How to grow a golden mustache on a windowsill and how it is useful

Florists who love to benefit from their plantings do not pass by the golden mustache. This plant is easy to grow at home. Decorative greenery with a purple tint will not only decorate the room, but will also be useful for solving problems such as high blood pressure, osteochondrosis, inflammation of the skin. Golden mustache is often found in the recipes of traditional healers.

Description of the plant

The golden mustache is a perennial with a rosette of long green leaves. The plant owes its name to "mustache" - individual shoots that form on the trunk. The botanical name of the flower is fragrant spironema, or fragrant callisia. The homeland of the golden mustache is South America, in the wild it reaches 3 m. The maximum height of an adult plant in a pot is 1-1.5 m, width is 60-120 cm. Leaves grow up to 30 cm.

Callisia shoots are classified into two types. The first includes the so-called mustache with joints, from which new rosettes of leaves are formed. Once these shoots turn purple, they are used for propagation. Whiskers of the second type form several fleshy rosettes, the bases of which are very close to each other so that it seems as if it is one rosette.

Blooming golden mustache is a rare phenomenon, for this the plant requires strict adherence to growing conditions. Small white flowers have a pleasant sweetish aroma.

An interesting feature of the golden mustache: if you break its leaf, thin hairs become visible. Hence the other names of the plant: hair venus, living hair. Callisia is appreciated by flower growers, first of all, as a medicinal plant. The leaves and shoots contain valuable substances - phytosterols and flavonoids, thanks to which healing infusions, ointments and decoctions are prepared from the green parts of the golden mustache.

How to plant

Although fragrant callis is native to the tropics, it takes root well on windowsills in cold regions. It also fits comfortably in a greenhouse and even outdoors.

Growing a golden mustache begins with the selection of a container and soil. The plant pot needs a spacious one, preferably ceramic and always with drainage holes. Before planting, the container is filled with a drainage layer. You can use eggshells, fine pebbles and coarse sand.

The soil should be neutral and loose. What soil is selected for a golden mustache:

• specialized for indoor plants (usually bought at a garden store);
• a mixture of self-preparation from forest soil, humus and river sand.

To avoid diseases of young plantings, the soil and container are pre-treated. Forest soil often contains infected leaves and fungus. A popular method of disinfection is roasting in the oven. Another way is to water the soil mixture with a light pink solution of potassium permanganate.

Advice! Additional support is required for growing. If you do not install a peg or tie the stem to a rope, it deforms under its own weight and can dry out.

To get a plant, they buy it in a flower shop or take planting material from friends. The easiest way to propagate a golden mustache is:

• sockets;
• cuttings.

The rosettes on the tops of thin mustache shoots are carefully cut and placed in water for rooting. You need to wait 1-2 weeks for the roots to get stronger. Then it is planted in the ground.

If callisia is grown as a creeping plant, its daughter rosettes on the whiskers can take root on their own when they reach the soil. Once the sprout is firmly established in the soil, it can be transplanted into a separate container.After transplanting, the soil is watered abundantly, and the pot is covered with a film. A young plant needs to stay in such a greenhouse for 3-4 days. If you do not transplant and leave several copies in one box, the bush will look more lush, and the shoots will receive better nutrition.

The stalk takes root worse than the rosette, so this method is used less often. The seed method of reproduction is unpopular due to the rare flowering of the golden whisker at home.

Advice! The best time to breed a golden whisker is spring or autumn.

Care rules

The plant requires a little shading, although it is considered photophilous. Golden mustache develops well in partial shade and in bright, but diffused light. But with a lack of solar energy, it will not give powerful healthy leaves with a beautiful purple hue. The best place would be a windowsill on the west or east side. On hot days, it is better to put the pot with callisia in the shade.

The optimum temperature for keeping in the summer is quite high - + 25-27 ° C. In winter, callis is kept in a cool room with a temperature of at least +12.

The golden mustache loves periodic ventilation, but a sharp drop in temperature should not be allowed. If the room is below zero, the plant will react extremely painfully. In summer, the cold is not terrible for the golden mustache, so it is recommended to move the pot with the plant to the open air for the whole day.

Advice! Callisia prefers fresh air, so it should not be placed in places where people smoke.

Golden mustache is a moisture-loving plant. Watering in summer is carried out daily in the morning. It is necessary to ensure that the soil is constantly moistened. However, it is not worth pouring over the flower pot, in order to avoid rot on the roots. In spring and autumn, 2-3 waterings per week are enough. In winter, the frequency of humidification is reduced to 2-3 times a month. In the hot season, the golden mustache will need more moisture than usual.

The optimum room humidity is 60%. In dry air, spraying the top of the venereal hair regularly will help. Enough 2-3 treatments per week. This procedure will allow not only to avoid drying out of the foliage, but also to cleanse the plant of dust and dirt, and refresh it.

Important! Water for irrigation and for spraying is taken warm and settled.

It is recommended to loosen the potting soil once a week to prevent it hardening. Loose soil is a prerequisite for the normal development of the root system. When loosening, you must act carefully so as not to damage the underground parts.

The first 3-4 years will require an annual plant transplant, as it is rapidly developing. Later, growth slows down and transplants are performed as needed. The status of the root system should be checked.

Top dressing

Golden mustache responds gratefully to the introduction of additional nutrients into the soil. Liquid mineral fertilizers containing nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are taken. Organic fertilizers are also suitable.

Self-made fertilizer option:

• ammonium nitrate - 2.5 tsp;
• potassium salt - 1 tsp;
• superphosphate - 2 tsp;
• water - 10 l;
• ferric chloride - 2 drops.

The mixture is used twice a month during the period of growing green mass. Before fertilizing, the soil with the plant is watered abundantly. Top dressing is carried out strictly at the root, since it can cause a burn if it hits the plant.

In winter, fragrant callis does not require frequent feeding, since it is at rest. One application of fertilizer per month will be sufficient.

Advice! The plant is to the taste of pets, so the pot must be isolated from them.

Why is golden mustache useful?

Fragrant Callisia helps in the treatment of the following problems:

• high blood pressure;
• inflammation of the skin, bruises, calluses, wounds;
• stomach and digestive problems;
• weakened immunity;
• diseases of the musculoskeletal system;
• diabetes mellitus and metabolic disorders;
• pains of various etiologies (golden mustache is a well-known pain reliever).

It is useful for people with asthma to keep a pot with a golden mustache in the house, as it purifies the atmosphere and fills it with phytoncides that are beneficial for the respiratory system. In addition to phytoncides and flavonoids, golden mustache juice is rich in iron, chromium, sulfur and copper.

Advice! Before growing a golden mustache for medicinal purposes, you need to make sure that there is no allergic reaction. Childhood is a contraindication.

How the plant is used in traditional medicine:

1. Leaves and purple shoots are taken to prepare the infusion. For 1 sheet 25 cm long - 1 liter of boiling water. Pour and insist for a day. Another way: place a sheet or mustache in a thermos, pour boiling water over and stand for 7 hours.
2. The broth differs from the infusion in that the raw material is brought to a boil and cooked for several minutes. Take 1 liter of water per sheet, bring the mixture to a boil and cook for 5-6 minutes.
3. Preparation of healing oil: chop the shoots and leaves and pour over any vegetable oil, let it brew for 3 weeks.

How to prepare joint ointment:

1. Grind fresh leaves and whiskers in a meat grinder.
2. Mix with petroleum jelly or baby cream in a 2: 3 ratio.
3. Mix well and refrigerate.
4. Apply to sore spots up to 3 times a day.

Possible growing problems

What do novice owners of a golden mustache face with it, and how to solve problems:

Plants that not only decorate the interior, but also benefit health, have always been in a special account with flower growers. Everyone can grow a golden mustache, since the plant is not too demanding on growing conditions. If you provide a comfortable existence for the bush and solve problems immediately after they arise, the venereum of the hair will give the owner healing green parts and spectacular creeping shoots with lush rosettes of purple leaves.