Goldenrod honey plant: appearance, productivity and useful properties

The quality and composition of natural bee honey directly depend on the plants from which the insects collect nectar. The herbaceous goldenrod bush with bright yellow flowers is known to beekeepers as a productive honey plant. The end product of beekeeping from the nectar of this plant is characterized by a healing composition and a long crystallization period. What the plant looks like, and what useful properties it is characterized by, we will understand further.

Goldenrod appearance

Common goldenrod is a perennial undemanding plant. In its natural environment, honey plant is found in forests, steppe zones, on the banks of water bodies, in mountainous and hilly areas.

• Depending on the variety, goldenrod grows up to 1 to 2 m.
• The main stem is straight, with many elongated leaf blades and teeth along the edges, emerald hue.
• During the flowering period, the plant produces racemose inflorescences in the form of panicles, blooming with bright yellow small flowers.

Besides common or bush goldenrod, there are other varieties of honey plant.

• Daursky goldenrod is found in meadows, hilly and rocky slopes, in forests and fields. A herbaceous bush during the growing season grows up to a mark of 1 m. During the flowering period, inflorescences appear on the plant in the form of panicles with yellow, small flowers.
• The wrinkled variety of honey plant prefers to grow on soil with high humidity, often found on the sides of roads and railways. The bushes are tall, reaching a 2-meter mark in a season.The plant is characterized by reddish shoots, oval-shaped leaves and bright yellow small flowers.
• Canadian plant variety is resistant to low temperatures and large inflorescences in the form of panicles, reaching a 35 cm mark. Herbaceous bushes are tall, growing up to 2 meters per season.

During the vegetative period, each plant can bloom more than 70 thousand small flowers with sweet, fragrant nectar.

Important! Goldenrod blooms for a long time, starting at the end of June and continuing until the beginning of autumn, which increases its value as a honey plant.

Honey productivity and honey quality

Due to the long flowering period, which stretches for 2-2.5 months, the honey plant is of particular value to beekeepers.Depending on climatic and weather conditions, from 100 to 180 kg of high-quality bee nectar per season is obtained from 1 ha of plantings. The collected nectar is not candied for a long time, it can be stored in the hive throughout the winter period, therefore it is used to maintain and feed insects in the cold season.

The fresh product of beekeeping is characterized by a yellow or beige tint, viscous texture, sweet taste and a tart, bitter aftertaste. In the process of sugaring, the nectar thickens, acquires a darker color, and the bitterness is replaced by a subtle sourness and a pleasant fruity-floral aroma.

Important! Fructose predominates in goldenrod nectar, thanks to which the valuable product can remain in a liquid and transparent state for a long time.

Useful properties of honey plant

Due to the rich composition of vitamins, minerals and other useful substances, goldenrod has healing properties that have been used in traditional and folk medicine for more than 3 centuries.

Apply honey plant as a prophylactic or therapeutic agent in the following cases:

• as a diuretic to restore the proper functioning of the genitourinary system and eliminate edema;
• the plant has an antiseptic and anti-inflammatory effect, is used to combat infectious, viral and fungal diseases;
• has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, helps in the complex treatment of digestive disorders;
• has a healing property, used for skin lesions, for scarring of various wounds, ulcers and erosions;
• helps cleanse and improve blood composition.

The plant also contains biologically active compounds that protect the body from the harmful effects of the environment, the development of neoplasms and cardiovascular diseases.

Infusions and decoctions from a medicinal plant are used to cleanse the body of harmful and toxic accumulations, used in the process of losing weight.

In cosmetology, honey plant is used to make rejuvenating and nourishing masks, creams and balms. Plant extract slows down the aging process of the skin, gives it elasticity and a he althy look.

Important! During the fermentation of nectar in the hive, the beneficial and healing substances that make up the plant acquire the maximum concentration.

Features of cultivation

Medonos is unpretentious to climatic conditions and soil composition; it is found everywhere in its natural habitat. The plant is rarely planted on household plots, and there is a reasonable explanation for this.

Herbaceous shrub grows rapidly and suppresses other horticultural crops. The plant propagates by seed or vegetatively.

In the case of growing a crop in a vegetable garden or in a garden, careful thinning of the plants is required. Perennial goldenrod does not require complex care and agricultural technology. After 2-3 seasons, the bushes are divided and transplanted to a new place of growth.

Honey plant prefers to grow and develop in well-lit areas. During the season, the bushes, if necessary, are watered, fertilized and protected from damage by diseases and pests. In late autumn, after the end of flowering, the plants are cut to a mark of 10-15 cm from the soil surface.After the appearance of snow, snowdrifts are raked over the plantings.

Important! Most often, the honey plant is affected by powdery mildew. In this case, the bushes are treated with fungicide-based preparations.

Where it blooms

In the wild, honey plant is distributed throughout the European part of the Russian Federation, in Siberia, the Far East, is found in the Caucasus and the Crimean Peninsula. The timing of goldenrod flowering directly depends on the climatic and weather conditions of the growing region.

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