The onset of spring makes many people think about decorating their plots with a variety of ornamental plants. Someone prefers to sow flowerbeds, rabatka and alpine hills every year with the so-called letniki, and someone considers himself a master of breeding perennial flowers. Be that as it may, at present, few people do not know about such a plant as autumn colchicum, the photo of which is striking in its tenderness. How to plant this perennial? What conditions need to be created on the site so that flowering is lush? You will learn about all this right now.
Description of the plant
Autumn crocus (colchicum), according to the totality of biological characteristics, belongs to perennial herbaceous plants. Its stem is modified into a corm covered with dead leaf sheaths. The aerial part of the plant is represented by broadly lanceolate leaves that do not lose their brightness throughout the growing season. Autumn colchicum flower has a light pink shade with a purple bloom; its pedicel is a thin tube coming out directly from the corm. This culture flourishesin autumn, while the leaves grow back after the plant has overwintered. In the same period, fruits begin to form: leathery, wrinkled boxes with black seeds.
In nature, autumn colchicum grows in dry and open places overgrown with grass: forest glades, meadows (including mountain ones). Until now, it is found in an uncultivated form in the Krasnodar Territory, the Caucasus, the Stavropol Territory and Transcaucasia.
Why "colchicum"
The plant got its name for the specific alternation of leaf growth and flowering. As you know, most herbaceous plants first release a rosette of leaves, and only then a peduncle. Autumn colchicum is arranged differently: at the beginning of spring, leaves grow, but by the beginning of autumn they die off along with the bulb formed in the previous season. And only after that, a peduncle appears from the corm of renewal. The seed box, which is located in the flower stalk, “hides” there until next spring. With the onset of heat, along with the leaves, it appears above the ground and ripens in the first half of summer.
Choosing a landing site
Despite the fact that autumn colchicum is a very unpretentious plant, it is recommended to plant it in the sun for its best development. Since the plant fades at the end of summer, you can plant it among other perennials that bloom in the second half of July.
Autumn colchicum (photo presented in the article)looks great as a border plant. In addition, it will decorate a flower bed surrounded by a lawn, the banks of a small reservoir, as well as a rocky garden or an alpine hill. In a word, this flower can be considered universal. By the way, flowering autumn colchicum acquires a special charm when planted in small vessels made of glass or ceramics. Such peculiar pots can be placed on terraces and balconies.
Planting autumn crocus with bulbs and seeds
Let's look at several ways to propagate a plant known as autumn colchicum. Landing and care in the open field, as mentioned above, do not require the application of large forces. A flower can safely grow in one place for several years. This culture can be propagated in two ways: corms and seeds.
In the first case, you will need to dig the bulbs out of the soil at the moment of complete death of the aerial part, dry them and leave them to “rest” until the end of August. By the way, if you purchased an autumn colchicum bulb and planted it at the end of summer, flowering can occur after 3 years. However, this method has its drawbacks. The fact is that the diseases present in the mother plant are transmitted to the daughter corms. It is better to destroy planting material from a sick colchicum.
Propagation by seeds of autumn colchicum allows you to get absolutely he althy plants. Collect seedsit is necessary immediately after their ripening (from the first half of June to the end of July). They need to be sown in previously prepared soil immediately after harvest. Seeds will germinate next spring, but flowering will come only after 5-7 years.
Caring for the plant: watering, fertilizing
In the care of autumn colchicum is not too complicated. For active growth and lush flowering, it is enough to transplant plants to a new place every 7-10 years. Abundant watering autumn crocus, which was transplanted in the current season, does not tolerate. He has enough moisture, which comes to the corms during the period of precipitation. If the plants are planted too often, thinning can be done. At the same time, it is recommended to pour a small amount of fertile soil into the freed intervals.
The main plant care measures are weeding and pest control. Slugs can harm the autumn colchicum, the methods of dealing with which are to collect them in a timely manner, loosen the soil and apply granulated superphosphate to the beds.
Precautions for planting and caring for autumn colchicum
Gardeners growing autumn colchicum should always remember that this plant contains colchicine, a potent alkaloid that can cause severe skin irritation and even burns. Contrary to popular belief, this compound is found not only in corms, but also in leaves and flowers. You can even get poisoned by water in which there were cut flowers of autumn colchicum. When ingested, colchicine causespoisoning, the symptoms of which are sore or burning in the throat, dizziness and nausea, colic. In severe cases, the alkaloid causes paralysis and collapse.
To protect yourself from the toxic effects of the plant, it is important to take precautions: wear gloves when weeding, transplanting and caring for plants. In addition, these measures should be applied to cut buds.
Medicinal properties of autumn colchicum
Despite the content of toxic substances, many people know about the medicinal properties of the autumn colchicum plant. Curative properties, oddly enough, are present in him due to the high content of colchicine. The fact is that in small quantities this compound contributes to the expansion of the smallest blood vessels - capillaries. It is this property that allows the use of corms and plant seeds as a medicine for gout, rheumatism and neuralgia. It is worth mentioning right away that the difference between the therapeutic and lethal dose is very small, so colchicine-based drugs are used under the direct supervision of specialists. In addition, colchicine is widely used in the treatment of skin cancer. This became possible due to the property of the compound to influence the process of cell division.
In conclusion, we recall that it is not safe to use any parts of the autumn colchicum plant for the treatment of various diseases at home!
