General characteristics of Budra, rules of cultivation, advice on reproduction and transplantation, difficulties in cultivating "catnip", interesting facts and species. There are many herbs that mankind has used for medicinal purposes, and many of them are not only used as a "green medicine", but they decorate their homesteads and homes. One such representative of the green world is Budra (Glechoma), well known as "Catnip".
This plant is a perennial herb belonging to the Lamiaceae family. It also includes 10 more varieties of the same specimens of flora, which are ubiquitous and widespread in the forests of the continent of Eurasia, can be found in Siberia and the Caucasus, live in Japanese, Mongolian and Chinese lands. Most of all, Budra loves to settle in thickets of bushes, in forests and meadows, as well as as weeds, next to a person's home. She also paid attention to the shady banks of the waterways.
People call the budra "Glekoma" based on the Latin name of the plant, it is also called "cat's paws", and this is due to the shape of the leaves. Because of its active use in folk medicine, the plant bears the respectful name of "forty-leaved herb", naturally explaining this name by the fact that budra is used for many diseases and successfully relieves a person from them. Often, in ancient times, the glekoma was considered a protective plant, and it was planted next to the dwelling. There are additional names for it, which have come down to us from the hoary antiquity: ram, mole, consumable, as well as ivy and catnip, dushmanka and not at all attractive - podbirukha and "dog mint". In some literary sources (for example, in the encyclopedic dictionary) it is called "kitty" and "breast grass".
Glekoma is an ampelous plant with creeping shoots, which has a high growth rate. Sometimes it is used as a ground cover crop. Budra is quite unpretentious, easy to reproduce. The leaf plates reach a width of 2.5 cm and have a fragrant aroma.
The flowers of the glekoma are painted in delicate pale blue, lilac or bluish tones. The buds are small, the corolla is tubular, has two lips, the flowers are arranged in several pieces in the leaf axils.
With its help, balconies and terraces are landscaped, and also interspersed with tall plants in the garden, as a ground cover, it can be successfully used to decorate a lawn or a flower bed. There is a bred garden form with variegated leaves that can help enhance the beauty of other flowers.
Tips for growing budra in the garden and indoors
- Lighting. The plant feels great in shade or partial shade - windows facing north, east and west.
- Content temperature in summer, it should not exceed 18–20 degrees, but with the arrival of autumn, the heat indices decrease up to 5 degrees. There comes a period of rest.
- Air humidity when keeping budra indoors, it should be moderate; if the air is too dry, the plant is affected by pests. Indoors in the spring and summer, you can spray the leaves from a fine spray.
- Watering. The soil in the pot is kept slightly moist, but there should be no stagnant water, as this can threaten with root rot. With the arrival of autumn, soil moisture will need to be reduced.
- Fertilizers for glekoma, they are applied once a month using complex mineral preparations. You can fertilize once every 2 weeks with agents for decorative deciduous plants, but it is better to halve the dose.
- Pruning. While budra has not yet entered the intensive growth phase (early spring), it is necessary to prune its shoots. This will help form a beautiful bush, and use the cut stems for propagation.
- Transfer and selection of soil. It is necessary to transplant glekoma in the spring or at the very beginning of summer, every two years. Some growers recommend changing the pot and the substrate of the bud only if necessary (the development of the roots of the entire earthy coma), since she does not particularly need this. When replanting, the soil is mixed from river sand, humus, leafy earth and sod (in a ratio of 1: 2: 2: 4). You can take a universal soil for flower plants and mix it with 15% fine expanded clay.
When the plant is transplanted, it is necessary to trim the stems that are too creeping.
Catnip breeding tips
For propagation of "catnip" you can use cuttings, dividing the rhizome or sowing seeds.
With the arrival of spring time or at the beginning of summer, it is necessary to cut a part of the stem with 2-3 leaves and up to 15 cm in length from the glekoma mother plant. There should be no flowers on the shoot. It is then placed in moistened sand (or sandy-peat substrate) or in a vessel with water. The cuttings should be wrapped in a plastic bag or placed under a glass jar. It is advisable to maintain the temperature during rooting within the range of 20-25 degrees. The roots will appear quickly enough. If the twig is in the water, you can see them after 5–8 days. After that, the cutting is planted in a separate pot (up to 7-9 cm in diameter) with prepared soil suitable for the growth of an adult specimen. If these twigs are planted in open ground, then "catnip" begins to quickly develop all the nearby soil, thanks to its creeping stems, which take root with ease, slightly touching the ground. In the garden, you will even need to take measures that will restrain its spread.
Budra seeds are sown with the arrival of the first spring days. To do this, you should take a small flower pot, which is filled with universal soil for indoor plants. After sowing, the container must be covered with a piece of glass or wrapped in plastic wrap. This will create conditions of high humidity and warmth. You will need to ventilate the crops daily and moisten the soil if necessary. As soon as the sprouts grow up and get stronger, then they are transplanted into pots with a large diameter or into open ground. You can divide the rhizome of Budra during the transplantation process. The time for this is selected in the spring or at the very beginning of summer days. The mother plant must be carefully removed from the pot or dug out of the ground, then with the help of your hands you need to divide it into two parts, you can soak the earthen lump in water before that. Each section is planted in a pot that will be slightly larger than the root system. The soil is selected the same as for adult "catnip".
Difficulties and diseases when growing glekoma
In general, glekoma is a very hardy plant and problems arise more likely due to an incorrect watering regime. Most often, Budra can suffer from root rot, yellowing of foliage or its withering away. As soon as symptoms such as are noticed:
- the plant becomes lethargic and lays down to the soil (especially if watering was carried out regularly);
- foliage begins to dry out and becomes covered with constrictions;
- leaves change their color and brownish spot begins to cover them, they wither;
- the growth of budra slows down.
It is urgent to water the plant with a suspension of Fundazol.
If the tips of the foliage dry out in glekoma, then this is a sign of a lack of nutrients or insufficient watering. When the plant is in rooms where there is very weak ventilation, but the humidity indicators are high, then powdery mildew is affected, when all parts of the flower will be, as if sprinkled with flour, and later as if doused with lime mortar. In this disease, it is treated with a fungicidal agent.
From pests annoying "catnip" can be isolated whitefly, spider mites or aphids. Having identified harmful insects or products of their vital activity, it is necessary to treat with insecticides of a wide spectrum of action.
Interesting facts about Budra
It is curious that due to the fact that glekoma contains multiple tannins and essential oils, domestic and wild cattle do not eat it.
Also, "catnip" was considered an effective remedy for the prevention of lead poisoning, it was used in art or painting workshops, or it was successfully cured of poisoning with heavy metals.
Budra has long been used not only in medicine and cooking, but also in magical rituals. All its aboveground parts are used. In cooking, it is customary to use fresh leaf plates to make a fragrant tonic drink. It is also actively used for the preparation of cheese products, as a spice due to the aroma of the leaves. They did not ignore her in the preparation of sauces and all kinds of dishes. In some countries, it is even possible to flavor salads.
In medicine, it is customary to use glekoma as an anti-inflammatory, expectorant, diaphoretic, and its hemostatic properties are also familiar, and pain relievers are made on its basis. It is often used as a sedative and restorative agent that helps to increase appetite, relieve cramps and increase the amplitude of heart contractions. Budra is used to improve the function of the entire gastrointestinal tract and digestion. If you use "dog mint" externally, you can heal boils and skin problems, tumors, as the plant is known for its action as an antibiotic.
This diverse and at the same time simple herb is officially recognized as a medicinal plant in France, in the USA, on the lands of Brazil and Bulgaria. There they use glekoma to cure diseases of the respiratory organs and the thyroid gland, with problems with the kidneys and liver, as well as kidney stones.
Types of Budra
Ivy budra (Glechoma hederacea) also called creeping budra or dog mint. This plant is a typical perennial species with a herbaceous form of life. The native habitat is in the forests of the Eurasian continent.
This herb has creeping shoots that cover short hairs. The length of the stem is 20–50 cm. Multiple branches extend from it, and these shoots are distinguished by fast rooting. The leaf plates are reniform or rounded-reniform, the edge is coarse. The leaves are attached to the stem with long petioles. It is interesting that the petioles of the lower leaves are somewhat longer than the upper ones. The color of the foliage is intense dark emerald. The leaves have a strong, fragrant aroma.
The flowering stems rise above the ground. The flowers are small, the corolla is in the form of a tube, has 2 lips. The color of the petals is purple or lilac-blue. They gather in bunches of 3-4 units, and begin their growth in the leaf axils of the middle or upper leaf plates. The lower lip in the bud is longer than the upper lip. The flowering process occurs in the first half of summer.
When fruiting, an erem ripens (this is the name of a fractional fruit, which has a syncarpous appearance and is characteristic of plants of the Yasnotkov family). Syncarpous - means that in the erem there are several carpels fused with their walls. Fruit grows up to 2 mm long. Full ripening occurs in August.
The entire aerial part contains tannins, various bitterness, carotene, choline and ascorbic acid, and also many useful substances, essential oil and trace elements.
Ivy buddha is used to add aroma and tone to drinks. Also, this type is actively used in traditional medicine. However, the plant is considered to be poisonous, so caution should be used in its use.
Hairy Budra (Glechoma hirsuta) or as it is also called Hardy Budra. On the territory of Russia, this variety grows in those several natural areas that are especially protected by law.
The variety is a perennial herb, all parts of which are entirely covered with long, whitish, protruding hairs. Its stems are upright and somewhat ascending. They can reach indicators in height of 30–80 cm. Multiple creeping shoots depart from the stems. The leaf plates have petioles, and in the lower leaves their length reaches 2-3 cm, and the middle ones are attached to one-centimeter petioles. The edge of the leaf plate is crenate, below the stem, the leaves are reniform-cordate, and the middle ones are cordate.
Inflorescences consist of 4-7 buds and have whorled outlines. They are usually located in the leaf axils of the middle and upper leaves. The bracts in this variety are thin, filiform. They are shorter in length than pedicels. The color of the corolla is lilac-blue, it is tubular, reaching 18–20 cm in length (sometimes up to 25 cm). The corolla tube is almost 3.5 times longer than the calyx. Its surface is pubescent, its shape is narrow, tubular, measuring up to 8–10 mm in length, with teeth with subulate-pointed outlines. They are equal to half the length of the corolla. The flowering process stretches from April to May. Fruits ripen in the form of nuts, brownish color, growing up to 4 mm in length.
The ivy buddra (Glechoma hederaceae subsp. Glabriuscula) is a perennial herbaceous form with indicators varying in height within the range of 10–40 cm. The rhizome of this variety is creeping, and the shoots are easily rooted. The stem is ascending, straight, well-branched and well-branched. On it, leaf plates with kidney-shaped or wide-heart-shaped outlines are arranged in an opposite order. The edge of the leaves is crenate; the petioles are much shorter than the distance between the nodes.
Flowers appear in the axils of the leaves, which are collected in whorls of 2-3 units. They have short pedicels. The calyx of the bud is tubular, with five teeth. The corolla has two lips, which are painted in a violet-blue color scheme. The corolla reaches 20 mm in length and is located at the mouth of the tube with a ring covered with hairs. The upper lip is longer than the upper stamens. The flowering process begins in April and ends in mid-summer.
Ivy budra (Glechoma hederaceae Variegata) has a pleasant fragrant aroma. The plant can form low “carpets” up to 5–20 cm in height. The stems grow to a length of 20–50 cm. They rise slightly or spread over the soil surface. Multiple shoots are formed on them, at the nodes of which root processes appear, allowing them to take root with ease. The leaf plates are rounded reniform or reniform. They are attached to the stems with short petioles, measuring 3 cm in length. The color of the flowers is bluish-purple, they are collected in 3-4 pieces in whorls located in the leaf axils of the upper and middle leaves on the stem. Flowering can be observed from May to June.
Variegated buddra (Glechoma hirsute W. et. K), also has a pleasant smell. Forms ground cover thickets, reaching a height of up to 15 cm. Stems for the most part spread along the surface of the earth. Multiple branched shoots originate from them, reaching up to 40 cm in length. With the help of the roots formed in the nodes of the shoots, easy rooting is possible. The shape of the leaves is reniform, the edge is crenate, their length is 3 cm. The flowering process extends to May-June.
For more informative information on growing budra, see this video:
