Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus) - Seeds

Looks like cannabis, but is completely harmless (and blooms much more beautifully)!

20 seeds per portion.

Ensure some astonished (and perhaps initially slightly irritated) glances in the neighborhood! The hibiscus hemp, also known as kenaf, is a fantastic, rapidly growing ornamental and useful plant. Its leaves are confusingly similar to real hemp, but instead of illegal substances, it produces dreamily beautiful hibiscus flowers in the summer.

Growth & Appearance

• Lifespan: Usually annual, but with enormous vigor.

• Height: Usually reaches 150 to 250 cm in our latitudes (up to 4 meters in the tropics!).

• Habit: Steeply upright growing, sturdy stem. The deeply lobed, palmate leaves look amazingly like cannabis leaves.

• Flowering: From May to October (depending on when sown), beautiful, large funnel-shaped flowers appear. They are usually pale yellow to creamy white with a striking, deep wine-red to black throat in the center. A great source of nectar for bees and bumblebees!

Origin The exact place of origin is not definitively clarified, but it is assumed to be tropical and subtropical Africa or India. There, it is grown on a large scale as a fiber plant.

Ingredients The plant is absolutely non-toxic. The stems consist largely of extremely tear-resistant cellulose (bast fibers). The seeds contain a valuable, edible oil that is rich in unsaturated fatty acids (linoleic and oleic acid). The leaves contain vitamin C and organic acids.

Usage

• In the garden: An imposing structural plant, an extremely fast-growing (temporary) privacy screen, and an exotic ornament.

• Industrial: Kenaf is one of the most important fiber plants in the world (similar to jute). The fibers are used to make ropes, sacks, insulation materials, and tree-free, ecological paper.

• Culinary: In some African and Asian countries, the young, tart-tasting leaves are cooked like spinach.

Historical The use of kenaf fibers dates back an estimated 4,000 years. During the Second World War, when traditional jute shipments from Asia collapsed, kenaf cultivation experienced a massive boom as a substitute material worldwide. Today, it is increasingly coming back into focus as a fast-growing, environmentally friendly raw material for the paper industry.

Curiosities The botanical name cannabinus literally means "hemp-like." And that is exactly what it is: the visual resemblance to cannabis is so great that it repeatedly leads to funny mix-ups in gardens, and concerned neighbors might occasionally peek over the fence more closely. Unlike real hemp, however, this hibiscus species has absolutely nothing to do with intoxicants.

Location, care & other important things

• Location: Full sun and preferably protected from the wind (so the tall stems don't snap).

• Soil: Deep, humous, and, above all, nutrient-rich.

• Care: Anyone wanting to grow over two meters in just a few months is going to be thirsty and hungry! Kenaf needs plenty of water on hot days and benefits from regular fertilizer applications (or a good portion of compost when planting).

Sowing instructions: Hibiscus Hemp (Hibiscus cannabinus)

Since our summers are often a bit too short for it, pre-cultivating indoors is worth it so that it shows off its great flowers in time.

When to sow?

• Pre-cultivation (indoors): From the end of March to April.

• Direct sowing (outdoors): Not until the end of May, once the soil has warmed up well. (However, pre-cultivation is highly recommended!)

How to sow?

• Sowing depth: Place the seeds about 1 cm deep in seed compost and press down lightly.

• Germination conditions: Moisten the soil well. Place the pots in a bright spot. Normal room temperature (ideally 18 to 22 °C) is perfectly sufficient for germination – so it doesn't need to be excessively hot.

• Germination time: Under good conditions, the first small plants will appear after about 3 to 10 days.

Planting out & Location

• Outdoors: Only after the Ice Saints (mid-May), when there is no longer a risk of frost.

• Plant spacing: Place the plants in the bed about 40 to 50 cm apart, as they form a decent root system and need space to grow upwards.

• Tip: If you are planting it as a dense privacy screen, you can plant them a bit closer together (approx. 30 cm).