Perennial plant belonging to the familyCabbage, is katran. White or pink inflorescences that appear by the age of 2 are very beautiful. They have a pleasant honey aroma, so many gardeners use Qatran as a plot decoration.
Spread
Katran - a plant that is often calledEastern or Tatar horseradish. In vivo grows in the Crimea. In addition, in the wild form is found in Europe, in southwest Asia and in Africa, mainly in the east of the continent. The plant katran is a representative of the cruciferous family, it has a thick, fleshy rhizome. Representatives of this genus - perennial and annual subshrubs and herbs.
Description of the plant
Katran is a plant reaching a height of up to 120 cm. A year later a rosette of leaves appears. Their number is increasing every year.
Plant root in search of moisture penetrates deepinto the soil. This explains the resistance of the bush to winter cold and summer drought. The root is cylindrical, fleshy, with white flesh. Its length is on average 50 cm, its weight is just over a kilogram.
The stem is bare, branched, covered with a slight touch of wax. Leaves pinnate, petiolate or fork-fingered.
The quatran plant has a fruit representingitself spherical pod (unopened). The seeds of a plant are pieces of fruit. They are rather large - their diameter reaches 10 mm, the fruit shell is hard, not separated.
Katran - a plant whose photo you cansee in our article, first of all, light-requiring, heat - and cold-resistant. Easily tolerates even very harsh winters. Seeds germinate at a fairly low temperature (3 ° C), shoots tolerate frosts well to -5 ° C. However, the most comfortable katran feels at a temperature of 18-25 ° C. Growth begins in early spring.
Growing conditions
The katran plant is quite unpretentious, it does notit needs a lot of heat, it can easily withstand heat and cold, prefers a non-shaded area. These properties allow it to be planted in open ground in all regions of our country (the only exception is the northern areas).
Light soil is best for growing- loamy or sandy. He does not like acidic soil and groundwater, located near. Acidic soil can cause fungal lesions in the plant, swelling and growths appear on the roots.
The plant katran loves to settle in areas wherebefore they grew potatoes, cucumbers, tomatoes. In order to reduce the acidity of the soil, it is necessary to bring in the autumn, when digging up, freshly sour lime at the rate of about 200 grams per 1 square meter. m
In addition, the plant needs fertilizer humus - 5 kg per 1 square. m. Before planting, the seeds of katran should be heated in water about 50 degrees to prevent the appearance of powdery mildew.
We grow katran from seeds
For germination seeds need stratification, so it is better to sow them before winter - in September-October. They germinate early, they need +5 ° С, shoots can easily withstand cooling to -5 ° С.
Spring sowing will require 2 monthskeeping seeds in the fridge. Soil can serve as wet sand. After 10 days, the seeding tank must be moved to a well-lit window sill. Often, shoots appear even in the refrigerator.
The most comfortable temperature for the development of the plant is +21 ° C.
Seedlings should be transplanted in 40 days in the ground. By this time, 5 leaves are usually formed on the katran.
Plants should be planted in a row after 40 cm, 60 cm aisle. Do not worry that in the first year they develop poorly. The next green appears very early, the growth accelerates noticeably.
Growing from root cuttings
При размножении катрана черенками вам понадобятся lateral roots, the length of which is about 15 cm. They are usually cut from root crops in the fall when they harvest, several pieces are tied up and stored until spring (temperature is about 0 ° C).
Do not forget to mark the upper and lower parts,so as not to confuse when landing. From cuttings, remove all excess buds, leaving only the upper one. To plant them on a prepared place should be at an angle, tightly wringing the soil.
How to increase yield
For this it is necessary to strengthen the growth of the roots. To this end, the two-year-old plants cut off the head by 3 cm. In this case, the flower spike will stop developing and the root crop will increase significantly.
It will be of commercial size in the second year.development. In fact, growing katran in compliance with modern agrotechnical techniques, good root crops can be guaranteed to be obtained in a year. But do not forget that the young one-year roots are gentle, quickly fade after harvesting, so you need to immediately cover them.
Katran plant - species
In our country, there are more than a dozen species of katran, but most often four are grown and used: twig-shaped, eastern, steppe (Tatar), marine.
The most productive are three - east, steppe and sea. Most often, amateur gardeners prefer a steppe quatre on its land or its variety is Crimean.
Katran plant - use
Leaves of the sea view are used for food. Cardiophilic quatrae is used as an ornamental plant from which borders are formed. From the seeds of the Abyssinian species extract oil.
By the age of two years, the roots of the katran reach commercial size and become smooth and even. It is eaten as a seasoning, like horseradish.
The roots of this plant contain 9% of sugars, up to 34% of dry matter, from 45 to 90 mg of ascorbic acid per 100 g wet weight. This makes them very similar in taste to the roots of horseradish.
Eat young shoots and young leaves of a plant in the early spring. They are boiled in salted water, filled with butter and sprinkled with croutons.
For salting and pickling vegetables (tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, zucchini) used leaves and roots of katran.
ethnoscience
Благодаря большому содержанию витамина С в leaves of the plant, they are used by folk healers as an excellent means of protecting against scurvy. Salads are also prepared by mixing leaves with carrots.
The quatran plant is used to improvedigestion and increased appetite. In addition, it is an excellent tool for healing wounds. With it, you can get rid of freckles, which many cause a lot of problems.
Contraindications
Like horseradish, katran is contraindicated in people with diseases of the kidneys, liver, stomach, as well as duodenal ulcer and stomach.
Katran storage
Keep the root in storage and basements, at a constant temperature of 0 degrees and normal humidity. Roots should be sprinkled with wet sand.
Reviews
Today you know what remarkable plantkatran. Gardeners positive reviews about it. Many say that with full similarity in taste with the roots of horseradish, this plant on the site behaves less aggressively. Many are satisfied with its decoration.
As for its medicinal properties, hereOpinions are very contradictory. For some, it is a universal remedy for the treatment of "all diseases", others question this assertion. In any case, before using katran for medicinal purposes, consult with your doctor.
