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Rhodiola rosea is surrounded by legends. Close attention to it has led to the reduction of natural plantations. But the plant from the "Red Book" appeared on our sites. Information about planting and the rules for growing crops in the open field, as well as unusual photos of a valuable plant, can be found in the article.
Rhodiola rosea: varieties and varieties
Scientists have described about 60 species of Rhodiola rosea. The most popular types of radiola:
- Kirillova... Found in Tibet, Tien Shan, Altai, Northwest China. The height of the bush with a tuberous rhizome and dark green pointed leaves is from 30 to 40 cm. It blooms in May 10 and retains its decorative effect for about a month.
Kirillova Rhodiola
- Linear-leaved... Homeland - mountains and forest meadows of Central Asia. It is a dioecious perennial plant with erect stems up to 0.3 m high.
Linear-leaved rhodiola
- Toothed. Prefers stony soils of the Himalayas, Tien Shan, Tibet, Altai, Pamir. The leaves of the plant have a bluish tint and a triangular-ovoid shape, the roots are almost on the surface.
Toothed rhodiola
- Golden root Is a type of rhodiola used in medicine. Habitats - the Far East and Eastern Siberia, Altai and the Arctic regions of Russia, Scandinavia.
Golden root
Planting Rhodiola rosea
Rhodiola loves light sandy soil, but if there is good drainage and proper care, it will grow on ordinary, not waterlogged garden soil. To plant a pink radio, find a place that is well lit, protected from the winds. After July 20, dig the soil deep enough - about 30 centimeters, remove weeds, level the surface. Next, apply fertilizers and dig up again, then lightly tamp the soil in the garden bed, mark the plantings using a cord.
The place for Rhodiola should be sunny and sheltered from the wind.
If the soil is dense, then remove its upper layer by removing 20 centimeters, cover the bed with river sand or brick chips, then return the removed soil. When the acidity is also increased, then bring this indicator to normal by adding dolomite flour or lime - an average of 450 g per sq. m.
Planting of plants is carried out with an interval of 0.5 m, a distance of 0.7 m is left between the lines. The roots in the hole are placed so that the renewal bud is flush with the ground. Immediately after planting, the bushes are watered, and the next day they are mulched.
Fertilizing and feeding Rhodiola
For good growth of the radio in the open field, the garden allotted for the cultivation of the radio must be fertilized. For 1 sq. m, add buckets of 2 manure (only not fresh) or replace it with compost. Add to this:
- ammonium nitrate - 15 g;
- sylvinite or potassium salt - about 20 g;
- lime - 30 grams;
- granular superphosphate - about 23 g
It is advisable to feed the plant several times per season.
In the future, feeding on the growth and development of perennials is good. Slurry is used for this purpose. First, she is allowed to replay for 5 days, then water is added in a ratio of 1: 4 and the pre-moistened soil between rows is watered abundantly.
Reproduction of Rhodiola rosea
It is not difficult to propagate this perennial. There are 2 ways to do this - divide the root and sow the seeds.If you want to get not only roots, but also seed for the future, then it is better to propagate the golden root by sowing, then you will receive male and female seedlings and from the latter you will collect seeds for the 2-3rd year. Sowing is carried out in late autumn or spring, in open ground or in boxes. Before winter, the bed is leveled, the planting material is scattered over the surface, lightly rolled, covered with agrofibre or film.
Rhodiola rosea sprouts
When sowing in a box filled with a light soil mixture, it is buried in the ground along the very sides and left so for the whole winter. With the arrival of spring, the box is dug up and moved to a place well warmed by the sun, where it is buried again.
If you sow seeds in the spring, then make sure to carry out stratification, for this:
- place the seeds in a growth stimulant solution for 24 hours;
- pour into wet sawdust, put in the refrigerator, where they will be for a month or a month and a half at temperatures ranging from 0 to 2 degrees;
- Fill the box with potting soil and scatter the seeds mixed with sand over the surface.
Rhodiola rosea root
By rhizomes, the golden root multiplies 2 times faster. It is better to buy perennial strips in the fall, and if you have your own bushes, then dig up the root after the aerial part dies off. Divide so that each particle has at least 2 buds. Treat the cut sites with charcoal powder, let the cuttings lie down until they wither a little, and then plant them with a maximum depth of 1.5 cm.
Plant care
Ascended seedlings of pink radiola are gaining strength so slowly that they can be transplanted to a permanent bed only after a year. And while they are growing, you should carefully weed the plantings, loosen the soil in the aisles. When the leaves grow up to 5 cm in length, they are fed. During a drought, the bushes need watering. In order for the plants to successfully overwinter, in late autumn, the soil around them is mulched using humus or peat.
The plant requires constant attention: weeding, watering, pruning and protection from winter cold
The next year, the roots will grow to such an extent that they will look out of the ground, and then caring for each bush consists in hilling.
Attention! The healing power of plants obtained from seeds will appear in 5, or even 6 years, and if you propagated the radiola by dividing rhizomes, you can dig them out after 3 years.
Diseases and pests of the golden root
Rhodiola rosea rarely gets sick, and pests are not afraid of her, although sometimes it is attacked by badan or sedum weevils. The first can get to the site along with the rhizome, which had previously grown in natural conditions. This insect damages the most valuable part of the plant - the roots. So when buying the starting material, inspect everything carefully, and if you find the larvae already at home, then place the root in a saline solution for 10 minutes. or in potassium permanganate for 15 minutes.
Weevil beetle
The second pest damages the aboveground part. Small holes on the leaves indicate its presence, then the leaf turns yellow. The stem is also damaged by the larvae - the pests make moves in it. To get rid of the sedum weevil, brush it off onto material covered with some kind of adhesive. Do this in both spring and fall.
Rhodiola rosea in landscape design
Radiola pink is valuable not only as a medicinal plant, its decorative appearance allows the use of bushes to decorate the site. In landscape design, it is used in the design of rockeries, alpine slides, flower beds. When planting this perennial, it should be remembered that already in August, the aboveground part will begin to die off, therefore, there should be plants next to it that preserve greenery until the very frost in order to mask the resulting void.
Rhodiola looks beautiful on the alpine slides
Rhodiola rosea: combination with other plants
Attention! In landscape design, the golden root is combined with crops that, like it, do not experience an increased need for abundant watering, otherwise the roots will begin to rot.
When using radiola pink as a medicinal plant, it is combined with a leaf of raspberry, strawberry, currant, blackberry, as well as with such medicinal herbs as thyme, cinquefoil, St. John's wort.
By growing a pink radiola, you will save this rare plant for posterity, provide yourself with valuable medicinal raw materials, and the landscape design of your site will only benefit from this.
The healing properties of Rhodiola rosea: video
Rhodiola pink: photo
This plant is found in inaccessible mountainous places. In our country, here and there in Siberia - in the Sayan Mountains, Transbaikalia, in the mountainous regions of Altai and Tuva. I was lucky to get in touch with it in nature while traveling in Altai Mountains. But you can see it only by going on a horse or hiking trip to the mountains - there, at an altitude of 1800 m and above, far from roads and beaten paths, among the crystal clear air and ringing streams, this mysterious plant lives.
It is here that its root absorbs and accumulates extraordinary forces, stores the power and energy of the mountains.
From enthusiastic epithets, let's return to more prosaic questions - what kind of plant is this and why its root is so useful.
Botanical characteristic
Rhodiola rosea
(Rhodiola rosea)
belongs to the Tolstyankov family. Both names are beautiful and, in one way or another, characterize the plant. The epithet "pink" was given to him for a reason - at the break, the rhizome is yellow and emits a pleasant aroma, slightly reminiscent of the smell of a rose. From above it is covered with a skin that has a noble bronze-golden hue.
The natural place of growth of Rhodiola rosea is between the stones. The rhizome is thick and short, usually protruding above the ground. Thickened shoots with linear leaves depart from it, at the ends of which inflorescences-shields of yellow color are formed. In nature, it blooms in the middle of summer.
Beneficial features
Despite its secrecy (after all, it grows in hard-to-reach places), the golden root has long been known to the inhabitants of the areas where it lives. Tibetan healers and Altai herbalists knew its healing properties and used it primarily as a remedy against fatigue, raising tone and giving strength and energy. It is not for nothing that it is called "Siberian ginseng".
Now the plant has been studied by scientists and doctors and is used not only in folk but also in traditional medicine.
Preparations made from Rhodiola rosea (tinctures, infusions, teas) have the following effects on the body:
- stimulate mental performance;
- improve memory and increase attention;
- improve liver function;
- have adaptogenic properties;
- help with physical fatigue and nervous exhaustion;
- useful for vegetative-vascular dystonia and cardiovascular diseases;
- normalize metabolism, blood pressure and sleep, improve appetite.
Among the people, Rhodiola rosea is most often used as a means of increasing efficiency, potency and giving strength.
Attention! Do not drink golden root preparations in the evening and take high doses - an overdose can cause insomnia and excessive irritability.
In addition, tincture of the golden root is contraindicated in hypertensive crises, agitation, insomnia, and pregnancy.
Golden root in the garden
It turns out that you can grow this wonderful and useful plant in your garden. Despite the fact that its natural environment is distant mountain corners, the golden root will take root well in the summer cottage. You just need to create suitable conditions for him.
Planting and leaving
Let's choose an open and sunny place for it. The soil should be sufficiently loose and fertile.Several stones need to be buried in it and a root should be planted among them, but you should not bury it deeply - part of the rhizome should protrude above the surface. Litter from the coniferous forest can be added to the soil.
It should be remembered that under our usual conditions, that is, at a low altitude, the golden root blooms early - in the spring, and then its shoots begin to fade gradually, and the plant loses its decorative effect. Therefore, you need to think about how and with what to disguise it. It is not worth planting the golden root in a conspicuous place, or you need to place a plant next to it, which will later close it.
The most suitable place would be
rockeries
or at
alpine slide
, among stones and others
similar plants
... On my site, the golden root grows next to other "immigrants" from Gorny Altai -
fern cabbage
, with a red brush (Rhodiola four-part).
Rhodiola requires almost no maintenance. Where it naturally grows, it often rains, and the plants themselves are almost in the water - among the stones on the banks of mountain rivers and streams. Therefore, it is advisable to water it often in the garden, especially in dry times, preferably by sprinkling.
Reproduction of the golden root
You can divide the golden root at any time, but it is better after flowering. For this, a part of the rhizome with two or three buds is cut off, the cut is slightly dried, then planted in a new place.
Seed propagation is also possible, but there are some difficulties here. Golden Root Seeds Must Pass
stratification
... To do this, they must be sown in a box in late autumn, sprinkled with a thin layer of sand and buried in the area, covered with a film on top. Also, stratification is carried out in the refrigerator, sowing in a bowl, or wrapping it in a damp cloth. It will take a month and a half to keep them there.
The seeds prepared in this way are then germinated in a room at a temperature of + 18 ... + 20 degrees. It is better to leave the emerging seedlings in the box, as they grow slowly, especially in the first year. And after a year or two, young plants can be planted in a permanent place.
Harvesting and application
The root is harvested after flowering, in summer. It is dug up, washed in water and lightly dried with a towel. Then cut into small pieces and lay out to dry in a shaded place. It can be dried in a special drying cabinet or in the oven at a temperature not exceeding 55 degrees.
The dried root acquires a pinkish color in the cut and retains its aroma.
The easiest way to use it is to make an alcoholic or vodka tincture from it. To do this, take the chopped root and 40% alcohol (vodka) in a ratio of 1:10, pour and leave for 2 weeks. Take the tincture 10-15 drops twice a day: in the morning and at lunchtime 20 minutes before meals.
Wonderful gift of nature
And a few more words about my personal impressions of this plant. When you meet him in nature, in the mountains, under the crowns of majestic cedars, surrounded by snowy peaks in the distance, you experience a real delight from the beauty of this whole world, from the fact that nature has created this priceless gift and handed it over to man.
In the garden, it pleases the eye in early spring - as soon as the snow melts, reddish buds appear on the tops of the rhizomes protruding from the ground. They begin to grow rapidly, form shoots and, finally, Rhodiola blooms - a compact lush rosette, all covered with yellow, slightly fluffy inflorescences.
The golden root is a real gift of nature, useful, beautiful, amazing.
Dear readers, did this plant interest you? If you also have Rhodiola rosea growing, share your experience of growing and using it.
Rhodiola rosea, better known as golden root, is a popular plant among hobby gardeners. Many would like to grow it on their plots. Hence, questions invariably arise about agricultural technology, medicinal properties, and the use of the golden root.
Rhodiola rosea L. is a perennial herb from the Crassulaceae family. It has a thick and short tuberous rhizome, resembling a human hand with five bent fingers. It is located almost on the surface of the soil, and tail-like roots go deep into the depths. The scales of the rhizomes have a golden color, which is why the people called the “golden root”, while the botanical name “Rhodiola rosea” appeared due to the characteristic smell of a rose when the rhizomes are broken.
The stem is erect, unbranched, up to 65 cm high. There are 10-15 stems on one rhizome. Sessile, fleshy leaves, like all bastards, oblong-ovoid, serrated and pointed at the end. Flowers are collected in a dense corymbose inflorescence. Fruits are leaflets, 6-8 mm long.
In nature, Rhodiola rosea grows in the north of the European part of Russia, in the Altai mountains, Eastern Siberia, in the north of the Urals and the Far East. And on personal plots, it can be grown almost everywhere.
The golden root in nature propagates only by seeds, and amateurs divide the rhizome in the same way as, for example, in potatoes, choosing where there are more renewal buds.
Soil preparation
The plant is moisture-loving, but wetlands are unsuitable for it. When preparing the soil, 1-2 buckets of well-rotted manure or peat-baked compost, 10-15 g of nitrogen fertilizer, 15-20 - potassium salt, 20-25 - granular superphosphate and 20-30 g of lime (for acidic soils) are introduced per 1 m2. Everyone is digging a shovel onto the bayonet.
Seed propagation
It is necessary to pay attention to one feature. The seeds of Rhodiola rosea are very similar to the seeds of the stonecrop of the tenacious... But these two plants can be distinguished literally a week after germination. The cotyledons of Rhodiola have elongated "legs" (petioles) and at the age of one week they are arranged in the form of the Latin letter V, while in the cotyledons the stonecrop of the petioles is not visible. They sit side by side, and the real leaves grow literally "from the trunk." If you show observation, you can avoid misunderstandings and not spend years growing sedum.
The most affordable breeding method for Rhodiola rosea is seed. Seeds are sown in late autumn or winter in a small box filled with light, nutritious, breathable soil. A 5 cm layer of expanded clay is poured onto the bottom of the box. The soil is spilled with a weak solution of potassium permanganate and slightly compacted. After that, the seeds are evenly scattered over the surface, lightly pressed with the palm of your hand. A layer of sand (about 2 mm) is crumbled from above. The box is covered with foil and displayed on the balcony or garden. If there is already snow, you can cover the crops with snow and cover them again with a film that protects the seeds from erosion during thaws and from birds.
In mid-March, the box is placed in a warm, bright place.... A few days later, when friendly shoots appear, the film must be removed. Watering should be done very carefully.
The plants develop very slowly during the first days. It may turn out that in one part of the box the seeds have sprouted densely, and in the other there are glades. Therefore, at one week of age, you can start planting a plant. But this must be done very carefully, although everything is quite simple. Both the place of the proposed planting and the plants themselves are well watered. The main "tool" for transplanting is a match. A "hole" is made with a match, then a plant with a lump of earth is hooked with the same match and transferred to the hole.
You can use another method of growing Rhodiola, which also pays off, and the seedlings in this case are even stronger and more developed. Rhodiola is sown in standard planter boxes that hang on the balcony. In winter, the pots are tied with a film, and with the onset of spring, a visor made of a wire frame covered with a film is fixed on the railing above it. In the spring, seedlings appear friendly and in their development overtake even those that were in the apartment.
After 1.5-2 months, the seedlings are transplanted to a permanent place in the garden. This can be done at any time, but only carefully, with watering, and if it's hot, then shade. Even in the first year, some plants bloom, although they do not give seeds.
And one more piece of advice for beginners - do not strive to have many Rhodiola plants of the same age. Due to the fact that the rhizome of the golden root reaches maturity by 4-5 years, it is better to have plants of different ages, planting new ones every year.
Reproduction by dividing rhizomes
Rhodiola can be propagated by dividing the rhizome. But here you should pay attention to one feature. It has long been noted that some Rhodiola plants give seeds, while others do not, although all bloom. The fact is that rhodiola is dioecious planttherefore, not all plants have seeds. It may turn out that, having acquired a perennial rhizome and cutting it for reproduction, you will have normal plants, but you will not receive seeds, since all its plants will be of the same sex.
Starting from the second year, rhizomes that have reached a mass of 30 g or more can be divided, as a rule, into 2 parts. Sections are sprinkled with crushed charcoal and ash. The division of the rhizomes of the remaining plants is carried out in the spring of the 3rd year.
Rhizomes are rolled in ash and planted in pre-prepared holes, into which 1 liter mug of sifted humus (compost), mixed with superphosphate and potassium sulfate (1 tablespoon each), is added. Previously, 0.5 l of pink potassium permanganate solution is poured into the well. The rhizomes are also covered with humus, leaving the buds of renewal on the surface, lightly watered (to settle the soil) and mulch with weathered peat.
Care
Rhodiola rosea responds very well to organic fertilizers, and, given that it grows in one place for at least three years, you should take care of the preliminary introduction of humus or compost - 10-12 kg per 1 m2 or more. If there is little organic matter, then it is better to bring it into the hole (0.5-1 kg). It's nice to add 1 tbsp each. spoon of superphosphate, potassium sulfate and ash. You should not get carried away with nitrogen fertilizers (except for diluted bird droppings 1:20). It is not recommended to set aside a site for rhodiola after potatoes or cabbage.
When growing Rhodiola rosea from seeds by the end of the first year, small rhizomes are formed that have a cylindrical or conical shape. Their mass usually does not exceed 1-2 g, but sometimes there are separate relatively large specimens (4-5 g) with 2-3 "legs" and 3-7 buds of renewal. These (elite) plants can be distinguished from the rest by the height of the shoot, reaching a height of 15-20 cm. It is better to plant them separately from the rest.
When the plants reach a height of 4-6 cm, the first feeding is done with a solution of bird droppings (1:20) with the addition of half a tablespoon of superphosphate and potassium sulfate to a bucket. Mulching is required after watering. For the entire growing season, 4-5 of the above-mentioned dressings are carried out. The latter, phosphorus-potassium, is done in late August - early September, dissolving 1.5 tbsp in a bucket of water. tablespoons of superphosphate and potassium sulfate. Such feeding has a beneficial effect on the overwintering of plants. For the winter, plantings of Rhodiola rosea are mulched with peat in a layer of 1 cm.At the end of the 2nd year, after transplanting, the rhizomes reach a mass of 25-40 g, and elite ones - up to 60 g.
Transportation
Rhodiola rosea is not afraid of transportation and shipment, only for one-year-olds, the transportation time should not exceed 2 days, otherwise the rhizomes may dry out and the plants will hurt or die for a long time. It is best to send Rhodiola in small boxes, sprinkling the rhizomes with slightly moistened sifted torr with the addition of 3-5% ash, so that mold does not appear. Before planting, they should be rinsed (5-10 minutes) in a 3.1% solution of potassium permanganate, held in soft water (with trace elements) for 1-3 hours to restore turgor, sprinkled with ash and planted in a permanent place.
Harvesting rhizomes
Medicinal raw materials (rhizomes with roots) of Rhodiola rosea are usually harvested from late July to mid-September (before the first frost is possible).The rhizomes are dug up, washed from the ground in cold water, cleaned of brown cork, rotten parts, cut across into pieces up to 10 cm long and dried at a temperature of 50-60 °.
Healing properties
If in official medicine Rhodiola rosea is used mainly as an adaptogenic and stimulating agent, then folk herbal medicine finds application for the plant for a wide variety of diseases: gastrointestinal, liver, anemia, impotence. In practically healthy people, preparations of the golden root increase efficiency in physical and mental fatigue, normalize metabolic processes, improve memory and attention.
In everyday life, water infusions and teas are most acceptable. Golden root tea is used to stimulate the central nervous system. “To prepare a drink, take one teaspoon of crushed root per liter of water, boil for 7-10 minutes, leave for 30-40 minutes and drink 2-3 glasses a day, adding sugar or honey to taste.
Tea made from the golden root with the addition of the following medicinal plants is very popular: badan (black leaves), strawberry leaves, blackberries, raspberries and black currants; flowers of St. John's wort, Potentilla shrub, thyme herbs, taken in equal amounts. Insist two or three tablespoons of dry mixture of herbs for 1 hour in 1 liter of boiling water, add honey or sugar to taste. "
But you shouldn't drink such teas all the time.... They are recommended only during hard work, both physical and mental, for colds and other painful conditions. And the best thing in such cases is a consultation with a doctor.
Of the dosage forms of Rhodiola rosea, practically only one is known - a liquid extract, which is prepared in the factory with alcohol.
"Rhodiola rosea liquid extract" doctors prescribe to patients with neuroses, hypotension, vegetative-vascular dystonia and other diseases (5-25 drops 3 times a day 15-30 minutes before meals, duration of treatment from 10 days to 4 months). Also noted is its stimulating effect in case of overwork in practically healthy people and patients with asthenic condition after somatic and infectious diseases.
Rhodiola rosea (Rhodiola rosea) is a herbaceous perennial plant from the fatty family, 25-40 cm in height. It blooms with small yellow flowers, which are collected in corymbose apical inflorescences (see photo). Flowering period June-July.
Do not be surprised that a yellow flower is called "pink" - if you break the fleshy root, it will smell like a rose. Hence, from the Greek "rose" (rhodon), the generic name originated.
The people of Rhodiola rosea are called the golden root, firstly, for its value as a medicine, and secondly, for the color of the root fibers.
Now Rhodiola can be found only away from roads and settlements, because its massive harvesting leads to the disappearance of this plant. But Rhodiola can also be grown in areas with good lighting and loose, slightly acidic fertile soil.
Reproduction of Rhodiola rosea seeds It is best to sow seeds in November. It is also possible in spring, but before that they must be kept in wet sand for a month at a temperature of 0 ... + 3. After that, in March, the prepared seeds can be planted in a container. The soil should be pre-steamed and consist of equal parts of turf, peat and sand.
We cover the container with glass or foil. As soon as shoots appear, we remove all this, providing ventilation and lighting. In June, the seedlings can be planted in the ground, observing the distance between the plants 15 cm, and between the rows 45. If the site is with moist soil, then the seedlings should be planted on a small hill.
Rhodiola does not require special care. Only if necessary, you need to weed, add earth and water in the heat. In the first year, the plant grows very slowly, and it can bloom in general after 5 years.But with proper care, it can bloom in the third year.
On the site, you can place it on an alpine slide, in a large rockery. If the place glows, you can even allocate a special bed for it.
Reproduction by vegetation
It happens that in hot weather, non-viable seeds are obtained. Therefore, it is better to propagate Rhodiola vegetatively. The best time for this is August-September. Delenki are planted in holes to a depth of 7 cm and sprinkled with soil renewal buds. For two years, the planted cuttings grow very well.
Medicinal uses of Rhodiola rosea
A lot has been written about the benefits of Rhodiola rosea for medicinal purposes, so we will only say a few words about them here in order to inspire you to grow it in your garden.
Rhizomes and roots of Rhodiola contain about 140 biologically active substances and organic acids. In medicine, a tincture is made from it, which is used for many diseases. Most often, Rhodiola rosea tincture is used for fatigue, impotence, as a tonic and tonic. It has a good effect on the reproductive organs, heals wounds, increases the body's resistance to infections. Taking rhodiola reduces mental fatigue, daytime sleepiness, and reduces headaches.
Procurement of raw materials
Rhodiola is dug up on raw materials three years after planting in a permanent place. It is better to do this in August-September. We use the upper part with the kidneys for vegetative propagation, and wash the lower part well, cut it, wither in partial shade and dry it at a temperature of + 50 ... + 60 ° C.
