Loosestrife loosestrife belongs to the family Loosestrife. In the people it is called placoon grass. In the natural environment it grows in North Africa, Eastern Australia, Europe, Asia (except for Middle and Southeast). It can be found throughout Russia, except in the Far North. Introduced in the North. America and New Zealand. The flower is used in landscape design, traditional medicine. In addition, the loosestrife is a good honey plant.
Description of Loosestrife
It is a herbaceous perennial that prefers moist and nutrient rich soils. In the natural environment near water bodies, near marshes, etc.
Reaches 80-200 cm. The stalk is tetrahedral, covered with a hard pile. The rhizome is tree-like, thick, creeping. The leaves are oblong, up to 10 cm, resemble willow. In summer, the green is an emerald hue, in the fall - crimson.
Star-shaped flowers, numerous. Collected in spike-shaped inflorescences. Blossom in the second decade of summer. After wilting, the formation of box-fruits containing numerous small seeds begins to form.
Gives amber honey. It tastes tart and pleasant.
Varieties of marshmallow
Loosestrife loosestrife (plakun grass) is one of the most unpretentious varieties of this plant. He is able to tolerate adverse weather conditions in central Russia. Popular varieties cultivated by gardeners:
| Title | Description | Flowers |
| Robert | The bush is small in size, not higher than 0.5-0.6 m. | Coral, closer to the reddish-salmon hue. |
| Swirl | Airy, translucent. Thanks to this variety, floral arrangements add volume. | Delicate, lilac-lilac. |
| Lady Sackville | Forms a textured and tall bush. Usually planted in the background. | Pinkish raspberry. |
| Blush | Pudding color. | |
| Gypsy blood | Up to 1.2 m. The greens are bright, emerald. | Purplish pinkish. |
| Pink pearls | Up to 120 cm. Forms large curtains from slender shoots. | Collected in compacted, candle-shaped inflorescences, crimson. |
| Candle fire | With a developed green mass of dark malachite tone. | Dark purple. |
Care, propagation and planting
Reproduction occurs:
- cuttings;
- division;
- seeds.
Subject to all the rules, the germination rate of planting material is almost 100%. Propagation by cuttings is carried out in May-June:
- Separate the root shoots that have reached 10 cm, with 4 real leaves.
- Place in a Kornevin solution or plain water for rooting.
- After root formation, plant in open ground under polyethylene.
- In the fall, prepare the soil mixture: dig the land with horse peat (per 1 sq.m 8-10 l). To keep the substrate better moisture, mulch with loose compost.
- Move the bush to a permanent place. Flowering can be observed in the next season.
Division of the bush is a laborious and difficult method of reproduction. You need to act very carefully so as not to harm the plant:
- In the spring or fall, dig up the planting holes.
- Put a thick layer of compost on the bottom.
- Divide the rhizome with an ax.
- Delenki immediately land on a permanent site.
- When planting between the bushes, leave a distance of 40 cm.
- This method of reproduction is usually used for young specimens until the rhizome has managed to get very lignified.
Features of seed propagation:
- seed is harvested in the fall, and sown from January to March;
- seedlings are kept at a temperature of + 17 ... +21 ° C;
- seedlings will sprout after 3-4 weeks;
- transplantation is carried out in mid-May, when the threat of night frost disappears;
- flowering can be expected only in a few years;
- if you sow the seeds before the start of winter, they will be stratified, the buds will begin to form after a season;
- with this reproduction, varietal characters rarely pass.
Planting and caring for loosestrife loosestrife does not require special skills. Even novice gardeners can grow it, the most important thing is to follow simple rules:
| Care | Recommendations |
| Location / Lighting | He loves sunny areas. The brighter the lighting, the more luxuriant and longer flowering occurs. It is necessary to plant in a place where there are no strong gusts, drafts do not walk. Otherwise, the stems may break. It is preferable to choose places near the coastal edge and dig into the substrate by 30 cm. |
| Soil mix | Greasy and rich in humus. The acidity indicator is medium or low. |
| Watering | Moisture-loving plant. If it is not planted near a pond, you need regular and abundant hydration. However, short-term drought tolerates well. During this period, you need to water a couple of times a week (if necessary, more can be). On ordinary warm days - once every 7-10 days. |
| Top dressing | Contribute before the formation of inflorescences. Use low nitrogen mixtures. Excess mineral will provoke lodging of stems. |
| Pruning | It is prone to self-sowing, therefore, before fruit ripening, peduncles must be removed. Re-trim in March or at the end of October: remove the dried above-ground part under the base. In spring, shorten the stems by 15-20 cm so that the side shoots grow better, the bush was more voluminous. If necessary, you can pinch all summer. Too long and in the wrong direction to cut branches to trim. |
| Other care | Periodically remove weeds, loosen the earth around the trunk, mulch with compost or peat. |
Diseases and Pests
Loosestrife loosestrife rarely affects diseases and insects. Sometimes the aphid begins to live on the bush. It can be recognized by the following signs:
- small moving dots of green or black;
- sticky, syrupy coating;
- light small spots (traces of punctures);
- deformation of shoots and leaves;
- a stop in development.
If placun grass is used as a medicine, poisonous preparations cannot be used to destroy. You can exterminate insects using:
- soap or tobacco solution;
- a decoction of garlic, onion peel or tops of tomatoes.
You can attract aphids into the garden of natural enemies: birds, ladybugs, some species of wasps. The larvae of these insects are in stores for gardeners.
With severe damage, it is necessary to use instektsidy, but then you can not use the plant for treatment or collection of honey. The most effective poisonous drugs:
- Intavir;
- Actofit;
- Trichopolum;
- Jaguar;
- Fitoverm and others.
Mr. Dachnik recommends and warns: the medicinal properties of the moss and contraindications
Marshmallow contains useful elements:
- alkaloids in the seeds;
- glucosides and tannins in the rhizome;
- anthocyanins in inflorescences.
The plant has the following medicinal properties:
- antiseptic;
- hemostatic;
- wound tightening;
- anti-inflammatory;
- sedatives;
- general strengthening;
- painkillers;
- vasoconstrictor.
It is used to treat many pathological conditions:
- migraine and hum in the ears;
- exhaustion of the body;
- colds
- gastrointestinal infections;
- disorders of the stomach and intestines;
- stool problems;
- fever
- convulsive seizures;
- nervous disorders (including depression and hysteria);
- cuts and other mechanical damage to the dermis;
- pathologies of the upper respiratory tract;
- toxicosis during gestation;
- sleep disturbances;
- hemorrhoids;
- inflammation of the prostate gland;
- rheumatism;
- bruises;
- eczema
- varicose extensions;
- bites of rabid animals and snakes.
Plakun grass can be used not only in fresh form. With timely collection and proper drying, it will not lose its medicinal qualities even with long-term storage.
A torn plant cannot be kept in the sun, only in the shade and in the draft. Drying takes about 2 weeks. For medicinal purposes, dry grass can be used for 3-4 years.
Despite such a huge number of useful properties, lingonberry can not be used by every patient. Grass has contraindications:
- high blood pressure (because it has vasoconstrictor properties);
- atherosclerosis;
- fast coagulability of blood;
- chronic constipation;
- tendency to form blood clots.
To avoid adverse effects and complications, before using any alternative prescription, you need to ask the opinion of a doctor. In addition, funds from the loosestrife cannot completely relieve the pathological condition. They only relieve symptoms and accelerate the recovery process. Therefore, the grass can only be used as part of complex therapy, with pharmacy drugs and other traditional methods of treatment. Only in this case the placun grass will be beneficial and will not harm health even more.
