Content
- 1 Physalis decorative in landscape design
- 2 Is it possible to eat decorative physalis?
- 3 How to distinguish decorative physalis from edible ones
- 4 Growing and caring for decorative physalis
- 5 Diseases and pests
- 6 How does physalis propagate?
- 7 Fruiting
- 8 How to dry decorative physalis for a bouquet
- 9 Conclusion
The fruits of Ornamental Physalis at the moment of their full ripening attract special attention. They resemble magic lanterns from a fairy tale. It’s not difficult to give yourself such a holiday in the garden - growing and caring for decorative physalis does not require special knowledge or labor. It takes root well in any region of Russia.
Physalis decorative in landscape design
Ornamental physalis is grown by gardeners not for the fruits - they are inedible, and not for the flowers, because they are small and inconspicuous. This plant attracts with its bright orange lantern-shaped fruits. Lanterns are especially delightful against the backdrop of the gray and white monochromatic Russian winter, decorating empty gardens and personal plots with their lights. Popularly, this plant has many names:
- Chinese lanterns;
- earth cranberries;
- emerald berry;
- winter cherry.
Physalis has the ability to preserve its fruit along with the calyx for many months.If you leave the fruits untouched on the bushes, then by spring you will get an elegant cup woven from veins with a bright berry inside. One bush can grow up to 15 lantern fruits.
In landscape design, 2 types of decorative physalis are used:
- Physalis vulgaris - a perennial bush 30-60 cm high with fruit cups 3-4 cm in diameter.
- Physalis Franchet – grows up to 70-90 cm. Its red capsule fruits have a diameter of 8-9 cm. It is grown as an annual.
Decorative physalis is good in composition with other bright flowers on the lawn or in a mixborder. The combination of physalis with lunaria, immortelle, gypsophila or kermek transforms the entire area, making it elegant.
Its dried branches with lanterns in bouquets of dried flowers, garlands, appliques, create a feeling of celebration in any part of the house, both outside and inside, decorating a door, window, balcony.
Is it possible to eat decorative physalis?
The ornamental variety is grown only for decoration. Its fruits have a bitter taste and contain a toxic substance – physaline. There is no scientific basis that Chinese lanterns are poisonous. You won't be able to get poisoned by just one berry, but you can't eat them.
Among the many varieties of physalis, of which there are more than 100, there are edible ones, for example, vegetable or strawberry, which grows in South America and is called “American tomato.” Edible varieties are used to make preparations like tomatoes, make jams and compotes, and eat them raw.
How to distinguish decorative physalis from edible ones
There are 2 main ways to distinguish ornamental physalis from edible ones:
- By appearance. The fruits of decorative varieties are smaller and more colorful than the fruits of edible varieties.
- Taste. The berries inside the ornamental physalis fruit are covered with a film of bitter substance. I don't want to eat them at all.
Edible berries should only be eaten when they are fully ripe. This can be understood by their appearance: when the fruit has become ripe, the calyx begins to dry and burst, revealing the berry.
Growing and caring for decorative physalis
The cultivated form of ornamental physalis is a perennial plant. Tolerates frosts, drafts, and temperature changes well. Planting ornamental physalis and caring for it during the period of growth and ripening include the same conditions as for tomatoes and peppers. The culture can propagate independently by seeds. It is enough to plant this plant on your site once.
Landing dates
In different regions of Russia, the timing of planting ornamental physalis will be slightly different. They depend on the time of onset of heat. These deadlines can be calculated, knowing that the planted seedlings must stand for 60 days before planting in the ground.
If warmth arrives in early May, then the seeds for seedlings are planted in early March. If summer temperatures set at the end of May, then you need to start seedlings at the end of March.
Planting seedlings in open ground is carried out provided that the frosts have already passed and the night temperature does not fall below +100WITH.
Growing decorative physalis from seeds
When choosing a place to grow physalis, you need to give preference to a sunny area with neutral or calcareous soil, the pH of which is less than 4.5. When planting seeds in the ground, some agrotechnical conditions must be observed:
- prepare the soil - dig it up and, if necessary, add organic fertilizers, but not fresh manure; the acidity of the soil can be reduced by adding wood ash;
- prepare the seeds - hold for 20-30 minutes in a weak solution of potassium permanganate, rinse with running water, dry and leave for several days in a damp cloth, periodically wetting;
- when the seeds hatch a little, you need to plant them in prepared, moist soil at a distance of about 30-40 cm from each other.
The soil temperature must be at least +50C, when frosts are no longer expected. If it is still cool during the day, then the area with the planted seeds should be covered with film until germination. Planting seeds can also be done in the fall, deepening them by 2-3 cm and covering them with mulch.
Growing decorative physalis in seedlings
The seedling method of growing ornamental physalis is the most reliable in Russia due to its climatic conditions.
The procedure for planting seedlings is very simple:
- prepare the seeds by keeping them in a solution of potassium permanganate for some time;
- fill a plastic or wooden container with fertile soil;
- plant the seeds to a depth of 1 cm, cover with film and place in the shade for 3-4 days;
- remove the film, place the container with the seedlings on the windowsill so that it receives light;
- when 2 leaves on a sprout sprout, each seedling is planted in a separate cup;
- all this time, the seedlings are periodically watered so that the ground is not dry.
The room temperature should be maintained within +15 – +220WITH.Planting on the site is carried out in May, when warm weather sets in. The site is prepared as in the case of sowing seeds. Only for each seedling make a hole up to 30 cm deep.
Physalis care
Physalis is resistant to frost and drought. By its nature, this is a southern plant, so for active growth and flowering it needs full lighting. If the bush grows in the shade, then it will produce fewer fruits, and the color of the cups will not be very bright. Otherwise, care is usual:
- water once a week, in dry weather - increase watering up to 2 times;
- periodically carry out weeding and loosening;
- fertilize with organic fertilizers a couple of times a month;
- mulch the soil under the bushes.
If you want to make the bush more straight, then you need to put up a support and tie up the stems. When caring for the plant, heavily overgrown bushes can be pruned and pinched to form a certain form of decorative physalis.
No special care is required for winter. The bush remains in the ground. The entire above-ground part is cut off. There is no need to make a special shelter, but in case of a frosty and little snowy winter, you can mulch it with peat, dry grass or fallen leaves.
Diseases and pests
Physalis, in comparison with other plants, is unpretentious to external conditions and resistant to diseases. However, if he does not receive the necessary care, he becomes ill. This can happen due to poor lighting, high humidity, or lack of nutrients during crop cultivation.Most often, physalis suffers from mosaic, late blight, white rot, and black leg.
To combat insect pests - aphids, mole crickets, wireworms, you will have to use appropriate insecticides.
How does physalis propagate?
Annual physalis can reproduce on its own, scattering ripened seeds that will germinate the next year. Gardeners use its seeds for cultivation, planting them in March-April for seedlings, and in May - in open ground.
The perennial species is best propagated by dividing the bush. This is done in the spring, when new branches begin to sprout from the root. They need to be carefully separated and planted in another place.
Fruiting
Ornamental physalis blooms almost all summer, and only at the end of August fruits in boxes begin to form. The color of the box changes as the berries ripen. At the end of September it reaches full maturity and the calyx acquires its final color.
How to dry decorative physalis for a bouquet
After the fruit is finally ripe, the entire upper part of the perennial ornamental variety is cut off, leaving the roots in the ground. The leaves are removed, leaving the stems and cups with fruits, which are hung to dry in a ventilated area without direct sunlight.
If the branches will be used to create compositions with other elements, then they need to be dried separately. If you want to create a bouquet only from physalis fruits, you need to immediately collect them in the desired form, tie them and hang them to dry.
Conclusion
Growing and caring for decorative physalis is not particularly difficult.It is not difficult to place this plant in your garden. It requires no more attention than any variety of the Solanaceae family. To fully admire its fruits, you only need to show the designer’s imagination.
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