Damascus nigella is a herbaceous annual plant, which also has another name - chernushka. This article provides a description of the nigella, provides a list of the most popular varieties, and also describes the growing conditions.
What does it look like
Nigella is a flower that has very winding shoots. In height, they reach 0.3-0.6 m.
Nigella or Nigella damask belongs to the Lyutikovs. Flowers reach 4 cm, they have 5 sepals. The color may be white nigella or blue nigella. Petals are never colorful.
Damask Nigella
Under natural conditions, the plant grows in Asia, Europe and North Africa. From Latin, the name translates as "black."
Popular varieties of nigella
In the Russian regions, only a few varieties and varieties of Chernushka are grown.
- The nigella Albina variety has a height of up to 45 cm. The flowers can be yellow, white, blue. Leaves are filiform or pinnate. The flowers are simple and double. The stems have a straight or branched appearance.
- Persian Jewels. The variety has large flowers. Their petals can be red, pink and white, and inside are long stamens. The stalk reaches a length of up to 45 cm.
- Cabridge blue. Shoots grow up to 90 cm in length. Half-double blue flowers. The leaves are sharp in shape.
- Miss Jackil Rose. It has straight stems. Height can be up to half a meter. The flowers are dark pink in color.
- Dwarf Moody Blue. This is a dwarf species of damask nigella. The flowers have a bright blue color.
- Purple Splendour. This variety has bright purple petals. Height to half a meter.
Persian jewels
Plant propagation
Nigella is propagated using seeds. To get them, they wait time until the seed boxes ripen. Then the boxes are dried and seed is obtained from them.
Nigella seeds must be planted either in seedling boxes or directly into the ground.
Seedling by seedling
In this case, seedlings are grown first, and then they are planted in the ground. Seeds for seedlings must be sown in late March and early April.
For growing seedlings, boxes or a greenhouse are used. Seeds are deepened by 2-3 cm. Shoots occur after 15-20 days. The newly emerged seedlings are placed in glasses with soil.
Planting chernushki seedlings
Soil and seed preparation
Before planting seeds, it is required to deoxidize the earth. To do this, put lime or dolomite flour in it. After cutting the nigella boxes, it is placed in a dry and well-lit place.
Seedling Care
The seed content must be produced under a clear glass. Watered with a spray as the soil dries. The temperature should be + 15-25 degrees.
Dive
When a couple of leaflets appear, they make a pick. It is advisable to use peat pots, then you can plant the chernushka in the ground directly in them. If you dive into ordinary glasses, then the transplant will need to be carried out with an earthen lump.
Seedlings are planted in open ground in May, choosing a clear sunny day.
Nigella - outdoor planting and care
Directly in open ground, seeds are planted in April. If the weather conditions are favorable, then seedlings will appear in 2-3 weeks. Caring for a little chernushka is very simple.
Important! One gram of seeds is used per 1 square. m
The flower prefers loose soil and a large amount of light. Before planting, the soil must be loosened.
Care for chernukha in the open ground
Is it possible to plant a plant in a pot
Sowing nigella is an annual plant, so growing it in a pot is not recommended.
Features of gardening
In order for the nigella to please with beautiful flowering, it is necessary to know all the subtleties of caring for her in the garden.
The landing site should be well-lit, as in a shaded place chernushka is poorly developed. In the vicinity of the Nigella, it is better to cultivate ground cover plants. The earth must be dry, nutritious and neutral. Sour earth is not suitable for chernushka.
Attention! For a plant, a flower bed in a shaded place and acidic soil will not work.
Frequent and rare watering will harm the herbaceous plant, so it should be watered moderately.
The main rule for nigella is that the plant tolerates mulching negatively.
The plant requires systematic cultivation, while it is important to remove weed.
The plant is very easy to oversaturate with fertilizers, so moderation is required. Until the period of active growth, these flowers can not be fed. During flowering, fertilizing with phosphorus-potassium fertilizers is done.
Nigella is not a perennial plant, so there is no question of any preparation for winter.
When and how it blooms
Flowering begins 45 days after planting seedlings. The duration of flowering is 8 weeks.
The type of flower depends on the particular variety of nigella.
Attention! During flowering, the groundcover flower can be fed with phosphorus-potash fertilizers.
Possible problems in growing
Nigella has pests, and various diseases can also occur. For this reason, it is necessary to carry out preventive measures so that the plant does not die.
Among the pests of nigella, it is worth highlighting the spider mite. They suck leaf juice. In this case, the plant should be treated with insect acaricides.
Nigella Pests
If the weather is wet, then the flower can become infected with powdery mildew. In this case, the plant is treated with fungicide 2-3 times.
If the plant is abundantly watered, then it will begin to rot. When choosing the wrong place, the plant is poorly developed.
Flower properties
Nigella is used in medicine and cooking. Seeds are used as spices.
Plant seeds are often used in medicine and cooking.
Important! Blackberry seeds are good for your health. For medical purposes, they are used to normalize metabolism, improve brain activity, vision andhearing.
It is easy to plant a beautiful annual plant using seeds for this. Soon after appearing on the site, the nigella will bloom and will delight the hosts for a long time with its delicate flowers. It’s easy to care for all varieties, even a novice flower lover can cope with this task.
