Plant Katran: species, uses, reviews, photos

A perennial plant belonging to the cabbage family is katran. Very beautiful white or pink inflorescences, which appear to 2 years of his life. They have a pleasant honey aroma, so many gardeners use Katran as a decoration of the site.

Spread

Katran is a plant that is often called oriental or Tatar horseradish. In natural conditions it grows in the Crimea. In addition, it is found in the wild in Europe, in south-west Asia and in Africa, mainly in the east of the continent. The Katran plant is a member of the cruciferous family and has a thick fleshy rhizome. Representatives of this genus - perennial and annual half-shrubs and herbs.

Description of the plant

Katran is a plant that reaches a height of up to 120 cm. A year later, an outlet of leaves appears. Their number increases every year.

The root of the plant, in search of moisture, penetrates deeply into the soil. This explains the stability of the bush to winter cold and summer drought. Root is cylindrical, fleshy, with white flesh. Its length is on average 50 cm, weighing just over a kilogram.

The stem is bare, branched, covered with a small wax coating. Leaves pinnately divided, petiolate or forked.

The katran plant has a fruit that is a spherical pod (non-opening). Seeds of the plant are pieces of fruit. They are quite large - their diameter reaches 10 mm, the fruit shell is firm, it does not separate.

Katran is a plant whose photo you can see in our article, primarily light-loving, heat-resistant and cold-resistant. It easily tolerates even very severe winters. Seeds germinate at a fairly low temperature (3 ° C), the shoots tolerate freezing to -5 ° C. However, most comfortable katran feels at a temperature of 18-25 ° C. Growth begins in early spring.

Growth conditions

The catran plant is rather unpretentious, it does not need much heat, it easily tolerates heat and cold, prefers an unprotected plot. These properties allow planting it in open ground in all regions of our country (except for the northern regions only).

For cultivation, light soil, loamy or sandy loam, is most suitable. He does not like acidic soils and groundwater, closely located. Acidic soil can cause fungal lesions in the plant, swelling and growth appear on the roots.

The katran plant likes to settle in areas where potatoes, cucumbers and tomatoes used to grow. To reduce the acidity of the soil, it is necessary to make in the fall during digging freshly lime at a rate of about 200 grams per square kilometer. M.

In addition, the plant needs fertilizer fertilizer - 5 kg per 1 square. M. Before planting, the seeds of katrana should be heated in water about 50 degrees to prevent the appearance of powdery mildew.

Cultivating Katran from Seeds

For seed germination, stratification is necessary, so it is better to sow them under winter - in September-October. They will germinate early, they have enough +5 ° C, sprouts easily withstand cooling to -5 ° C.

Spring sowing will require 2 months of keeping the seeds in the refrigerator. Humidified sand can serve as a primer. After 10 days, the container with sowing should be rearranged to a well-lit window sill. Often shoots appear even in the refrigerator.

The temperature of +21 ° C is most comfortable for plant development.

Seedlings should be transplanted after 40 days in the soil. By this time, 5 leaves are usually formed on the katrana.

Plant plants should be rowed through 40 cm, between rows 60 cm. Do not worry that in the first year they develop weakly. The next greenery appears very early, the growth is markedly accelerated.

Cultivation from root cuttings

When katrana multiplies with cuttings, you need the lateral roots, which are about 15 cm long. They are usually cut from the roots in autumn, when they harvest, several pieces are tied up and stored until the spring (temperature about 0 ° С).

Do not forget to mark the top and bottom parts, so as not to confuse when landing. From the cuttings, all the extra kidneys should be removed, leaving only the upper kidneys. Plant them on a prepared place should be tilted, tightly squeezing the soil.

How to increase the yield

For this, it is necessary to strengthen the growth of roots. To this end, the two-year-old plant is cut off the head by 3 cm. In this case, the flower stem will cease to develop, and the root crop will increase significantly.

It will reach the commodity size in the second year of development. In fact, growing a catran with the observance of modern agrotechnical techniques, good root crops can be fully guaranteed in a year. But do not forget that young one-year roots are tender, quickly fade after cleaning, so they should be immediately covered up.

Catran plant - Species

In our country there are more than a dozen types of katran, however, the most commonly grown and used are four: rod-shaped, eastern, steppe (Tatar), marine.

The most productive are the three - the eastern, the steppe and the sea. More often, amateur gardeners prefer a steppe ca- tre in their area or a Crimean variety.

Catran plant - use

Leaves of marine species are used for food. The heart-shaped catran is used as an ornamental plant, from which curbs are formed. From the seeds of the Abyssinian variety, oil is extracted.

Root crops of katrana reach the commodity size by two years, they become smooth and even. It is used for food as a seasoning similar to 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 of green mass. This makes them very similar in taste to the roots of horseradish.

In food eat young shoots and young leaves of the plant in early spring. They are cooked in salted water, refueled with oil and sprinkled with croutons.

For pickling and pickling vegetables (tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, squash, etc.), leaves and roots of katran are used.

ethnoscience

Thanks to the large content of vitamin C in the leaves of the plant, they are used by folk healers as an excellent remedy for scurvy. Also from them prepare salads, having mixed leaves with carrots.

The catran plant is used to improve digestion and increase appetite. In addition, it is an excellent tool for wound healing. With its help you can get rid of freckles, which many deliver a lot of problems.

Contraindications

Like horseradish, Katran is contraindicated in people with kidney, liver, stomach, and duodenum and stomach ulcers.

Kataran storage

Keep the root crop in the vaults and cellars, at a constant temperature of 0 degrees and normal humidity. Roots should be poured in moist sand.

Reviews

Today you have learned what is remarkable about the plant Katran. Comments of gardeners about it are positive. Many people say that with a complete similarity in taste with the roots of horseradish, this plant on the site behaves less aggressively. Many are satisfied with its decorativeness.

As for its medicinal properties, here the opinions are very contradictory. For some, this is a universal remedy for treating "all diseases", others question this statement. In any case, before using katrana for medical purposes, consult your doctor.