Want to know what yarrow seedlings look like in various stages of growth? Follow along as I track the progress of these beautiful plants!
Imagine you're out weeding your garden in spring and you come across seedlings that you can't identify. You know you planted yarrow in that spot last year, and you didn't get around to deadheading the blooms before they set seed. Could those be yarrow seedlings?
Or maybe you're trying to grow yarrow from seed indoors, and you're anxious to see what your baby plants will look like when they pop up. They can take 10-14 days to germinate, and the cotyledon leaves don't look anything like the true leaves, so you may think you planted the wrong seeds!
Follow along as I document each stage of my yarrow seedling growth! I'll update this post every few weeks as they grow, until I finally plant them out in the garden.
Yarrow seedlings after germination
While yarrow seeds can take up to two weeks to germinate, mine only took two days! I was so surprised to find these little babies popping up when I took off the humidity dome to water them.
The first two leaves on a seedling are called cotyledons, and they generally don't look like the true leaves of the plant. They provide energy to the seed so it can start to grow more leaves and roots.
Don't be concerned when the cotyledon leaves wither and die off later on. They've served their purpose and are no longer needed for the plant to survive.
Yarrow seedlings after 2 weeks
Two weeks after your yarrow seeds germinate, you can start to see what the leaves will look like in the full grown plant. These Flowerburst Red Shades yarrow seedlings are even starting to take on a bit of a red tinge!
These first true leaves have deeply lobed edges, instead of the rounded ones of the cotyledons. They will continue to grow and become fairly long.
Yarrow seedlings after 4 weeks
About a month after germination, my yarrow seedlings are really starting to look like the full grown plant! The leaves are filling out with more lobes to give it a fern-like texture, and you can see how the surface looks almost fuzzy.
The stems have started to turn red, and a few of the cotyledons are starting to dry and shrivel up at this point in the growth cycle. Their work is done!
When to transplant yarrow seedlings
You should wait until 8-10 weeks after planting to transplant your yarrow seedlings into the garden. These little babies still have a month to go before they can go outside, so check back later to see what they look like in a few weeks!
