Echinacea is an amazing plant that came to Europe from North America. The beautiful flower contains tremendous healing power, so it is used by traditional and traditional medicine to treat various diseases. In addition, the plant is very decorative, unpretentious in cultivation, grows for a long time on one site, so it should be planted in your garden. Read about growing Echinacea flowers in this article.
General information
This plant from the Astrov family has five to nine species and many varieties that differ in flower size, petal color and other characteristics. But only purple echinacea received a detailed study. Therefore, when it comes to this flower, most often this variety is meant.
Echinacea flower is native to North America. In the wild, places of growth are fields, rocky hills, limestone wastelands, moist soils, dry steppes, light sparse forests, but always it should be open spaces. Indigenous people - Indians, knew about the healing properties of the plant, so a century ago they cultivated it and began to grow for medicinal use. The perennial Echinacea flower came to Europe after the American continent was discovered. In our country, the European part is the place of growth.
Echinacea: description and cultivation
This crop belongs to perennial herbaceous medicinal plants with erect stems. Their height reaches 60-100 cm, sometimes one and a half meters. Branched roots have numerous processes that deepen into the soil by 25 cm.
Wide leaves form a rosette. In the root zone they are attached to the stem on long stalks, in the stem - on short stalks. Flowering continues throughout the summer period. Fruits, in the form of tetrahedral achenes, are brown in color and five to six millimeters long. The diameter of inflorescences-baskets is 10-12 cm. Their location is the top of the stems. For the purple color of the lovely flowers, this plant is called the "American Golden Flower" or "evening sun." Attractive inflorescences are decoration of gardens and excellent honey plants.
Echinacea: growing a perennial flower from seeds
This plant is bred in two ways: seed and vegetative. In the second case, the rhizome is subject to division into parts. This can be done with the onset of spring or at the end of autumn. When growing Echinacea from seeds, they do not need to be stratified, but seedlings do not appear soon, after about 40 days. Germination requires moisture and heat. Therefore, seeds are not sown immediately in open ground. First they are placed in a greenhouse, only then the grown seedlings are planted in the garden at a constant place of growth, otherwise this year only the formation of a rosette of leaves will occur.
In order for Echinacea to bloom this summer, seeds for seedlings must be sown in February, at the end of the month, or in March. For this, nutrient soil is poured into the box and planting material is scattered on its surface. Seeds are deepened a centimeter into the soil and sprinkled on top of the ground. For their germination, the optimum temperature is 13 ° C. Seedlings are planted in the soil of the garden plot in May, in the middle of the month. To do this, choose a place well lit by the sun.
Vegetative propagation
Echinacea can be bred by dividing the rhizome. This must be done early in the spring, before the blooming of the leaves and lignification of the shoots begins. In order for parts of the rhizome to quickly take root and develop better, they are placed for some time in a solution that stimulates the growth of plants. During the landing of the delenoks, special attention is paid to the root necks, they should not be deepened, they must be left at the level of the soil surface.
Meristemic method of reproduction
The most common method is to grow Echinacea flowers from seeds. However, industrial plant breeding puts forward its conditions: a huge number of copies of the required varieties is needed. Therefore, nurseries grow echinacea meristemally. Tiny plants appear early in the spring, they are immediately sent for sale.
If such a plant is in your house, it must be transplanted into another container with nutrient soil, put in the shade and do not forget to water it. After a month and a half to plant in the garden for constant growth. Such plants are sometimes immediately after purchase placed in open ground. In this case, they need to be covered with plastic bottles, cutting out the bottom. It will be peculiar greenhouses for tiny flowers.
Landing
Echinacea in one place grows to five years, so the place for its growth must be carefully selected. You should know that the shadow and even partial shade are not for this flower, in such conditions it will simply die. The plot should be sunny. The composition of the soil does not have special significance for this plant, the main thing is that it is not sandy. Planting an echinacea flower and leaving after the procedure can be carried out both in autumn and in spring. As for care, it is carried out throughout the growing season.
When planting seedlings grown from seeds, small holes are dug out at a distance of 25-30 cm from each other. Their depth is five to seven centimeters. In each hole you need to pour compost and mix it with the ground. If adult seedlings purchased with pots are planted, the depth of the holes should be greater than about 40 cm. For 1/3 of its volume, the pits are filled with a mixture, which includes garden soil, sand and compost in equal amounts. The plant in the purchased pot is first watered well, then carefully removed, with whom it is not necessary to shake off the earth. Then landed in the hole. The depth of planting of an echinacea flower should be the same as in a pot.
Indoor flower
Many people are aware of the healing properties of Echinacea, but it is easier for fans of herbal medicine to go to the pharmacy for medical treatment. So in vain, this plant can be grown on the windowsill. Homemade Echinacea flower is called "prickly like a hedgehog." Indeed, the large middle of the cone-shaped inflorescences is somewhat reminiscent of an animal that has released its thorns. The popular name is "American Chamomile."
Gardeners know a flower as a plant that is grown in open ground. But there were enthusiasts and learned to breed echinacea at home. It turned out to be convenient: both beautiful and profitable. In the wild, the height of the plant reaches one meter or more. In the interior of the apartment, especially the small one, such flowers are too bulky. Therefore, small varieties are grown on the windowsill: lilac-purple, red or orange-purple, pale pink.
The technology for sowing seeds is the same as for seedlings. It is described above in the article. When the sprouted sprouts get stronger, they are planted in separate flower pots in which they will grow constantly. Plants do not need special care.
Home Conditions
For good growth, pots with seedlings are placed on a sunny windowsill, located in the south or southeast direction in relation to parts of the world. In a warm period of time, plants need to be taken out onto a balcony or veranda. When the end of August arrives, the indoor flower Echinacea needs to be brought into the apartment and treated with a strong infusion of garlic.
This is a protective measure against pathogenic microbes and small pests with which a plant on the street could be affected. In winter, the "American chamomile" should grow in a bright, cool room with an air temperature of 12-14 ° C. At this time, watering is reduced, top dressing is completely eliminated.
Similar crops
Echinacea-like flowers are chamomiles, gerberas, gatsanii, coreopsis, chrysanthemums, pyrethrums and others. They are used in the preparation of bouquet compositions and for growing in flower beds, they are unpretentious in care and frost-resistant. They are distinguished by a long flowering period and beauty. Echinacea and similar flowers have a great resemblance.
- Chamomiles with echinacea are similar in their first purely visual perception, since the inflorescences of these two plants are in the form of baskets, and this immediately catches the eye. But in fact, the receptacle and the middle flowers differ in structure, the extreme ones in color and size. In Echinacea, they are large, 10-12 cm in diameter. Petals are long, often hanging down.
- Some varieties of echinacea resemble the gerbera. In addition, they can also stand cut off in the water for two weeks or more. Just put them in partial shade, in a room without drafts, change the water in the vase every two days, spray it in the afternoon, and take it out to a cool room at night.
- Gatzania, which is called the "African exotic daisy", looks like echinacea. Only the structure of the petals with bright stripes in the first flower is denser, the height is smaller. A closer look, of course, reveals a lot of differences, but we are only talking about external similarities.
Care
A perennial plant is unpretentious, does not need additional care. He copes with diseases and pests on his own. Adapts to any conditions: depleted soils, drought, frost. But this does not mean that Echinacea flower care is not needed. The simplest rules include:
- Protection against weeds. For this purpose, flower beds with flowers should be regularly weeded, weeds should be removed from the root, seeds should not be ripened, otherwise after this period the wind will scatter them throughout the planted area. Echinacea after weeding begins to grow and bloom better.
- Growing conditions will be much better if the flowers are watered as necessary and fed at least once a season with mineral fertilizers containing phosphorus, potassium and nitrogen.
- Faded buds must be removed. To do this, the stem is cut at a level of 20 cm from the soil surface, otherwise flowering will slow down.
- One place for growth is used no more than five years, after which the plants need to be dug up, divided into parts and each planted separately in another area.
- Echinacea is a frost-resistant plant, but for safety, it is better to prepare for the winter. To do this, the vegetative part must be cut to the very base, spud the bush and add mulch. Plants that are weak in appearance should be covered with fallen leaves.
Disease
Echinacea has a strong immunity, therefore it is rarely exposed to diseases. The danger for it is the prolonged rains that characterize the summer period in many regions. Powdery mildew or rot appears on the plant at this time. In case of detection of these diseases, it is necessary to treat the leaves, flowers and stems with fungicides.
Healing properties
Echinacea flower is a popular medicinal plant with a long history. It has been used since ancient times in folk medicine. So, in America, the roots were considered the best remedy for snake bites that infect with their poison, they treated blood poisoning. Self-prepared tinctures, decoctions, ointments were used for all kinds of ulcers, tumors, infected wounds, colds, and animal bites. Already at the end of the XVII century in the United States, this plant was included in the official pharmacology. In European countries, scientists describe two species of this plant: purple and narrow-leaved echinacea.
About three decades, the study of medicinal plants began to be engaged in in many countries of the world. It turns out that treatment with any traditional methods simultaneously with echinacea becomes much more effective. Currently, root-based extracts and herbaceous parts of the plant, including flowering inflorescences, are used to prepare 240 different preparations. Echinacea flower is part of the patented AIDS drugs. Preparations with the content of this plant in their composition have a stimulating effect on human immunity.
In our country, based on the Echinacea purpurea flower, they produced the immunostimulating agent Estifan, which has been approved for use since 1995. Today, pharmacies sell drugs of foreign manufacturers with echinacea in their composition: Golden Root, Active Day, and many others. You can buy candy, carbonated sweetened water, tea.
Medical experts have recommended the use of echinacea in diseases such as bronchitis and meningitis, otitis media and stomatitis, burns, blood poisoning and gum disease. The plant treats eczema and psoriasis, purulent ulcers and boils, gangrene, herpes and much more.
Echinacea is useful as an adjunct in the treatment of diseases of oncology, lymphatic system, and thyroid gland. It is used for exhaustion, depression, fatigue. Helps with rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes. Used to treat diseases caused by exposure to harmful substances on the human body.
It turned out that the echinacea flower not only has antiviral and antibacterial effects, but also, like antibiotics, kills bacteria, viruses and fungi. This plant, as an ambulance for the body, so it is used during the period of mass spread of infections.
Harvesting and storage
Plants of two years of life are used as medicinal raw materials. Elevated part: leaves, stems, flowers are harvested in the summer, when mass flowering occurs. At this time, plants accumulate a large number of substances that are called biologically active. You need to cut them in the morning, but after the dew has dried.
For winter harvesting, gardeners cultivate a perennial echinacea flower in their dachas. Bunches of plants are sent for drying under a canopy or in the attic, the main thing is that they are in the shade. Flowers are dried separately from leaves and stems. Freshly picked plants can be stored for a long time, if you place them in a glass bottle and pour alcohol with 70% content of the main substance.
The roots are best harvested in the fall, at the end of the growing season. If for some reason it was not possible to do this, they are dug up with the onset of spring, until the leaves have time to grow. Roots should be washed under running water, remove all diseased or spoiled. You can dry in any conditions: in the shade, in the sun, in the oven. In dried raw materials, all properties that are used for medicinal purposes are preserved for two years.
Echinacea in landscape design
Due to its high decorativeness, the flower is used to decorate territories, namely:
- It is an indispensable plant for gardens in the English style.
- Gardens of aromas cannot do without it.
- Used in borders.
- Flowers adorn the sides of the garden paths.
- They look good in compositions with other perennial flowers and herbs.
- They are used in mixed mixborders, in the style of Moorish lawns or improvised man-made meadows.
- Echinacea looks good in flower pots, containers, hung and arranged throughout the garden.
- Planted in group plantings or lonely growing bushes.
- Combined with ground cover large plants.
Healing tinctures
You can cook them yourself at home. All parts of Echinacea have healing properties.
- Alcohol tincture for internal use. With its help, the body is strengthened. She cooks easily. It is necessary to pour the root of the plant with alcohol, using a proportion of 1:10, and put it in a warm place for one month, let it brew. Take 20-30 drops before meals three times a day.
- The body is strengthened by an oil tincture. It is prepared as follows: a root weighing 200 g is poured with vegetable oil in the amount of one liter and infused for 40 days. Take with colds, tonsillitis, flu. Dose and frequency: one tablespoon after eating three times a day.
- Healing tea. It’s easy to cook. To do this, grind three flower buds and two teaspoons of leaves or the same number of roots. All this is poured with 500 ml of boiling water, infused for 40 minutes and the tea is ready. For preventive purposes, one cup is taken per day. With colds or viral diseases, the norm remains the same, but the number of doses increases up to three times. Tea enhances immunity, cleanses the body and slows down aging. It should be taken exactly a month. Then take a break for the same time so that the body itself defends itself.