How to Grow Gaura From Seed
- 1). Choose a planting site in a sunny area with good drainage. Avoid sites with overhanging shrubbery or boggy soil.
- 2). Remove all weeds, sticks and stones from the bed. Break up the soil using a cultivating fork or a rotary tiller, depending on the size of the bed.
- 3). Amend the soil with a 4-inch-thick layer of compost if the soil is clay-based or very sandy. Integrate the compost into the soil to a depth of 6 inches using the cultivating fork.
- 4). Spray the bed using a garden hose with an adjustable nozzle to settle the soil. Moisten the soil to a depth of 2 inches.
- 5). Plant the seeds 1/4-inch-deep in groups of three. Space the seed groupings 12 to 15 inches apart across the bed. Make sure the seeds are covered, since light exposure inhibits germination.
- 6). Water the seeds to a depth of 1 inch after planting to settle them. Water again once the soil feels dry in the top 1/2 inch. Maintain moisture at that level for 14 days, which is the germination period for white gaura.
- 7). Thin the white gaura seedlings once they grow to 1 inch in height. Remove all but the healthiest and largest seedling from each group of three.