Erect cinquefoil (Kalgan) - description
Content:
A prominent representative of the Pink family is the erect cinquefoil (Potentilla erecta). Its aboveground part is used to decorate the site. The root, which has beneficial properties, is used in folk medicine to treat many diseases. Narrow cinquefoil, Dubrovka, erect cinquefoil and galangal are the names of the same plant.
Description
Erect cinquefoil is a perennial shrub with a height of 10-40 cm. The culture is distinguished by a thick rhizome, which easily reproduces in nature.
Cinquefoil plant from the Pink family
The botanical description says that the flowers of Potentilla erect are bright yellow, about 1 cm in diameter. They give off a pleasant aroma, reminiscent of the smell of a rose. The buds are singly located on long pedicels. The life cycle of flowers is from May to September.
Planting a plant
Erect cinquefoil is planted in a well-lit place. The soil on the site should be light, nutritious.
Planting from seeds
Potentilla is sown in spring or autumn. The peculiarity of crop seeds is that they require stratification. Only after keeping at a low temperature can they hatch and develop well. When sowing in the open ground in autumn, the seeds will undergo natural stratification.
After being kept in the refrigerator for 2-3 months, they are sown in the spring:
- Loose earth is poured into a shallow container.
- Seeds are placed on the surface.
- Cover them with foil or glass.
- When the shoots hatch, the shelter is removed.
The seed container is kept in a warm room. When the third leaf appears on the seedlings, the bushes are planted in separate pots.
Seedling Potentilla erect
Planting seedlings in open ground
When the ground warms up well, start planting. To do this, dig holes 20 cm deep at a distance of 30 cm from one another. Potentilla seedlings are planted in them together with a lump of earth. The bushes are watered and mulched.
How to care for erect cinquefoil
The culture needs watering, feeding, loosening the soil, removing weeds around it. To maintain a decorative appearance, faded buds are removed.
Watering
Potentilla galangal does not need abundant irrigation. Plants are watered only during drought. If there is sufficient rainfall during the season, additional irrigation is not required. To preserve moisture in the soil, the trunk circle is mulched.
Top dressing
Fertilization promotes the development of plants, helps them resist various diseases and pests. Shrubby galangal is fed several times per season: in early spring, before flowering, in early autumn. Mineral substances are used for fertilizing decorative flowering plants.
Pruning
Sanitary pruning is performed throughout the season. At the same time, dry, broken, diseased branches are removed. In the fall, the aerial part is cut off.
Reproduction methods
It is possible to dilute the galangal cinquefoil upright on the site in several ways: by seeds, cuttings, layering and dividing the bush. The first method is used in spring or autumn.In summer, cuttings and propagation by layering are used.
The plant has a powerful rhizome, with which it multiplies easily.
If the Potentilla bush is 4 years old, it can be divided into parts. To do this, the plant is dug in from all sides, divided into 4 fractions with a shovel. Each piece is planted in a separate hole.
Transfer
Potentilla is transplanted in spring or autumn. Procedure:
- Dig a hole 2 times the size of an earthen coma.
- Drainage from small stones, broken bricks is laid out on the bottom.
- Then a substrate is poured, consisting of garden soil, humus, sand.
The bushes are planted so that the root collar is not buried. They are covered with earth, watered, then mulched with bark, sawdust or cut grass.
Diseases and pests
The Potentilla erecta plant is rarely affected by diseases and pests. With overhead irrigation with cold water, the bushes can get sick with powdery mildew. In this case, the leaves and shoots become as if dusted with flour.
To prevent the disease, the bushes are sprayed with Bordeaux liquid at the beginning of the season. Insecticides are used against the main crop pest - moth butterflies.
Flowering period
The inflorescences of the plant begin to bloom in May. Without a break, the flowering of the culture lasts until September. In botany, it is indicated that erect cinquefoil has 4 bright yellow petals. After flowering, a seed box is formed.
Flowering plant
Preparing for winter
Kalgan is a winter-hardy plant, so it does not need shelter for the winter. The root circle is mulched only for those bushes that are planted in the fall. So the cinquefoil will be able to safely endure the winter.
Use in landscape design
Erect cinquefoil, pink family - undersized culture. Its properties are used to decorate an alpine slide, a rocky garden. Kalgan goes well with white chamomile, lily and mignonette.
The culture can be planted as a free-standing bush or combined with other types of Potentilla, for example, goose, Nepalese, Apennine. The green leaves of the galangal will contrast in an original way with the leaves of the silver cinquefoil.
Beneficial features
Potentilla root or galangal root is widely used in folk medicine. They were treated before antibiotics were invented. Now the following diseases are treated with the root of the plant:
- inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract;
- jaundice;
- thyroid disease;
- inflammation of the oral cavity;
- skin diseases.
Galangal root
Due to the large number of useful elements, galangal root is used as an astringent, bactericidal, anti-inflammatory agent. Apply it in the form of a decoction, infusion.
Erect cinquefoil is not only a beautiful, but also a useful plant. It is used for landscaping the site. In folk medicine, cinquefoil, galangal root, is used to treat many diseases. Growing a bush is not difficult. It is enough to plant it in a well-lit area, occasionally water, feed, cut off the faded buds.
