Meet the False Pepper Nightshade

Jerusalem cherry, Coral bush, Solyanum, Love tree - all these names belong to one plant: false-pepper nightshade. There are even legends that if a married couple who have no children eats one berry at a time, then they will definitely have a child.

In the wild, nightshade lives in Madeira, in the Crimea. He belongs to the nightshade, that is, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers are his close relatives. False-pepper nightshade, like them, contains the poisonous alkaloid solanine, so its fruits are inedible, they are tasteless and even poisonous, but they have medicinal properties.
Nightshade does not require much maintenance, however, it looks great, especially before Christmas, when it is covered with bright orange berries. That is why this plant is popular in many countries.

Secrets of growing False Nightshade

  • the plant can be easily grown from seeds, after the sprouts have appeared, they must be planted and pinched the top;
  • so that the berries do not fall off, they must be sprayed with water more often;
  • to get a dense plant of a large size, it must be taken out into the street, hidden from the bright rays of the sun and fertilized with phosphate and nitrogen fertilizers, it is necessary to pinch the shoots all the time;
  • at the end of summer, when the nightshade begins to bloom, it is necessary to apply potash fertilizer - there will be many flowers, which, after pollination by bees, will turn into beautiful, toy-looking berries;
  • when autumn comes, it gets colder, the plant must be taken indoors, watered regularly and periodically sprayed with water.

And already on New Year's Eve, you can enjoy the result of your labor - bright coral beads on a tree.

User avatar Wika

False-pepper nightshade has never been grown, but in our garden there was a black nightshade with quite edible berries, which were spoiled only by their unpleasant taste.