self-sow

Also self-seed

[self-soh]

verb (used without object)

Botany.

self-sowed, self-sown, self-sowed, self-sowing. 

1. to sow or propagate itself naturally from seeds that have been dropped.

Word History and Origins

Origin of self-sow¹

First recorded in 1835–40; self- ( def. ) + sow ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

You can help your gardens along by selecting plants that re-seed themselves — flowers such as columbine, coreopsis, and lupine will self-sow and spread throughout your gardens each year.

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Otherwise, pebbles near the edges would naturally spread out, and the thinner layer of gravel would invite weeds to self-sow.

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Start with seed You can learn a lot by observing plants that self-sow in the garden.

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That leaves plenty of seed that can self-sow, or be eaten by birds, and preserves an overwintering habitat in the leaf litter for arthropods.

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Even though the seed is minute, flowering tobacco is easy to grow, and plants often will self-sow in the garden.

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