Nightshade, which is also called solanum and potato tree, belongs to the family of the nightshade.
This family has more than one and a half thousand species of plants.
A photo
Visually see the Solanum or Potato Tree Nightshade in the photo below:
Home care
Attention! Nightshade berries are poisonous, so do not forget to warn your children about this.
Nightshade should be purchased at a time when its berries have not yet acquired a red color. It is better if they are greenish or orange.
Consider in advance where you put the plant, bringing it home.
Nightshade will feel most comfortable in well lit cool living room or bedroom.
In the kitchen, the nightshade berries will quickly fall off, as it is always warm there.
Nursery in the nursery is strictly not allowed.
Pruning
To maintain a beautiful form of nightshade is necessary every spring carry out his pruning, shortening shoots to the third part of their length. It is better to do it when the berries are ripe, and the leaves began to acquire a yellow color.
Note! If you pinch those shoots in the fall, on which there are no flowers and buds, the plant will thrive better.
Watering
Watering solanum directly depends both from the time of year and from the soil moisture in which the plant is located.
During the growing season, that is, from April to September, the nightshade requires abundant watering, which should be carried out immediately after drying up the upper tier of the earth. In other months, the plant is in the rest period, so you can water it about once every ten days.
Landing
Drainage may consist of fragments of brick or expanded clay, and its thickness must be at least three centimeters.
Soil for this plant you can cook yourself. To do this, mix in equal parts of turf soil with leaf soil and peat or mix two parts of turf soil with two parts of peat soil, two parts of humus soil and one part of sand.
You can also purchase ready-mixed soil for indoor plants in the nearest flower shop.
Transfer
Nightshade is an annual plant, but if you regularly prune and transplant it, it will please you for years.
At a young age, Nightshade needs a transplant every year. It takes place at the end of winter or in the first months of spring.
When the plant reaches the age of five, it can be transplanted once every two or three years.
Before transplanting, pruning is usually done. If it has become larger, choose a larger pot for transplanting. Place fresh drainage and soil in the pot and plant the plant, shortened half a length beforehand. Immediately after transplanting, water the nightshade, and after two weeks, start feeding him fertilizer.
Temperature
During the spring-summer period, solanum should be kept indoors, the air temperature in which is between eighteen and twenty six degrees of heat.
You can take the plant pot to the balcony, however must be protected from direct sunlight and precipitation. In winter and autumn, Solanum will feel most comfortable at air temperatures from twelve to fourteen degrees above zero.
Provide him with fresh air, but protect from drafts.
Top dressing
Top dressing of solanum should be made from the end of spring to the beginning of autumn. Fertilizers are most suitable for plants in liquid form, which should be applied two to four times a month.
You can purchase any complex liquid fertilizer for flowering indoor plants, for example, "Rainbow" or "Ideal", as well as apply fertilizer for tomatoes.
Lighting
Attention! Nightshade loves bright but diffused light.
Best of all, he will feel on the windowsill, located from the west or east. If you decide to keep Solanum on the south window, create a shadow for him in the interval from twelve to seventeen o'clock in the afternoon.
Breeding
Growing at home occurs in the following ways:
- To grow the nightshade from seeds, you will need a leafy soil.
It is necessary to sift and place in a container, and to distribute seeds over its surface. Top the seeds should be sprinkled with a small layer of sand and slightly moisten.
After that, cover the container with glass or film and place it in a place where the air temperature will be at least twenty-two degrees.
After a couple of weeks, the seeds should come up. As they grow, they need to dive twice, and then land in the prepared soil.
- If you want to propagate the nightshade with stem cuttingsit is not necessary to throw out branches after spring pruning. Choose the strongest ones and place in a mixture of sand with peat. You can try rooting the branches of nightshade in plain sand or vermiculite.
Once the cuttings have been released, they will need to be transplanted into separate pots filled with a mixture of two parts of sod land, two parts of humus soil and one part of sand. At the bottom of the pots do not forget to put drainage. In order for the plant to branch faster, immediately pinch it.
Diseases and pests
If you encounter a problem like yellowing and leaf fall Solanum, this indicates that you keep the plant in conditions of high temperature and low humidity. Move it to a cooler place and do not forget to make regular spraying.
Insufficient air humidity may cause your pet to be attacked. whiteflies or spider mite. If this happens, remove all affected parts of the plant and treat it with insecticides.
The correct conditions of keeping nightshade and conscientious care for them will ensure your plant a long life. However, in any case, do not forget that Solanum berries are a danger to human health when they are eaten.
