How to Germinate Liriope Seeds

Liriope is commonly used in gardens as a ground cover plant. They are extremely tough and can grow almost anywhere with almost any climate.

To germinate liriope from seed the steps are:

1. Pick the ripe black “berry-like” seeds from a liriope plant.
2. Pop the black outer skin around the seed and extract the seed.
3. Plant the liriope seeds in a seedling tray, one seed per container, 1 to 2 centimetres (0.5 to 1 inches) deep.
4. Water seedling tray once every couple of days.

Liriope is a very slow plant to grow from seed, it may take up to 4 months for any signs of growth to show.

How to Propagate Liriope

There are two methods for propagating liriope plants:

• Dividing the plant to multiply it, or
• Planting its seeds to germinate them and grow additional liriope plants.

The division technique is the fastest method to multiple your liriope plants. However, if you don’t have an existing liriope plant to divide then germinating some seeds might be your only option.

I harvested my seeds in this example from a liriope plant near a park I go to frequently.

When to Plant Liriope Seeds?

The seeds from a liriope plant usually appear after summer in early to late autumn. If you can try and keep the seeds warm and moist and expose them to at least ambient light all day, with some direct sunlight if possible.

Steps to Germinate Liriope Seeds

How to Germinate Liriope Seeds

Days to germinate seeds 120 days

1. Collect Liriope Seeds

   

   To collect ripened liriope seeds you need to pick the seed pods from the plant when it turns black. They can easily be picked off with your hands.

   Generally, liriope seeds will begin to ripen during the Autumn months. The seeds can stay with the plant for anywhere from 1 to 3 months long.

2. Pop the Seeds Outer Skin

   

   Before planting you will need to pop the outer skin of the seed pod. This can be done using your hands, and by just squeezing the seed between your fingers.

   You need to remove the seed pod otherwise the seeds won’t germinate. I compared growing the liriope seeds both popped and non-popped and none of the un-popped seeds grew.

3. Plant Seeds Into Seeding Tray

   

   Fill a seedling tray up with a propagation/seedling type potting mix.

   Create a hole in the soil 1 to 2 centimetres (0.5 to 1 inch) deep, insert the seed, then cover the seed with some more potting mix.

4. Watering

   Give the seeds a very thorough watering, and in my case put the mini-greenhouse lid on and move the seeds to someplace where it will be warm and get some direct sunlight and ambient light.

5. On-going Care For Seeds

   

   You will need to keep your eyes on the moisture in the seedling tray. Before the soil dries out give it some water. If the soil dries out for too long there is a good chance that the seeds won’t germinate.

Supply:

• Liriope seeds
• Seedling tray
• Potting mix

Progress: 4 Months Since Planting

After 4 months of care, the liriope seeds final shot up some leaves. It’s been a very slow process, I could only imagine how much longer it will take to grow a mature liriope plant.

Progress: 5 Months Since Planting

After 5 months of growth, I decided that the liriope plants needed to be moved to a larger pot to hopefully encourage more and faster growth.

FAQs

Can Liriope Be Grown from Seed?

Yes, Liriope can be grown from seed. It can take up to 4 months before there are any signs that the seeds have successfully germinated, so you must be patient.

How Do You Propagate Liriope?

There are two ways to propagate liriope plants.
(1) By dividing an existing liriope clump. This is the fastest and best way to propagate liriope plants if you have one.
(2) Grow them by planting liriope seeds. Liriope takes a long time to grow from seeds which is why division is the better method of propagating liriope plants.

Are There Berries on Liriope Seeds?

Yes, inside each of the black berries on a liriope plant is a single seed. You can get the seed by popping the black outer skin with your fingers.

Can You Eat the Berries on A Liriope Plant?

The black berries on a liriope plant are not listed as poisonous, however, it is recommended that both you and your pets don’t eat them.

Some native birds may eat them.

Final Thoughts

Growing these plants from seed is an extremely slow process. I can understand why the recommended propagation method of the liriope plants is to just divide an existing plant to make multiple plants.

Thanks for getting this far, I hope you found this guide useful and good luck to you growing your own liriope plants.