General characteristic differences of nightshade, tips for care: watering, breeding, pest and disease control in indoor growing, notes, species. The nightshade (Solanum) belongs to the genus of plants included in the Solanaceae family (Salanaceae). The specified genus, according to various sources, has from 1200 to 1700 varieties that grow in warm and temperate climatic conditions, and the territories of natural growth fall on the lands of South America. Representatives of this family are used for agricultural purposes. For example, they include potatoes called Solanum tuberosum in Latin, eggplant bearing the name Solanum melongena, tomato (tomato), which also has the name Solanum lycopersicum in Latin, and others. Some of the nightshades are actively used as medicinal plants - bittersweet nightshade and black nightshade. It is the latter that are found on the territory of Russia. Some of the species of nightshade are noxious weeds. But with indoor cultivation, flower growers fell in love with decorative varieties.
Nightshade can take on a herbaceous form, as well as grow in the form of a shrub and even a tree. Plants can have a life span of as long as one year, but they also have a long life cycle. At the same time, the stems are distinguished by erect or creeping outlines. The contours of the leaf plates can be either simple or lobed or pinnately dissected. The arrangement of the leaves can be paired or they grow in the next sequence.
During flowering, bisexual buds are formed, which are collected in inflorescences that take a corymbose, racemose or panicle form. The contours of the flowers are correct. The corolla of the flower can be white, yellowish, purple or pinkish. The calyx is distinguished by teeth or lobes, the number of which varies from five to ten units. The shape of the rim is wheel-shaped or it can be in the form of a wide bell, characterized by five teeth. The stamens help the anthers to converge into a cone.
When the flowers are pollinated, the fruit ripens in the form of a berry with two nests, inside which there is a large number of seeds. The shape of the fruit is so graceful that some varieties are grown just because of the appearance of these berries. Among them are the varieties of Pepper Nightshade (Solanum capsicastrum) and False Nightshade (Solanum pseudocapsicum).
It is possible to grow nightshade plants in the open field if the climate is mild. It is customary to decorate gardens and flower beds with such representatives, for example, a variety of curly nightshade (Solanum crispum) and jasmine nightshade (Solanum jasminoides). But even in the rooms it is appreciated for its simplicity and beautiful appearance.
Care and maintenance of nightshade at home
- Selection of location and lighting for a plant, it is carried out taking into account its natural growth. By placing the nightshade on the window of an east or west location, it will be provided with a bright, but diffused light. Shading is needed from direct sunlight on the southern windowsill.
- Growing temperature in spring and summer it should be within 18-25 degrees, and with the arrival of autumn it is reduced to a range of 12-15 units. Drafts are harmful, but ventilation is necessary.
- Air humidity when growing nightshade, you need a high (about 65%) year-round. Daily spraying of hardwood is recommended.
- Watering spend abundantly throughout the growing season (usually from April to September). The soil in a pot, slightly dried on the surface, serves as a reference point. But when the so-called "dormant period" comes, the moisture becomes more scarce, so that the earth lump does not completely dry out.
- Rest period. For this plant, this time is forced, since the level of illumination decreases, the same happens with the indicators of humidity, it lasts from October to the end of winter. When grown indoors, it is recommended to transfer nightshade to a room with good lighting, temperatures need cool, and the level of humidity is high, while watering is limited. As soon as new sprouts are noticed on the bush, they begin to moisturize a little more.
- Fertilizers for nightshade. When May comes, you will need to feed until September. The frequency of fertilization is every 14–21 days. Liquid preparations are used for flowering indoor plants, but some growers use top dressing for tomatoes. The concentration is usually not violated, indicated on the packaging by the manufacturer.
- General care of nightshade consists in carrying out planned pruning. It is recommended to hold them annually, in the spring. Shoots are shortened by 1/3 of their entire length. Also, the signal for pruning is the ripening of fruits and yellowed leaf plates. To increase bushiness, those shoots that do not have buds and flowers should be regularly pinched.
- Transplant and recommendations for the choice of soil. After the pruning operation is carried out, it is recommended for the nightshade to change the pot and the soil in it. This time usually occurs in late winter or early March. A 2-3 cm layer of drainage is placed on the bottom of the new container so that the root system is not exposed to flooding. Drainage can be medium expanded clay, broken shards or bricks, but the pieces should not be large.
For nightshade, the soil is selected light, with sufficient permeability to water and air. It is recommended to mix:
- peat, sod land, leafy soil (it is collected from under the birches, capturing a little rotted foliage), while the parts of the components should be equal;
- river sand, humus, turf and peat soil (in a ratio of 1: 2: 2: 2).
After the transplant has been carried out, it is recommended to water the nightshade, and the first feeding is carried out 14 days after the change of the flowerpot.
Rules for self-breeding nightshade
You can propagate representatives of the nightshade both by cuttings and with the help of seeds.
If propagation by grafting, then the blanks are cut from the stems. If pruning is carried out in the spring, then the leftovers are not thrown away, but used for cuttings. Among this, the strongest shoots are chosen, their length should be 8-10 cm. The sections are treated with a root formation stimulator and the cuttings are planted in a mixture of sand and peat (parts are equal), or simply moistened river sand or vermiculite is taken.
Planting is carried out in separate pots, when root shoots are already formed on the cuttings. At the same time, the substrate is replaced by a more fertile one, it is made up of sod and humus soil with the addition of coarse sand (in a ratio of 1: 2: 1). Also, a small layer of drainage is laid on the bottom of the pot.
After this transplant, it is recommended to pinch the shoots, and then perform pruning during the summer period - this will allow branching to begin.
When propagating with seed, a leaf substrate is used, it is sieved and poured into a container. Seeds are evenly distributed on the surface of the moistened soil. From above, the nightshade seeds are slightly powdered with the same soil. Then a container with crops is covered with a polyethylene film or a piece of glass is placed on top. This will allow you to maintain the humidity indicators, as in a greenhouse. At the same time, the recommended temperature for germination should be about 22 degrees. It is important to carry out daily ventilation in order to remove condensation and if the soil is dry, then it is moistened with a fine spray bottle.
When two weeks have passed, you can see the first shoots. As the seedlings grow, diving is performed twice. After that, the nightshade sprouts are transplanted into a more fertile substrate in pre-prepared pots. A mandatory pinching of the shoots is carried out so that their branching begins.
Difficulties with home cultivation of nightshade
Just like other plants, nightshade can react immediately to breaches of keeping rules. Among them are:
- The plant does not bear fruit; to obtain fruit, it will be necessary to carry out artificial pollination. To do this, it is recommended to transfer pollen from one flower with a soft-bristled brush to another.
- The falling of fruits and leaves of nightshade occurs due to the increased indicators of heat and humidity in the room.
When the humidity drops in the room and the air becomes very dry, then whitefly, aphids or spider mites may appear. To combat these pests, treatment with insecticidal and acaricidal preparations with a wide spectrum of action is used. If necessary, such treatment is performed several more times with a week break until harmful insects and their manifestations disappear.
Curious Nightshade Notes
If you decide to grow nightshade in a room, you need to remember that the berries contain alkaloids that can lead to poisoning. They put such a plant in the distance and it is impossible to get it for small children or pets.
However, for all its toxicity, nightshade is used as a medicinal plant that has a wide spectrum of action. The herb is recommended to be harvested from mid-summer to September, and the berries are harvested from late summer to mid-autumn.
Nightshade also contains organic acids, tannins and dyes, carotene and sugars. As well as multiple poisonous components, which are partially destroyed when the berries ripen.
Of the properties of nightshade, choleretic, expectorant, anti-inflammatory, can also act as a relief of rheumatic pains and reduce fever. If ointments are prepared from nightshade, then they beneficially help with purulent wounds, ulcers and furunculosis, lichen. When a decoction is prepared from the herb, it is prescribed for diseases of the throat, if there is suppuration of the gums or inflammation.
Important! You can not self-medicate with all parts of the nightshade, as poisoning is possible. All drugs are prescribed only after medical advice.
Nightshade species
Since there are a lot of nightshade varieties, let's dwell on the most popular of them:
- Black nightshade (Solanum nigrum). The native area of growth falls on the lands of Eurasia. But the plant was introduced to America and the Australian continent. It is an annual plant with upright, often slightly pubescent stems with branching. They can reach in height from 30 cm to 1 m 20 cm. Leaf plates of a simple shape, devoid of stipules, arranged in regular order. Their outlines are oval, but at the top there is a sharpening, a jagged edge. The length of the leaf can reach 13 cm with an average width of about 8 cm. When flowering, buds with white petals are formed, the shape of the flower is star-shaped, from which lateral semi-umbellate inflorescences are collected. There are 5 stamens, a single pistil, five petals, they are spliced, a perianth with a double shape. The flowering process stretches from early summer to September. The fruit is a black berry, sometimes it can be white or greenish, no more than a pea in size. The diameter does not exceed 1 cm. The fruits ripen fully from August to October. It is important to remember that both the grass and unripe fruits contain a poisonous substance - the alkaloid solatin, which is present in the state of the glycoalkoloid solatin. But, despite this, if the fruits ripen, then in Russia, India, Ethiopia and a number of other countries they are used for food. On the territory of Russia, the plant is called funnel, bzdnik or pozdnik.
- Jasmine nightshade (Solanum jasminoides). Natural habitats fall on the lands of Brazil. It has a shrubby form of growth and an evergreen deciduous mass. Thin shoots are long, without pubescence, curly outlines, their length reaches 2–4 m. The leaves growing at the top of the stems are distinguished by an elongated ovoid shape, their edge is whole. The foliage is simple, devoid of pubescence. Those leaf plates that grow at the bottom of the shoots usually take on triple contours, with a shiny surface. Their length can be up to 7 cm with a width of no more than 3 cm. In the flowering process, which takes place from March to October, a plurality of buds are formed. The color of the flowers is light blue, they open up to 2 cm in diameter, and panicle inflorescences are collected from them. The fruits are bright red berries, no more than 1.5 cm in diameter. There are forms that differ in the variegated color of the foliage and the parameters of the flowers.
- Giant nightshade (Solanum giganteum). This representative is an evergreen shrub with branching shoots. In height, they reach up to 5–6 m. The branches are distinguished by thick outlines, their surface is covered with pubescence in the form of whitish hairs, and short thorns are also present. The leaf plates are colored dark green on the upper side, their shape is elongated-oval, the length reaches 20–25 cm, and on the reverse side there is a whitish hairy pubescence. The flowering process extends from July to the last days of summer. At the same time, there is the formation of medium-sized hanging flowers, in which the petals are cast in dark purple color. From flowers, they are collected in apical inflorescences, characterized by a corymbose shape. Most often, this variety is grown in greenhouse conditions, it is rarely cultivated in rooms.
- Zeafort's nightshade (Solanum seaforthianum). Quite a decorative variety, and can take the form of a shrub with an evergreen deciduous mass, the shoots are branched, they can grow in height from 5 to 6 m. The leaf plates have ovate-lanceolate outlines, but usually only lanceolate, their surface is slightly wavy. The contours are pinnate, the edge of the sheet is solid. When flowering paniculate inflorescences, they originate from the leaf sinuses. Flowering begins in March and lasts until mid-late autumn. Petals from flowers of light purple color, their outlines hanging down. The fruit is an ovoid berry with an orange-red hue.
- Wendland nightshade (Solanum wendlandii). The native habitat is in the mountainous regions of Central America at an absolute height of 2000–3000 m. Representatives of this species can take the form of an evergreen shrub, which with its shoots can reach a height of about 4 meters. The branches have branching outlines, and their surface is covered with small thorns. Leaf plates on one shoot may differ in appearance. In the upper part, the outlines of the foliage are oblong-elliptical, they grow up to 10 cm in length, and in the lower part, the leaves are three-lobed, their color is dark green. The length of the upper foliage varies within 25 cm with a width of about 10 cm. The whole flowering process stretches for all summer months. When flowering, the buds are collected in panicle inflorescences: apical and corymbose. The flowers have a bell-shaped corolla. The density in the inflorescence is large, the shade of the petals is purple, the flowers are 5–6 cm across. The fruit is a bright purple color.
More about nightshade and its cultivation in the following video:
