All about dense corydalis

Walking through the forest in the spring, you can come across delicate pink flowers - this is Haller's crested. This beautiful plant is popular with gardeners because of its unpretentiousness, beauty and healing properties. In this article, you will learn more about the flower, as well as understand how to grow it properly.

Haller's Corydalis is a perennial but fragile flower. Any damage quickly destroys him. The length of the plant is 8-20 cm. On the stem, there are double- or triple-triple leaves, most often there are two of them. Closer to the base there are scale-like leaves: one main and many small ones. In the axils of small leaves, wintering buds are located - points of rebirth. After frost, young shoots grow from them, and this allows the dense corydalis to live for many years. At the base, the stem may branch slightly.

The most beautiful is the inflorescence. Its appearance is a brush. The flowers are elongated, resemble a crest and, perhaps, this is where the popular name Corydalis came from. The plant is identified by split bracts. But more attention is attracted by delicate pink-purple corollas. In length, they reach from 1.5 to 2 cm. An adult plant grows on average from 20 to 30 buds. Corydalis fruit is a pod-shaped capsule. There, black seeds ripen in the form of peas about 2 mm in size.

A small brown tuber is hidden underground at a depth of 5-10 cm. During the first growing season, which lasts from the germination of the shoots to the appearance of the first seeds, the main root dies off. Now the corydalis has adventitious roots and the tuber itself, which change annually.

This also helps the flower to survive: during winter, the tuber feeds the plant with accumulated nutrients. Depleted organs die off, and new ones come in their place, which during the year store resources for the coming cold weather. In the spring, the plant begins to come to life. Corydalis blooms in April-May.

In the wild, it is found throughout Russia, except for the northern part. Corydalis grows in the forest, on the slopes of ravines, next to rivers and even in thickets of bushes. There is a lot of moisture and ants - its main distributors.

In folk medicine, a forest dweller is used to treat gastrointestinal diseases, normalize blood pressure, and as an anesthetic. It also helps to cope with nervous irritability, insomnia and intimate male problems.

Haller's Corydalis is an unpretentious plant. It is frost-resistant and does not require close attention to itself, therefore it is suitable even for beginner gardeners. The acidity of the soil should be neutral or low: in such conditions, the flower will grow better. Use a lime fertilizer to lower acidity. Haller's Corydalis is a resident of the forest, therefore, requires shelter in the shade or partial shade. Delicate flowers do not like harsh gusts of wind, so it is important to provide adequate protection.

A good planting option is tubers. They need to be harvested immediately after the plant has dropped its seeds, that is, in June - early September. No special preparation is required. Small tubers are planted in the ground to a depth of 5-7 cm, and large ones - 10-15 cm. Before planting, you need to carefully examine them for damage and signs of disease.

When watering, keep a balance between too dry and too wet soil. It is especially important not to flood the plant too much, because the roots will quickly rot and fungus will appear.Drainage will help remove excess moisture. In winter, there will be enough melt water.

By the way, frosts are not terrible for the corydalis. Only the upper part of the plant dies off, and the next year young shoots will sprout. The dead parts are removed and the tuber is left alone until spring. When it gets warmer, the flowers will bloom.

Corydalis is propagated in two ways: vegetative and seed. In the first case, rhizomes and tubers, the constituent parts of the plant, are used. In the case of Haller's corydalis, this is a tuber. The second option is the seeds with which the flower bears fruit.

Corydalis should be propagated when it is at rest. The phase begins immediately after the flower has given seeds. First, carefully dig up the tuber. Make sure it hasn't been damaged in the process. The tubers do not require processing and can be planted immediately. There is one tuber per hole.

The seeds ripen one week after flowering. The main thing here is to catch the moment when the box is still green, and the seeds, black peas, have already darkened. Otherwise, the seeds will fall to the ground and be carried away by the ants.

Keep the seeds in a dry place for several days to ripen. It is better to sow them in pots, and next year you can already transplant them into open ground.

Corydalis is a resistant plant that almost never gets sick. But without proper care, this strong flower will wilt.

Rodents living in the soil harm the roots. If there are moles or field mice on the field, they need to be etched. For this, poisons and folk remedies are used. For example, if you place a mixture of wheat flour, lime and salt on the site, and put a bowl of water next to it, you can quickly get rid of voles. The mice will eat the flour and lime, the salt will make you thirsty, and the animals will want to drink. A blood clot forms in the stomach, and the animal dies.

Fungus may appear on the roots due to excess moisture. To prevent this, when watering, it is important to monitor the amount of water and remove excess water. Fungi are treated with fungicides, special chemicals. They can be dissolved and watered so that the medicines reach the roots.

Sometimes the corydalis is also affected by viral infections. Better not to fight them. As a rule, such plants are dug up and destroyed.