Distinctive features of the plant and its place of growth, agricultural technology for growing duchenei, reproduction, pest and disease control, interesting facts. Duchesnea belongs to the herbaceous plants belonging to the order of the Rosales and the Rosaceae family. Often this representative of the flora can be found under the name of Indian Potentilla (Potentilla indica) or false strawberry. Often on the Internet you can already see such names as Fragaria indica Andrews, which means "Indian strawberries" or "Fragaria", there is also another - Duchesnea indica (Andrews) Focke translated as Indian Duchesnea. And although this genus includes more than 300 varieties in indoor and garden conditions, it is customary to cultivate only the above-mentioned species.
After carrying out genetic studies of duchenei, it was decided to attribute it to the genus Potentilla. Although in some botanical reference books, the plant is isolated from this genus. The second strawberry name was given to the plant because of the similarity of leaf plates and fruits, however, it differs from the real strawberry in the color of the petals, they are bright yellow in her, and in the first they are white or light pinkish.
Since Indian strawberries in ancient times were used in very large volumes in the preparation of traditional medicine, the name came from the Latin word "potens" translated as "power" or "strength". Most of all, representatives of this genus are common in the northern hemisphere of the planet, as well as in the lands of East or South Asia.
So, let's figure out what kind of flora specimen this is, undeservedly forgotten by our florists and gardeners. Ducheney is a perennial plant with short stature and creeping stems. The rhizome is shortened in size. Stems are slender, easily rooted in nodes, covered with hairs, their length can reach meters in size. There are also whiskers with which the plant clings to the protrusions in the ground and spreads around. Because of its shoots, the ducheneuil is used in gardens as a ground cover crop. If a decision is made to grow Indian Potentilla in your garden, then you should take timely care of the destruction of these mustaches, since this modest beauty can quickly spread throughout the site.
Leaf plates of a beautiful dark green color scheme with triple contours, assembled into a root rosette. The number of leaves is large enough, they are attached to the shoots by means of petioles. The leaf lobes also have their own short petioles, reaching a length of 3 cm, pubescent with a greenish color. On the reverse side, a pattern of veins is visible on the surface of the sheet. Leaflets have wedge-obovate or rhombic outlines. In length, they can reach 2-3 cm, the edge is crenate-toothed, and on both sides there is a covering with protruding hairs.
When flowering, single buds are formed, which, opening up, reach 1–1, 5 cm in diameter. They stand out very effectively with their yellow petals against a green background of foliage. Flowers have long peduncles. The outer sepals are leaf-shaped, with 3 to 5 teeth at the apex, or they are lobed; after the end of flowering they bend back. The filaments of the stamens are elongated, the anthers have ovoid contours. The flowering process takes place from the beginning of May to the end of summer days.
After pollination, the fruits ripen, which are very reminiscent of strawberries, completely covered with whitish seeds. They have the same bright red hue, but the taste is not at all sweet. Although the fruits can be eaten, they are of no value. If we compare with more "cultural relatives" with edible berries, then the fruits of the duchenei are lifted on the stalks to the sky, and do not "look" down like strawberries or strawberries. The sizes of the fruits of the duchenei are small, they are located on a fleshy fruit with an oblong-ovoid shape of a bright red hue. Each such fruit plant can contain up to 190 small berries on average.
The growth rate of the plant is quite high and during the season your flower bed or pot will be decorated with a green rug made of pubescent dark emerald leaves.
Planting and caring for a duchenee
- Lighting for Indian strawberries. If the plant is planned to be grown in the garden, then a semi-shady place is selected for it so that it is under the crowns of trees with diffused lighting. If the ducheney is placed in the rooms, then a window with an east or west location will do, since if the direct rays illuminate the leaves of the plant at noon, the color of the foliage will turn pale and sunburn may occur. If the Indian Potentilla is on the sill of a south-facing window, then you will need to create shading for the flower - translucent curtains are hung or sheets of tracing paper (translucent paper) are glued to the glass. When the ducheneu is placed in the shade or in the northern room, there will not be enough lighting, and additional lighting will need to be carried out. With the arrival of summer days, it is recommended to expose the flower pots to fresh air, such a place can be a balcony, terrace or garden (located under the trees).
- Content temperature. The plant feels best of all with heat values in the range of 15-18 degrees. This will ensure normal growth and flowering. However, there is information that the tenacious duchenea withstood a decrease in the thermometer to minus five frosts. If the plant is grown indoors, then the heat indicators should be maintained at 18–20 degrees, but with a mandatory decrease in the autumn-winter period, the thermometer should not exceed 12 degrees.
- Watering. If grown at home, it is necessary to moisten the soil in a pot of Indian strawberries regularly, as the substrate dries out from above. This is especially necessary during the period of intensification of vegetative processes and when flowering begins. Only with the arrival of autumn, if the heat indicators begin to decline, watering is reduced, since the duchenea enters a state of winter dormancy. It is recommended to use soft water at room temperature. Rain or river water is often used, but often in urban conditions it can be contaminated and therefore you can water the bush with distilled or simply filtered, boiled and well-settled tap water. Naturally, when growing in the garden, such difficulties are not foreseen and the water there will be soft and not cold. But if the temperature rises too much in the summer months, then it is still necessary to support the Indian Potentilla with additional moisture.
- Air humidity when growing dusheney in indoor conditions, it should be in moderate rates, only on the hottest days it is required to spray the leaf plates, trying not to get on the flowers. In the autumn-winter period, such manipulations are not carried out, since at low heat and high humidity, the plant can rot. Water for spraying is also used soft with a temperature of 20-23 degrees.
- Fertilizers. In order for Indian strawberries to feel comfortable, you will need to carry out regular feeding, regardless of where the plant is grown. It is recommended to use complex mineral preparations, as well as organic fertilizing, alternating them periodically. The frequency of fertilization is once every seven days. With the arrival of autumn, they stop fertilizing Indian Potentilla. Although there is some information that if the duchenea takes root well, then it can easily do both without moisture and without fertilization.
- Transplant and soil selection. You can change the place for Indian strawberries only if the plant has whiskers available - this will make it possible to quickly take root in a new place. The frequency of transplantation is annual and this process takes place without tangible losses for the "flare". Also, those ducheneis that have already been transplanted and rejuvenated look more decorative and attractive. More mature specimens lose their showy appearance over time. It is also recommended to carry out timely pinching of the shoots - this will stimulate further branching and more abundant formation of new stalks. The substrate for Indian strawberries is selected wet, loamy and sandy loam, and the plant can also tolerate slightly saline or saline soil.
- General uses of the plant. On personal plots from dushenei, they not only arrange lawns as a ground cover, but also its dense clumps will help to strengthen the slopes, wall strips located near water bodies. The plant will look good in alpine slides, rockeries or along garden paths. Shelter for the winter is not required, since Indian strawberries survive well even non-snowy winters in our strip.
Growing from seeds and reproduction of duchenei
If you want to get a new plant of Indian Potentilla, all possible methods of reproduction are used, namely, dividing an overgrown bush, rooting a whisker and sowing seed. Regardless of the choice of breeding method, this operation is carried out in the spring.
The germination capacity of seed material in duchenei is very high, they are still suitable for 2-3 years from the time of collection. Before the seeds are sown into the soil, they must be stratified (that is, they must be kept for a certain time in cold conditions). Somewhere between December and January, you need to wrap the seeds in moistened gauze or cotton wool and put them in a plastic bag. Then it is placed in the vegetable compartment in the refrigerator and there it is kept for the specified time until the arrival of the March days. It is important not to forget to check if the fabric or cotton wool has dried out so that the seeds are constantly moisturized.
After that, a peat-sand mixture is poured into the container and slightly moistened. The seeds are not deeply buried, and the container is then covered with plastic wrap or a piece of glass, or a container lid, if available. This will create conditions of high humidity and heat - a mini-greenhouse. The container is placed in a warm place and diffused lighting. Do not forget to carry out daily airing of the crops and, if the substrate dries out, it is moistened with a spray bottle. When the sprouts hatch, grow up and a pair of true leaf plates are formed on them, then it will be necessary to transplant to a permanent place of growth.
If a place in the garden is chosen, then you should wait until the threat of morning frosts passes or on the August days. For indoor cultivation, you can immediately plant several plants in prepared pots with drainage and substrate. Sowing is also carried out in the autumn months. During vegetative propagation, cuttings with mustaches and 3-4 nodes should be cut off from the shoots. They need to be laid in a container, on the surface of the poured planting soil and sprinkled with a layer of 2 cm. The same is done in the garden, only the cuttings are distributed either randomly or in orderly rows. Then the soil is slightly compacted and moistened.
If we take conditionally, then 10 sockets rooted in this way in just one summer will be able to form a green rug with an area of about one square meter. After 2-3 years, it is recommended to thin out the planting of Indian strawberries, otherwise, when the bushes grow, they will oppress themselves.
If the spring was very protracted, and the winter was snowy, then under the layer of infusion the Indian Potentilla can vomit, but when only 2-3 buds on one single weakened tendril remain alive, the plant will quickly recover, showing miracles of vitality.
When breeding by division, the time is selected in the spring or at the end of the summer period. Duchenne must be removed from the pot or lawn soil. In the first case, this operation is combined with a transplant so as not to injure the plant once again. Then the soil is gently shaken off from the root system and the root system is cut with a sharpened knife. Places of cuts are powdered with activated or charcoal, and then the divisions are planted in separate pots. In the garden, Indian strawberries must be cut off from the total mass in a circle from the center of the outlet with a sharp shovel and pulled out of the ground. Then the steps are the same as for domestic breeding.
Pests and diseases of duchenei, methods of dealing with them
If the plant is grown in the garden, then snails and slugs become a significant problem. These "lovers" of young green foliage often attack ducheneuil. Traditionally, both folk and chemical preparations are used to combat them (for example, "Thunderstorm" or "Meta-thunderstorm" or similar with a similar spectrum of action).
If Indian strawberries are grown as an indoor crop, then a spider mite can annoy it, since this pest often appears when the conditions of detention (low humidity) are violated. In this case, the plant can be sprayed with a soap, oil or alcohol solution, or an insecticidal treatment can be applied.
Interesting facts about Ducheneu
Since it was introduced to many countries as a decorative representative of the flora, it quickly mastered the region and began to be considered a weed there.
In culture, as an ornamental plant, Indian Potentilla has been grown since 1804. And duchenei was not uncommon just a hundred years ago; it could often be found in the backyard park areas of Russian landowners. Even at that time, information about this simple flower could be found in gardening manuals, where it appeared under the name Fragaria.
There is evidence that it was Indian strawberries that served as a prototype for the inspiration of Russian masters in painting in the Khokhloma style. In their robots, often among the rich color of green foliage with triple outlines, which already resembles leafy plates of wild strawberries, here and there bright "suns" of golden-yellow flowers can be seen, and among them, like a torn ruby necklace, round fruits-berries of dushenei gleam, which are decoratively framed by bright green sepals.
Also, do not forget about the healing effect of the Indian fragaria. It is used little in traditional medicine in Russia, but Asian healers know about its strong properties. Ducheney has anti-inflammatory and antitumor properties, and it is also used for its antiseptic effect. The berries of Indian strawberries are recommended for use in case of disturbances in the digestive system, as well as in the treatment of the liver and pancreas. A decoction of leaves helps with burns and various types of wounds, relieves stress and depression, insomnia. Teas based on Dushenei foliage are used for the prevention of oncological diseases and when prescribing anticancer therapy.
It is also worth pointing out the contraindications to this plant. Although the fruit is tasteless, if taken in large quantities, mild poisoning can be caused. It is not recommended to use any drugs that include the fruits or leaves of dushenei for allergy sufferers, pregnant or lactating women, and young children.
What a duchenee looks like, see the following story:
