What is Phacelia tanacetifolia used for?
Phacelia is a rapidly growing, high biomass plant. It is a nitrogen holder and weed suppressor. Its eye catching purple flowers are particularly good at attracting bees and other beneficial insects. Used as a soil improving green manure. Phacelia may survive through very mild winters, however prolonged frost will normally kill the plant.Phacelia: A fast-establishing cover crop with good top growth and a root system that suppresses weeds. A competitive crop with benefits for managing erosion, leaching and structure. Not entirely frost tolerant and unlikely to senesce fully over winter.So why phacelia? Phacelia is a fast-growing cover crop that produces masses of flowers which attract a myriad of bees and other pollinations plus predators. New research has found that growing phacelia as a cover crop helps to build and stabilise soils, outperforming many other cover crops, including legumes.Incorporating phacelia into your soil You can leave phacelia overwinter after the frost kills the leaves, however a severe frost may kill the plants too.Lacy phacelia is fairly competitive and establishes well in cover crop and pollinator mixes. It forms arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi associations, and rates “fair” for increasing soil organic matter as its biomass decomposes quickly.
How long does phacelia take to flower?
It takes 6-8 weeks for phacelia to flower from sowing. Phacelia is effective at preventing nitrogen leaching and suppressing weeds due to its fast establishment. Phacelia Tanacetifolia is a quick growing hardy annual green manure that germinates at low temperatures and is ideal for sowing from March until September. It will grow up to 1m in height and is tolerant of cold temperatures and may over-winter if it’s not too cold. It suits most soil.
What is the English name for phacelia?
Phacelia (phacelia, scorpionweed, heliotrope) is a genus of about 200 species of annual or perennial herbaceous plants in the family Hydrophyllaceae, native to North and South America. California is particularly rich in species with over 90 recorded in the region. Phacelia tanacetifolia is a species of flowering plant in the family Hydrophyllaceae, known by the common names lacy phacelia, tansy-leaf phacelia, blue tansy, purple tansy or fiddleneck (UK).
Is phacelia easy to grow?
Phacelia is generally trouble free. The only issue with growing phacelia is that it self-seeds readily. However, by simply removing flowers and/or controlling its spread by collecting seed yourself, you can prevent this problem. Although it appears that most species of Phacelia are not toxic if ingested, some species (which can appear similar) can cause severe dermatitis due to the hairs covering the plant, and the effects are said to be similar to that of Poison Ivy.