Seeds – Sida Acuta

Description

Planting/Growing Sida Acuta Discussion:

I have been growing sida for many years now. It is one of the rare, unknown seeds. The herb however, was made popular by Dr. Stephen Buhner, as it is a part of his Lyme protocol and he writes about it in many of his books.

Sida acuta is also called “Wireweed” or “Teaweed”. It grows best in zones 3-8. It can grow up to 5 ft. tall. It is said that sida prefers sandy soil, yet it seemed to grow well in organic soil for me as well. If you plan to harvest sida, be sure that it is grown on a clean site, as sida is known to clean soils up from toxins and heavy metals. It prefers full sun. Place the seed just beneath the soil’s surface and it may take up to 28 days to germinate. Although, once germinated, it grows quickly. Sida has very small, yellow flowers and it develops a taproot, which is a root that goes deep into the ground, such as a carrot.

In my experience, when growing it in rows, it seems to grow straight and upright. Yet, when you grow it all by itself, allowing it all the room it could want, it branches out to form a medium sized bush! Keep this in mind when you decide how and where to plant it, depending on how you want to use it and how you design your planting spots. No matter which, be sure to plant seeds 2 ft. apart.

The stem bark of sida can be used as rope, as it is that strong! It is said that the Indians used it as rope and fencing. Sida does not grind down into a fine powder, more so very fluffy, full of fiber. They also used sida to make brooms with. The leaves were used to make herbal tea in the Canary Islands long ago.

Some like to plant sida acuta because it may supply a high amount of protein for them. It produces tiny, yellow flowers and they mature into alot of seed. It is also drought tolerant.

Sida is an ephedrine species, meaning it has a high content of it. It is the root that actually contains this compound. It is also written about on blogs throughout the internet, on its ability to be a substitution to marijuana, when it comes to smoking. You can read a blog on the smoking of sida acuta by Clicking Here.

It is considered to be a rare plant that just grew in popularity recently. Therefore there is little information about growing it on the internet!

They may be started indoors until threat of the frost passes. We have always planted them after frost, outdoors. They have always grown well and fully matured and producing seed every year. It is very easy to grow. They may also be grown throughout the year with grow lights. As far as the best potting soil to use, any standard potting mix will do.

We are told to scarify this seed or it may be soaked overnight. This can be done by bringing water to a boil, pouring it over your seeds and allowing it to sit for 24 hours before planting. To scarily is to use a tool, like tweezers, to rub the seed carefully on sandpaper, to carefully whittle away at the outer seed coat. 

Keep the soil moist but do not overwater. If you aren’t sure how to do that, simply place the pot in a dish of water and allow it to sit for 10 minutes and the soil will soak up more than what it needs. Be sure to remove it afterwards, as it will have all that is needed.

We also carry sida acuta tinctures, colloidal tinctures, glycerites, herbal tea, loose powder, root powder, and capsules, elsewhere on this site. To purchase one, or to read about the possible benefits of sida acuta, Click Here.

Happy Planting!!!