Herbarium is dried plants that have retained their attractiveness. It is not only flat, but also voluminous. It all depends on the drying method. Some need a herbarium solely as a home school assignment for children. Others create entire panels and paintings with dried flowers. For most, the fundamental choice of technique is the rate of drying of plants.
Press drying
The least simple way to obtain a herbarium, which is also called cold drying. Leaves with flowers are laid between the leaves of a book or paper towels. Press is placed on top. The book is used when they want to get a herbarium from small plants and in small quantities. In other cases, it is advisable to take a paper towel.
The blanks are ready for use in a week. When to use paper towels they change daily. Often, if the flowers are overexposed under pressure, they become too fragile. To correct the situation allows a solution prepared from PVA and water, taken in proportions of 1: 4.
Flowers and leaves for fakes and garlands can be dried without using the press. They can simply be laid out on paper, and then neatly straightened. If you plan to use the herbarium to create beautiful panels or paintings, a press is already required here. It is better to use a special one that you can buy at a needlework store or make it yourself.
hot drying
It is an express method for obtaining a herbarium. Dried plants are ready the next day. Best of all, this option is suitable for cornflowers. Other types of flowers may turn pale, losing their attractive color.
Hot drying is not only quick, but also simple. Flowers with leaves are laid out on paper. Cover with another leaf on top and iron it with an iron until the plant loses all the moisture, that is, the steam stops flowing.
Large inflorescences, the petals of which contain a lot of moisture, can be dried in the microwave or oven. The temperature should not be high. It is necessary to carefully monitor the entire process and prevent browning of the petals.
Alternative drying with a hair dryer
Microwave and oven - not the best The best way obtaining a herbarium. In addition, you have to periodically monitor the safety of the petals. The advantage of a hair dryer is that the flowers do not darken. Most parents, when preparing a herbarium for a child for school, dry the plant using this device.
The most ordinary hair dryer without any bells and whistles will do. The main thing is that you can adjust the speed of the hot air supply. If you turn on the device for full power leaves can quickly curl up. To make the herbarium good, the plant is allowed to “rest” from time to time, and then dried again with a hairdryer.
Natural drying
Very popular with gardeners and owners country houses with own personal plot. Plants can not only be hung by the stems, but also simply laid out. It is best to lay the future herbarium on rice napkins, blotting paper or cardboard.
Covering plants is not recommended. Do not lay flowers under the scorching sun. It is enough to choose a non-humid place where enough natural light penetrates. The natural drying process takes two to three weeks and allows many flowers to be harvested at once.
Drying in water
Some flowering plants fade quickly. They do not have time to dry up to wilting. These include hydrangea, almost all bulbous, fully unblown carnations, lavender, and so on. To obtain a herbarium from such plants, it is necessary to use combined drying - water "plus" air.
Some water is taken into the vase. Four or five centimeters is enough. The stem should have a diagonal cut. A plant is placed in a container, which will be dried as the liquid evaporates. When the buds wilt, the plants are removed. To prevent mold from starting to appear, the ends of the stems are cut. The plant is dried on cardboard, paper, napkin.
Drying flowers with bulk materials or bulk
There are many materials that absorb moisture well. They are ideal for creating herbarium and flowers. Bulk materials allow you to preserve the beauty of the petals. The most popular substances are silica gel, perlite, storm. An alternative may be hygroscopic cotton wool. Petals when dried in bulk substances do not wrinkle and acquire a rich color.
Preparation
Flowers are cut on a sunny day. If there is too much rainfall, drying will be delayed. Therefore, it is recommended to plan the harvesting of the herbarium only during the dry season, until the rains begin. The best time is considered to be noon or a little later, when the dew has already managed to evaporate.
Flowering plants are cut along with the stem. Most the latter is cut off, leaving quite a bit. Gently thread a thin wire inside. The end of the wire is wrapped in a ring. This method allows you to further calmly connect the flower with the stem, which is dried separately.
Drying technique
The selected material is poured into a deep cup. You can take any cardboard box. Perlite, silica gel or storm is poured in a layer of one to two centimeters. The flower is laid on top so that the lower small piece of the stem is at the bottom. The petals are neatly sprinkled. It is necessary to ensure that they are separated from each other, and the substance penetrates deep inside.
On a note! Bulk material can be used repeatedly. The main thing is to leave it in an open container, for example, on the windowsill to dry.
When the flower is completely covered, the container is tightly closed. It should stand in a dry place from three to five days. The larger the inflorescences, the longer they dry. The dried flower is removed from the box with tweezers. The powder remaining on the petals is shaken off or blown away with a rubber bulb. The flower is connected to the stem.
river sand
Perfectly absorbent excess moisture and dries, but has one drawback. It lies in the fact that drying takes from two to three weeks. In addition, sand cannot be used immediately. It is first sifted and calcined on fire. The advantage is the availability of the material and the absence of the need to pay for the substance.
As a container, it is best to take a container with an opening bottom. This allows you to quickly get rid of the sand. If zinnia, calendula, gerbera are dried, the flowers are laid down front side. The rest, on the contrary, are placed with inflorescences on top. Otherwise, there is no difference between the previous method.
Dehumidifier selection
There are several popular desiccants - substances that quickly absorb moisture. Each has its own characteristics:
- Borax, corn and white flour. Differ in low cost. The duration of drying in the desiccant is 8-18 days.
- Semolina. More suitable for small and medium flowers. Large petals may fall apart. The medium-sized inflorescences are perfectly preserved and keep their shape.
- silica gel. Allows you to dry small colors in 2-4 days, and large ones in 6-7 days. It can be used multiple times. The downside is the cost. For five liters you will have to pay 150-300 rubles. Before use, be sure to calcine in the oven at 100 degrees for about 2-3 hours.
- Salt. It absorbs moisture well and has a low cost. It is often used to dry the herbarium, but you have to wait about a month for the flowers to dry. It is best to take fine salt, which is able to penetrate deep into the petals.
If the drying speed of the herbarium is of paramount importance, it is best to use silica gel.
Absorbent wool - an alternative to bulk materials
Flower petals are perfectly preserved when dried with absorbent cotton. Pieces of this material are laid between the petals. They must be separated from each other. Cotton wool must be laid carefully. Otherwise, you can damage the flower and the petals will begin to crumble.
The flowers are hung from the stems. Unlike creating a flower herbarium using bulk materials, you need to cut the plant completely. Separating the inflorescences from the stems is not required. Flower heads dry for about 5-6 days. Plants are removed a little later, when the stems are completely dry.
There are several ways to preserve plants for a bouquet: in the air, in moisture-absorbing bulk materials, in glycerin, under a press and an iron.
Air drying
The most accessible and simple is air drying.To do this, use a dry, dark, well-ventilated and cool room, but the air temperature should not be below 10 ° C. Depending on the size of the plants, drying lasts from 5 to 15 days.
Ears of cereal plants are easily dried and ornamental grass. They are harvested just before flowering or when they acquire a light straw color.
Tie in bundles of 5-10 pieces. At the same time, the ends are cut so that they are at the same level, and the tops are at different levels. Bunches are best made from plants of the same species.
In the attic, in the garage or pantry at a distance of not less than 15 cm from the ceiling, they stretch a fishing line, wire or rope and hang the plants at a distance of 10-15 cm from each other, securing with clothespins.
Flowering plants are cut when the flowers are in full bloom. The lower leaves and thorns are removed. 5-6 plants are tied so that the flowers do not touch each other, and the leaves are well ventilated. Hang upside down.
If the stem of the flower is thin and fragile, then a thin wire is threaded into it so that it does not break after drying.
If you need to bend the stem, after drying at the bend, it is wrapped with a cloth soaked in hot water, and after a while, gently, slightly twisting, give the desired shape.
You can air-dry flowering plants such as cornflower, decorative onions, poppy, montbrecia, lilac (cut off when only the lower flowers bloom), physalis. Gypsophila and hydrangea are dried differently.
Water is poured into a vase to a height of 5 cm and the ends of the stems are immersed in it. Drying occurs as the water evaporates. The tips of the stems that were in it are cut off, as they can become moldy.
Drying flowers in bulk materials
In order to preserve the appearance of valuable flower plants as much as possible, they are dried in loose substances that absorb moisture well - storm, perlite, silica gel - or with laying flowers with pieces of hygroscopic cotton wool.With such drying, the petals do not wrinkle, and the color becomes more intense.
Flowers are cut on a sunny day so that there is no moisture on the petals, the head is separated from the stem and a wire is inserted into it, it is folded under the flower in a ring.
The desiccant is poured into a deep cup or box with a layer of 1-2 cm and the flowers are laid on it with the rest of the stem down.
Then the petals are carefully poured so that they separate from each other, and trying to ensure that the substance penetrates deep into the flower. When the head is completely covered, the box is tightly closed and placed in a dry place for 3-5 days.
The dried flower is picked up with tweezers, the desiccant is poured into a bowl and reused.
The remnants of the powder are carefully shaken off, blown off with a rubber pear and the flower is connected with a wire to a separately dried stem.
River sand can be used as a drying agent. Only it must first be sieved and well calcined on fire. In this case, drying lasts 15-20 days. As a container, it is better to use a round cardboard box with an opening bottom, because after drying it is better to remove the sand from the bottom.
This is how roses, peonies, dahlias, chrysanthemums, marigolds, buttercups, daisies, primroses, delphiniums should be dried. When saving marigold, gerbera and zinnia flowers are placed face down.
Petals are well preserved when laying them with pieces of hygroscopic cotton wool. They are laid until all the petals, including the middle ones, are separated.
Then hang by the stem to dry. Flower heads dry out in 5-6 days. However, cotton wool is removed only after the stem becomes dry.
Liquid way to preserve plants - in glycerin
There is also liquid way preservation of plants - in glycerin.This is how branches and leaves of shrubs are usually preserved. To do this, use a mixture of two parts hot water and one part glycerin.
This liquid is poured into a vessel to a height of about 10 cm. In plants, the lower leaves are cut off, the stem is split with a knife.
Put them first in a vase with water for 3-4 hours, and then for 2-3 weeks in a solution of glycerin. Keep in a cool and dark place. As the solution evaporates, add hot water.
With the use of glycerin, amaranth, bergenia, barberry, cotoneaster, cypress, fern are dried.
Drying plant leaves under an iron, under pressure
Leaves of plants are dried under the iron. They put them on paper, cover with paper and iron them. Then the paper sheets are changed to new ones.This procedure is repeated until the moisture is completely evaporated from the leaves.
And herbs, and cereals, and flowering plants will crumble less if, after drying, you sprinkle them with hairspray.
Plants that are going to be used in the panel are dried under pressure. To do this, paper is laid on plywood and flowers wrapped in paper are laid out.
Cover with a sheet of plywood or thick cardboard and put a load. Several layers of plants can be dried under one load.
To speed up the process, the plants are shifted every day, replacing damp paper with dry paper. It usually takes 5-7 days to dry under pressure.
Pressing can dry most medicinal herbs, ferns, flowers of pansies, clematis, mallow, primrose, violets.
phytodesigner A. Olshanskaya
Our grandmothers, growing strawberries, or strawberries, as we used to call them, were not particularly worried about mulching. But today this agricultural practice has become fundamental in achieving high quality berries and reducing crop losses. Some might say it's troublesome. But practice shows that labor costs in this case pay off handsomely. In this article, we invite you to get acquainted with the nine the best materials for mulching garden strawberries.
Succulents are very versatile. Despite the fact that “kids” have always been considered more fashionable, the assortment of succulents with which you can decorate modern interior, it is worth taking a closer look. After all, colors, sizes, patterns, degree of pricklyness, influence on the interior are just a few of the parameters by which you can choose them. In this article, we will talk about the five most fashionable succulents that surprisingly transform modern interiors.
Mint was used by the Egyptians as far back as 1.5 thousand years BC. It has a strong aroma due to the high content of various essential oils with high volatility. Today, mint is used in medicine, perfumery, cosmetology, winemaking, cooking, ornamental gardening, and the confectionery industry. In this article, we will consider the most interesting varieties of mint, and also talk about the features of growing this plant in open ground.
People began to grow crocuses 500 years before the advent of our era. Although the presence of these flowers in the garden is fleeting, we always look forward to the return of the heralds of spring next year. Crocuses - one of the earliest primroses, whose flowering begins as soon as the snow melts. However, the timing of flowering may vary depending on the species and varieties. This article focuses on the earliest varieties of crocuses that bloom in late March and early April.
Shchi from early young cabbage in beef broth is hearty, fragrant and easy to prepare. In this recipe, you will learn how to cook delicious beef broth and cook light cabbage soup with this broth. early cabbage it cooks quickly, so it is placed in the pan at the same time as the rest of the vegetables, unlike autumn cabbage, which takes a little longer to cook. Ready cabbage soup can be stored in the refrigerator for several days. Real cabbage soup is tastier than freshly cooked.
Looking at the variety of varieties of tomatoes, it is difficult not to get confused - the choice is very wide today. Even experienced gardeners he is annoying sometimes! However, it is not so difficult to understand the basics of selecting varieties “for yourself”. The main thing is to understand the peculiarities of culture and start experimenting. One of the easiest tomato groups to grow are varieties and hybrids with limited growth. They have always been appreciated by those gardeners who do not have much time and energy to care for the beds.
Once very popular under the name of room nettle, and then forgotten by everyone, coleuses today are one of the brightest garden and indoor plants. They are not in vain considered stars of the first magnitude for those who are looking primarily for non-standard colors. Easy to grow, but not so undemanding as to suit everyone, coleus require constant supervision. But if you take care of them, bushes of velvety unique leaves will easily outshine any competitor.
Salmon backbone baked in Provence herbs is a “supplier” of delicious pieces of fish pulp for a light salad with fresh wild garlic leaves. The mushrooms are lightly fried olive oil and then watered apple cider vinegar. Such mushrooms are tastier than ordinary pickled ones, and they are better suited for baked fish. Ramson and fresh dill coexist perfectly in one salad, emphasizing the flavor of each other. Garlic sharpness of wild garlic will saturate both salmon flesh and mushroom pieces.
A coniferous tree or shrub on the site is always great, and many conifers are even better. Emerald needles of various shades decorate the garden at any time of the year, and phytoncides and essential oils, secreted by plants, not only flavor, but also make the air cleaner. Generally, most zoned adults coniferous plants, are considered very unpretentious trees and shrubs. But young seedlings are much more capricious and require competent care and attention.
Sakura is most often associated with Japan and its culture. Picnics in the shade flowering trees have long been an integral attribute of the meeting of spring in the Land of the Rising Sun. Financial and academic year here begins on April 1, when the magnificent sakura blossoms. Therefore, many significant moments in the life of the Japanese pass under the sign of their flowering. But sakura also grows well in cooler regions - certain types can be successfully grown even in Siberia.
It is very interesting for me to analyze how people's tastes and preferences for certain foods have changed over the centuries. What was once considered tasty and traded lost its value over time and, conversely, new fruit crops conquered their markets. Quince has been cultivated for more than 4 thousand years! And even in the 1st century BC. e. about 6 varieties of quince were known and even then the methods of its reproduction and cultivation were described.
Make your family happy and make themed Easter egg-shaped cottage cheese cookies! Your children will be happy to take part in the process - they will sift the flour, combine all the necessary ingredients, knead the dough and cut out intricate figures. Then they will watch with admiration how the pieces of dough turn into real Easter eggs, and then with the same enthusiasm they will eat them with milk or tea. How to make such original cookies for Easter, read in our step by step recipe!
There are not so many decorative and deciduous favorites among tuberous crops. And the caladium is a true star among the variegated inhabitants of the interiors. Not everyone can decide to start a Caladium. This plant is demanding, and first of all - to care. But still, the rumors about the unusual capriciousness of the Caladium never justify. Attention and care allow you to avoid any difficulties when growing caladiums. And a plant can almost always forgive small mistakes.
We have prepared a hearty, incredibly appetizing and simply elementary dish for you today. This gravy is one hundred percent universal, as it will suit every side dish: vegetables, pasta, and anything. Gravy with chicken and mushrooms will save you in moments when there is no time or you don’t want to think too much about what to cook. Grab your favorite side dish (you can make this ahead of time to keep it hot), add gravy and dinner is ready! A real lifesaver.
Among the many different varieties of these most popular vegetables, we will talk about three that are distinguished by excellent taste and relatively unpretentious conditions cultivation. Characteristics of eggplant varieties "Diamond", "Black Handsome" and "Valentina". All eggplants have a medium density pulp. In "Almaz" it is greenish, and in the other two it is yellowish-white. They are united good germination and excellent yield, but different time. Everyone's skin color and shape is different.
How pleasant it is to take a bath with fragrant medicinal herbs or drink tea from the fees! In summer, this is easy - you just need to take desired plants and use them according to the proposed recipes, and in order to be able to enjoy such procedures even in the cold season, you need to know how to properly prepare blanks in advance, that is, how to quickly dry the grass. You will learn about this from this article.
Why dry herbs?
It is necessary to dry the grass in order for it to retain its beneficial properties, so that during storage the leaves, roots and stems do not rot and do not get into them. annoying insects or rodents. If you know how to properly dry the grass and follow a certain sequence of actions during harvesting, all the plants that you like can keep their properties for up to 2 years.
Herb Harvesting Rules
Before you dry the grass, ask yourself how much time you are willing to spend on it. The usual procedure will take several weeks, during which time you will need to do some manipulations with the plants and constantly monitor the process. But this is the only true option for saving maximum number useful substances.
Such a preparation of herbs looks like this:
- Gather the herbs you need early in the morning - best time when the dew has evaporated.
- Sort plants by type. Remove any broken or imperfect parts.
- Separate the parts of the plants that are useful to you - stems, leaves or roots and seeds. If you can use one whole plant - this is not necessary.
- Rinse each branch well, removing soil, insects from the leaves and stems and washing away possible impurities of chemicals, if the site was treated as such.
- Shake gently to remove most of the water.
- Spread evenly in a thin layer on a paper or cloth towel - a prerequisite: the litter should absorb moisture well.
- Put on flat surface in a well-ventilated area or outdoors but only away from direct sunlight is best.
- Collect in bunches as soon as the main moisture comes out. It is advisable to make small bouquets, wrapping them with a thin thread.
- Hang down with leaves on a string in a suitable room - with good ventilation, perhaps even without light and so that there is no access for bugs.
- Wait for the herbs to dry completely.
If you are not a bright adherent of long procedures or you simply don’t have time for this, but you want to make some fragrant herb preparations, there are several ways to quickly dry the herb. Use the option below that is convenient for you.
Method 1
If you have a dehumidifier in your house, use it. The advantage of such a device is that you can independently regulate the temperature and intensity of air circulation. In solving the problem of how to quickly dry the grass, this device is used in this way:
- Turn on the appliance and let it warm up.
- Set the temperature in the range of 35-41 °C. If in the room high humidity- it is allowed to increase this indicator to 51 ° С.
- Arrange the desired plants in special drying trays with a mesh bottom.
- Install next to a dehumidifier.
- Wait for the herbs to dry.
Important! The drying time is usually 1 to 4 hours. It depends not only on the created conditions, but also on the natural level of humidity in specific types of herbs. For example, it will take less time to dry such herbs:
- rosemary;
- parsley;
- thyme;
- sage;
- thyme.
The process will be longer for such varieties:
- lemon balm or mint;
- oregano;
- basil;
- tarragon.
Please note that if you do not have time to resolve the issue of how to dry the grass of these species on time, they will rot due to the increased moisture content in the stems and foliage.
Method 2
Another modern method, which is increasingly used by home craftsmen in order to quickly dry grass - processing in microwave oven. For this:
- Put a sheet of paper on a plate without a border and shiny details - take a sheet large and thick.
- Spread the herbs on it in a thin layer.
- Top with another sheet of paper.
- Put in the microwave.
- Dial a cup cold water and also put inside.
- Turn on for 30 seconds, check after this time how dry the plants are.
- If not enough, add another 10 to 30 seconds.
- Repeat as many times as needed until the herbs are completely dry.
Important! If the procedure takes more than 1-2 minutes, change the water in the cup. It is needed so that dry leaves and stems do not catch fire, part of the energy given out by the microwave will be spent on heating the water. If in deciding how to quickly dry the grass, you preferred this particular method, keep in mind that part useful properties will go away under the influence of electromagnetic waves.
How do you know when herbs are dry and ready to be stored?
You can understand that it is time to finish the drying procedure and you need to start storing plants as follows:
- Feel the leaves and stems.
- If they are dry, crunchy and easily crushed, drying is over.
- If soft parts remain or even signs of decay appear, you must continue, and discard all damaged elements.
How to store dry herbs?
To maximize the shelf life, follow these tips:
- Grind all the stems, leaves, roots.
- If desired, immediately prepare the types of fees you need according to the selected recipes.
- Prepare dry and clean containers - containers made of wood, ceramic or thick cardboard, jars, preferably dark glass, or paper bags. Do not take plastic or plastic ones.
- Pour dry mixtures into containers.
- Close lids tightly.
- Sign each jar - note what exactly is in it and the date you filled it.
- Put in a dry and dark place.
