The flax is an ancient crop. It is grown as flax, oil flax or for linseed. We present the flax plant and give tips on choosing a variety, sowing and care.
Common flax (Linum usitatissimum) has been cultivated for thousands of years as a medicinal, fiber and food plant. In this article you will learn how to plant and successfully cultivate flaxseed in your own garden.
Flax: origin and characteristics
Linen belongs to the flax family (Linaceae), which includes around 90 different species. These are distributed worldwide, but are particularly found in the Mediterranean region and in the Southwest of the USA. Common flax originally comes from Iraq, where it was grown around 5000 BC. Chr. was used as a medicinal plant for respiratory diseases. Flax fibers also clothed mummies, and petrified flaxseed was found in various Egyptian pyramids.
The flax flax grows into an annual, 50 - 120 cm high, delicate plant with lance-shaped leaves. The radial, fivefold linseed flower appears between the end of May and August. It can be blue, white or, more rarely, pink in color. Flax is predominantly self-pollinating. It is rarely visited by insects as it offers little pollen and nectar. Round and pointed seed capsules develop from the pollinated flax flowers, which consist of five compartments, each with two shiny, ovoid, brown or golden seeds. These mature from the end of July to September, while the entire plant turns increasingly brown and dies. Harvest time begins when the seeds begin to rustle in the pods.
Are flax and flax the same? Flax and flax are the same plant species, just different uses. Flax is grown using fiber flax (Linum usitatissimum convar. elongatum). Here the focus is on tall, elongated, unbranched plants. Meanwhile, linseed (Linum usitatissimum convar. mediterraneum) should primarily contain many seed podswith high oil content.
The Best Linen Types & Varieties
In addition to useful flax, other types of flax can also be planted in the garden. We present the most beautiful types and varieties of flax.
Golden Flax (Linum flavum)
The golden flax is a native, perennial flax with light yellow to golden yellow flowers. The plants reach a height of about 30 cm and die above ground in autumn. Golden flax is hardy, but should be covered with brushwood or leaves in very cold areas. At 20 cm, the 'Compactum' variety is a small selection of golden flax.
Common Flax (Linum usitatissimum)
In the selection of varieties for common flax, the varieties differ depending on the type of use. Flax plants usually grow much taller and form fewer seeds. Oil-flax varieties develop brown to golden-colored seeds, bring a good yield of flaxseed and often have a high content of valuable omega-3 fatty acids.
Flax varieties for linseed and oil production:
- 'Ingot': Flax variety with rather small, golden seeds and quite tall plants that remain stable despite their height. Maturity occurs mid-early from August.
- 'Lirina': Oil-rich and high-yielding linseed variety with blue flowers and medium early maturity. It is somewhat prone to powdery mildew and is not as stable on heavier soils as other varieties.
- 'LS Koral': Goldlein variety with light yellow seeds and high oil content. Maturity is mid-late from August to September.
- 'Serenade': White flowering flax variety with high seed yield potential but lower oil content. The plants only reach a medium height and are therefore very stable.
Flax varieties for fiber use:
- 'Avian': Flax with very good fiber quality and high yields. The young development is rather hesitant and the plants tend to bend over more easily in wind and weather than other varieties.
- 'Felice': Variety with very high fiber yield and good disease resistance. The young plants of the 'Felice' variety grow slowly. They ripen mid-late.
- 'Lisette': Flax variety with rapid young plant development and medium late ripening. It is stable, resistant to most diseases and bringshigh fiber yields.
Purgier linen (Linum catharticum)
The purging or meadow flax is a wild plant that has become native to us and likes to grow on poor meadows and fens. The delicate 5 - 25 cm high plants produce dainty white flowers and golden seeds.
Red Flax (Linum grandiflorum)
Large-flowered, annual flax species with attractive, 3 - 4 cm large flowers and a growth height of up to 40 cm. The red flax originally comes from North Africa and can be planted as bee pasture. If you sow seeds in spring, the flowering period begins as early as June and lasts until October.
- 'Bright Eyes': Extremely attractive, white-flowered variety with a red eye. The flowering period extends from June to October.
- 'Rubrum': Classic red flax variety with large, blood-red flowers.
- 'Salmon Bright Eyes': Long flowering variety with a plant height of 40 - 50 cm and salmon-colored flowers with a dark orange centre.
Spanish Flax (Linum narbonense)
As a perennial herb, Spanish flax forms an upright clump that is up to 40 cm high and 30 cm wide with light blue flowers. The plant, which tolerates frost well, flowers between June and August.
Perennial Linen (Linum perenne)
Perennial flax for sunny, dry locations on humus-sandy and stony soil. The rather short-lived perennial flax forms numerous flowers in summer and multiplies by self-sowing in suitable locations.
- 'Himmelszelt': Perennial blue flax growing up to 50 cm tall. The sky-blue variety of flax flowers between June and August and propagates by self-sowing.
- 'Nanum Saphir': Compact flax variety with numerous sky-blue flowers on 25 cm high, heavily branched, perennial flax plants.
- 'Nanum Diamant': White flax with compact growth up to 25 cm and numerous flowers.
Plant Flaxseed
The optimal location for flax is sunny and warm on deep, permeable soil with good water retention. The pH should be between 6.2 and 7 at best. Sandy, loamy soils are ideal for flax cultivation. Linseed can be used in the bed and as aOrnamental plant to be cultivated in a pot on the balcony or terrace. Between mid-April and the end of May at the latest, the linseed is sown directly into the ground. The sowing depth is between 1 - 2 cm. The flax should not get deeper into the ground so that germination can take place. At temperatures as low as 3 °C, germination takes place within 7 - 14 days. The young plants endure short late frosts down to - 4 °C without damage. The planting distance is 5 - 10 cm, the row spacing is 20 - 30 cm. About 14 - 20 g of seeds are required per square meter. During germination and in the young plant phase, the flax young plants should always be well supplied with water.
Planting linseed at a glance
- Optimal location for flax: sunny and warm on sandy-loamy soil with good water retention.
- Sow directly from mid-March to early April in fine-grained soil; Sowing depth: 1 - 2 cm.
- seed spacing 5 - 10 cm, row spacing 20 - 30 cm; about 14 - 20 g flax seed per square meter.
- Germination takes place at 3 °C, late frost tolerant down to -4 °C.
- Water seeds and young plants regularly and keep the soil well moist.
A nutrient-rich potting soil such as our Plantura organic universal soil can not only be used for growing flaxseed in pots, but can also help to improve very sandy or heavy soil. The high compost content promotes root formation, stores excess moisture and releases it to the plant when needed.
Linseed has a fairly short growing season. On average, only 100 to 120 days pass between sowing and harvesting. Therefore, before and after the flax plant, various vegetables such as spinach (Spinacia oleracea), lamb's lettuce (Valerianella locusta) and radishes (Raphanus sativus) can be grown as pre- and subsequent crops. Flax does not tolerate itself and should only be grown on the same bed every six years, otherwise stunted growth and poor yields, so-called "flax fatigue", occur. Fungal diseases that attack the root or shoot, such as Sclerotinia, Fusarium or Phytium, can persist in the soil or transmitted from previous cultures. Therefore, do not sow flax seed after sunflowers (Helianthus annuus) or legumes (Leguminosae) such as peas (Pisum sativum), beans ( Phaseolus vulgaris) or lentils (Lens culinaris).
Tip: Like cress (Lepidium sativum), linseed can also be cultivated for sproutsand consume. To do this, the seeds are soaked in cold water for a few hours and then germinated on kitchen paper or in a sprout jar or tower.
The right care
Care for flax is quite easy, because the plants are hardly demanding and usually thrive without special attention. However, young flax plants are not very competitive and can quickly be overgrown by unwanted weeds. Regular weeding and hoeing of the rows is therefore one of the most important care measures until the plants have reached a height of 10 - 20 cm. The weakly consuming flax does not usually require fertilization on normally supplied garden soil or in nutrient-rich potting soil. Nitrogen can even lead to the delicate plants developing stems that are too soft and buckling in wind and weather. Seed quality and shelf life also deteriorate with over-fertilization.
After sowing the linseed and taking good care of it, the harvest of the ripe seeds is due in late summer. You can find important tips on this in our article on harvesting and using flaxseed.