Echinacea or, as it is also called, deer root, has become popular solely because of its bright colors and decorative properties. It is noteworthy that in their homeland, in South America, echinacea was used as a remedy for colds, as well as in case of snake bites.
When growing echinacea, you do not need to spend much effort on creating special conditions for this plant. So if you are still thinking whether or not to be a given flower on your site, then make up your mind and plant it. After all, this flower is not only beautiful purple flowers, but also an abundance of medicinal properties that can be very useful.
Before planting echinacea, it is better to prepare a site for it in advance. If nothing has grown in this place for many years, except for weeds, the place should be carefully cleaned of them. If required, apply organic fertilizers to the soil. As for lighting, this flower prefers to warm its leaves in the sun, so it is better to choose an area where nothing prevents the penetration of sunlight.
It should also be taken into account that the firstechinacea grows very slowly for a year of life, but the next year more than compensates for last year's slow growth.
When growing echinacea, seeds are best sown for seedlings in early March. Ready seedlings are planted in the ground around the second decade of May, but if the month is rather cold, then it is better to wait a bit.
Seeds can be sown directly into open ground, but then the seedlings will turn out to be very weak and unfriendly. After planting seedlings in a permanent place, they must be carefully looked after. Taking into account the fact that plants grow extremely slowly, they should be weeded in time from weeds that can simply suffocate young flowers, and constantly loosen the ground.
Echinacea purpurea is also very popular in Russia. Growing this plant is no different than caring for a simple echinacea.
You should not expect abundant flowering from the plant in the first year of life. Some single specimens may bloom, but the inflorescences will be very small.
If you decide to grow Echinacea solely for its medicinal properties, it will be useful for you to know how to properly harvest flowers for storage.
In the first year of life, it is better not to touch a plant such as echinacea. Flowers that require a lot of time to grow at the beginning of their growth should not be subjected to mechanical stress.
From the second year of life, you can begin to harvest the roots of plants. As a rule, this is done in the fall. At the end of September the rootsdug up, washed and placed in a well-ventilated area to dry.
When growing echinacea, the whole plant can be used for treatment, even the stems and leaves. They are cut during the flowering of the plant and dried in a dark, cool room, for example, in the attic. Decoctions made from the herb echinacea increase immunity during colds.
As we can see, when growing echinacea, you can use it to decorate your garden plot, or you can plant it solely for the purpose of obtaining a herb with medicinal properties.
