Coral nightshade(Solanum pseudocapsicum) is a lovely houseplant that produces attractive fruit in the form of small red or orange balls in the fall and winter season. However, you have to be careful, because the fruits of nightshade are poisonous and the plant is only used for ornamental purposes. We recommend the most interestingvarieties of nightshadefor pot cultivation, we explain what it looks like at homegrowing nightshade in a pot , and we also suggest how to propagate this interesting plant.
Coral nightshade - (Solanum pseudocapsicum)
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What does coral nightshade look like?
These potted plants with ornamental fruits are small shrubs, reaching 30 to 50 cm in height. They form branched, twig plants with green shoots and dark green, lanceolate leaves with slightly wavy edges. The nightshade leaves are small and their length does not exceed 8 cm. In summernightshade produces white star-shaped flowerswith protruding stamens. The flowers of the nightshade are approximately 1.5 cm in diameter.
The fruits of coral nightshadeappear in the autumn and, under favorable conditions, stay on the plant throughout the winter. They are round berries up to 2 cm in diameter. At first they are green, then they brighten until they finally turn orange-red.
Very similar to coral nightshade ispepper nightshade(Solanum capsicastrum) and these plants are often confused with each other. Pepper nightshade is usually slightly shorter and the berries are smaller (about 1 cm in diameter).However, confusing these plants is not troublesome, because they are grown in the same way.
Coral nightshade flowers
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Is coral nightshade poisonous?
Coral and pepper nightshades are poisonous houseplants. The poisonous glycoside solanine is found in all parts of these plants. However, nightshade fruits are especially dangerous, which, due to their attractive appearance, resembling miniature tomatoes, may be of interest to children. Eating nightshade fruit can result in gastrointestinal problems and serious poisoning, and in extreme cases even death.
Nutritious nightshade is poisonous to humansbut also pets such as dogs, cats and birds. However, if we grow nightshade as an ornamental plant and we do not have small children or pets, we do not need to be afraid of this plant. It does not emit any poisonous substances into the air and cannot endanger us.Just remember thatnightshade is inedible
Coral nightshade - varieties
The most commondwarf varieties of nightshadeare found in flower shops, which are characterized by lower growth and better density of shoots. These are mainly:
- nightshade 'New Patterson'about orange-red fruit,
- nightshade 'Goldball'about slightly larger, yellow-colored fruits.
Coral nightshade - cultivation
Coral nightshade requires a sunny position , preferably close to a window. The soil in the pot with nightshade should be kept moist. During the flowering and fruiting period of the nightshade, we add liquid fertilizer for flowering plants to the watering water every 2 weeks.
Fruiting nightshades in pots
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Nightshade requires high air humidity For this reason, it often happens that after buying a plant and bringing it home , the nightshade fruits falland lose their firmness. The reason is too low air humidity in our apartment and too high temperature. Therefore, it is worth placing the pot with nightshade on a stand with gravel, which will be constantly wetted. The water that evaporates from the stand will moisten the air around the nightshade. During flowering, the plant should also be sprinkled frequently. In order for the fruit on the nightshade to last as long as possible, the plant should be kept at a temperature lower than normal room temperature. Ideally, it should be 16 ° C.
When the nightshade fruits become ripe and fall off, watering is limited and the stems of the plant are cut in half. We do thistrimmingevery year. If the pot is already too small, after trimming, the nightshade can be transplanted into a larger pot and fresh soil. A peat substrate is best for nightshade.
Despite the above conditions, a very common problem isno fruit on the nightshade Therefore, in order to ensure abundant flowering and fruiting of this plant, it is worth putting it outside, on a balcony or terrace during the summer. We can do it from the second half of May, when the risk of frost is over. The nightshade should return to the apartment in the fall, before the first frosts.
Nightshade - reproduction
Sometimescoral nightshadeor paprika seeds are available in garden stores. These seeds can be sown in the spring, preferably in March. Nightshade seeds can also be obtained independently from the fruit.
It is also possiblepropagation of nightshade by semi-woody cuttings , which are harvested in the summer. Propagation from cuttings guarantees that the obtained plants will be identical to the mother plant. In the case of ornamental breeding varieties, seedlings obtained from seeds very often do not repeat the characteristics of the mother plant.
