Jatropha

Jatropha is a fairly large genus with approximately 190 varieties of shrubs of varying sizes, trees and succulents. Plants belong to the Euphorbia family. Their original range is the Caribbean, but now representatives of this genus are found in various parts of the world. Like most members of the Euphorbia family, jatropha contains milky juice, which is toxic and can cause allergies.

The jatropha flower belongs to exotic plants and is striking in its appearance. Florists call it the "bottle tree" or "the belly of the Buddha." But for all its exoticism, this is a very grateful and unpretentious plant, which is not at all difficult to care for.

Jatropha: description and types of plants

The stem of the jatropha flower is wide at the base and tapering upward is indeed very similar to a vessel of irregular shape. As a rule, in the winter months it is naked, but in the spring, with the end of the dormant period, peduncles first appear from it, and after a while bright green leaves on long petioles begin to grow. On peduncles, many small bright red flowers are collected in an umbrella-shaped inflorescence.

Due to its unusual trunk, bright leaves and colorful flowering, the jatropha flower during the growing season looks no less decorative than a bonsai. It is quite difficult to buy it in stores, but you can try to contact botanical gardens or collectors of exotic plants.

The most popular type is Jatropha gout or gouty. It is a deciduous succulent with a thick stem that tapers at the top - a classic example of a jatropha. The height of gouty jatropha can reach 70 cm, the leaves on long, almost twenty centimeter petioles at first have a dark green color and a smooth shiny surface, but in the process of growth they acquire a lighter shade and become dull. When the growth of gout jatropha leaves stops and they reach their maximum size, their original rich color returns. The inflorescence of the gout jatropha is a complex umbrella on which female and male flowers are located. Womens are distinguished by long flowering, and mens live no more than one day, but a new one immediately blooms in the place of a withered flower. Each inflorescence is capable of retaining decorativeness for 3-4 weeks, so the flowering of jatropha stretches for several months.

Jatropha gouty (gout): photo

Another type of jatropha, which is much less common as a houseplant, is Jatropha multifeed or dissected jatropha. Jatropha multifida is a larger-scale plant, in natural conditions reaching a height of three meters, but when grown indoors, it has a more modest size. In the early years, the multifida jatropha is very similar to any palm tree due to its large carved leaves of a dark green color with a bluish tint. The leaves of an adult large dissected jatropha can reach 30 cm in diameter.
Flowering (very long, in natural conditions almost year-round) in dissected jatropha practically does not differ from the previous species: umbrella-shaped inflorescences with bright red flowers.

Jatropha multifeed: photo

Jatrofu Kurkas also called the "Barbados nut". Unlike the previous species, the flowers of the jatropha kurkas are colored yellow, and the size of oval leaves can be from 7 to 35-40 cm.

Jatropha Kurkas: photo

Jatropha plant Cathartica is remarkable for the thickest stem, the base of which reaches 20 cm in diameter.Towering above such a trunk on thirty-centimeter petioles, gray-green leaves and inflorescences with pink or orange flowers give the plant an almost alien fantastic look.

Jatropha: home care

It is striking that, being very rare and practically collectible plants, jatrophes do not require the creation of special conditions, being very hardy and unpretentious.

Lighting. After you bring the plant from the store, it should not only be kept in quarantine for some time, but also gradually accustomed to the sun's rays. Jatropha should not be in direct sunlight, especially in summer when it is very hot. The best place would be window sills on the west or east side.

Air temperature and humidity. This plant does not need the obligatory cool wintering, and therefore you do not have to look for a place where to place the jatropha pot for the winter. The air temperature in the room should be at the level of + 20 ... + 23 degrees. It is necessary to protect the plant from drafts while airing the room, also experienced flower growers do not recommend taking it outside, this plant feels more comfortable indoors.

It is also not necessary to increase the humidity, and you do not need to specially spray the plant. But be sure to wipe the leaves of the plant with a damp sponge or soft cloth to remove dust.

Watering. The plant does not need a lot of moisture, so it should be watered after the topsoil has dried. Remember: it is better to water often, but little by little, in this case watering will definitely not lead to stagnation of moisture and, as a result, the development of rot. In some cases, in autumn or winter, the jatropha sheds its foliage, then the plant is not watered until spring. With the appearance of young shoots, watering is resumed. If the plant does not shed foliage, then watering is simply reduced and returns to the previous regime with the onset of spring.

Fertilizers. Also, with the onset of spring, the plant begins to feed, using any fertilizer for succulents and cacti: Florovit, BonaForte, Flower Paradise. Top dressing is carried out once a month, with the onset of winter, the plant is no longer fertilized.

Jatropha: transfer

Jatropha flower: photo

It is not necessary to transplant a flower to a Yartof every year; it will be enough to do this once every three years. The best time for transplanting is early spring, when the plant "wakes up" and young leaves begin to grow.
As a substrate, you can use a special soil for cacti and succulents, which will not be difficult to acquire. Small stones or perlite can be added to such a soil, this will increase its moisture permeability.

Choose a wide and shallow flower pot, cover it with expanded clay at least a quarter. Transplant the jatropha using the transshipment method, being careful not to disturb the earthen lump.

Reproduction

Jatropha: photo

The jatropha plant reproduces in two ways: by sowing seeds and by cuttings.

It makes no sense to buy jatropha seeds, since they retain their germination for one or two months. But you can, with some effort, collect planting material from the plant you already have. You will need to participate in the pollination process and transfer pollen from male flowers to female flowers with a very soft brush. You can distinguish male flowers from female flowers by the presence of a large amount of yellow pollen on their stamens.

After ripening, the jatropha seeds can scatter throughout the room, so you must first wrap the fruit with gauze.

After you collect the jatropha seeds, they are planted superficially in a previously prepared container, seedlings will appear in 8-10 days. After another two to three weeks, the seedlings can be sorted into separate containers. Plants grown from seeds will bloom not earlier than in two years, and the bottle shape inherent in their trunks will gradually acquire.

It will take about four weeks for a lily cuttings of a jatropha plant to take root. First, the stalk must be dried for some time in the air (until the characteristic milky juice ceases to stand out), then treated with a growth stimulant, and only after that deepen into the moistened soil and cover with a jar or a cut plastic bottle on top. It is important to maintain a temperature of + 27 ... + 30 degrees during the rooting process.

Possible problems and solutions

Jatropha is very resistant to all kinds of harmful insects and houseplant diseases. There is a chance to find a spider mite or thrips on it, but only if it is adjacent to another plant, which is a hotbed of the spread of parasites. Yellowing and dying off of leaves, as well as the presence of a characteristic "spider web", will tell you about the presence of a spider mite. One of the signs that thrips have settled on the plant is the deformation and death of flowers. First, try removing insects by wiping the leaves with soapy water or alcohol, if that doesn't work, then use an insecticide.

Of the diseases, only rot, which occurs during excessive watering and stagnation of moisture, is a threat to jatropha and often leads to the death of the plant. To prevent this from happening, do not forget about drainage when planting the plant, and water the jatropha very sparingly.

A large amount of fertilizer slows down the growth of the jatropha plant. Do not overdo it when feeding the jatropha, and always apply fertilizer to pre-moistened soil.

If you find that the root system of the jatropha plant has begun to rot, and the leaves lose their brightness and wither, then the problem is most likely in the use of cold water. For irrigation, it is recommended not only to settle the water, but also to warm it up a little. To do this, you can place a container with water in the sun (in summer) or near a heater.

In conclusion, I would like to emphasize once again that the jatropha flower is a very unusual and beautiful plant, the care of which is minimal. You just need to protect it from drafts and direct sunlight, and do not abuse watering.