Datura decorative: planting and care, the best varieties and growing rules

To create a landscape landscape, plants are planted that bloom brightly, unusually or for a long time. Decorative dope - a poisonous flower. But the beauty of its buds makes you forget about the he alth hazards that can occur with careless handling. Its breeding requires careful observance of safety measures when planting, caring for, storing seeds.

General description and characteristics

Datura is a perennial plant if it grows in regions with warm winters. The weather conditions of the Middle Strip allow it to be grown as an annual crop.

Herbaceous plants have a powerful root system, from which a straight shoot departs, branching into 3 stems.The height of Datura under favorable conditions reaches 1.5 meters. Leaves on petioles, 15x10 centimeters in size, dark green, alternate. The flowers are solitary, simple or double in shape, reminiscent of miniature gramophones. The color of the corolla is snow-white, pink, yellow, red, purple. The seeds ripen in a pod studded with thorns.

All parts of Datura are poisonous. After swallowing, a person experiences hallucinations, delirium. Prolonged inhalation of the aroma of flowering Datura has a toxic effect on the central nervous system.

Types of Datura

According to the botanical classification, the genus Datura belongs to the Solanaceae family. The list of herbaceous dope includes 9 species in which flowers open vertically upwards or to the side.

Datura Stramonium - common Datura

An annual plant found wild on the edges of forests, garbage dumps in the territory from the Urals to the Mediterranean Sea. The height of the dope stems is 1.5 meters. The flowers are white, with a strong aroma. In a ripe box - up to 500-800 black grains.

Datura Metel - Indian Datura

Datura growing area - from the Caspian to the Indian Sea. The name is explained by the special relationship to the flower in India. According to Hindu theory, he grew out of the body of Shiva and is revered as sacred. The second name is Datura Metel, which means Datura magnificent, because of the graceful huge flowers.

The height of Datura stalks is from half a meter to 1.2 meters. The corolla of the flower is elongated by 20 centimeters. The color is white or purple. Testis in the form of a spiked ball filled with yellow seeds.

Datura Innoxia - Datura Indian

The birthplace of the flower, which has a second name Datura harmless, South and Central America. The annual grows up to 1.5 meters per season, if the weather and soil conditions favor it. Flower color is white. The fruit is prickly, ovoid. If the stem or leaves are damaged, the plant emits an unpleasant smell of rotten vegetable oil.

Datura Stramonium var. Tatula

Flower growers appreciate Datura for the rich lilac with a blue tint color of blossoming buds.

Datura Stramonium f. Inermis

The difference between dope and other species is the absence of spikes on the testicles.

Features of cultivation

Datura loves the bright sun, but does not tolerate cold drafts. The plant withstands the summer heat, subject to abundant watering. Datura feels most comfortable on compost and manure heaps.

Preparing the landing site

For dope choose a leeward, sunny place. The soil is prepared in the fall from a mixture of loose garden soil, rotted manure and river sand. The ratio is 2:2:1. Such a composition is suitable for sowing seeds, planting seedlings.The thickness of the soil layer should be at least 50-60 centimeters.

Planting material

Datura can be planted with seeds, seedlings from seeds or from cuttings. When planting seeds in the ground, it is recommended to stimulate their germination. To do this, they are poured with water at a temperature of 45-50 degrees for 20 minutes. Seeds that have settled to the bottom are suitable for sowing.

For seedlings, seeds are sown in March in a container with soil mixture, covered with a film and make sure that the ground is always moist and warm before germination. With the advent of seedlings, the film is removed, the sprouts are transferred to a cool, well-lit place. On the 3rd leaf, a pick is carried out and the plants are distributed in separate containers.

Boarding process

Seeds, seedlings from seeds are planted in May, when stable heat is established. Holes are prepared for planting at a distance of 1 meter. Seeds make a recess up to 8-10 centimeters.Seedlings need a hole corresponding to the volume of the root system. After planting, the soil is filled up, slightly compacted and watered abundantly with water.

Plant care

The main care for Datura is watering, pruning, and disease control. Loosening the soil and removing weeds is required for the first month, until the plant has branched shoots covered with large foliage and buds. Shade and fragrance inhibit the growth of weeds near datura.

Irrigation

Datura differs from flower crops in that it needs hard water. In its absence, datura is watered 1-2 times during the summer with lime water prepared from 10 grams of dry slaked lime and 10 liters of water. Once a week, 20 grams of complex mineral fertilizer is added to a bucket of water.

The plant does not tolerate dry soil and sheds buds. The soil must be abundantly moistened. Watering frequency depends on air temperature and rainfall.

Cutting

The fading "gramophones" are removed so that the dope bush looks just as elegant and to stimulate new budding. To obtain seeds, leave a few blooming very first flowers. Full maturation of the ovaries occurs 60 days after the start of flowering.

Pruning is carried out in 2 cases: when grown as a perennial and when stored indoors in winter. At the end of September, the youngest shoots are left at the perennial, forming the future crown.

Feeding

Once a week from June to August, 20 grams of complex mineral fertilizer is added to a bucket of water. Organic top dressing alternates with mineral ones, if there is not enough humus in the soil where the dope was planted.

Wintering

In regions with cold winters, annual datura can be dug up and placed in a spacious pot with nutrient mixture.Preliminary pruning is done with the formation of a crown from young shoots. Plants are placed in a cool room where the temperature does not rise above +15 and does not fall below +8 degrees.

Datura sheds leaves but remains viable.

In the spring, after transplanting into the ground, new leaves appear, shoots grow and buds bloom.

Disease and pest control

The appearance of gray fluffy spots on Datura leaves means that the plant is infected with gray rot, a fungal infection. The development of the disease is favored by the peculiarity of growing Datura: the need to keep the soil moist.

To combat gray rot, the bush is treated:

• 1% solution of Bordeaux mixture;
• antifungal agents;
• an infusion of ash, chalk and blue vitriol.

Plant pests - whitefly butterflies and their larvae, false spider mites. The whitefly feeds on plant sap. During the summer, caterpillars are rejected every 25 days. Caterpillars not only suck the juice from the leaves, but also secrete a sticky sweet substance on which the soot fungus parasitizes. Systemic insecticides are used to control insects, and deep digging of the soil is done in the fall.

False spider mites are microscopic in size. You can determine the infection by dried, brown leaves. As a preventive measure, autumn deep tillage is necessary. When infected, drugs containing pyrethroids, organophosphorus compounds are used.

How to propagate

For propagation, cuttings are used. Shoots are cut at the end of September. There should be 2-3 internodes on the cut. The lower leaves are removed. You can root in water or soil mixture, in good light and at a temperature of at least 20 degrees.

In mid-May, rooted cuttings are planted. Planting seedlings with the ground occurs by transshipment. The pre-watered plant is removed from the container and transferred to the prepared hole. Sprinkled with earth and watered again.

Examples in landscape design

Datura aroma depresses most flower crops. It is planted next to non-flowering shrubs, spruces, thujas. The bright tonality of colors looks more expressive against the background of dense greenery.

Datura is planted in separate flower beds on the banks of artificial reservoirs, streams or next to perennials that bloom before or after Datura bloom.

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