Decorative nightshade. Flowers and plants

Nightshade is a houseplant, which is characterized by a low evergreen shrub native to the southern regions of America, namely from the Maider Islands. The leaves of this plant have a glossy oblong shape. The nightshade shrub gained its popularity due to its unusualness, which is expressed in the simultaneous year-round growth of flowers, green ovaries and ripe berries of bright orange color on a bush.

Types of nightshade

Despite all the attractiveness of the fruits, eating them is strictly prohibited, as they are poisonous.

Therefore, in a house where there are small children, growing such a houseplant is not recommended. The nightshade family numbers more than one and a half thousand various types, of which half grows in the wild, and the rest at home.

Many cultivated species can be grown not only in room conditions, but also in open ground. Not many people know that potatoes and eggplants are also nightshade plants.

In apartments and offices you can now find quite a large number of varieties of growing nightshade. Most often, rooms are landscaped using the following types of nightshade shrubs:

False pepper. It is an ornamental tree, no more than fifty centimeters tall. A large number of branched shoots are densely covered with oblong leaves of dark green color. The flowers of this nightshade are small, white shade, and are located at a certain distance from each other. Flowering occurs continuously throughout the year. Ripe fruits resemble cherries in shape and color. At the beginning they are green, about the size of a pea, then they turn orange and at the end of ripening they acquire a bright red hue. Due to the fact that on the false pepper nightshade you can simultaneously find flowers, budding and ripened fruits, it is a good decoration for any room, especially in winter time of the year;
Peppery or peppery. A bush up to sixty centimeters high, the leaves on it are rarely located, lowered, have different sizes(from two to seven centimeters), bluish green in color with wavy edges. The flowers are small (no more than one and a half centimeters in diameter), white. It usually blooms in summer. The fruits are not large (a little more than one centimeter in diameter), ripen in the autumn-winter period, and are bright red in color.

There are also a very large number of subspecies of false pepper and pepper nightshade. Which differ from each other in the size of the bush and fruits, the colors of the leaves and berries, as well as the branching of the shoots.

For good development, abundant flowering and fruiting, indoor nightshade It is necessary that the conditions of detention meet the following requirements:

The air temperature in the room should be no less than fifteen and no more than twenty-five degrees Celsius. Simply put, for such a crop it is necessary to create spring-summer air temperatures. It should also be taken into account that most species in winter need a low temperature, up to thirteen degrees Celsius;
The lighting should be bright and almost constant. Therefore, it is best to place such plants on windowsills with a sunny side. In this case, it is necessary to constantly monitor the temperature near the window so that it does not exceed plus twenty-seven degrees Celsius, especially in the hot summer months;
Air humidity should be about sixty percent, but in no case less. To control the humidity in the room where nightshade grows, it is advisable to provide a hygrometer. If there is not enough humidity in the room, the plant should be sprayed with cool water every day and placed in a specially prepared tray with wet pebbles or sand once a week.

Compliance with the above rules for the maintenance of nightshade will help the owner grow a healthy and blooming, as well as full vital energy bush.

Reproduction options

There are two ways to propagate nightshade:

From seeds. In this case, the bushes will be well-formed and strong;
By cuttings. This method requires more time for the plant to take root and adapt to the new soil.

Depending on the planting option, the fruits on the bush can be either abundant and large, or vice versa.

To grow indoor nightshade bushes from seeds, you need:

In order for a beautiful voluminous nightshade bush to form in the future, seedlings that have reached a height of ten centimeters must be pinched and removed side shoots. Thus, the growing indoor shrub will take on a spherical shape.

Summer and winter plant care

The nuances of caring for nightshade vary significantly, depending primarily on the time of year.

Care in the warm spring-summer period, the nightshade bush requires the following:

As the soil dries, water the plant;
Carefully loosen the soil so as not to damage the root system of the bush. On at this stage, nightshade does not need fertilizing;
During the flowering period, carry out artificial pollination. In this case, you need to manually move pollen from one inflorescence to another;
When the plant reaches five years of age, you need to transplant it into a larger container with the addition of turf;
During the summer months, bring nightshade out to open air. In this case, care must be taken that the place of his temporary stay is slightly shaded and protected from drafts;
Feed mature shrubs at least once every two weeks;
Spray the leaves of the indoor resident in the morning and evening.

Autumn-winter care for nightshade is as follows:

The closer it gets to cold, the less often it is necessary to water and feed the plant. Watering is carried out approximately once every ten days. The dormant period for nightshade is from October to February;
Choose a new well-lit, but cool place for nightshade, where air humidity will be high;
Ventilate the plant once a week;
In early March, it is necessary to increase the frequency of watering, since it is at this time that the bush wakes up.

Difficulties encountered when growing nightshade

When growing indoor nightshade, problems may arise that are characterized by the following symptoms:

Reduced number of fruits. The reason is insufficient pollination. To avoid such troubles, you need to carefully move the pollen from one flower to another with a cotton swab or soft brush;
Leaves and fruits fall off. In this case, the influencing factor may be too high humidity and temperature in the room;
Damage by harmful insects and fungi. This is facilitated by a low percentage of air humidity.

The most common nightshade pests are:

Whitefly. These are green larvae that hatch on the inside of the leaf and suck the juice out of it. Subsequently, the affected leaf becomes covered with spots, after which it dries out and falls off. If you touch an infected plant, a whole swarm of barely noticeable white midges will fly out of it;
Aphid. In most cases, it attacks the plant in the summer, especially for those shrubs that have been taken out into the open air. The top of the stem and leaves are primarily affected.

To prevent the plant from pests, it must be treated with special chemicals, which are currently more than abundant in garden stores.

In contact with

Nightshade (Latin name "Solanum") belongs to the nightshade family. There are more than 1,500 species of nightshades in nature. This amazing family includes both wild and well-known cultivated plants. For example – potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant. Amateur gardeners also plant on their plots decorative variety nightshade "Curly" or variety "Jasmine". In the nightshade family there are also representatives of indoor flowers (pepper-shaped nightshade and false-pepper nightshade). These solyanums are distinguished by the brightness of their fruits and spectacular green foliage.

Mostly plants from the nightshade family are evergreen shrubs that grow in the tropics and subtropics. But the largest concentration of species is in South America.

Most nightshades are perennials, but there are also annual species. The nightshade species is so large that in this family there are herbs, shrubs, climbing vines and even trees. The fruits, as a rule, of nightshades are multi-seeded berries.

Lighting

Nightshade is a light-loving plant. Loves sunlight. Only on the hottest days is shading required.

Temperature

In spring and summer, the plant feels good at temperatures from +20⁰ to +25⁰С. And in winter and autumn, nightshade prefers cooler temperatures up to +15⁰С. If you follow these temperature conditions, the plant will bear fruit longer. Nightshade does not tolerate drafts, although it needs fresh air.

Watering

Starting in early spring, all summer and until the end of September, the plant requires abundant watering. U indoor varieties nightshade from October to February there is a period of rest. In months when the plant does not have enough light and low humidity in the room, it should be moved to a cool, bright place in the apartment and watering should be limited. During this period, the flower needs only spraying. You can start watering only with the appearance of new shoots. Usually, it is the middle of February.

Air humidity

For nightshade, the optimum air humidity is not lower than 60%. Daily spraying or moistening with a tray of water filled with expanded clay is recommended.

The soil

Most suitable composition soil for nightshade is a mixture of turf soil, leaf humus and peat. The ratio is 1:1:1.

Top dressings and fertilizers

During active growth During flowering, nightshade requires regular fertilization. These may be special fertilizers for indoor plants. Fertilizers for tomatoes are also suitable.

Transfer

You only need to replant mature plant. This should be done in early spring. During transplantation, shoots of the plant are cut to half their length.

Nightshade propagates by cuttings and seeds. Consider these 2 methods:

Propagation by seeds

Place the seeds on moist soil, sprinkle a thin layer of sand or humus on top and cover plastic film or glass. Optimal temperature for germination 20-22⁰С. The first shoots should appear in about two weeks. Next, the plant needs to be picked and transplanted into separate pots. When transplanting, pinch the young shoot. For further growth and development, nightshade requires repeated pruning. Thus, we form a more luxuriant flower crown.

Propagation by cuttings

In the spring or during the summer, we dig in the cuttings with a thin layer of soil. Nightshade takes root very well this way. Just as when germinating seeds, the young shoot needs to be pinched, then we form the plant in the same way by pruning several times.

Like other plants, nightshade is susceptible to disease and has its own pests. The most common pests are whiteflies and orange aphids. If you notice green larvae on the opposite side of the leaf, and the leaves begin to turn yellow, curl and fall off, it means that the plant has been infested by whitefly larvae. They suck out all the juices from the flower. At the slightest touch, a whole cloud of small midges appears above the flower.

How to deal with whitefly. First you need to collect all the affected leaves. Next, we begin to spray with special chemicals that fight harmful insects (insecticides). Spraying should be done at least 3 times a day.

Orange aphid. Like whitefly larvae, aphids damage the leaves of the plant. Usually, aphids settle on the underside of the leaf. They turn yellow, curl and fall off.

How to deal with . If you don’t have special spraying preparations on hand, you can use cool soap solution. Plant processing can be carried out several times.

If the air in the apartment is very dry, then there is a risk of infection with red. If a cobweb has appeared on the plant, specks that grow and merge, then immediate measures must be taken. We increase the humidity around the plant. If this does not help, then you need to spray the nightshade with acaricides.

Solyanum jasminoides- evergreen, climbing bush. The height of the flower reaches 4 meters. The branches are bare and thin. The location of the leaves is closer to the top of the shoots. They have a simple ovoid shape, and the leaves located closer to the trunk are larger, shiny, up to 6 centimeters in length. The flowers are white and blue, about 2 centimeters in diameter. The fruits of “Jasmine Nightshade” are bright scarlet berries. This type is characterized by long and abundant flowering, about 8 months.

Solyanum Gigante – evergreen shrub. The height of the plant reaches 6 meters. The branches are strong, densely branched. The shoots are covered with pubescent gray-white thorns. The elliptical shape of the leaves, reaching a length of 25 cm. The top of the leaf is bright green, and the lower part is white-gray pubescent. Hanging inflorescences with small flowers of dark purple color. "Giant Nightshade" blooms from July to August.

Solyanum "Zeafort"- a climbing shrub reaching 6 meters in height. The shape of the foliage is pinnate, that is, a group of leaf blades in which the last blade has no pair. The leaf shape is oblong with a pointed apex. The flowers consist of axillary panicles of light purple color. The fruits of "Zeafort" are red-orange in color and ovoid in shape. Long flowering from autumn to early spring.

Solyanum Wendland- an evergreen climbing shrub, reaching 6 meters in height, with highly branched branches covered with small thorns. The upper leaves are pinnately dissected and approximately 10 cm in length. The lower leaves are three-lobed, no more than 25 cm long. The color of the foliage is dark green. The flowers of "Wendland Nightshade" are bell-shaped, in the upper part they are collected in panicles. The color of the inflorescences is purple-lilac. The fruits are bright red. Blooms all summer from June to August.

Solyanum Curly- a fast-growing evergreen or semi-evergreen vine. It is also called Glasnevin. This is an unpretentious, easy-to-care plant. The flowers are star-shaped, very similar to a potato flower. The berries are pale yellow. Flowering from June to October. Gardeners use Glasnevin in vertical compositions and to decorate gazebos and walls. This species is the most cold-resistant among its family.

Solyanum Falseperechny- a small, evergreen subshrub, 50 centimeters high. Densely growing shoots are covered with rich green foliage. The leaves, arranged in pairs, have an elongated shape. During flowering, the plant is covered with small white flowers. This is a constantly flowering plant. The fruits change color as they ripen from green to bright red. The size and shape resemble cherries. The berries of Nightshade are poisonous. There is a dwarf form no more than 30 cm high. This species is very popular among indoor gardeners.

Solunum Peppery- a low-growing shrub with sparsely pubescent green-gray leaves. Height no more than 50 cm. The shape of the leaves along the edges is wavy, oblong. The size varies from 2 to 7 cm. The flowers are small, white. The fruits are up to one centimeter in diameter. The berries last on the plant for 3-4 months. The juice of the berries is poisonous. Pepper nightshade has several varieties that differ in leaf color and flower color.

In European countries it is called "Jerusalem Cherry", in our country it is known as "Winter Cherry".

Pepper solyanum is very similar to pseudo-pepper solyanum. Pepper differs only in a miniature size, there is practically no stiffness of the stem and there is a gray edge, the size of the fruit is smaller.

Nightshade care (video)

When breeding some indoor plants, you can get poisonous and toxic fruits. They may remind edible berry similar to cherries, mulberries, black currants. This can be especially dangerous for children.

ARUM

People call it ox tongue, snake flower, starch root. Produces green berries that turn red when ripe. They have a sweetish taste.

Warning.

The plant is poisonous. Under no circumstances should you chew berries and leaves. In case of poisoning, there may be an upset stomach, a burning sensation in the mouth and throat, and vomiting. With a large dose, drowsiness may occur.

AUCUBA

Growing on open places shrub plant. The berries are bright red.

Warning.

It is forbidden to eat aucuba berries, as they are very poisonous. If ingested, poisoning can manifest itself in the form of indigestion and irritation of the oral cavity.

Euonymus

Euonymus rooting (Evonymus radicans). Evergreen creeping plant. It has small oval-shaped leaves. Sometimes used as a hedge. The berries are orange or red in color and contain several grains.

Warning.

The berries are extremely poisonous. In case of poisoning, the following symptoms appear: vomiting, headache. In severe cases, loss of consciousness is possible.

PRIVET

Tall shrubby plant. Mainly used as a hedge. The plant may have shiny berries collected in clusters.

Warning.

Chewing leaves and berries is prohibited due to their toxicity. In case of poisoning, there is a burning sensation in the mouth and throat, later there may be severe vomiting with diarrhea.

BRYONIA (WHITE GRAPE, FIRE GRASS, DIEVIL TURNIP)

Beautiful climbing plant with flowers. The berry is red in color and resembles a cherry in appearance. There are grains inside.

Warning.

Outwardly, the fruit of this plant resembles a turnip. Poisoning causes indigestion. Sharp abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea.

DAPHNE (WOLF BOW, FOREST LAUREL)

When flowering, the plant produces flowers of white, red, yellow color. The berries are bright red or blue-violet.

Warning.

The berries of this plant should not be consumed, as they can cause severe poisoning. When this fruit is ingested, diarrhea appears, sometimes even bloody. There is a burning sensation in the mouth and throat. It becomes difficult to swallow. The plant itself is also poisonous, and contact with it may cause redness and even blistering on the skin.

WILD GRAPES

Climbing ornamental shrub plant. It may have small round black berries that are collected in clusters. They have a sour taste.

Warning.

10 berries will be enough to cause poisoning. Nausea, vomiting, and severe abdominal pain appear. General weakness.

BORSE

Bush-like plant of various sizes. The flowers are yellow in color. After flowering, leguminous fruits appear, which ripen by the end of summer. The pods inside are initially brown in color, then acquire a black tint.

Warning.

Flowers and berries should not be eaten due to their toxicity. Poisoning can manifest itself as dizziness, vomiting, and abdominal pain.

Datura (DEVIL'S GRASS, SLEEPING DRILL, MAGIC GRASS)

The berries are a spiny capsule containing seeds about 2–3 mm in diameter. The grains are black in color and look like beans.

Warning.

The plant is toxic, so the grains and leaves of this plant should not be chewed.

CASTOR BEAN

Annual plant. It has claw-shaped leaves. The berry looks like a prickly capsule, inside of which there are seeds with black veins and an oval shape.

Warning.

Toxic substances are found inside the seed. Poisoning occurs when chewing the berries. Symptoms include severe abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea. May break out into a cold sweat.

CORPARIA MYRTOLIA (PROVENCAL SUMACH)

Bush-like plant. After flowering, it produces small fruits of a dark red color that ripen in summer. This plant is used as an ornamental.

Warning.

Deadly! Externally, the berry of the myrtle-leaved corparia is similar to the mulberry, which people mistake them for, and can eat a certain amount. After a short time, headaches, severe vomiting, skin turn pale. If you do not provide timely medical care, convulsions may begin.

MISTLETE

Warning.

The berries should never be consumed, as they are poisonous. In case of poisoning, vomiting with bloody diarrhea and cardiac distress appear. In severe cases, there may be paralysis.

OSTRSOLOIST

A small shrubby plant. The leaves of this plant are shiny, green, and prickly. Produces red-coral berries.

Warning.

The berries are toxic. In case of poisoning, severe diarrhea occurs, which can dehydrate the body. May be accompanied by vomiting.

BITTERSWEET NIGHTLIGHT (WILD LIQUIRICE, WILD GRAPE, BITTERSWEET NIGHTLIGHT, BLACK NIGHTLANH)

The flower has a purple-yellow color and is shaped like a star. This slightly climbing plant mainly grows near bodies of water. In the autumn-winter period the berries turn red. They have a sweetish taste at first and then a bitter taste.

Warning.

The berries are toxic. In case of poisoning, vomiting, sharp pains in the abdomen, breathing is difficult.

COMMON IVY (Climbing Hedera)

Common ivy (Hedera helix), another name for climbing hedera. Bush with numerous climbing shoots, which are attached to the support with the help of aerial roots. The leaves are leathery, palmate, dark green in color. It begins to bloom quite late, at the age of 10–12 years. When flowering it produces inconspicuous, small flowers.

Warning.

The whole plant is poisonous, but the berries are especially dangerous.

Grows as a tree or shrub. Produces bright red berries.

Warning.

The berries are very toxic. In case of poisoning, severe pains in the abdomen appear, vomiting opens. The person is acting excited. Heart rate increases.

Important! Flowers in the house create comfort, and of course you should not refuse them, just follow the safety rules. When buying, check its features. Adults and children need to be explained which plant to be careful with.

Special grass is grown for cats, juicy and tasty, so that they do not encroach on other plants. And keep poisonous indoor plants away from small children, to whom it is impossible to explain the full danger, until the baby grows up and begins to understand. If any part is swallowed poisonous plant Call an ambulance right away, there is no need to rely on “maybe”.

If poisonous plant sap comes into contact with your skin, immediately wash the area with soapy water. For the mucous membranes of the eyes or nose, rinse with water for 7-10 minutes. If swallowed, immediately rinse the stomach and take activated charcoal according to the instructions. Then consult a doctor. If you are poisoned by houseplants, you should absolutely not consume milk, so as not to provoke a worsening situation; many toxins are fat-soluble.

Safe houseplants Without wanting to take risks, grow safe houseplants that will decorate the house and do not pose any danger: uzambar violets, orchids, hibiscus, gloxinia, saintpaulia, plants of the Gesneriaceae family.

(Solanum) is a shrub from the nightshade family, the genus of which includes about 1700 species. South American countries with a tropical climate are considered the homeland of nightshade. In the wild you can find annual and perennial herbaceous plants in the form of shrubs and trees, the stems of which can creep or stand upright, and the fruits are mostly poisonous. Among the nightshades there are edible species, such as potatoes, tomatoes and eggplants.

A small part of the nightshade representatives is suitable for cultivation at home - the most common are bordered, peppery and dark brown nightshade, the fruits of which are compared with small tomatoes, cherries or Mexican peppers. These Latin American machos are able to delight their owners with a decorative look. all year round. However, for this you need to know some tricks for caring for this plant.

Indoor nightshade is popularly called winter cherry or coral bush. Quite often in home breeding you can find pepper and false nightshade. They differ from each other, although only slightly. The main difference lies in the shoots of the bush. False pepper nightshade has smooth, hairless shoots and leaves, while pepper nightshade has them covered with a light gray fluff. They also differ in their properties.

The fruits of pepper nightshade are used in folk medicine for the treatment of sore throats and wound healing, and the false pepper representative is a poisonous killer.

Therefore, if a plant decorates the interior of a room, it should be located at a considerable distance from the floor so that children’s little hands do not get to the delicious berries.

Nightshade reaches a height of half a meter, is very decorative and often becomes a decoration during the New Year holidays, when the fluffy green bush is strewn with bright multi-colored berries, hence the name - winter cherry. Small berries appear after flowering and as they ripen they change color from green to rich burgundy. At the same time, the ripening of fruits on one bush is uneven, so cherries, tomatoes or peppers are of different shades, which increases the decorativeness of the plant.

It should be remembered that decorative nightshade is a plant from the tropics, so the conditions should be as close to natural as possible. The plant requires constant spraying and maintaining an optimal temperature, which is lowered in the winter.

The flower is also quite light-loving, but categorically cannot tolerate direct sunlight.

If a flower doesn’t like something, it will notify you about it:

dropping leaves means the plant lacks light
scant flowering and small fruits - about insufficient heat
curling leaves - about excess sun rays
drooping, limp leaves - about poor watering and a hot place
shrinking berries - about a lack of moisture in the soil
dull leaves - about lack of nutrition

The humidity level should always be high and not fall below 60%.

Houseplants can be propagated by seeds and:

When planting seeds, leaf soil is most suitable, on the surface of which the seed is laid out at a distance of 2 cm from each other and sprinkled with sand. The container is placed in a warm place for germination, creating greenhouse conditions using a film cover. Within 10 days, the seeds will sprout. In the first stages, the borings grow very intensively and therefore they are needed, and this procedure is carried out twice. This is necessary to give the future bush a compact spherical shape. After the second picking, the plant can be planted in the ground.
The process of propagation using cuttings is a faster process. Cut branches are used as cuttings. It is easiest to root cuttings in a sand-peat mixture, and when a sufficient number of roots have formed, transplant the plant into suitable soil. With proper care, flowering and fruiting are possible in young flowers.

The method of propagation affects the development of nightshade and the size of its berries. When propagated by seeds, the plant grows longer, but is stronger and actively bears fruit. When cuttings, nightshade requires time to adapt and the fruits of the first are small and the flowering is sparse.

The optimal soil for nightshade is a mixture of peat and clay soil in a ratio of 1:3 with the addition of a small amount of sand. It is necessary to place expanded clay or crushed stone drainage at the bottom of the planting container; small brick fragments are also suitable.

Conventionally, caring for decorative nightshade can be divided into three stages:

Spring is the stage of planting and replanting a plant.
Summer is the period of growing season and flowering.
Autumn-winter is the time of fruiting and subsequent dormancy.

The basic principles of care are to provide the necessary conditions:

Lighting. Achieving a brightly decorative flower is possible only by providing bright but diffused light, which the plant needs throughout the year. The eastern and western sides of the room are well suited for this. The south side will be very useful in winter. If there is not enough light, then the development of nightshade will be weak, and flowering and fruiting will be poor.
Humidity and temperature regime. The optimal room temperature for the full development of the plant is considered to be 18-25 degrees in spring and summer, and in winter it should be reduced to 12-15 degrees. Otherwise, your tropical friend will drop all the berries and leaves. You should also worry about protecting the nightshade from drafts. Humidity should always be high. To ensure this condition, the flower is systematically sprayed. It would be a good idea to place the pot with the plant in a shallow bowl with moistened rocky material so that there is no contact with water. With increased dry air, fruiting occurs later and is weaker.
. In the spring and summer, when the plant is intensively developing and blooming, it should be watered frequently and abundantly. Irrigation is carried out immediately after the top layer of soil dries, which occurs quickly, since the nightshade sweats intensely, evaporating moisture through the foliage. In winter, watering should be reduced.
. To bear fruit, nightshade requires a lot of strength, which can be provided by feeding. You can use complex liquid fertilizer for house flowers that bloom. It should be applied during the growing season and during fruit formation. Fertilizing is carried out once every two weeks, and when the fruits have already set, that is, in winter, the interval between fertilizing should be reduced to once a month, using half the fertilizer rate.
. Nightshade pruning is carried out annually. At the end of winter or early spring, all branches of the bush are shortened by a third. This procedure is usually performed after the fruits have fully ripened and when the leaves turn yellow. In the fall, it is recommended to pinch the plant, but only those shoots where there are no buds or fruit ovaries. This will provide better bushiness.
. After trimming ornamental shrub need to be replanted in renewed soil saturated with microelements. In this case, the pot should be slightly larger than before. But in some cases, replanting may not be necessary, because the nightshade flower quickly loses its decorative effect and it is often easier to grow a new plant.

Although nightshade is an unpretentious plant, some difficulties in its maintenance still exist:

Poor fruiting or lack thereof. This is caused by insufficient pollination during the flowering period. If the plant is not taken out into the open air, it is recommended to pollinate it artificially. For these purposes, use a soft brush, with which pollen should be transferred from one flower to another. To consolidate the effect, the procedure is carried out several times.
Nightshade sheds leaves and berries. The cause may be drafts, sudden temperature changes or heat. To eliminate these troubles, you just need to find a more suitable place for nightshade.
Pests. Insects can also cause inconvenience to the plant: whiteflies and spider mites. At risk are those plants that are kept in dry air conditions. When the first signs of an insect attack are found, the plant should be treated with appropriate chemicals or folk remedies should be used (if the lesion is not severe).

Some varieties of nightshade are poisonous. Even a small concentration toxic substances contained in fruits can lead to poisoning. Usually this is expressed in an upset stomach, but at high concentrations they can cause intoxication of the whole body, which may require the intervention of doctors.

Along with this, nightshade also has medicinal properties and can act as a home healer. The fruits and leaves of the plant are used for the prevention and treatment of many diseases, because they contain vitamins, carotenoids, alkaloids, pectins and saponic acids. These substances effectively fight bronchitis, tonsillitis and whooping cough, and are also able to heal wounds well. In addition, infusions prepared from nightshade have an anthelmintic and diuretic effect.

However, due to the toxicity of the plant, nightshade medicines should be used very carefully, after consulting with a specialist.

Flower Nightshade is quite easy to grow at home. An unpretentious and ornamental plant will require a little effort and compliance with simple rules. And due to its decorative effect, nightshade is able to decorate and diversify any interior and give a festive mood. The flower will gratefully respond to care with flowering and fruiting, giving the plant originality. And the flower can also cure household inhabitants from unpleasant diseases. However, you should keep the plant away from children to avoid unpleasant consequences.

More information can be found in the video:

Nightshade or solanum is a beautiful tree that was brought to Russia from South America. This neat plant is sure to add a special touch to any interior.

Initially, it is worth emphasizing that the beautiful and bright nightshade berries are poisonous. Therefore, such a flower should not be planted in a house where children live, as it can be dangerous for their lives.

Properly managed, it has abundant bright green foliage, white flowers, and berries that are starting to turn red. This is due to its long and abundant flowering, with proper care, Certainly.

In the warm season indoor flower Nightshade will also feel great in the fresh air, for example on a balcony or loggia. Humid air and bright sunshine will only do him good.

Caring for which includes not only watering and creating optimal humidity, but also regular feeding, it blooms and bears fruit without ceasing throughout the entire active period of growth. No deposit necessary fertilizers the flower will quickly weaken and may lose its decorative look. Therefore, the plant is fed once a week with liquid fertilizers.

Even a flower like nightshade requires certain living conditions. Caring for it at home must necessarily include the correct location with sufficient lighting, as well as timely pruning of the plant.

Given indoor plant looks very decorative and elegant. which is carried out properly, grows very quickly. Therefore, in order for the tree to always look miniature and neat, you should periodically trim the crown and side shoots, thus forming correct form. You can start pruning when the plant reaches a height of 30 centimeters.

Nightshade reproduces well both by seeds and by dividing the bush. Sowing, transplanting, and propagation are performed in the spring. Seeds begin to be sown in March; the soil should be very moist. And to avoid stagnation of water, which can harm young nightshades, it is worth ensuring good drainage.

Despite the fact that the flower grows indoors, it requires a period of rest. It starts in October and continues until March. At this time, it is advisable to provide the plant with cooler air, reduce watering, but still provide high humidity, especially if the apartment is too hot and stuffy. Feeding should also be reduced to once a month.

Thus, nightshade, which is cared for at home, taking into account all the subtleties of its maintenance, constantly blooms, bears fruit during the active period of growth and pleases with its extraordinary and somehow wild beauty.

Helpful advice

Nightshade is considered annual plant, That's why experienced growers It is strongly recommended to prune it together with replanting the bush. Then the plant is renewed and continues to delight you with its decorative appearance.