Lovage. Secrets for growing medicinal herbs

Everyone knows lovage not only as an ornamental plant, they have heard more about it as a spicy and medicinal herb that is used even in cosmetology. It also repels mosquitoes, midges and similar insects well. To do this, it is enough to hang several beams of lovage on the door and window. In smell and taste, it is somewhat reminiscent of celery, the same similar smell and tart, specific taste. Lovage leaves go well with salads, meat soups, chicken broths. The dried roots are used as a seasoning, but jam and candied fruits are cooked from the raw ones. Vegetables are salted with seeds. And the cuttings themselves are pickled. But despite all the wonderful properties of lovage, it is contraindicated for pregnant women, and it is not advisable to give it to small children. During flowering, lovage is not used for food, at this time it is considered poisonous, but after flowering it is very useful.

Lovage grows in bushes, they grow rapidly and reach up to 1.5 meters. Lovage inflorescences are variegated yellow umbrellas a bit similar to dill ones. Lovage blooms in July, and its fruits ripen at the very end of August. It can be both annual and perennial, it all depends on why you are growing it. If you need its roots, then you will have to plant every year, and if for the sake of leaves and seeds, then it is enough to plant once. Lovage is a plant that is highly resistant to cold and dry conditions. Not a whimsical plant. It is very tenacious due to its long and powerful roots. The roots of the plant must be dug up, washed well, chopped and dried. If leaves and stems are needed, then they are cut to the very root, dried or frozen.

Lovage is very fond of free space, so the distance between the bushes should be at least half a meter. You need to sow lovage in early March in pots with seeds, and at the end of April it is planted in open ground with a distance of a meter. You can also plant lovage and seeds directly into the ground, in shallow furrows, but in any case, then it will have to be planted. But the warmer the temperature, the faster your seedlings will emerge.

You can plant lovage with cuttings, but for this you need to cut off a shoot with several leaves from an adult bush and plant it in a box with wet sand. After a couple of weeks, the stalk can be transplanted to a permanent place.

It can also be grown by dividing the bush. At the end of spring, you need to dig out a bush of a 3 year old plant, and divide it into parts so that each of them has strong roots, buds and shoots. These parts are planted in the ground and watered well. The most optimal lifespan of a lovage bush is 6-7 years. All that lovage needs to produce good fruits is abundant watering and loosening of the soil. After the second year, the leaves need to be trimmed occasionally. You need to remove the flowers, but not all, you need to leave a little to attract beneficial insects. Lovage greens can be obtained even in winter, for this you just need to dig up a three-year-old bush, put it in storage and cover it with sand. And in winter, plant the bushes in a greenhouse and maintain a temperature of 12-18 degrees. The leaves will grow back in a month.

Because lovage grows very quickly to a large size, it is best to plant it along the fence, or at the very edge of the site, so that it does not interfere with other plants. Lovage can grow anywhere, as it is not afraid of the sun or shade. The only thing he is afraid of is groundwater, because the roots can begin to rot