A perennial plant belonging to the cabbage family is a katran. White or pink inflorescences are very beautiful, which appear by 2 years of his life. They have a pleasant honey aroma, which is why many gardeners use katran as a site decoration.
Distribution
Katran is a plant that is often called oriental or Tatar horseradish. Under natural conditions grows in the Crimea. In addition, it is found in the wild in Europe, southwest Asia and Africa, mainly in the east of the continent. The katran plant is a representative of the cruciferous family, has a thick, fleshy rhizome. Representatives of this genus are perennial and annual shrubs and herbs.
Description of the plant
Katran is a plant reaching a height of up to 120 cm. A year later, a rosette of leaves appears. Their number is increasing every year.
The root of the plant in search of moisture penetrate deep into the soil. This explains the resistance of the bush to winter cold and summer drought. The root is cylindrical, fleshy, with white pulp. Its length is on average 50 cm, weightjust over a kilogram.
The stem is bare, branched, covered with a slight coating of wax. Leaves are pinnatipartite, petiolate or forked.
The katran plant has a fruit, which is a spherical pod (non-opening). The seeds of the plant are pieces of the fruit. They are quite large - their diameter reaches 10 mm, the fruit shell is hard, does not separate.
Katran is a plant whose photo you can see in our article, primarily light-loving, heat- and cold-resistant. Easily tolerates even very harsh winters. Seeds germinate at a fairly low temperature (3°C), seedlings tolerate frost well down to -5°C. However, the katran feels most comfortable at a temperature of 18-25 ° C. Growth begins in early spring.
Growing conditions
The katran plant is quite unpretentious, it does not need much heat, it easily tolerates heat and cold, prefers an unshaded area. These properties make it possible to plant it in open ground in all regions of our country (the only exception is the northern regions).
Light soil is most suitable for growing - loamy or sandy loam. He does not like acidic soils and groundwater, closely spaced. Acidic soil can cause fungal infections in the plant, swelling and growths appear on the roots.
The katran plant likes to settle in areas where potatoes, cucumbers, and tomatoes used to grow. To reduce the acidity of the soil, it is necessary to make freshly slaked lime when digging in the fall at the rate of about 200 grams per 1sq. m.
In addition, the plant needs fertilizer with humus - 5 kg per 1 sq. m. Before planting, the seeds of katran should be warmed up in water of about 50 degrees to prevent the appearance of powdery mildew.
Growing katran from seeds
For germination, seeds need stratification, so it is better to sow them before winter - in September-October. They will germinate early, +5 °С is enough for them, seedlings will easily withstand a cold snap of up to -5 °С.
Spring sowing will require 2 months of keeping the seeds in the refrigerator. Moistened sand can serve as soil. After 10 days, the sowing container must be rearranged on a well-lit windowsill. Often shoots appear even in the refrigerator.
The most comfortable temperature for plant development is +21 °С.
Seedlings should be transplanted after 40 days into the ground. By this time, the katran usually has 5 leaves.
Plant plants should be in a row every 40 cm, row spacing 60 cm. Do not worry that they develop poorly in the first year. The next green appears very early, growth accelerates noticeably.
Growing from root cuttings
When propagating katran with cuttings, you will need lateral roots, the length of which is about 15 cm. They are usually cut from root crops in the fall, when harvested, several pieces are tied and stored until spring (temperature is about 0 ° C).
Don't forget to mark the top and bottom so you don'tconfuse when landing. All excess buds should be removed from the cuttings, leaving only the top one. Plant them in a prepared place at an angle, tightly pressing the soil.
How to increase yields
To do this, it is necessary to strengthen the growth of the roots. For this purpose, the head of a two-year-old plant is cut off by 3 cm. In this case, the peduncle will stop developing, and the root crop will increase significantly.
Commercial size it will reach the second year of development. In fact, growing katran in compliance with modern agricultural practices, good root crops can be quite guaranteed to be obtained in a year. But do not forget that young one-year-old roots are tender, quickly wither after harvesting, so they need to be covered immediately.
Katran plant - species
In our country there are more than a dozen types of katran, but four are most often grown and used: rod-shaped, oriental, steppe (Tatar), sea.
The most productive are three - eastern, steppe and marine. Most often, amateur gardeners prefer the steppe katran on their site, or its variety - the Crimean.
Katran plant - use
Marine species leaves are used for food. The heart-leaved katran is used as an ornamental plant, from which borders are formed. Oil is extracted from the seeds of the Abyssinian variety.
Katran root crops reach marketable size by two years, become smooth and even. It is eaten as a condiment similar to horseradish.
The roots of this plant contain 9% sugars, up to 34% dry matter, from 45 to 90 mg of ascorbic acid per 100 g of wet weight. This makes them very similar in taste to horseradish roots.
The young shoots and young leaves of the plant are eaten in early spring. They are boiled in s alted water, seasoned with butter and sprinkled with croutons.
For s alting and pickling vegetables (tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, zucchini) use the leaves and roots of katran.
Traditional medicine
Due to the high content of vitamin C in the leaves of the plant, they are used by traditional healers as an excellent remedy for scurvy. Salads are also prepared from them by mixing the leaves with carrots.
The katran plant is used to improve digestion and increase appetite. In addition, it is an excellent wound healing agent. With it, you can get rid of freckles, which cause a lot of problems for many.
Contraindications
Like horseradish, katran is contraindicated in people with diseases of the kidneys, liver, stomach, and also with duodenal ulcers and stomach.
Katran storage
Keep the root crop in storehouses and basements, at a constant temperature of 0 degrees and normal humidity. Roots should be sprinkled with wet sand.
Reviews
Today you learned what is remarkable about the katran plant. Feedback from gardeners about him is positive. Many note that with full similarity in taste with the rootshorseradish this plant behaves less aggressively on the site. Many are satisfied with its decorative effect.
As for its medicinal properties, opinions here are very contradictory. For some, this is a universal remedy for the treatment of "all diseases", others question this statement. In any case, before using katran for medicinal purposes, consult your doctor.
