Indigofera tinctoria, True Indigo 150 - 1,000 seeds

True indigo or Indigofera tinctoria is a plant of the Fabaceae family such as blue chinese wisteria or silk tree.
Its original habitat is Asia, but it has quickly acclimated to the tropical and temperate regions of South America and Africa.
In India, the plant has been cultivated for more than four thousand years.
It is a plant with a height of 0.60 to 1.20 meters.
Indigo flowers are purple and open in summer.
True indigo seeds are small, the size of those of the tree tomato or guava.

Formerly cultivated as a dye plant, it is the natural source of the indigo blue color.
To obtain dyeing, the leaves of the indigo tree are first soaked in water and then left to ferment, a process during which the glycoside indican converts to indigotine, the coloring principle giving the blue.

Soak seeds overnight in warm water then sow in individual pots in a good compost at a depth of 4mm and maintain a temperature of 65 – 70 degrees F.
Cover with a plastic lid or bag – keep moist but not waterlogged.
Germination can be erratic – but should germinate between 2 – 4 weeks but can take even longer.
Once germinated remove plastic cover – but keep moist.
Plant out when a good root system has developed and the risk of frost has passed – about late May – June in a sunny and sheltered position – in free draining soil.
Prefers a pH in the range of 6 – 7

Final spacing – about 3 feet.

Keep moist. Indigo requires regular feeding between July and September.

Grows to a height of between 3 – 6 feet upon maturity.

Produces pink to violet flowers followed by seed pods.

Harvest just before the flower opens as the indigo yield reduces after flowering.

Indigo requires a long growing season and usually comes into full flower September – October.