How to grow the mallow
How to grow the mallow
Sylvan malva (Malva sylvestris L., 1753) is a plant that belongs to the family Malvaceae and that although it often grows spontaneous, due to its particular properties can be cultivated. In this sheet we see how to cultivate the mallow and the most appropriate techniques.
The mallow prefers fresh and rich soils and mild climate. When can you choose obviously! But I can swear that at home in the country, the land is anything but fresh and rich, and ‘she’ thrives equally and every year in the spring colonizes a good part of the small house on the front of the house. It is also true that as soon as the heat arrives ‘collapses’, but in the meantime I have made a good escort! If you have a clayey soil, lighten it by adding gravel and sand. And since the mallow adapts a little to everything, it also bears the half-shade!
The mallow has a height of about 60-80 cm, with a woody stem at the base and a rhizome rich in small roots. It is a biennial plant, but often behaves like a perennial because it is self-disseminated and expands autonomously. However, if we want to try to grow it and reproduce it we can sow it at the end of winter in seedbeds, and then transplant it in June in a lightly fertilized soil. Or we can sow it directly at home in spring, taking care to thin out the seedlings once the fourth leaf is popped, leaving at least 25 cm between one plant and another. The mallow germinates very quickly if we water it properly and with due diligence. But if we want some more information on how to sow the mallow, here is a really well-kept link.
In case we want to avoid sowing we can think of dividing the tufts or making cuttings (do you remember how to do with the mint?), Using some semi-woody basal jets with a part of the root rhizome (how new plants are obtained) .
If we want to simplify our life we can resort to the usual specialized nursery, where we can buy some small plants in a pot to be transplanted in our garden and vegetable garden, because there are some very ornamental garden malvas (‘Mystic Merlin’ or ‘Zebrina’)!
At the beginning it is good to free the soil from weeds that can inhibit the development of young mauve seedlings. As for fertilizations, I would say that it is sufficient that at the time of implantation with the compost or organic staff and then every year, before the vegetative restart, we will help you by interrupting a new small handful.