The genus of nightshade is annual, perennial grasses, shrubs, semi-shrubs, rarely trees with erect or climbing stems. Leaves are whole, paired or regular, pinnate or lobate. Flowers in most cases are correct, bisexual, solitary or in inflorescences, five-membered. The fruit of this kind of plant is a two-nested multi-seeded berry. Nightshade in its own way has valuable cultural plants - eggplants, potatoes, sometimes tomatoes.
Kinds.
In Russia, there are about twenty wild-growing species of this genus.
For example, the sweet-bitter nightshade (S. dulcamara) is a half-shrub with climbing stalks, flowers are mostly lilac, and berries are bright red. It grows in the southern part of Western Siberia and practically throughout the European part in damp shrubs, ravines, forests, along the banks of reservoirs.
Black nightshade (S. nigrum) - an annual plant with flowers predominantly white, with black berries (sometimes there are berries of green color). In the form of a weed grows near housing, in gardens and orchards.
Both species in their composition contain a poisonous substance - alkaloid solanine, which can cause poisoning.
The lobed nightshade (S. laciniatum). Homeland of this species is Australia. In its composition has glycoalkaloids (solamargin and solasonin), which are used to obtain such steroid hormones as cortisone and progesterone. These hormones are used in medicine. In the form of an annual plant grown in the Krasnodar Territory.
Most species of nightshade are grown as ornamental plants in orchards. Here are some of them: dark-brown nightshade, fringed nightshade. In the greenhouses and in the room conditions pepper nightshade is grown.
In room conditions, nightshade needs a certain care: constant spraying, timely pruning, a cool temperature in winter. If this is not done, the plant will quickly lose its ornamentality.
Care of the nightshade.
Nightshade is a photophilous plant, therefore for normal vital activity bright scattered light is needed. Direct rays of the sun suffer badly. It grows well near the western window and the east window. Next to the southern window, nightshade should be pritenyat.
In the summer, a room plant is better to take out nightshade on the street, but it should be protected not only from direct sun rays (to avoid sunburn), but from drafts and precipitation. On the street in the open air nightshade will bring more fruits, rather than if it grows in the room.
For the winter, you need to think about additional lighting. The lack of lighting leads to the fact that the plant blooms badly, fruiting and there are few leaves on it.
Plant nightshade not only in spring, but also in the summer it is advised to keep at 18-25 degrees. And in autumn and winter the plant will bear fruit at 12-15 degrees. If the temperature in the winter is more than 18 о С, then the leaves begin to turn yellow and fly over, and the berries crinkle and begin to crumble. In addition, during this period, the plant needs fresh air, but not draft.
Watering abundant (April-September).
In the room conditions in the period from October to February, the plant is forced due to reduced air humidity and reduced illumination, is in a rest period. At the beginning of this period, nightshade is placed in a cool room, where high humidity is maintained. Watering at this time should be limited and maintained so until the appearance of new shoots, then watering should be slightly increased.
Humidity indices affect the timing of fruiting, so it is recommended to maintain it at least 65 percent.
Nightshade should be regularly sprayed, it is also desirable to put a container with a plant on a pallet, which is pre-filled with wet pebbles, expanded clay or peat. The bottom of the container should be above water, but not in water.
Top dressing is performed in May-September with special liquid fertilizers once a week or two weeks. Fertilizer should be taken for flowering indoor plants.
By the end of the winter period, the berries are solanized and the leaves turn yellow, and then the nightshade needs to be cut off at 1/3 of the height, then transplanted into fresh fresh soil. In autumn, the ends of non-flowering shoots need to be nipped.
Transplant nightshade is performed after pruning every year with the onset of spring.
Suitable substrate: equal parts of leaf and turf ground, peat. Or such: sand (1 part) and two parts of turf, peat, humus earth. Good drainage is mandatory, this will avoid decaying the root system.
Reproduction.
This indoor plant multiplies by cuttings and seeds.
Seeds multiply most often in the spring, for this seeds are sown in the sifted earth (necessarily leafy) and germinated under glass at a temperature of not less than 20 degrees, but not more than 22 degrees. Seeds are sown on the surface of the earth and covered with a small layer of coarse-grained sand. Two weeks later emerges. After two transplantations, the young plant is dived into pots with the following substrate: humus (2 parts), sand and turf ground (1 part each) and are obligatory plucked. In summer, young plants need to be cut several times, this is necessary to stimulate branching.
Reproduction by cuttings is possible in the spring-summer period. For this purpose cuttings for better rooting are planted in moist sand or perlite (you can take a mixture consisting of identical parts of sand and peat). Once the stalk has taken root, it is dived into a pot with a land consisting of: sand and turf ground (1 part each) and two parts humus, pinching is mandatory. In summer, young plants need to be cut several times, which will give stimulation for better branching.
Precautions: the berries are bedded beautiful and bright, but contain poisonous substances, so if the house has small children, to avoid poisoning, precautions are necessary.
Possible difficulties.
Few berries. In this case, you can artificially pollinate the nightshade flowers with a soft brush.
In winter, fruits and leaves fall. The reason is that the room is too dry and the air is warm.
Damaged: aphids, spider mite (especially if the plant is kept in a room with dry air), aphids, whitefly.