don't take over. In mild winters the plants stay green throughout the entire winter, otherwise some of the leaves die down to be replaced by new growth within a few weeks.

Like Weezie, I've never started catnip from seeds indoors. My limited indoor space is reserved for seeds that are more difficult to germinate or grow slowly. As Weezie and Terry have already stated, no special requirements are necessary for growing catnip from seed.

After the novelty of free access to catnip wore off, my cat now munches on the plants without decimating them, saving me from having to prune.

I used potting soil,- it has feeders in it. Ive had very successfull germination of everything else I started this year, including tiny snap dragon seeds. I am growing the catnip in a small flower pot (3"). My mom used to grow it in pots with luck for cats we had growing up. Just wanted to grow a pot of it to break of pieces to give to the cat as a treat. He is not a jumper, and dosnt climb tables or anything so im not worried about him getting into the pot. I tried again using a different brand (Plantation) and will see how it goes.

Please keep us posted...

It might just be the dirt, but like I said before,
don't give up... try it outdoors come spring/summer and see how that goes..

once you have it, you'll have it!!

Just an update, there is now a single catnip plant sprouting from the pot, in the seed flat! Ive changed to another brand of catnip, and it seemed to have had better luck. I dont know if it was one of the older seeds in the soil that decided to sprout or not.....

Weezie, yes! They love the catmint just as much, if not more. I have it in a wide, shallow dish and the cats actually climb in and sleep on it, roll on it, and munch on it.

Deepcreeklake...Way to go! I hope more start for you.

Great news to hear at least one has sprouted!!!!

That's great news..
And Thanks for the

Just to add another one sprouted up in the pot.. must have been bums seeds the first time!

May I add another one to this also,
*(I came acrossed this info reading one of my Herbel Remedies' book while waiting for my son's Doct, to come in and take a look at him..
and accidently left my book there..so, I just got it back)*
But to add another one to the catnip craze that cats are supposed to like is Valerian ~>Valerianna officinalis<~~
It says, "Much like Catnip, Valerian excites felines but calms human beings.."

So maybe someone would like to try that too..

And P/S CONGRATS on another seedling poppin' up
for you.. That is exciting..

DCL, Where did you get the first set of seeds????

That is great news DeepCreek

Bought the first set at Walmart.. they were Walmart brand- but are actually Ferry Morse. The 2nd set I bought at walmart too, but they were Plantation brand. I havent had problems with the other walmart/ferrymorse brand seeds just that particular one, and they do have a guarantee.

You should take the package back and tell
them they didn't sprout...
And you got another kind, did the same thing
and the second set sprouted...

And you'd like your money back...

It's worth a shot, they should do something for you after all.. I would think...

The seeds were only 97 cents, almost not worth dealing with, lol. That being said Ferry morses motto is "Guaranteed to grow".. I think thats a pretty bold statement considering theres alot of factors to grow.

I would take that as, guarnteed, that eventually if you get enough seed packages you'll get something to grow...

I have had good luck with that line..
Can't remember any stinkers...

I'm so glad I'm not the only one who has problems starting catnip from seed! It's a weed after all - if I can't even grow a weed....!!!!!

Indoors or outdoors, I have problems with them! I'm glad to hear that's just the nature of the seed!

My seed pkg says to cover with 1/4 inch soil. I wondered about that; I just sifted some dirt over them this year and I think one plant has sprouted. Next time, I won't put any soil on them and see if I have better luck!

I sprinkled about 2,000 catnip seeds in a pot on my deck and finally got about 20 seedlings to pop up. I was getting frustrated too, but so far they are doing great.

My mom has that stuff growing up on its own every year in a big pot. It reseeds itself. She gave me a pot of it the cat goes nuts for it! I just planted some in a pot outdoors with the leftover seeds just to see what happens, and give it to the kitty cat if it grows well.

We harvested some catnip flowers and seed that had been growing wild in the Great Lakes Region summer 2006. From the dried flowers come numerous small black seeds if rolled gently between the fingers. The seeds are collected and put in the garden soil in Southern Texas, lightly covered and kept damp, in December 2006. (There is no freezing weather at this latitude.) Only one catnip plant emerges a few weeks later. The plant begins to grow to about one half inch. Then, I showed my cat the plant a few days ago. MISTAKE. Today January 30, 2007 I notice the plant is chewed off. It will probably not grow back as only two sets of leaves had appeared beyond the cotyledons...and they are gone now.

Today I took some time to look up germination procedures and I am going to try again inside the house under controlled conditions.

Catnip does seem more difficult to germinate than other common small seed plants. Probably because I covered it with too much soil. So far from what I have read online, and in this forum, it is best not to cover the seeds too much if at all.

Be sure to post your results, we all would be interested. Once you set the plants outdoors, you might want to make a barricade or place wire around the plants until they get established well before removing the wire...Once established well it will not be a problem with the cat munching the leaves.

I grow it from seed, my cat cannot stand it...lol Bur my moms 5 cats love to get it...

If nothing else, I find comfort in numbers (I guess misery does love company after all!). I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one who has had difficulty germinating catnip! I've been trying for 2 or 3 years to germinate the stuff in a pot but it has never sprouted. I've gone threw 3 different packets (by different manufacturers), several potting soil varieties, and still nothing. I finally ordered some from Valueseeds.com and sprinkled on top of the potting soil, placed on top of the fridge with a cover of plastic wrap and a rubberband to hold it on. Much to my amazement 2 days later there were 2 sprouts! I immediately uncovered and put on the kitchen table, where my cat promptly ate one of the sprouts! (bad cat! bad cat!) Now I keep it up on the fridge if the cat is in the house.

Do the seedlings (with those first set of leaves) need a grow light? Can they ever perform photosynthesis?

I find catnip really easy to grow from seed. I have always had luck. And I think I used Ferry Morse seed as well. I live in southern California and I just put it in regular old unfertilized soil and it grew and still continues to grow even though the temperature have dropped below freezing. The plant is really hardy too and impossible to kill unless you dont give it any water for a long long time. Like I did.