Buy or sow watercress?

In addition to its properties as a seasoning herb, the real watercress is also said to have various healing properties. But watercress also works well as a decorative plant in the garden. If you want to integrate this white flowering plant into your water garden, you can buy it in advance, but you can also sow it.

Buying watercress - you need to pay attention to this

• If you want to buy pre-grown plants, you have to limit yourself to the warmer months. From late autumn to spring, pre-grown plants are usually not available.
• The watercress is a vigorous plant that spreads quickly. So don't buy too many copies for your pond not overgrown.
• It is best to leave the watercress in a grid-like water basket and bury it in a shady place on the edge of the river so that parts of the plant touch the water. the
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  cress will spread on earth, but also towards water.
• If the banks of your garden pond are gently sloping, the watercress will also feel right at home in the water. However, the water depth at the planting site should be a maximum of 15 cm.


Sowing garden herbs - you should pay attention to this

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• In principle, watercress is hardy, so you don't have to buy new plants every year. Areas of the plant that grow above the garden soil can still be protected against frost with leaves. Except in extreme cold, the watercress does not suffer much damage even in slightly freezing water. Cover the overgrown areas of the water with wooden boards. In this way you can prevent the water surface from freezing in moderate frost.

Sowing watercress - how to proceed

Instead of buying pre-grown plants, you can of course also grow them from seeds. It goes without saying, however, that you cannot sow the cress seeds directly into the water, but rather prefer the plants in watertight bowls.

1. During germination and immediately after the development of the cotyledons, the watercress is dependent on an extremely high level of moisture in the substrate. Start your cultivation between February and April and lay out a planting bowl with potsherds. These store irrigation water and in this way ensure that the moisture content of the substrate remains higher.
2. Use finely crumbly soil, water it and sprinkle the watercress seeds evenly on it. Press it down lightly without covering it with additional soil. Then cover the bowl with kitchen paper, which you also need to keep evenly moist.
3. From now on you have to be careful not to let the earth dry out. As soon as the cress begins to germinate, sprinkle another thin layer of the finest earth over it and keep the seedlings constantly moist.
4. When the plants are about 5 cm high, you can prick them out. That means you take out the weaker plants and make more space.
5. Then you can give the young plants "wet feet" by watering the soil until it is covered with water about 1 cm high.
6. If the plants and especially the roots are strong enough, the watercress can move to the damp and preferably shady edge of the pond. To do this, put the mini plants in a grid-like water basket and place them like a purchased watercress plant.