Indian onion - care and propagation at home. Description of appearance

Latin name: Ornithogalum

Family: hyacinths (Hyacinthaceae), most recently located in the lily family (Liliaceae)

Homeland: South Africa

Indian onion - the history of the origin and distribution of the ornithischium caudate

According to science, this plant is called ornithogalum caudatum and is a bulbous perennial. The impenetrable subtropical thickets of South Africa are its homeland. In our area, the Indian onion indoor plant has been listed only recently since 1961, but has already rightfully won bright places window sills. Seeds of the tailed birdweed were delivered to the Botanical Institute of Leningrad.

Indian onions are recently a member of the hyacinth family, transferred from the lily family. Naturalists call it the tailed ornithogalum caudatum. If we literally translate the words of Greek origin “ornis” - bird, “gala” - milk you get bird's milk. Tiny picturesque white flowers became the prerequisite for this original name. IN different peoples There is a name for this plant: Indian onion, Chinese onion, sea onion, false sea onion.

And the plant itself has flat, wide, belt-shaped, drooping leaves, reminiscent of rooster feathers. White-yellow scales densely cover the green bulb, which can reach ten centimeters or more in diameter. By the way, the Indian onion flower grows for a long time, blooms already in the second or third season, while throwing out an original peduncle about 60 cm high, good conditions can please the eyes of owners for up to thirty years. Poultry plant belongs to the category of poisonous plants, and it has medicinal properties.

Indian onion care at home

An unpretentious plant to grow. In order for your pet to be beautiful and healthy, you need to take care of it and adhere to certain rules.

• It is advisable to choose one for your flower clay pot. The flower will be comfortable in it: the clay allows excess moisture to evaporate and rid the soil of excess salts and sediments. A bulb planted two-thirds of its size above the ground will grow to the size of the pot.
• Moderate watering of the plant is carried out regularly when the soil dries out. In the winter off-season, the frequency of watering should be reduced, because waterlogging is completely undesirable for Indian onions, which can lead to rotting of the roots.
• The Indian onion plant really needs air, which is necessary for the roots to develop and enlarge the bulb. To do this, you need to loosen the soil a couple of times a week.
• Temperature and lighting should be moderate and constant during the period of intensive growth, and during dormancy, a decrease in temperature can be allowed.
• Indian onions will feel comfortable in a mixture of turf, leaf and sandy soil.
• It is necessary to feed the plant during flowering and during the period of intensive growth, in winter time should not be fertilized.

Indian onion care, carried out according to all the rules, will only bring positive results and will thank the owners with beauty and attractiveness.

Indian onion application

The healing qualities of the Indian onion are its most limitless value.

Traditional medicine widely uses Indian onion externally as a wound-healing and analgesic for joint pain, bruises, head diseases, baldness, and colds. The structure of Indian onions contains active substances - phytoncides, which can increase blood flow to diseased organs. And absolutely all parts of the plant containing healing juice in large quantities are endowed with healing properties. Treat your plant with love, take care of it and be healthy.

Aloe, Kalanchoe, golden mustache - all these are recognized leaders in healing properties among indoor plants. Indian onions can rightfully be included in this list. Although this plant is not yet as widespread on our windowsills as those listed, the medicinal properties of Indian onions are in no way inferior to other well-known medicinal crops.

About the plant

The Indian onion is a big deceiver. Not only is it not Indian, but it’s not even an onion. Its scientific name is ornithischium tailed. His homeland is considered South Africa, but this perennial bulbous plant can be found in almost all subtropics of inhabited continents: Europe, Asia, Africa and America.

Poultry plant has many names:

• Indian onion;
• Mongolian onion;
• Chinese onion:
• squill;
• false sea onion.

Externally, this plant resembles an ordinary one onion, only its bulb is soft green. This bulb can remain viable for 20–30 years. She is wrapped in scales, like a film, behind which new babies are born. When they reach 1.5 cm long and 1 cm wide, they can be separated from the bulb to create new plants.

Indian onions are long (up to 1 m), hanging under own weight leaves up to 5 cm wide, rolled at the ends into tubes. The plant blooms with small white-green flowers, which are strewn with a long - up to 60 cm - peduncle. If you tear off a leaf from the onion, juice immediately begins to flow out of it.

Interesting fact: The age of Indian onions can be easily determined by the number of leaves. Every year it grows a new leaf. So everything is simple: how many leaves have grown, so old is the birdman.

Poultry plant contains in large quantities:

• organic acids;
• amino acids;
• essential oils;
• alkaloids;
• microelements.

But a deceiver is a deceiver - the exact composition of the Indian onion has not yet been finally established.

Medicinal properties

Official medicine still ignores poultry, while in folk medicine it is widely used to treat many diseases. His healing power Indian onion owes its origin to colchicine, an alkaloid with powerful analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties.

Onions are also used as a good antimicrobial and bactericidal agent. It is also used to accelerate blood flow, and some traditional healers claim that it is able to restrain the development of various types of tumors, including oncological ones.

Indian onions are used to treat many ailments:

• cold;
• sore throat;
• bronchitis;
• headache and toothache;
• radiculitis;
• arthrosis;
• polyarthritis;
• osteochondrosis.

It is also used to heal wounds, relieve inflammation, tumors, itching, remove lichens, warts, for nail fungus, as well as for cosmetic purposes - to get rid of freckles.

For treatment, you can use both the bulb and leaves and peduncles. But what is most valued in Indian onions is the old leaves - large ones containing maximum amount healing juice.

Application of Indian onion

Preparations based on Indian onions can be in the form of:

• Concentrated juice.
• Alcohol tincture.
• Water tincture.
• Mazey.

The form of the drug for treatment must be selected individually, depending not only on the disease, but also on general condition sick.

Concentrated juice

To obtain it, you only need to cut a leaf or a small piece of an onion from the plant and rub it on the sore spot. Simple, cheap and effective.

Alcohol tincture

The plant is crushed and stored in glass jar and fill with alcohol. The proportions of Indian onion and alcohol can be different: 1:10, 1:15, 1:20. It is preferable to use leaves to prepare the tincture, but bulbs and flower shoots can also be used.

Place the jar with the tincture in a dark place, shaking it regularly. After 3 weeks, the tincture is filtered and used for treatment. It retains its healing properties for several years.

Water tincture

The good thing about water tincture is that it is not as hot as alcohol or concentrated juice. To prepare it, crushed leaves are poured with warm boiled water and infused for 12 hours. You can also put the crushed leaves in a thermos and pour boiling water over it. After 2 hours the tincture is ready.

Ointments

The cut leaf is crushed into pulp and mixed with other ingredients. Usually the ointment is prepared on the basis of any internal fat or petroleum jelly, or with the addition of other components: egg whites, burdock roots, aloe juice, yarrow, etc.

The simplest recipe for preparing such an ointment: heat Vaseline in a water bath (40 degrees) and slowly pour fresh juice into it, stirring everything thoroughly. The ratio of Vaseline and juice should be 5:1. This ointment can be stored in a cool, dark place for up to 1 month.

Simple recipes for every day

To relieve pain from radiculitis, quickly rub the lower back with a small (no more than 2 cm) piece cut from the onion, cover soft cloth and wrapped in a woolen scarf. After 7–10 minutes, the scarf is removed, and the remaining juice is wiped off with a warm water soft cloth.

The compress is applied 1-2 times a day (it is better to do this with an assistant - it is difficult to quickly rub the juice into the lower back yourself). The time must be determined based on how you feel - if it starts to burn strongly, the compress should be removed, otherwise you risk getting a skin burn.

Headaches are relieved by rubbing a small amount of fresh juice into the temporal or occipital part of the head. Rubbing the juice into your gums can relieve toothache, but this is a recipe for extreme sports. In addition, if there is the slightest bleeding in the oral cavity, it is strictly contraindicated.

The recipe for treating a runny nose with Indian onions is also simple: a small amount of fresh juice is rubbed into the bridge of the nose and the areas of the maxillary sinuses. At painful bites rub a few drops of insect juice into the bitten area.

By regularly lubricating papillomas and warts with juice, you can quickly get rid of them. The concentrated juice also helps to quickly get rid of nail fungus.

To be treated or not? Despite its medicinal properties, poultry plant is a poisonous plant, and the slightest error in its dosage can cause poisoning.

External use of Indian onion is considered relatively safe. Although in large doses it can provoke leukopenia (decrease in the number of leukocytes in the blood). Therefore, even the external “safe” use of Indian onion preparations should not be permanent. The maximum duration of treatment can last no more than 30 days (for greater safety - 25 days), after which it is necessary to take a long break.

Important! Poultry is a strong irritant, and the body’s reaction to it is even healthy people it is impossible to predict in advance.

Before starting treatment, it is better to make a “test run”. To do this, place a drop of Indian onion juice on inner side bend of the elbow joint. Depending on the results of this test, a decision is made on the advisability of such treatment and on the concentration of the drug.

If, when treating with Indian onion, its juice accidentally gets into the eyes, the procedure should be interrupted immediately, the affected eye should be thoroughly rinsed with plenty of water and an immediate visit to the ophthalmologist should be taken.

Poultry plant is famous for its blood thinning properties. Therefore, before you start treatment with it, make sure that you do not have problems with blood clotting. Do not delude yourself that you are using it externally - through the pores of the skin it will easily penetrate into the circulatory system, and the consequences can be very severe.

Treatment with Indian onions is contraindicated during pregnancy, nursing mothers and children. Not only are these three categories not allowed to be treated, they are not even allowed to have contact with the poultry farmer!

Growing poultry

In subtropical climates, Indian onions can grow wild all year round, but in our country it is mostly grown as a houseplant. Our housewives fell in love with it because growing it at home causes almost no trouble. The poultry farmer is undemanding to the soil, he does not need large capacity for planting, you don’t need to constantly feed and replant it, and you don’t need to water it often either.

You can grow it in several ways: from a seed, by dividing the bulb, but the simplest and most popular is by separating the children. It is enough to separate such a baby from the bulb and plant it in a separate pot - and after two weeks it will already take root. You need to plant it so that the baby sticks half out of the ground.

As a houseplant, Indian onion feels great on southern windows, but can also grow on northern ones. The plant cannot tolerate excess moisture, so it needs to be watered only when upper layer the soil is completely dry.

From the end of May to the beginning of September, it is possible to grow Indian onions outdoors, where they quickly take root and grow, pleasing the eye with large leaves and beautiful flowers. But you can’t leave it in the garden or flowerbed for the winter - this is a heat-loving plant.

Harvesting Indian onion raw materials for medicinal needs can be done all year round, but it is best to do this during flowering - at this time the plant has the greatest healing power.

Indian onions can save a person from many diseases. But it, being poisonous, can cause a lot of problems if treated unskillfully and uncontrolled. Therefore, when deciding to use poultry for your treatment, make sure that it does you good and not harm.

Many people have such a small flower at home, the foliage looks like a small onion. It is often called the domestic daffodil. The flowers of the plant are simple, but when a cap of white buds appears among the foliage, the beauty is simply indescribable. This is zephyranthes.

Description and pedigree

Such a simple but delicate flower comes from Central and South America is a perennial bulbous indoor plant and belongs to the Amaryllis family. Zephyranthes got its name from the Greek “Zephyr”, which translates as Zephyr - the name of the Greek god, which means warm western breeze, and “anthes”, which means “flower”. Another name for zephyranthes is “water lily,” and among gardening enthusiasts it is known as “upstart.” The peculiarity of this flower is its flowering, which is why it is popularly called an upstart. Flowering usually begins in April and continues until July, when the rainy season begins in its homeland. During this period, flower stalks grow rapidly, and completely unnoticeably. At the end a flower blooms, shaped like a six-pointed star, the color of which depends on the variety. The flower stays open for no more than 2 days, and then fades, but then blooms to replace it. new flower. Thus, continuous and frequent flowering allows you to constantly admire its beauty. The flower bulb is ovoid, usually 2-3.5 cm in diameter, but there are also large specimens. The fruit of the marshmallow is a capsule.

Varieties

Zephyranthes Atamasco. Originates from the USA. This variety has a bulb only 1.5-2 cm in diameter, leaves are dark green, linear-lancelot in shape. In spring, pink or white flowers up to 8 cm in diameter bloom on long peduncles. At home, with proper care, this species can bloom from April to August. Atamasco likes to winter at a temperature of 16-18 degrees, but at the same time it requires lighting and proper watering.
Zephyranthes grandiflora. Enough close-up view. Its bulb is round in shape, reaches a size of 5 cm and deepens completely when planted. The leaves are belt-shaped, painted dark green, reach 40 cm in length and 1 cm in width. Single funnel-shaped flowers with bright orange stamens bloom on long peduncles. The size of the flower is impressive - up to 8 cm wide.
Zephyranthes white. This species is native to Argentina and has small bulbs. Its leaves are narrow and long, similar to onion feathers. Single flowers up to 6 cm in diameter bloom on peduncles. Flowering begins in July and continues until October. Zephyranthes should overwinter at a temperature of 10-12 degrees.
Zephyranthes golden. This species is native to Peru. Its bulbs are up to 3 cm in diameter. The leaves are quite long - up to 30 cm long and approximately 1 cm wide. Flowering begins in winter. At this time, they bloom up to 8 cm in diameter.
Zephyranthes Lindley. This is perhaps the largest species, its bulb reaches a size of 4 cm. The leaves are long, 1.5 cm wide. It begins to bloom in July with pink funnel-shaped flowers up to 7 cm in diameter. This zephyranthes loves good lighting and fertilizing, but it needs to be fertilized from the onset of spring until the end of flowering.
Zephyranthes variegated. The bulb of this variety is 3 cm in diameter and is covered with a dense dark-colored film on top. The leaves are linear in shape, 30 cm long. Flowering occurs in January and the plant blooms with flowers 5-7 cm in diameter. The color of the flower is white inside and reddish-green on the outside. This variety will be comfortable in rooms where the atmosphere is moderately warm.

Temperature

Zephyranthes is perhaps a flower for the lazy. It is unpretentious and tolerates temperature changes well. A temperature of 19-23 degrees is perfect for it. But it is better for him to winter at a temperature of 8-14 degrees.

Lighting

The flower also does not have any special requirements for lighting. It grows well on western and eastern windows. It can also live on a north window, but I would advise moving the flower closer to the glass itself to provide as much light as possible. Artificial lighting will also be useful. If you have southern windows, then the flower should be shaded from the direct rays of the sun. To do this, I advise MirSovetov readers to either hang a small translucent curtain, move it away from the window, or simply move it to a table by the window. If you live in a private house, then you can put the pot on the veranda in partial shade - just perfect place for marshmallows.

Watering and humidity

As I already said, zephyranthes blooms with the onset of rain in its homeland. Therefore, it needs to be watered quite often, but moderately, so that the bulbs do not rot. And if your room is quite dry, then you need to additionally spray the flower, that is, slightly increase the humidity around the flower. There are types of zephyranthes that shed their leaves during the dormant period, so there is no need to water the flower during this period. If there is little foliage left, then water the zephyranthes, only very rarely.

The soil

Zephyranthes requires neutral soil. A mixture of turf, leaf soil, peat and sand is best. Everything must be taken in equal parts. You can also buy land. But I want to warn you that no matter what soil you take, it is worth remembering that it should be light and loose, as well as nutritious.

Reproduction and transplantation

Zephyranthes reproduces quite easily, forming babies. One “mother” can give birth to up to 15 children. You can, of course, wait for the seeds, plant them and wait for the bulbs, but this takes so long that the method is very rarely practiced. I would like to note that if you decide to propagate zephyranthes by seeds, then you need to plant them immediately after harvesting, because over time they lose their quality.
People say different things about transplantation. Some advise replanting once a year in spring or autumn, others advise not to replant until the pot becomes too crowded, others generally advise digging up the bulbs and planting them in the spring. I chose the second option for myself. I don't do any digging or annual replanting. I’m just making sure that the bulbs aren’t too crowded in the pot. When there are a lot of them, the bush simply looks incomparable, but when it blooms, there are no words. If there are too many bulbs, then I simply separate them when transplanting. I would like to note that when transplanting the bulbs, they should be examined. If they have a long neck, then they need to be planted so that the neck peeks out. If the neck is short, then the bulbs need to be buried completely. As for pots, for zephyranthes it is better to take bowls - low but wide pots. The width of the chosen pot is judged by the number of bulbs that are going to be planted. If there are only a couple of them, then you should take a small one. A decent layer of drainage must be placed at the bottom of the pot. After transplanting, zephyranthes are not watered for several days.

Top dressing

I feed zephyranthes with any fertilizer for flowering bulbous plants once every 2 weeks in the warm season. Agricola is often recommended for it.

Pests and diseases

In general, zephyranthes is resistant to various pests and diseases, but, nevertheless, the flower often disappears due to overwatering. If this happens, the bulbs must be dug up, dried well and inspected for rot and planted in a new substrate.
Pests may include spider mites, whiteflies, amaryllis bugs or scale insects.

Features of cultivation

1. Follow correct landing bulbs
2. Don't overdo it with watering.
3. During dormancy, the plant's leaves may drop.
4. If the zephyranthes does not bloom, then perhaps it did not have a proper dormant period or the lighting is too poor for it.

That's all the recommendations for caring for such unusual flower. If you come across it on sale, buy it, you won’t regret it.

All passionate admirers traditional medicine are very familiar with Indian onions. This African culture helps to cope with headaches, toothaches, skin and musculoskeletal diseases. It is often included in antiviral drugs. If you want to experience the power Indian onion, growing at home will help with this. This is exactly what we will talk about today on the website for.

Indian onion - a brief introduction

This valuable crop is also known under other names: poultry grass, Mongolian onion, hellish root. Scientists attribute it to the Liliaceae family. Indian onions grow well outdoors and indoors. It can be planted as ornamental plant for home decoration and, if necessary, used for treatment.

The Indian onion is a particularly mesmerizing sight at the moment of flowering. White delicate flowers on a high arrow appear in the spring two or three years after planting. However, Indian or Mongolian onions can ruin the interior of a room if the rules for caring for them are not followed. Below we will provide you with the main growing points to focus on.

Indian onions at home

Important! Indian onion - poisonous plant. It is absolutely safe to use only externally, strictly observing the dosage. Do not allow juice to come into contact with mucous membranes. Allergy sufferers should be especially careful with the plant.

Planting a poultry plant at home

Mongolian onion is a desirable plant in many homes. To grow it yourself, use one of three methods:

1.Growing from a bulb. This method is easy to put into practice, but it is very important to acquire planting material good quality. The bulb should be lightly buried in a pot of fertile soil. Then you just need to water regularly. The poultry plant takes root well and grows quickly.
2.Growing by seeds. This is a way for the patient and diligent. Sometimes you have to wait several months for sprouts to appear. Before sowing, seeds must be kept in the refrigerator for 4 months. They are sown in spring in soil consisting of equal parts of peat and perlite. Indian onions can be planted in separate containers when three leaves appear on them.
3. Growing up with the help of children. Planting is done after the bird's eye flowering. The emerging babies are carefully cut off and stuck into a moistened substrate. At regular watering the roots will appear in half a year.

Poultry plant is best grown in a small clay pot

Advice! It is recommended to plant Indian onions in a clay pot. In this case, air will flow to the roots, the clay will cleanse the soil, and excess moisture will be able to evaporate faster. In addition, the clay pot is heavy, so no matter how long the onion leaves are, it will not tip over. You should not choose spacious containers for planting poultry.

Features of growing Mongolian onions at home

Indian onion will delight with its juicy leaves and beneficial properties only when proper care. It cannot be said that it belongs to overly capricious cultures, but its basic requirements must be satisfied.

Rules for growing poultry at home:

The soil. Best cast for growing poultry grass, it consists of sand and leaf soil, mixed in equal volumes, with the addition of humus or turf soil, equal in quantity to the resulting two-component mixture.
Lighting. The crop can grow in almost any light, but it does not need the direct rays of the summer afternoon sun. In a shaded place, the onion develops quite slowly. In this case, it must be placed in the sun for at least one week a month. In the summer, you can plant Mongolian onions in an open area or put them on the balcony.
Hydration. Indian onions do not tolerate excess water in the soil, so watering should be done only when the top layer is completely dry. The culture loves spraying and wiping with a wet cloth in the summer.

Indian onions do not tolerate waterlogging

Temperature. Mongolian onions are very heat-loving, so in summer the air temperature should not fall below 20 °C. In winter, he should be given a rest period with the temperature dropping to 8-10 °C.
Feeding. Bring in nutrients In a pot with Indian onions, it is advisable only during the period of active plant growth, including spring and summer. This agrotechnical activity is repeated every two weeks, using a solution of ash (1 tbsp/1 l) and potassium permanganate (pale pink) alternately.
Transfer.

Flowering Indian onions at home

Indian onion - home use

It is noteworthy that all parts of the avian plant have medicinal properties. The culture brings the most benefit to the body after two years of growth. Valuable properties especially increase during the flowering period. When the shoots reach 20 cm, they should be removed so that they do not draw healing substances from the plant.

Poultry plant is used to treat radiculitis. It is necessary to rub the lower back with a leaf and wrap it in a woolen scarf. After a short-term burning sensation, the pain will subside. It is worth noting that cutting leaves promotes the development of Indian onions.

Rubbing the leaves of the bird's eye on the temples, the back of the head and the bridge of the nose helps get rid of headaches and cold symptoms. Sore joints are usually lubricated with infusion of Indian onion. It is prepared from fresh leaves and 10 times more purified alcohol. Medicinal composition ready for use after 5 days. It can be stored for 2 years.

Ointments, decoctions and tinctures are also prepared from Indian onions. The medicinal substances of the plant help cope with skin diseases (including insect bites) and varicose veins. Decoctions help restore the strength and beauty of hair.

In order for Indian onions to be strong when grown at home, it is necessary to strictly follow the rules of agricultural technology. Do not forget that the health of the plant depends on its healing properties. In addition, with proper care at home, the poultry plant will look quite decorative.

Name: Indian onion, Chinese (Mongolian) onion, ornithogalum caudatum Jacq., syn. Ornithogalum longibracteatum Jacq. Homeland: South Africa.

Flowering period: spring/summer.

Bulbous plant - an adult two-year bulb reaches 10 cm in diameter. The leaves are belt-shaped, drooping, reaching 100 cm in length.

The plant is slightly poisonous.

In spring / summer period the plant is useful to plant in open ground. Long flowering and the subsequent formation of seeds reduces, even stopping, the rate of development of the bulb.

Lighting

Optimal lighting is direct sunlight. In summer, Indian onions must be protected from midday sunlight.

Temperature

Optimal temperature regime during the growing season:

• during the day: +(20 – 22) 0 C;

• at night: not less than +12 0 C.

For normal plant development, strong temperature changes are not desirable.

The average winter temperature is +(10-15) 0 C.

Permissible minimum short-term temperature (-5) 0 C.

At a temperature of +39 0 C and above, the plant falls into a state of stagnation.

Watering

Problems due to violation of containment conditions

1) The leaves have turned yellow, drooped and are dying; bulb without damage: normal color, elastic.

Reasons (and/or): too long intervals between waterings; the root system is damaged.

2) The leaves have turned yellow, drooped and are dying; The onion is soft.

Reason (and/or): the plant was exposed to negative temperatures; watering too often.