General description and characteristics, agricultural techniques for growing marigold, advice on reproduction, possible problems during cultivation, interesting facts, species. Kaluzhnitsa (Caltha) belongs to the genus of herbaceous plants with a perennial life cycle, included in the Buttercup family (Ranunculaceae). Such representatives of the handicap most of all prefer to grow in very humid and swampy areas. The number of varieties varies greatly depending on the literary sources, some mention the figure of 6 units, but others this number reaches forty. Six types of marigold can be found on the territory of the former USSR. For the most part, these specimens of the family prefer temperate and cold regions on both hemispheres of the planet, and the Kaluzhnitsa swamp species penetrates even into the northern parts of the Russian Arctic, is found in Iceland and Arctic Scandinavia. There are varieties that are common not only in swampy meadows and the banks of rivulets or streams, but can safely be on the water surface.
The plant took its name from the place of its growth and came from the old Russian word "kaluzha", which meant a puddle or swamp. Often among the people you can hear how it is called a paddling pool or water snake. The marigold bears its scientific name thanks to the translation of the Greek word "calyx" or "kalazos", which meant either "bowl" or "basket". This seems to be due to the shape of the bud, which opens up strongly during the flowering process.
The height parameters of such plants vary within 15–80 cm and are represented by such a loose bush. The root system of a representative of the flora is formed thanks to rhizomes with a simple structure. They are cord-shaped, gathered in a bun. Stems are glabrous, but leafy, mostly erect, in rare cases recumbent, in this case, rooting is possible due to the root processes formed in the nodes. Stems with abundant branching, thickened, sometimes hollow, can reach 2.5 mm in diameter.
The leaf plates have heart-shaped contours at the base, the surface is smooth and leathery. The shape is rounded, the diameter of a leaf plate reaches 15–30 cm. Casting - solid can sometimes have blades. Placed on the stem alternately. In the root part of the stem, the leaf size is larger than that of those growing on the stem. Moreover, it is noticed that after flowering, the size of the leaves is still significantly increased from the original. Bracts are generally sessile. The color is light green, but after the withering of the flowers it becomes darker. Often, the leaves are attached to elongated petioles that can reach 35 cm.
The flowers of the marigold are bright, golden yellow, orange, but there are varieties with whitish color of the petals. The diameter at the opening of the bud can vary from 4 to 7 cm. The flowers are bisexual, regular in shape, with a simple perianth, corolla-shaped, they have from five or more petals. The buds are located on long flowering stems originating from the upper leaf axils. There are a large number of stamens and pistils, they are arranged in a spiral order on one flattened receptacle. Ovary with one nest; multiple ovules are present. From such flowers, inflorescences can be collected or flowers are arranged singly. The flowering process occurs in April-May.
During fruiting, multiple leaflets are formed, which over time begin to open along the inner seam. The number of leaflets that appear corresponds to the number of pistils in the flower. The leaflet has a spout at the top. Inside it there are up to 10 seeds, black in color and with a shiny surface, their size reaches 2.5 mm. The ripening process takes place between May and June, and these seeds fall out of the leaflets.
Kaluzhnitsa is often used in the design of park and garden plantings, as well as the coastal zone of natural or artificial reservoirs.
Growing a marigold flower in the garden, care
- Lighting and location selection. The plant prefers to grow in a well-lit area or with a little partial shade. At the same time, the soil should be rich in nutrients and well moisturized. Therefore, it is recommended to place the marigold next to water bodies, streams or swamps, you can pay an artificial reservoir, in an open place. If the substrate at the site of the "paddling pool" planting is dry, then this will require frequent and abundant moisture from the owner.
- Cultivation temperature "Water snake" in winter should not frighten the owner of the plant, since with sufficient rooting, even young specimens endure frosts without shelter. On hot days, it is recommended to water the bushes more often.
- Watering marigold. These activities are carried out quite often during the active growing season, since this representative of the flora loves to grow in very humid areas. Therefore, the reference point here is the drying of the soil under the "water snake" bush.
- Humidity when growing marigold, it directly affects its growth, development and flowering. If the humidity level decreases even for a short time, then this will invariably lead to a loss of decorativeness of the plant. When planting, it is recommended to choose garden loam and carefully monitor that the substrate does not dry out. Do not forget about abundant watering even after flowering, as the leaves begin to grow larger and delight the eyes of the owners with their appearance.
- Fertilizers for marigold introduced during early spring. Apply organic feeding. With shallow embedding, this preparation begins to decompose on its own, or, before winter, mulching is carried out around the "water snake" bush, as soon as the snow mass begins to descend, the melt water will deliver all the necessary substances to the root system of the plant. When the flowering process begins, the bushes are fertilized with mineral agents, this will help maintain abundant formation and lush blooming of buds.
- Transfer. The plant tolerates a change of place well, and this operation can be carried out at any period of vegetation activity. It is only important to keep track of the humidity level - it must be increased, otherwise the marigold will wither and the leaves will fly around. It is recommended to transplant in March or September.
- Using a marigold. Since the plant is early flowering, it attracted the attention of landscape designers and decorators of park and garden areas, since even after flowering, all the growing foliage adorns flower beds and borders. When planting, it is recommended to select the same flora samples that differ in similar flowering times and characteristics, so that when flowers are formed, the plants do not block each other. And when the inflorescences of the marigold wither, it is necessary that other plantings with late growing foliage or flowers should be in the foreground.
As neighboring plants, it is recommended to plant Hosts, Krasodnev, Alpine Forget-me-not, as well as the softest Medunitsa or Ostrich, Snake Highlander, next to the marigold. Astilba Chinese and Badan thick-leaved will look good up close.
Tips for self-breeding marigold
You can get a new bush "water snake" by sowing seeds or vegetative methods: by dividing an overgrown bush, layering or cuttings.
If it is decided to divide the plant, then the operation is carried out in early spring or in September. It can be divided in the interval between these months, but it was noticed that the marigold begins to wither immediately, the foliage is dumped, although the bush does not die. Also, it is better not to divide the bush too shallowly, then the division will bloom faster and more abundantly. If part of the marigold is small, then flowering will have to wait only in the second year after transplantation. The plots are planted in a new place of growth at a distance of 30–35 cm from each other. Then they are watered abundantly and until the plants have taken root, then shading is required from direct solar streams. Having taken root, such marigolds can easily endure the winter period without special shelter.
You can also bend the stems to the soil (forming a layering) and fix them, in this case, rooting takes place thanks to the roots formed at the nodes of the stem. It is recommended to bend the shoot to the ground and secure it with wire hooks. With the arrival of autumn, such stems successfully root and form a number of small rosettes. In the autumn, they are carefully separated and transplanted to another place.
Seeds are recommended to be sown freshly harvested, when ripe in June. A garden bed or a place in a flower bed is being prepared, the seeds are distributed on the soil surface and lightly sprinkled with a substrate. Then they are moistened and seed germination can be expected at the end of summer. If sowing is carried out before winter, then the sprouts will hatch with the arrival of spring. True, during spring sowing, it is recommended to carry out a phased preparation by stratification. The seeds are kept for about a month at a temperature of 10 degrees, and then a couple of months at 18-20 degrees. Germination is also recommended at the last heat readings. The seedlings obtained in this way will begin to bloom 2-3 years from the time of sowing.
If you want to propagate marigold by cuttings, then this operation is carried out during the entire growing season.
Difficulties in growing marigold and ways to overcome them
Most of all, marigold suffers from the appearance of powdery mildew or rust, when the leaves begin to cover with a whitish or red bloom. This can be due to increased summer heat. To fight, you will need to carry out a treatment with Bordeaux liquid.
If the plant does not bloom too abundantly or does not form buds at all, then, apparently, the marigold suffers from drought. When cultivated in a garden, it is required to transplant the bush to a damp place or to carry out frequent and abundant watering. The same applies to indoor growing. As soon as the plant is saturated with moisture, it begins active growth and flowering processes. Also, a small number of flowers may indicate a poorly lit planting site or poor soil. Kaluzhnitsa tend to grow, the older the plant becomes, the greater the loss of decorativeness.
Interesting facts about the marigold
Leaf plates of marigold (namely marsh marigold) are often used as a vegetable plant. The buds can also be used for pickles, and the leaves themselves go well in soups. Marigold flowers are used as spices, and adding parts of the plant to food increases appetite.
The properties of marigold are actively used in folk medicine, for example, with the help of leaf plates, burns, wounds or inflammation of the skin can be treated. And also marigold has anti-inflammatory and diuretic properties, analgesic and anticonvulsant effects. It can also fight diseases such as bronchitis, cough, asthma, fever and whooping cough, and often helps to heal dropsy, scrofula and rheumatism. If women have painful menstruation, then decoctions from marigold leaves are used.
But since the plant is poisonous, it is included in the collection in very small quantities. Marigold juice can induce vomiting or use as a laxative, as well as treat herpes or ascites.
Description of the types of marigold
- Marsh marigold (Caltha palustris) the most popular and well-known variety, most widespread in the European part of Russia, and also found in Siberia and the Far East, in some regions of Central Asia. Likes to settle in damp and swampy meadows, grows along the banks of river arteries. It is a perennial with a form of growth resembling loose bushes, reaching a height of 40 cm. Leaf plates with a dense and shiny, leathery surface, painted in a light green tone, rounded. Leaves growing in the root zone can reach 12 cm in diameter, and those that are attached to the stems are much smaller. After flowering ends, the color of the foliage becomes darker and they begin to grow strongly. In the process of flowering, buds with golden-yellow petals appear, with full disclosure of the flower, its diameter reaches 4.5 cm. The shape of the flowers resembles a small rose. Flowers appear in late May and bloom lasts about 20 days. There are garden forms, the flower petals of which can be painted in a pale yellow or white tone. All parts of this plant have a weakly pronounced toxic effect. This variety prefers places with strong moisture; with abundant watering, it grows on dry soils. Terry or varieties with a different color of flowers were bred - "Multiplex", "Alba" and "Flore Pleno".
- Fistus marigold (Caltha fistulosa) distributed on the territory of eastern Russia (Sakhalin, Moneron, Kuriles, Shikotan), as well as on the lands of Japan. There, the variety is endemic (since it does not grow anywhere else except in the above-mentioned places). Likes to settle in the valleys of swampy forests, most often on the banks of rivers and streams. It is a mesagigrophyte, that is, it prefers moderately humid areas. This is the most powerful of all the varieties that are found in the nature of Russia. Stems are thickened, with branching, hollow inside. At the very beginning of flowering, the stem grows up to 20-30 cm, but when the time for fruit ripening comes, its height reaches 120 cm. The inflorescence has a loose appearance, the flowers are painted in a deep yellow color, the diameter is 7 cm. The basal leaves have elongated leathery petioles … Flowering begins in May-June, but at the end of May days it becomes the most massive. After flowering, the size of the leaf plate is comparable to a large plate.
- Polypetal marigold (Caltha polypetala) also called Caltha orthorhyncha. The native territories of growth fall on the lands of the subalpine and alpine zones of the Caucasus Mountains and Asia, where there are bogs and swampy places. The bush turns out to be quite wildly overgrown. Leaves with a dark green color. In height and in diameter, such a plant can fluctuate within 15-30 cm. The petals of flowers are golden-yellow, the diameter of the flower is about 6-8 cm. The flowering process lasts from May to June. It is grown in the same way as the marsh marigold.
- Membranous marigold (Caltha membranacea). The native area of growth falls on the lands of Eastern Siberia and the Far East. The plant loves to settle in swampy areas, along rocky river beds, as well as near streams. In height, it can reach 30 cm, the leaf plates are thinner, almost webbed in comparison with the marsh marigold. The leaf has a long petiole, its length is about 35 cm. The width of the leaf is 15 cm, the plate is reniform or with rounded-reniform outlines. There are not many flowers in the inflorescence, the color of the petals is bright yellow. If grown as a garden crop, it does not require excessive watering and blooms so abundantly that almost all the leaves are hidden under the inflorescences.
- Floating marigold (Caltha natas). The name clearly shows the place where this species grows - it is a small-sized aquatic plant, the leaf plates of which float on the surface of the water. Their outlines are rounded, the leaf is whole-edged, with a diameter of up to 4 cm. The petals of flowers have a whitish color and open up to 4 cm in diameter. It is customary to grow in small reservoirs.
What a marigold looks like, see below:
