Plant type: perennial shrub.
Description: This is a tropical or subtropical poisonous plant used in agriculture to keep animals away from fields. From the fruit of the tree, oil can be obtained, which is used to produce biofuels. It has been tested in diesel engines. Also, flower products can be used to create insecticides and fertilizers. Jatropha cactus does not require much care and is easy to grow. It is tolerant of heat and is also less picky about the soil. However, it is only tolerant of mild, short-lived frost. Gout jatropha is commonly grown indoors, but it is not yet as widespread as a houseplant.
- Origin: Mexico, Central America.
- Care: easy.
Temperature regime: in the wild, jatropha grows best in places where the average temperature is from 18 to 30 degrees. Prefers warm regions and sheds its leaves in cold temperatures. It should also be remembered that the older the tree, the better it tolerates various climatic changes. Frosts without frost and snow are likely to completely destroy young specimens and partially damage adult plants.
Lighting: full sun. It is advisable to choose a location for the flower where direct sunlight falls daily for at least six hours.
Soil Type: The soil should be well-drained. Jatropha, which is not difficult to care for, can thrive in poor soils and grow in saline conditions.
Watering: Moisten the soil only when it becomes dry. In general, jatropha kurkas is drought tolerant, but it thrives best when it receives adequate moisture. But at the same time, you do not need to water the flower too much.
Fertilizers: Although jatropha can thrive in poor soils, it is still recommended to apply fertilizers that contain small amounts of calcium, magnesium and sulfur. It is recommended to fertilize the soil in the fall, when the fruits begin to ripen.
Blooming jatropha in the photo.
Reproduction: carried out by planting seeds. Jatropha from seeds, planted in open ground, sprouts within about ten days. Prepare a small piece of land that has good drainage and air circulation. Pull out all the weeds and add a 5-7 cm layer of manure. The depth of planting seeds should be twice the size of the seeds themselves. Before you sow the seeds, they must be kept in water for eight hours. If they are still in the shell, then peel it before placing the seeds in water. You need to start growing by the beginning of the rainy season. In the first week, the seeds should be watered twice a day. Starting on the eighth day, gradually reduce watering to once a day. Seeds should be collected a year later, when the fruits turn yellow-brown. Keep them or plant them.
Planting: Choose the best place in the garden to plant the plant. The place you have chosen must be clear of stones, sticks and other large objects. You also need to remove all weeds. In height, these plants can reach from 4 to 9 meters, and their shape is bushy. Therefore, the distance between seedlings should be at least about 3 m.
As a rule, jatropha is grown to prevent soil degradation from corrosion, as well as for fruits that are used in the production of fuel. Therefore, usually a large number of these trees are planted at once. Dig a hole and plant the seedling at the same depth it was when growing in the container. Add compost and backfill the hole. If the soil is poorly drained, then add sand and dig up an earthen ball several times so that water seeps through the root system. Otherwise, there is a possibility of root rot.