A perennial plant belonging to the cabbage family is katran. White or pink inflorescences that appear by 2 years of his life are very beautiful. They have a pleasant honey aroma, so many gardeners use katran as a decoration for the site.
Spread
Katran is a plant that is often called oriental or Tatar horseradish. In vivo grows in the Crimea. In addition, it is found in the wild in Europe, in southwest Asia and in Africa, mainly in the east of the continent. The Katran plant is a representative of the cruciferous family, has a thick fleshy rhizome. Representatives of this genus are perennial and annual shrubs and herbs.
Plant description
Katran is a plant reaching a height of up to 120 cm. After a year, a rosette of leaves appears. Their number is increasing every year.
The root of the plant, in search of moisture, penetrates deep into the soil. This explains the resistance of the bush to winter cold and summer drought. The root is cylindrical, fleshy, with white flesh. Its length is an average of 50 cm, weight a little more than a kilogram.
The stalk is bare, branched, covered with a slight coating of wax. Cirrus leaves, petiolate, or seropulatum.
The Katran plant has a fruit, which is a spherical pod (non-expanding). The seeds of the plant are pieces of the fruit. They are quite large - their diameter reaches 10 mm, the fruit shell is hard, does not separate.
Katran is a plant, a photo of which you can see in our article, primarily photophilous, heat - and cold-resistant. Easily tolerates even very harsh winters. Seeds germinate at a fairly low temperature (3 ° C), seedlings tolerate frosts well to -5 ° C. However, the most comfortable katran feels at a temperature of 18-25 ° C. Growth begins in early spring.
Growing conditions
The Katran plant is quite unpretentious, it does not need much heat, it easily tolerates heat and cold, prefers an unshaded area. These properties allow it to be planted in open ground in all regions of our country (with the exception of only the northern regions).
Light soil, loamy or sandy loam, is most suitable for cultivation. He does not like acidic soils and groundwater closely spaced. Acidic soil can cause fungal damage to the plant, swelling and growths appear on the roots.
The Katran plant likes to settle in areas where potatoes, cucumbers, and tomatoes used to grow. To reduce the acidity of the soil, it is necessary to make freshly slaked lime at the rate of about 200 grams per 1 sq. m
In addition, the plant needs fertilizer with humus - 5 kg per 1 square. m. Before planting, the seeds of katran should be warmed up in water about 50 degrees to prevent the appearance of powdery mildew.
We grow katran from seeds
For germination, seeds need stratification, so it is better to sow them before winter - in September-October. They will sprout early, they are enough +5 ° C, seedlings can easily withstand cooling to -5 ° C.
Spring sowing will require 2 months of keeping the seeds in the refrigerator. Soil can serve as moistened sand. After 10 days, the sowing tank must be rearranged on a well-lit window sill. Often shoots appear even in the refrigerator.
The most comfortable temperature for the development of the plant is +21 ° C.
Seedlings should be transplanted after 40 days into the ground. By this time, 5 leaves are usually formed on the katrana.
Plants should be planted in a row after 40 cm, row spacings of 60 cm. Do not worry that in the first year they develop poorly. The next green appears very early, growth is noticeably accelerated.
Growing from root cuttings
When propagating the katran by cuttings, you will need lateral roots, the length of which is about 15 cm. They are usually cut from root crops in the fall, when they are harvested, several pieces are tied and stored until spring (temperature is about 0 ° C).
Do not forget to mark the upper and lower parts so as not to confuse when landing. All excess buds should be removed from the cuttings, leaving only the top. Plant them on a prepared place at an angle, tightly squeezing the soil.
How to increase productivity
To do this, it is necessary to strengthen the growth of roots. For this purpose, a 3 cm head is cut off in a two-year-old plant. In this case, the peduncle will cease to develop, and the root crop will increase significantly.
It will reach marketable size in the second year of development. In fact, cultivating katran in compliance with modern agricultural practices, good root crops can be guaranteed to be obtained in a year. But do not forget that young one-year roots are tender, quickly wither after harvesting, so they need to be covered immediately.
Katran Plant - Species
In our country, there are more than a dozen types of katrana, however, four are most often grown and used: rod-shaped, eastern, steppe (Tatar), and sea.
The most productive are three - eastern, steppe and marine. Most often, amateur gardeners prefer the katran of the steppe or its variety - Crimean.
Katran Plant - Use
Leaves of the marine species are used for food. The heart-shaped katran is used as an ornamental plant from which borders are formed. Oil is extracted from the seeds of the Abyssinian variety.
By the age of two years, Katran root crops reach marketable size, become smooth and even. It is eaten as a seasoning, similar to horseradish.
The roots of this plant contain 9% sugars, up to 34% dry matter, from 45 to 90 mg of ascorbic acid per 100 g of wet weight. This makes them very similar in taste to the roots of horseradish.
Young shoots and young leaves of the plant are consumed in early spring. They are boiled in salted water, seasoned with oil and sprinkled with crackers.
For salting and pickling vegetables (tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, zucchini), leaves and roots of katran are used.
ethnoscience
Due to the high content of vitamin C in the leaves of the plant, they are used by traditional healers as an excellent tool to protect against scurvy. Salads are also prepared from them by mixing leaves with carrots.
The Katran plant is used to improve digestion and increase appetite. In addition, it is an excellent tool for healing wounds. With it, you can get rid of freckles, which many cause a lot of problems.
Contraindications
Like horseradish, Katran is contraindicated in people with diseases of the kidneys, liver, stomach, as well as with a duodenal ulcer and stomach.
Katran Storage
They keep root crops in storage and basements, at a constant temperature of 0 degrees and normal humidity. The roots should be sprinkled with wet sand.
Reviews
Today you learned what is remarkable about the Katran plant. Reviews of gardeners about him are positive. Many note that with a complete similarity in taste with horseradish roots, this plant on the site behaves less aggressively. Many are satisfied with its decorativeness.
As for its medicinal properties, opinions are very contradictory here. For some, this is a universal remedy for the treatment of “all diseases,” while others question this claim. In any case, before using Katran for medicinal purposes, consult your doctor.