Sunny Eyes Of Marigold

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

These cute and modest flowers have been known to everyone since childhood. Most often they are called calendula. Having planted it once, you can enjoy its many, bright daisies for many years. She is not capricious, very independent and famous for her medicinal properties. However, its cultivation has its own nuances

Guest from the Mediterranean

The official homeland of calendula is the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. In nature, it can be found throughout Southern Europe, in Eastern Iran and Asia Minor. It is difficult to find marigolds in the wild in Russia, but in culture they have been known for a long time as one of the most common garden flowers. They are used to decorate flowerbeds, balconies, ridges, borders along paths, etc. Due to its useful qualities (for medicine and cosmetology), calendula is also grown on an industrial scale - in Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, the North Caucasus and other regions like Russia, and the CIS countries.

Admiring the sunny color of cute calendula petals, many gardeners have no idea what first-aid kit is growing right in front of their house. Calendula contains many biologically active substances useful for humans, including carotene. And the rich essential oil gives the flowers a pleasant, specific aroma.

Effective for angina

One of the most important qualities of marigolds is their anti-inflammatory and bactericidal effect. It is especially well manifested in the treatment of diseases of the oral mucosa, sore throat. It is enough to prepare an infusion of 10 g (one teaspoon) of flowers in a glass of warm water and gargle three times a day. Relief is felt after 1-2 procedures.

Tincture of marigolds (1 part of flowers is poured with 10 parts of 70% alcohol) is used to treat minor wounds, bruises, burns, frostbite, as well as for furunculosis, acne. Some recommend this tincture for gynecological ailments.

However, not all varieties of calendula are classified as medicinal. For example, Calypso, Golden Emperor, Goldgelb and others are considered more decorative. When, like the domestic variety Ryzhik, Sakharovskaya and Orange calendula, Kalta and others are often indicated for the treatment of such serious and chronic diseases as stomach and duodenal ulcers, cardiac arrhythmias, gastritis, etc. Avicenna, in her work "Canon of Medicine" recommended using ashes from marigolds with vinegar for inflammation of the sciatic nerve. He assured that calendula can become a universal antidote, especially for the bites of poisonous animals.

Seeds like claws

Marigold is an annual and perennial herb with a taprooted branched root and a light green erect stem. From the base, it is capable of branching and reaching a height of up to 80cm. The flowers (up to 8 cm in diameter) are very bright with a double or triple layer, more often yellow or orange petals with a fluffy round core. There are also very elegant varieties with large double flowers.

The seeds of the plant are very unusual: up to 3 cm in length, curved in the shape of a sickle with longitudinal rows of tiny spines. Marigolds are usually sown near the house in prepared beds or beds. The soil should be fairly loose, well-drained and rich in humus. After the formation of seeds, it is better to collect them, if you do not plan to randomly resettle the marigolds throughout the garden.

Sprout up quickly

Most often, marigolds are propagated by seeds. For the best effect, manure (up to 2kg / 1m2), nitrogen (about 20-25g / 1m2) and phosphorus (15g / 1m2) fertilizers are applied to the soil. Then the garden bed is dug up, leveled and sowed with flower claws 2-3 cm deep. One square meter should take on average 1-1, 2g of seeds. It is advisable to leave the distance between the rows about 50 cm.

The sprouts appear rather quickly in favorable weather (after 7-15 days). Flowers need to wait longer - up to 2-2, 5 months. Seeds can be harvested 100-120 days after sowing. They keep well in a dry, dark place for up to five years. If you want to speed up the flowering of marigolds, it is better to prepare their seedlings in April. Sprouts with 5-6 leaves are planted in open ground at a distance of 30-40 cm from each other.

Collected several times

When at least half of the reed flowers open at the marigolds, then its inflorescences-baskets can be collected. During flowering, this procedure is carried out up to 20 times in 3-7 days. Much depends on the weather and the growing area. It is important to pluck flower baskets at the very base of the peduncle. After the plant is spread in a thin layer on newspaper or paper and dried in a shady corner, both in the fresh air and indoors - attics, on room racks, etc. The temperature should not be allowed to rise to 40-45C during drying.