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American lakonos: cultivation
Lakonos American is also known to gardeners as phytolacca. Unlike other exotic plants, it is undemanding to care for and can grow in the garden disguised as a weed. Designers widely use this plant when decorating the landscape of parks and personal plots. It is possible to understand and appreciate the beauty of the lakonos only with the onset of autumn, it is then that it is fully revealed.
The main decoration of the American lakonos is berries
Lakonos is a herbaceous perennial plant native to North America. In Russia, in its natural environment, it is found in the Caucasus, and in the European part, the lakonos is cultivated as a garden flower.
The fruits and seeds of the American lakonos contain B and PP vitamins
The plant looks like an ornamental shrub up to 3 m high. The leaves of the lakonos are narrowed wedge-shaped, with short petioles. Flowers are collected in racemose inflorescences. The flowering period is long – from mid-June to September.
Despite the fact that the plant is used in the pharmaceutical industry and traditional medicine, it must be remembered: it contains alkaloids! These substances, when taken uncontrollably, can harm the human body. The roots and shoots of the lakonos are considered especially poisonous.
The fruits are round in shape and, as they ripen, acquire a rich purple-black color. The surface of the berries is shiny, which gives the bushes a special decorative effect.
Cultivation of the American lakonos
The only requirement for the soil by the plant is its looseness. This is due to the fact that the root of the lakonos has a rod-like shape and goes deep into the ground. With its help, the flower is able to independently provide itself with nutrients and moisture.
The mass of the root system of an adult plant can range from 8 to 1 kg. This volume allows you to accumulate large reserves of substances necessary for survival in nature.
Watering the lakonos is required only in very dry and hot weather. The culture is not susceptible to diseases and pests of horticultural crops. The rest of the care is reduced to periodic loosening of the soil around the plant and weeding.
For the winter, care should be taken to protect the lakonos from frost. For this, in late autumn, the entire aerial part is cut off, and the surface is mulched with a layer of peat (10 cm) and dry leaves. And you can also use coniferous spruce branches for shelter. Such protection will help the plant survive the most severe frosts. Subject to these simple conditions, you can enjoy this beautiful and ornamental shrub without any problems.