Jatropha: description, variety of species, rules of care, watering, fertilization, lighting requirements, transplantation and reproduction conditions, main pests and diseases. Jatropha (Jatropha) is a plant belonging to the variety of Little Chains (Latin Euphorbiaceae). In nature, it is represented in the form of trees, shrubs or herbaceous plants. The main habitat is humid and semi-humid warm forests of American and African territories. The name was created from the Greek words doctor (Jatrys) and food (tropha) and, if exactly, this indicates the medicinal properties of some of the plants of this species. The family, which includes the jatropha, has about 170 varieties of this plant. And at home or in a garden it is used because of its unusual and decorative appearance.
On the shelves of flower shops, jatropha is still very rare and its price is quite high, although care is not difficult. Because of its stem, which has an unusual shape in the form of an elongated vessel ("bottle"), jatropha is used as an interior decoration, as it looks like a bonsai - a tall bare stem and beautiful lush green crown. The length of the stem at home can reach a little more than half a meter in height.
All winter months, the jatropha stem looks completely lignified and bald, but as soon as the first rays of the sun begin to warm up and the temperature rises slightly, peduncles begin to shoot from the stem, on which flowers are located in an umbrella form. Closer to summer, leaves with long legs begin to grow. Flowering begins long before the appearance of wide leaf plates, but the jatropha does not stop blooming and the whole process can last all year. After the end of flowering, the jatropha has yellow fruits with three sides, reaching a length of 2.5 cm. Only three seeds are placed in the fruits in the form of an oval of centimeter length.
Due to the relationship to the family of small-pea jatropha, it is quite poisonous. There is not a single part of this plant that cannot do harm. If the secreted jatropha juice, which looks like milk diluted with water, gets on the skin, then a fairly severe burn may occur.
Description of some types of jatropha
- Jatropha gouty (Jatropha podagrica). The place of natural growth is the middle strip of America. The stem takes on a decorative appearance in the form of an amphora with a round and wide base and an elongated neck. The height of the stem can reach almost a meter, but the main part of its length goes to the peduncle. The inflorescences are collected from small coral-red bright flowers about a centimeter in diameter. The type of inflorescence is umbrella-shaped, which extends from one point of growth. At the very beginning of its development, only a few of the largest buds are visible in the inflorescence, which are not distinguished by their beauty. Until the inflorescence itself reaches the level of the leaf plates, it grows very slowly. But as soon as this threshold is passed, the process of maturation and stretching is greatly accelerated. One inflorescence contains flowers of both sexes, which are odorless. Male flowers do not bloom for long - a maximum of a day, but they are replaced by new ones. The flowering of this species of jatropha lasts up to a month, but in the natural environment this process is extended for the entire time of the heat allotted by nature. The leaves of gouty jatropha are very unusual and attractive. They grow on long legs from the stem. Nicely divided into five round parts with an elongated tip. The diameter of all parts of the leaf can reach 18 cm. When the leaf is still young, it has a shiny top and a rich, beautiful green color. In the process of its growth, the color of the leaf begins to darken and the glossiness is replaced by a matte surface. On the reverse side, the color differs in bluishness, which also passes to the stem of the leaf.
- Jatropha dissected (Jatropha multifida). Distributed in the territories of Mexico, Brazil and central America. It looks like a low bush. The stems extend up to three meters in height, and are distinguished by decoratively cut leaf plates, which can be divided up to 11 parts. The color of the leaves is green and very dark, diluted with purple shades with a pale green center. The plant from a distance may resemble a small palm tree. The flowers of the dissected jatropha are distinguished by bright, rich coral shades. As in all species, the inflorescences are umbrella-shaped and are located above the level of the leaf plates. In nature, this species blooms all year round, especially during the hot months. Brown seeds appear in capsule-shaped fruits after the plant has flowered. Jatropha can live in nature like a weed, as it scatters on its own.
- Jatropha Berlandieri (Jatropha berlandieri). Natural habitat of the territory of Mexico. The lower part of the lignified stem in diameter can reach 15 cm, and sometimes 20 cm. In nature, this part of the caudex is located under a layer of soil, in an apartment it rises above the ground. The stems of this species are quite long - 30 cm and they have leaves with elongated legs. The color of the leaf plates is dark green with a bluish sheen, has a serrated edge. The leaf looks like split fingers with five lobes. Peduncles are friable and bear flowers of both sexes painted in orange-red or pink tones. After the cessation of flowering, fruits are formed on the jatrof, which have sufficiently large seeds under their shell.
Jatropha care at home
Content temperature
Jatropha perfectly tolerates temperatures up to 25 degrees during hot seasons. In winter, the main thing is that the thermometer readings do not fall below 10-15 degrees, but it is better to let the jatropha be at the temperature of the living quarters - this will help ensure normal care.
Lighting
Although the jatropha can withstand high temperatures and likes bright lighting, it must be protected from direct sunlight for the first time, otherwise the leaves may burn. If there was no sunny weather for a long time or the jatropha was recently purchased, then it must be accustomed to bright lighting consistently. In direct sunlight, casting jatropha begins to grow smaller, and the tails of the leaf plates are smaller than usual, and then the crown of such a plant is much smaller.
But the jatropha is gouty, it loves direct sunlight, although it is better to hide it from the midday sun. Jatropha dissected well tolerates any bright lighting: both bright sunlight and light partial shade. If there is not enough light, the jatropha species becomes less decorative. Like any plant, jatropha is best placed on windows facing east or west, otherwise it will need to be shaded with curtains on the southern windows, since leaf burns are inevitable. If the pot is on a window facing north, then you will have to arrange additional lighting in order to avoid reducing the beauty and size of the crown. Watering. When watering, it is necessary to use soft water, in order to obtain such water it is defended for several days or you can soften it with peat if you leave a handful of peat wrapped in gauze overnight in the collected water. From spring days to late summer, water the jatropha sparingly, keeping track of the dryness of the top soil in the pot. If you water it often, then, like any bottle jatropha tree, it can rot. If they forgot to water the jatropha, it can also survive the drought for some time, using its own reserves of water accumulated in the trunk. If this phenomenon continues for a long time, then this threatens that the jatropha will completely discard the foliage. In winter, jatropha can also completely shed the foliage, in which case watering stops altogether. As soon as new deciduous shoots begin to appear on the plant, watering resumes.
Air humidity
In order for the jatropha to feel comfortable, there is no need to provide it with any special conditions. And spraying air or leaves with jatropha is not necessary. The only thing that can be done is to periodically wipe the hardwood plates with a damp cloth, removing dust.
Top dressing for jatropha
The best way to fertilize a plant is to use a succulent or cactus fertilizer. This procedure is performed once a month during the activation of growth.
Transfer
It is necessary to deal with changing the jatropha pot during the activity of its development, that is, in spring or summer. The transplanting process occurs no more than once every 3 years. Let the jatropha pot be wider than deeper, taking into account the surface roots. In a pot, high-quality drainage is preferable so that moisture cannot stagnate and the roots do not rot. It is best that the land into which the jatropha is transplanted consists of leafy soil, turf, peat and sand. Such a composition in a ratio of 2: 1: 1: 1 will be light and has good air and water permeability. Also, small expanded clay or crushed brick can be added to the composition of the earthen mixture.
Reproduction of jatropha
Jatropha propagates by planting seeds and cuttings.
If you are lucky enough to become the owner of jatropha seeds, then you must definitely try to propagate it in this way. The seeds are sown on the surface of the ground. The substrate for planting consists of such components, which are taken in equal parts: peat, sand, sod and leafy soil. Thorough heating of the soil, up to 25 degrees, is imperative. In order for the seeds to germinate, create the conditions for a mini-greenhouse, covering the dishes with seeds with a plastic bag or a piece of glass. The seeds can germinate from a week to two. If everything went well, then the sprouts that have appeared must be planted separately in pots.
The sprouts begin to stretch out quickly and within a few months they will have the same crown as an adult plant. Until the young leaves reach the size of an adult plant, they have round edges, but over time the edges will lengthen and become elongated and wavy. Within two years, the leaves of the young jatropha begin to take on the appearance of a lobe, at which time flowering can occur. The trunk also begins to thicken and take on a "bottle" shape. The only disadvantage of this method is that the seeds quickly lose the possibility of good germination.
Naturally, it is better when there is the mother plant itself and you can try to achieve the maturation of the seeds. Since the flowers of the jatropha are bisexual - there are both male and female on the same plant, you can pollinate yourself. Male flowers are distinguished by the presence of stamens with yellow pollen. Since female flowers bloom most early, the pollination process is carried out at the beginning of flowering. It is necessary to take a brush with a soft bristle and gently transfer the pollen from the male flowers to the female ones. An indicator of successful pollination will be the appearance of a green fruit in the form of an oval, which reaches one and a half centimeters in length. If the fruit is not tied in a bag of gauze, then over time it will turn dark and the seeds will fall out of it and can germinate in neighboring pots. The distance the jatropha spreads its seeds can be up to a meter.
The easiest way to propagate jatropha is cuttings. The cuttings should be lignified. For planting, they are dried for two to five days, then they are dipped with the bottom in any growth stimulator (root, heteroauxin, etc.) and planted in an earthen mixture, which is taken in equal parts, of the following composition:
- humus;
- sand;
- sod land.
In order for rooting to be successful, you need to maintain a sufficiently high temperature - up to 30 degrees. The cutting will take root for a month. If everything went well, then the rooted shoots should be transplanted into separate pots.
The biggest challenge is the need to provide a resting period for the jatropha. In winter, the pot with the plant is transferred to a cool place where there is good lighting and during this period the jatropha is watered very little.
Diseases and pests of jatropha
Jatropha is practically not affected by diseases and harmful insects, but difficulties still occur when caring for at home.
The problem for jatropha is too much soil moisture. If this happens often, then the plant begins to be affected by all kinds of rot. When watering, water should also not fall on the trunk of the plant, as this will also be detrimental to the jatropha. If, nevertheless, the stem began to rot, then the jatropha cannot be saved.
There are also insects that can harm the jatroph:
- Spider mite - the leaves of the jatropha turn yellow and begin to fall off, this happens when the plant is in a very dry room. First aid is to spray the jatropha with warm water several times a day, if such a procedure does not bring a positive result, it is necessary to apply insecticide spraying.
- Whitefly - located on the back of the leaf plates, if you touch the plant, they immediately begin to fly off from it. To combat it, insect-acaricidal preparations are used.
- Thrips - jatropha flowers begin to deform and fall off. The plant is lightly rinsed in the shower and sprayed against pests.
- Over-saturation of the soil with fertilizers - the jatropha has greatly slowed down in its growth. Before applying dressings, it is necessary for the plant to be saturated with moisture.
Before buying such an exotic plant as a jatropha, you need to carefully examine it: is the trunk hard enough and whether there are harmful insects on the jatropha.
Learn more about Yatrof from this video:
