Daturaor in other wordsDaturais a genus of plants belonging to the nightshade family, originating from areas of South America. They are most often annual or perennial plants, some of them grow up to the size of shrubs or small trees. A characteristic feature of most daturas are large funnel-shaped, trumpet-tubular flowers, single or full, with a very pleasant smell, which we can feel especially in the evenings. See whatdatura cultivationlooks like in the garden and how and when it is best to performdatura cuttingand its reproduction.
Annual Datura has trumpet-shaped flowers directed vertically upwards
Datura and Datura - what's the difference?
Sometimes when browsing various sources of information one can get the impression that there is some confusion with the nomenclature of these plants. In Polish nomenclature, the namesDaturaandbieluńare used interchangeably, both for annual and perennial datura. The authors of some studies ascribe the Latin name Datura only to annual plants. They describe species that are shrubs or trees under the name Brugmansia.
Datura annualshave smaller flowers (15-20 cm) pointing vertically upwards, whileperennial daturahave flowers up to 50 cm long, tilted or hanging (visible in the photo). A valuable advantage of daturas is repeating flowering - up to five times a season. With each flowering, the plants are covered with dozens of unusual flowers.
The leaves of these plants are large, ovate and dark green. The fruits of the annual varieties are spiky spherical bags from which brown seeds spill out when they break.Perennial daturado not produce fruit and seeds in our climate.In Poland, in its natural environment, the species Datura stramonium, or Datura, is found. It is an annual plant that sets seeds in fruits that resemble those of horse chestnut. Ornamental varieties of this species are grown in the gardens.
Note!Before we decide to grow daturas, it is worth knowing that these plants are poisonous. It is not allowed to eat any part of this plant, which should be especially taken into account by people who have small children. Accidental ingestion of parts of the plant may end up in min. nausea and hallucinations.
Datura - cultivation and requirements
The requirements of datur are quite big, although their cultivation does not have to pose many problems.
What kind of soil for datura?
Alldaturalike humus soil, rich in nutrients, permeable and quickly warming up. Datura cultivationworks best in soil with a pH of 5.5 to 6.5. For planting, it is best to use a universal substrate, used in vegetable crops, which has an appropriate pH and is enriched with the necessary nutrients. It is good to put a 2 to 5 cm thick drainage layer made of coarse gravel or expanded clay on the bottom of the pot or container. Thanks to this, the roots of the plants will have a sufficient amount of air and will not contain water in them.
Perennial Datura - flowers are much larger than those of annuals and hang downwards
Transplanting datura
During the year we transplant youngdaturato larger and larger pots several times. Frequently transplanted and properly fertilized plants can reach 1.5-2.0 m in height during the year and produce up to several dozen flowers. It is best to replant when the soil lump is well overgrown by the root system (you can see it after breaking the plant from the pot) or when the leaves begin to change color from intense green to light green.
Datura fertilization
Daturyare extremely voracious plants and require plentiful fertilization. Young plants just need to be planted in compost soil or universal soil and do not need to be fertilized until replanting. However, olderdatura requires intensive fertilization , especially in the period of full vegetation. You can use the Florovit fertilizer solution with watering water, giving 50 ml of this fertilizer per 10 l of water. You can also protect the plants for a longer period by applying slow-decomposing fertilizers in the soil (such as Azofoska or Osmocote). At the end of the growing season, reduceDatura fertilizationso that the plants can enter the period of dormancy.
Datura watering
Datura has a very rich foliage, which means that in summer heat they lose large amounts of water. A grown 2-3 year old plant absorbs 10-15 liters of water during the day. Provide an older plant with a large pot from which the water does not evaporate so quickly.Daturas like constant humidity, so be sure to provide them with adequate drainage so that the plant does not stand in the water. It is best towater the daturawith standing water at ambient temperature. The plant reacts to a lack of water by wilting rapidly, but it is not advisable to sprinkle it. Water should be supplied only to the soil, as sprinkling may cause rotting of flowers and leaves.
Cutting datur
Datural annuals are not pruned. Perennial Datura is also not cut in the first year of cultivation, as it is only 60-100 cm tall. In the following years, Perennial Datura must be trimmed once or twice a year. The first time is in late fall, when they enter the dormant period to prepare them for wintering. We shorten the shoots by 1 / 4-1 / 3 of the length. The second time we do the so-called corrective cutting in spring when young leaves are released. Then it is easy to see which shoots are he althy and which ones are withered or rotten. Then we cut them to a he althy place.
Datur reproduction
Datury is best propagatedthrough shoot cuttings. For this purpose, a shoot that is several months or one year old is cut into short sections (7-12 cm long) with a sharp secateurs. The upper part of the seedling must have a bud with young leaves. Remove larger leaves from the cuttings.
Dip the freshly cutdatura cuttingsin the rooting plant to a depth of half a cm and press them into the previously prepared substrate. The best substrate is peat and sand mixed in a ratio of 3 to 1.
The substrate should be 12 to 14 cm thick and well watered before planting.Datur seedlingsshould be placed in the substrate in such a way that only the eye and the leaf protrude above the surface. Cover the container with the seedlings with foil and sprinkle it from time to time. After 3 to 4 weeks, the cuttings will take root if kept at a temperature of around 20-22 ° C. After another 2 to 3 weeks, the seedlings can be transplanted into separate pots, providing them with constant humidity and moderate lighting.
Another way topropagate Daturais to cut the tops of the shoots about 20 to 25 cm long and place them in jars of water. For this you can use shoots broken in the wind. Every few days you need to refill the water in the jar or replace the water with fresh water. After about 4 weeks, when the seedlings have taken root, they can be transplanted into pots.
Daturas are extremely sensitive to sub-zero temperatures, thereforedatur winteringis carried out in frost-free rooms. For this reason, they are mainly grown in containers (easy to move). Plants for this period lose their leaves, so the room does not have to be very bright. Datura can be hidden e.g. in a basement. It is important to do this before the first frost comes. Afteroverwintering, daturaswill decorate our gardens or terraces again.
If we do not hide the daturas on time in autumn, there may befrost damage Then we will observe that the first autumn frosts (down to -2 ° C) have plowed the leaves and flowers, but the shoots are not yet damaged. Such a plant can still be saved. For this purpose, cut it by 1/4 and put it in a damp basement with a temperature of 2 to 6 ° C. In these conditions, we keep it until the next spring.Water the datura several times during the winterto prevent the root ball from drying out.
At the turn of March and Aprilthe datura can be taken out of the cellari move to a cool, but sunny room, where she will stay until she is exposed outside. It should be remembered that the plants should be exposed to the air only when we are sure that the period of spring frosts is over, which usually takes place after May 15.Datura is best displayed on a cloudy and windless day , because the sharp spring sun and dry wind can re-knock the delicate young shoots and leaves of datura.If not only the leaves but also the shoots freeze, the plant will die."
