Goldenrod (Solidago) is a beautiful herbaceous perennial from the Asteraceae or Asteraceae family. There are from 80 to 120 different species of this plant. Only 20 species are grown in the culture. Among the varieties of goldenrod are medicinal, tanning and dyeing plants. The most popular is the canadian goldenrod, it is he who is the basis for breeding a variety of new varieties.
Description of the goldenrod plant
Goldenrod is a glabrous or hairy perennial plant with an erect stem. The leaves are arranged in the next order, the edge of the leaves is solid or serrated. Inflorescences can be paniculate, racemose or corymbose. The baskets are made up of a large number of flowers. On the edges of the basket there are small pistillate flowers of yellow color. The main flowers are tubular bisexual with a yellow broom. Flowering begins in the second decade of August - the first half of September. The fruit is a cylindrical achene.
Growing goldenrod from seeds
Seeds are not highly germinating. Rarely, goldenrod reproduces by self-seeding, but in most cases the seeds simply do not ripen, in some species they do not even set. That is why goldenrod is propagated by seed method quite rarely. But if you really want to grow a plant from seeds, then it is best to do this with the help of seedlings. To do this, you need to prepare special containers and fill them with a special substrate for growing seedlings of flowering plants.
Spread the seeds evenly over the soil surface and deepen a little. Cover containers with plastic wrap or glass to create a greenhouse effect. You need to germinate seeds at a temperature of 18-22 degrees in a bright room. The first shoots should appear in 20-25 days.
Planting goldenrod outdoors
It is best to buy ready-made goldenrod seedlings and plant them in the open field. For planting, you need to choose healthy seedlings, branched, without various spots and plaque.
The plant has good winter hardiness. Grows well in full sun and partial shade. The soil is not demanding, but for full development, you should choose a heavy and wet soil. Before planting in the soil, no sand or special leavening agents are required. You need to plant seedlings at a distance of at least 40 cm from each other. The distance depends on the species and variety.
Goldenrod care
Goldenrod is a drought-resistant plant. There is no need to moisten the soil regularly, but in the heat it is better to water the plant so that it does not get hit by powdery mildew.
It is necessary to feed it with a special complex fertilizer twice a season: in spring and autumn. Spring feeding should contain nitrogen, and in autumn this element must be completely excluded. In spring, together with complex fertilizer, wood ash can be added to the soil, but it is not recommended to do this regularly.
High varieties require mandatory tying to a support, since the stems can break during a strong wind. Goldenrod grows very quickly, so it must be carefully excavated, divided and planted every 3-4 years. Digging up a plant is quite difficult, since the roots go deep into the soil and it is not easy to get them.
In autumn, before the onset of the first frost, the plant must be carefully trimmed so that about 10 cm of stems remain. No special cover is required. In the spring, when the plant begins to grow actively, it is necessary to prune, remove incorrectly growing shoots that will interfere with the development of the bush. Thanks to this pruning, the plant will grow strong, healthy and will delight you with abundant flowering.
Diseases and pests
The most dangerous disease for goldenrod is powdery mildew, which manifests itself as a white bloom. Such a disease appears due to hot weather, an excess of nitrogen fertilizers and a small distance between the bushes. Therefore, it is necessary to plant plants at a certain distance and sometimes thin them out in order to prevent the development of this disease.
There are times when the bushes are affected by rust. In order to prevent all nearby plants from becoming infected with this disease, it is necessary to remove the infected specimens from the garden and burn outside its territory, and treat healthy bushes with copper sulfate or Bordeaux liquid.
Pests rarely infect goldenrod, but such cases do happen. You can get rid of small insects and caterpillars using a solution of insecticidal preparations.
Medicinal goldenrod must not be treated with insecticidal preparations! You do not need to fight pests with the help of herbal infusions.
Types and varieties of goldenrod with a photo
Goldenrod Shorti (Solidago shortii)
A branched perennial plant. It grows up to one hundred and sixty centimeters in height. Leaves are smooth, serrated along the edge, oblong-lanceolate. The panicles are pyramidal in shape, growing up to forty-five centimeters. Baskets are yellowish with a golden tint. The most popular varieties:
- Variegata - a plant of this variety has specks and yellowish stains on green leaves.
Goldenrod rugosa (Solidago rugosa)
Rough-stemmed North American perennial goldenrod. It grows up to two meters in height. The stems are rough and smooth. Shoots are reddish brown. Leaves are oval or oblong, serrated along the edge, up to nine centimeters in length and up to two in width. Basal leaves are absent. Baskets are yellow.
Dahurian goldenrod (Solidago dahurica = Solidago virgaurea var.dahurica)
The plant is widespread in Siberia. Grows up to one meter in height. The stems are simple and strong, smooth below, and slightly covered with pubescence above. The leaves are oblong, lanceolate or ovoid, the edge is serrate, the apex is pointed, there are short hairs along the edges and on the veins. There are a lot of baskets, small and have a yellow tint.
Canadian goldenrod (Solidago canadensis = Solidago canadensis var.canadensis)
A perennial plant that grows up to two meters in height. Leaves are bright green, oblong-lanceolate. The baskets are small and have a golden yellow tint. The panicle is pyramidal up to forty centimeters long. Most popular variety:
- The patio is a plant that grows up to sixty centimeters in height and does not require a garter. Baskets are golden yellow.
Common goldenrod (Solidago virgaurea)
It grows from sixty centimeters to two meters. Stems are straight, simple or branched.Leaves with a solid edge and are alternately linear-lanceolate or lanceolate. Inflorescences are spicate or racemose. The baskets are yellow.
Goldenrod highest (Solidago altissima = Solidago canadensis var. Scabra)
It grows up to one hundred and eighty centimeters in height. Stems are straight, slightly pubescent. Leaves are lanceolate, toothed edge, parallel veins.
Goldenrod hybrid (Solidago x hybrida)
It includes the following hybrid varieties:
- Goldstral - grows up to one meter in height. Baskets of golden yellow color, gathered in panicles up to twenty centimeters long.
- Kronenstahl - grows up to one hundred and thirty centimeters in height. The baskets are golden.
- Spetgold - grows up to one meter in height. Inflorescences are lemon yellow.
- Frugold - plant height is only twenty centimeters. Inflorescences are yellow.
The healing properties of goldenrod
Goldenrod is very popular among traditional and official medicine. The plant contains organic acids, coumarins, essential oil, phenol carboxylic acids and their derivatives, rutin and quercetin flavonoids, saponins, glycosides, alkaloids and terpenoids.
Goldenrod has a diuretic, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, analgesic, wound healing and antioxidant effect. In folk medicine, it is used for indigestion, stomatitis, sore throat, gingivitis and many other diseases. The root helps heal skin conditions, burns, stomach ulcers and more. Goldenrod honey is also very useful, which has many different beneficial properties.
Contraindications
Pregnant women and nursing mothers should not take goldenrod and preparations containing it. Also, you can not use honey for allergy sufferers and insulin-dependent. The use of goldenrod with increased pressure and kidney disease is prohibited.
