DIY Japanese Indigo Dye

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Japanese Indigo is also known as Dyer’s knotweed or Chinese indigo.
Japanese Indigo is also known as Dyer’s knotweed or Chinese indigo.
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Japanese Indigo should not be confused with the famous Japanese knotweed.
Japanese Indigo should not be confused with the famous Japanese knotweed.
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“A Garden to Dye For” by Chris McLaughlin walks you through how to create your own colorful dyes with plants from your garden.
“A Garden to Dye For” by Chris McLaughlin walks you through how to create your own colorful dyes with plants from your garden.

In A Garden to Dye For (St. Lynn’s, 2014), Chris McLaughlin teaches you how to make the most of your garden by harvesting different plants to create your own clothing dyes. She walks you through each type of plant, explaining where the color comes from and how best to get it for yourself. In the following excerpt, she goes though the uses of Japanese Indigo.

Japanese Indigo (Persicaria tinctoria or Polygonum tinctorium)

AKA Dyer’s knotweed, Chinese indigo

Japanese indigo is an annual plant that gives pure blues, just like the famous Indigofera, but P.tinctoria is more widely grown. Start seeds about 6 weeks before the last frost and harden them off before planting outdoors. Since Persicaria tinctoria seeds are notoriously short on viability, try to save seeds from this plant every year. Even seeds as young as a couple of years old may not germinate. Japanese indigo likes a well-composted garden bed and full sun to be happy. It also loves its water, so keep its feet moist.

This bushy fellow propagates readily from seed, but just as easily from stem nodes (the little bump on the stem where a leaf grows). This makes it the perfect candidate for taking cuttings for propagation. You could also skip both and just carefully press one of the stems to the ground. Use a rock or wire to keep it pressed against the soil and cover the joint with soil so that new roots will form. Once they’ve taken hold you can cut it from the mother plant.

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