Mallow is the land on which I live. Useful and medicinal properties of low mallow (kalachik, mouse turnip, small mallow)

Geranium or pelargonium has long and firmly occupied many window sills as an unpretentious and beautiful plant. It can be grown at home and in flower beds: the flower looks great anywhere. Before buying, it is recommended to read how to care for geraniums at home.

Geranium: general information

Its scientific name is geranium - pelargonium - translated from Greek means "stork" or "crane". The plant got this unusual name because of the fruits - as long as a bird's beak.

There are more than 400 species of geraniums in the world, which can be found almost all over the world, about 40 species are found on the territory of Russia. It is noteworthy that in Germany geraniums are called "stork's nose", and in the USA and England - crail.

It is a meadow annual or perennial, growing up to 60 cm. The leaves are soft, covered with hairs, have palmate-lobed or palmately dissected forms. Large flowers have 5 regularly arranged flowers, usually collected in inflorescences. They can be terry and smooth, among the shades there are white, red, purple and blue.

Among the most popular types home geraniums are present:

In addition to "pure" varieties, there are great amount hybrids that you can grow yourself. Among domestic species, the name pelargonium is often found. They belong to the same geranium family, but differ appearance . Despite this, care for pelargonium at home, like for geraniums, is almost the same.

How to care for geraniums

Home care for geraniums, photos of which are easy to find, has borne fruit, it is necessary comply with the basic conditions:

1. Geranium feels great at room temperature: in summer it can fluctuate in the range of + 20-25 degrees, in winter it should not fall below + 10-14 degrees. It is better to choose a place away from drafts.
2. But towards the light, the flower is more capricious: the plant can even be left under direct sunbeams, without fear of harm, since the lack of light leads to the shredding of leaves and flowers. The only thing that may be required is to turn the pot from time to time so that the plant forms on all sides. In winter, the lack of light is filled with fluorescent lamps. If there is not enough light, the leaves will begin to rapidly turn pale.
3. For geraniums, the simplest purchased universal soil is suitable. You can cook it yourself by mixing 1 part of turf and foliage, one and a half parts of humus and half of the sand. Drainage should be placed at the bottom of the pot.
4. The flower loves moisture and requires regular and frequent watering. In this case, water should not stagnate in a pot or fall on the leaves. High humidity also contraindicated. You can use settled tap water, rain and melt moisture is also suitable. In winter, it is required to halve the frequency of watering, as the plant is at rest.
5. A transplant is required only if the pot has become small. You should not choose large pots: geranium treats them badly and blooms profusely only in "cramped". Optimal sizes will be: height 12 cm, diameter - 12-15 cm.
6. The plant is not picky about complementary foods and is content with standard mineral fertilizers. They are brought from March to September twice a month. You can also use specialized fertilizers for geraniums.
7. To form a beautiful appearance, you can occasionally cut the upper and side branches, as well as remove dry leaves and flowers.
8. Reproduction of pelargonium occurs by cuttings at any time of the year.

Proper transplant

Geranium not good for transplant, and therefore it is better not to change the pots more than 1-2 times a year. The reasons may be the following factors:

1. The roots have become cramped: you can check this by carefully pulling the geranium out of the pot;
2. Due to excess moisture, the flower began to wither;
3. Despite the care, the geranium does not develop and does not bloom;
4. The roots are very bare.

Pelargonium is usually transplanted in the spring, February to April, but this is not important: you can transplant a plant even in winter, only the bush will take root longer. It is also not recommended to touch flowering plant: it already spends a lot of energy on flowering and will not perceive well new house. Instead of transplanting, you can update upper layer soil, adding fresh as needed.

Some flower growers, as an additional care, transplant geraniums every spring to the street in a flower bed, and in the fall they "take" it back. This helps to heal the plant itself, and at the same time split the roots for propagation.

1. It is necessary to prepare all the tools, and treat the pot with a bleach solution if it has already been used previously for another plant. This will avoid the transmission of the disease.
2. Drainage is laid out at the bottom of the pot. It can be small stones or foam.
3. Geraniums are watered to keep the ground moist. Then you need to turn the pot over and carefully remove the plant from it, trying not to break or damage the roots. To separate the earth from the pot, you can lightly knock on the walls and bottom.
4. The roots are inspected, and if rot or signs of disease are found, they are carefully cut off.
5. The flower is lowered into a pot and the empty places are covered with earth, lightly watered, compacted and poured with more soil.
6. After transplantation, geraniums are harvested in dark place for a week, then transferred to a designated place. After 2 months, you can feed.

In a similar way, the plant is transplanted from the street in the fall before the onset of frost. If necessary, you can make a gentle cut. To do this, shorten all the shoots, leaving about 20 cm. The cut should be a few millimeters from the node. During the winter, geraniums will not be able to produce strong enough stems, and therefore pruning will have to be repeated in February-March.

Pelargonium can be propagated by seeds and cuttings: the first option is suitable for obtaining new varieties, the second for a new bush. Also, geraniums can be propagated by rhizomes, but waiting for this you need to have some experience.

Reproduction by seeds

It is possible to plant pelargonium seeds from the beginning of March, having previously cultivated the earth with a weak solution of potassium permanganate to protect against diseases. You can use purchased soil by adding to it sand and humus. The seeds are scattered over a loosened surface and lightly sprinkled with earth on top, then the container is covered with a film to create greenhouse effect and clean for several days in heat. When the sprouts are strong enough, they can be planted, after which standard care begins.

Reproduction by cuttings

The best time for propagation by cuttings is spring. A cut cutting with 3-4 leaves (it is better to cut it off from the top) is placed in water and waiting for the roots to grow. After the pelargonium is dried and buried in the ground.

Alarms

If the appearance of a geranium has suddenly changed for the worse, this need to pay attention:

1. With a lack of moisture, the leaves dry out and turn yellow, with an excess, they become lethargic and unnecessarily dull, gray rot appears on the stems;
2. If the leaves, especially the lower ones, have begun to fall off, there is a lack of lighting;
3. If the plant has stopped blooming, this indicates excessive big pot or lack of rest in winter.

Like any plant, geranium even after good care subject to attack by pests and diseases.

Conclusion

Geranium is unpretentious plant, with home care that even novice gardeners can handle. It does not require special growing conditions and frequent transplantation, easily tolerates direct sunlight and drought. The only thing to remember: geranium has a negative attitude towards high humidity and systematic transfusions. In such conditions, she will quickly wither and die.

home geranium care

A plant from the geranium family, which has become an integral attribute of everyday life, does not look very attractive by the end of winter. Cutting allows you to refresh the old bush and get planting material for breeding young flowers.

Pelargonium: general information

The culture comes from India and South Africa. At the end of the 16th - beginning of the 17th century, the plant came to England: sailors brought it to the botanists of the Royal Gardens. Europe got acquainted with pelargoniums at the end XVII- early XVIII century.

The British scientist George Tradeskan took up. He called each new variety an angel. The result of hard work is variegated plants, dwarf species, pelargoniums with bicolor and double flowers.

Now biologists know about 280 types of culture. These are annual and perennial herbaceous plants, shrubs and shrubs.

Pelargoniums have managed to win the worldwide love of both professional gardeners and just lovers of indoor plants. They are undemanding to care, multiply easily, throw out large, colorful inflorescences. The flower is used for interior decoration, as ampelous plant, they decorate balconies and garden plots.

This plant is often referred to as the flowering geranium. In everyday life it is called "Kalachik". The name of the genus itself comes from the Greek word "crane": long boll too strongly resembled the beak of this bird.

The species most often found on window sills is zonal pelargonium:

• To thick stems (height from 30 to 80 cm) are attached pubescent leaves with a strong smell. They are decorated with dark concentric circles.
• Thanks to this pattern, the plant received another name - bordered pelargonium. Bright inflorescences-umbrellas consist of simple or double flowers. Their shade is white, pink, raspberry, orange, red or cherry.
• Cultivate the plant by dividing the bush, seeds or cuttings. If you need to get flowering geraniums as soon as possible, you should stop at the last way. With this method, the new perennial will retain all the qualities of the parent variety.

Pelargonium - which has received recognition for its unpretentiousness and beauty.

Reproduction by cuttings: all the subtleties

In principle, it is possible to harvest planting material all year round, but in the spring the roots will appear faster. The reason is the beginning of active sap flow. Zonal and ivy pelargoniums will need 2 weeks for this, royal - up to 4 weeks, fragrant - up to 6 weeks. When cuttings in winter or autumn, the appearance of roots will have to wait twice as long. If life processes in the tissues of an adult plant are suspended, then they may not appear at all.

Young pelargoniums grown in the cold season will begin to stretch upward when natural light. During the winter months, they will lose their original compactness. In the spring, the plants will have to be pruned without pity.

The most favorable period for flower reproduction is spring and summer.

You should not worry too much about the maternal perennial: the branches should be cut almost to the root, leaving 1-2 cm of the stem. Sleeping buds on this piece will bloom in the summer, returning the pelargonium to its former splendor. The kalachik will "throw" all its forces on the development of new, actively flowering branches.

Secrets in cuttings:

1. The most easily rooted and grow rapidly. The shoot is suitable for propagation if it has at least 2 pairs of leaves. Only in this case will he have enough strength to take root.
2. All buds, flower arrows break off without exception. No matter how sorry they are, it is simply necessary to do this. Otherwise, pelargonium will "get carried away" by flowering and "forget" to take root.
3. Harvest cuttings only with a clean tool. The knife is wiped with alcohol before cutting from each new geranium: the chances of transferring possible diseases from the affected plant to a healthy one are reduced.
4. Chopped shoots will take root well in. This is a soil with the addition of sand and vermiculite.
5. For successful cuttings, it is important to choose the optimal time and suitable shoots.

After the first abundant watering, the cuttings are "watered" with care. The plant does not yet have roots, so it does not need much liquid. Severe waterlogging will lead to decay of young pelargoniums. It is not necessary to spray the shoots. The success of cuttings will be told by the roots that will appear through the transparent walls of the cup. The established plant will actively grow and form new leaves.

The flower is transplanted into a pot in the presence of underground shoots around the entire perimeter of the container.

Some pelargonium connoisseurs buy special peat tablets. They will increase in volume if soaked for 1-2 minutes in warm water.

In the center of the tablet there is a recess where the planting material is inserted. The design is placed inside a disposable glass and wait for the roots to appear from the drainage hole. The technology of cuttings of pelargonium consists in the correct preparation of raw materials and the provision of conditions for its rooting.

An accustomed plant will "signal" with its appearance about violations in the conditions of detention. Pelargoniums are also troubled by pests and diseases of indoor flowers.

Problems and ways to solve them:

• Turned yellow lower leaves. With a lack of moisture, only their edges dry out. If the pelargonium is flooded, the entire leaf will wither.
• The edges of the leaves are reddened. The plant is cold. In winter, the pot with a ball should be moved away from the window.
• The base of the stem has darkened. Geranium is affected by a black leg. The flower will have to be destroyed. The cause of the disease is waterlogged, dense soil.
• The stems are exposed. Little light.
• The leaves are covered with gray mold. This is a fungal disease caused by excess moisture. Rescue measures - removal of the affected parts, treatment with a fungicide.
• Healthy-looking pelargonium does not bloom for a long time. Inflorescences do not form due to too warm air in winter.
• Yellowing spots appeared on the leaves. Such a kalachik is affected by rust.

Knowledge of the rules for caring for rooted cuttings of pelargonium will help maintain their health and blooming appearance.

Periodic pruning of the kalachik allows you to simultaneously obtain raw materials for growing young bushes. The reward for the labors is pretty, brightly flowering pelargoniums on the windowsill.

More information can be found in the video.

An annual plant from the Malvaceae family with an ascending stem 15-30 cm high. Leaves are alternate, rounded, whitish flowers. Blooms from June to August. The fruit is dry, has the shape of a ball.

Mallow grows in weedy places, near dwellings.

Medicinal raw materials are flowers and leaves collected during flowering, as well as roots.

AT folk medicine an infusion of flowers or leaves is prescribed for colds, diarrhea, inflammatory processes in the stomach, intestines and respiratory tract (especially with dry cough and hoarseness). When used internally, preparations from flowers and leaves reduce irritation and inflammation. Mucus has a large adsorption surface and acts anti-toxic. Outwardly, the infusion is used as a rinse for sore throats, as poultices and ointments for hemorrhoids, burns, skin diseases, wounds and ulcers.

Application

Infusion of flowers or leaves: 1 tbsp. pour a spoonful of raw materials with a glass of boiling water, insist 2 hours and take 1-2 tbsp. spoons 3 times a day.

The plant contains a lot of mucus, ascorbic acid, carotene, malvin, fatty oil.

In folk medicine, a decoction of the leaves is drunk for urinary retention and female diseases, a decoction of the roots and leaves - for inflammatory processes. respiratory tract and diseases of the throat, oral cavity. Young leaves and stems

are used in the spring as a remedy for the prevention of colds and as a laxative. The calyx flowers are considered emollient and enveloping. Crushed fresh leaves are applied to abscesses, boils, inflamed skin.

The leaves can be used fresh or cooked in salads. The fruits are also edible.

Geraniums (pelargonium, kalachiki) have a huge number of advantages and everyone knows it, and caring for geraniums in winter at home is only a pleasure, delighting with its greenery. There are more than 50 species of this plant. Indoor geranium fits well in any home interior and dilutes it with its bright and beautiful flowers because it blooms all year round.

Geranium came to Europe from South Africa in the middle of the twentieth century, and immediately fell in love with aristocrats due to its ability to decorate. Over time, she is among ordinary people became popular.

Geranium care

Home care for geraniums is determined by its southern origin. This is a plant that loves the sun very much. It is better to put it in the house in the brightest place, especially in winter time. In summer, pelargonium can be planted in open ground on the street. After exposure to fresh air, it acquires luxurious look, and she has new leaves and flowers. Blooming geraniums should be periodically fed to keep the flowers bright and numerous. To do this, use a liquid fertilizer, which is diluted in ordinary water for irrigation. In summer, top dressing is done every second week. In winter this is not necessary. geranium blooms in early spring and blooms until mid-winter. For the normal growth of room geraniums, the usual room temperature of 20 ° C is suitable. But these flowers do not like drafts. Watering the balls is not very large quantity water, but always. The soil for these plants should always be moist. During watering, it is necessary to avoid getting water on the leaves, for this reason spraying is never done.

When caring for pelargonium, how houseplant many flower growers are worried when her leaves begin to turn yellow. But this is quite normal. The yellowing of the leaves can be caused by natural dying off. This phenomenon is observed when geraniums are transferred from the street to the house in the fall, yellowed and fallen leaves are an inevitable and natural process. Thus, there is an adaptation to the changed conditions. Sometimes this happens because it's time to replace the pot with a larger one.

winter care

Geraniums do not tolerate cold well. Therefore, all care for pelargonium in winter period is to care for the flower, which comes down to keeping it in a sunny, warm place. Even the slightest cold snap can lead to death of pelargonium.

One way to preserve the rolls in the winter is to place them in spacious pots that allow the roots to spread freely. Then you need to trim the geranium, leaving only half or a third of the height of the plant. Also, do not forget about regular watering and a sunny location.

Proper watering

Caring for room geraniums at home determines the presence of due attention to watering. In summer, it is watered abundantly, while avoiding waterlogging of the soil. In winter, watering geraniums should be moderate, and air humidity is low. Sometimes there is no flowering. This greatly upsets flower growers. The reason for this is often an excess of moisture in the soil.

Transplantation

For better flowering when caring for geraniums, a transplant is recommended. But only in the case when its roots in their development require a larger volume or in case of an accidental overflow of water during the irrigation process. When transplanting, it must be borne in mind that the kalachi do not like spacious pots.

When placing a flower in a new pot, it is necessary to take care of good drainage in order to avoid stagnant water after watering, otherwise rotting may occur at the roots. The composition of the substrate for geraniums does not need to add special ingredients. good for him normal fit soil, which can be purchased at the store, and even just earth from the garden.

reproduction

breeds indoor geranium using cuttings. With this type of reproduction, success is guaranteed. But this can also be done with the help of seeds, which will allow the plant to grow more compact, with the best flowering and larger inflorescences. But seeds require more attention and are troublesome and difficult for beginner growers.

When propagating pelargonium by cuttings, it is necessary to cut a stem 10 centimeters long from the top of the shoot with 4-5 leaves. Then it is placed in water for several days, and after the appearance of several roots, it is planted in a pot with soil. But there is another option, when the cutting is immediately planted in a light mixture of peat and sand, and installed in a semi-dark place, to accelerate the growth of the roots, not the stem. With regular watering of the plant, a full-fledged specimen of geranium will grow in 1–2 months.

Sowing is done, as a rule, in March, to provide the plant with a sufficient amount sunlight. Seeds pre-treated with a manganese solution are sown in a not very deep container that has good drainage. After laying out the seeds on the surface of the soil, they are slightly pressed into it. Then cover with polyethylene and place in a warm shaded place. After seed germination, the film is removed, opening access to fresh air. And when two leaves appear on the stem, they are planted in small pots or cups, at the bottom of which there is a mandatory hole to remove excess water during irrigation.

At proper care indoor geranium lives up to 30 years, and all this time it will be able to delight everyone with its beautiful flowers almost all year round.

You will be interested to see photos and videos on caring for geraniums.

55 years have passed, and I finally learned the name of the plant that we ate on the banks of the Sukhona River in childhood.

Our childhood was spent fresh air, in the yard, on the banks of the river ...
Parents were at work all day, and we were left to our own devices.

Hungry, we ran to the steep bank of the Sukhona River, where the "gypsy turnip" grew - that's what we called this plant. But only now, from a program on the ESTATE channel, I learned that this is a wild mallow - mallow. Its fruits are really like a ball and very tasty. We liked it. And now I found out that this is a medicinal plant. Maybe that's why we didn't suffer from any intestinal diseases.))))

Here is what I found on the internet :
Mallow is a one- or two-year-old herbaceous plant from the Malvaceae family. It has branched stems 30–120 cm high. The leaves of the grass are round-heart-shaped, five- or seven-lobed, with serrated edges. The flowers are whitish-pink, small, appear in July and bloom until August. Mallow fruits are rolls. The plant has many species; it grows wild along roads, in parks, in wastelands, in vegetable gardens. Cultivars adorn the front gardens of amateur gardeners, the flowers of such species are larger.
Beneficial features mallow

The herbaceous plant is rich in vitamins and proteins, ascorbic acid, carotene. The leaves contain water, nitrogenous substances, sugars. Green rolled fruits contain a large amount of ascorbic acid and anthocyanin compounds, including malvin chloride. The plant has a softening, enveloping, soothing and anti-inflammatory effect.

The use of mallow

In folk medicine, the entire aerial part of the plant is used. An infusion of flowers and leaves is taken for lung diseases, sore throat, trachitis, dry cough, restore hoarseness and loss of voice. Rinsing eliminates inflammation of the tonsils and oral mucosa. Lotions are effective for burns, inflammation of the eyelids, tumors and rashes of various etiologies.

A decoction of mallow: 1 tablespoon of grass must be poured with a glass of boiling water, insisted for 2 hours and taken orally 1-2 tablespoons 3-4 times a day. For lotions and rinses, the concentration of the decoction should be increased. The beneficial properties of the herb due to the abundance of mucus have a laxative effect in chronic constipation, help get rid of intestinal atony.

Mallow low (Malva pusilla), northern mallow, squat mallow, kalachiki, small mallow.

Distributed everywhere. Weeds fields, gardens, orchards. It grows in garbage places, near housing, along fences, along ditches, along rivers and reservoirs, etc. It drowns out crops, depletes and dries up the soil.
Is medicinal plant, grass is harvested during flowering.

Mallow flower tea is useful for drinking with pain in the stomach, liver, intestines, flatulence and diarrhea.

Types of mallow

In nature, there are several types of mallow. All of them have the same properties and practically do not differ in appearance.

Mallow low - an annual plant, blooms with white flowers from June to August, during the same period, raw materials are harvested. In folk medicine, an infusion of flowers or leaves is used for colds, to reduce irritation and inflammation. Mucus plays the role of an adsorbent, removes toxins and toxins. With a dry, exhausting cough, it is useful to take drugs internally and externally for catarrh of the throat, hoarseness. From a tumor of the spleen, hot baths with the addition of a decoction of grass help.

Common mallow - a biennial herbaceous plant, grows in the south and in middle lane European part of Russia, the Caucasus, Central Asia. This type chooses wastelands, roadsides, orchards, kitchen gardens and sparse gardens. AT medicinal purposes flowers are used, sometimes the leaves of the plant. Enveloping properties due to the presence a large number mucus, have an excellent effect on the healing process with inflammation of the mouth and throat.

Mallow infusion : two cups of boiling water should brew 4 tablespoons of flowers and leaves, leave for 2 hours, strain and squeeze out the raw materials. Apply infusion for rinses and compresses.

Mallow musky has a pleasant aroma, as a culture has been grown in Europe since 1596 (late 16th century). This perennial plant grows up to a meter high. The leaves, flowers and root of the plant can also be used to treat respiratory organs and digestive system.

curly mallow - a fairly powerful, fast-growing plant with a thick erect stem yellow color. It grows quickly, the bush reaches two meters in three months, you can hide behind its dense greenery. Beautiful wavy leaves remain green for a long time, they are very tasty and nutritious, reminiscent of chicken meat. They are added to salads, first courses. The dried leaves can be ground into a powder and used for healing or as a hearty condiment.

Mallow squat - herbaceous annual plant with a weak lying stem and light, almost white flowers. His chemical composition the same as other species, it has anti-inflammatory and expectorant properties. Fresh leaves in crushed form are applied to wounds, ulcers. They are able to dissolve boils and accelerate the healing process.

Contraindications to the use of mallow
Serious contraindications to the use of mallow as a medicine have not been identified.

I AM GRATEFUL TO THIS PLANT for helping us to survive!