Anyone who already has checkered flowers in their garden will find it easier to propagate. Our guide explains exactly what to do.
The checkered flower (Fritillaria meleagris) catches the eye with its bell-shaped flowers reminiscent of a chessboard pattern. The plants have a long history, were popular garden plants in the Middle Ages and suddenly fell out of fashion in the 19th century. Today checkered flowers are threatened with extinction and the sparse occurrences that can still be found in the wild are strictly protected.
Propagating the checkered flower is not only a gardening challenge, but a valuable contribution to being able to continue admiring this pretty plant. How the checkerboard flower is propagated and what should be considered can be read below.
If you give the checkered flower a free hand, it will take care of the propagation more or less by itself. If the flowers are left on the plant until the seedpods are mature, the plant will self-seed.
The propagation of the checkerboard flower can be done by the following methods:
- Bell Onions
- scale reproduction
- Seeds
Propagation by onions
This propagation method is particularly simple and easy to understand, even for inexperienced hobby gardeners. If the plant is sufficiently well developed, it will take care of its own propagation and will produce brood bulbs for this purpose.
These small bulbs are easy to dig up and replant separately. In this way, new plants can be obtained without much effort.
Reproduction by scales
Propagation by onion scales is started in August. However, you will have to be patient as this method will take 12 months.
What is required?
- well developed checkerboard bulb
- Charcoal or Sulfur Powder
- Cultivation vessel
- Cultivation soil
- Foil cover
- Patience
Multiply checkered flower - step by step instructions
1. Dig up the flower bulb
2. Onion scalecarefully detach
3. Seal mother onion and plant back in place
4. Plant onion scales
5. Transplant onion scales after rooting
6. Overwinter young onions
7. plant out in late summer
Propagation by onion scales is less common and not feasible for all plants. The hobby gardener benefits from the scaly structure of the lily family, which includes the checkered flower.
This method of propagation also requires the bulb to be taken out of the ground. Several outer scales are then detached from the existing onion. This should be done carefully so that the mother bulb is not damaged.
➔ Tip: After removing the scales, the mother onion can be rubbed with charcoal or with sulfur powder and sealed with it.
The appropriately sealed onion can now be returned to its old location in the ground. A seed pot is now required for planting the onion scales. For example, a flat bowl filled with potting soil is suitable. A mixture of sand and peat can also be used.
The onion scales are now set halfway into the ground. The planter should be placed in a room-warm, partially shaded location and kept evenly moist. At the same time, high humidity must be ensured.
➔ Tip: A plastic film cover ensures high humidity.
If roots form on the bulb, and with a bit of luck even small onions, transplant into separate plant pots. Only the tip of the new onion should still be visible. Temperatures of five degrees above freezing are sufficient for hibernation. Keeping the planter evenly moist should never be forgotten. To accelerate growth, low concentration liquid fertilizer can be given monthly.
In the coming spring, the plant pots can be placed outdoors. Strong bulbs have developed by late summer, which can then be planted out.
Propagation by seeds
If you want to propagate the checkered flower by seeds, leave the flowers on the plant and remove the seeds from the capsules that formed in June.
What is needed?
- Checkered Flower Seeds
- Plastic Bag
- Sand
- Fridge
- Cultivation soil
- Planters
What happens to theSeeds?
The seeds are removed from the capsules. They are then packed in a plastic bag filled with moist sand and placed in the refrigerator. The sand must be kept evenly moist so that the seeds do not dry out.
➔ Tip: It is necessary to store it in the refrigerator because the checkered flower is one of the cold germs and this cold stimulus the Seeds needed for germination.
After about five weeks, the seeds are taken out of the refrigerator and placed in planters filled with potting soil. The seeds are only thinly covered with soil and kept evenly moist. First, the seeds should be slowly acclimated to rising temperatures in a cooler room.
Germination can be accelerated by putting a plastic film cover over the planter. The seeds need temperatures around 20 degrees to germinate.
➔ Tip: Not all seeds will germinate. Experience has shown that only half of the seeds of the checkered flower will germinate.
What happens after germination?
If the young plants show several pairs of leaves, they are transplanted into individual planters and overwintered indoors. Planting in the bed can then take place next spring.
An overview of the propagation of checkerboard flowers
| Method | Advantages | Cons |
| Bell Onions | + fast propagation + easy and uncomplicated + good chance of success | - tedious - plant can be injured when detaching the scales |
| scale reproduction | + several plants can be grown + little effort + very good chances of success | - If you don't own a plant, you have to buy the seeds - It takes patience until young plants emerge from the seeds - The maintenance effort is higher than with root division |
| Seeds | + Seeds can be obtained from existing plants | - only 50% of the seeds germinate - complex process due to the necessary cooling - quite lengthy |