The quality and composition of natural bee honey directly depend on the plants from which insects collect nectar. The herbaceous bush goldenrod with bright yellow flowers is known to beekeepers as a productive honey plant. The final beekeeping product from the nectar of this plant is characterized by a healing composition and a long crystallization period. Let’s look further at what the plant looks like and what beneficial properties it is characterized by.
Appearance of goldenrod
Common goldenrod is a perennial unpretentious plant.In its natural environment, the honey plant is found in forests, steppe zones, on the banks of reservoirs, in mountainous and hilly areas.
- Depending on the variety, goldenrod grows to a height of 1 to 2 m.
- The main stem is straight, with many elongated leaf blades and denticles along the edges, of an emerald hue.
- During the flowering period, racemose inflorescences in the form of panicles are formed on the plant, blooming with bright yellow small flowers.
In addition to the common goldenrod or bush goldenrod, there are other varieties of honey plant.
- Goldenrod variety Daurian is found in meadows, hilly and rocky slopes, forests and fields. During the growing season, the herbaceous bush grows to a height of 1 m. During the flowering period, inflorescences appear on the plant in the form of panicles with yellow, small flowers.
- The wrinkled variety of honey plant prefers to grow in soil with high humidity, and is often found on the sides of roads and railway tracks. The bushes are tall, reaching a height of 2 meters during the season. The plant is characterized by reddish shoots, oval-shaped leaves and bright yellow small flowers.
- The Canadian plant variety is distinguished by its resistance to low temperatures and large panicle-shaped inflorescences reaching a height of 35 cm. The herbaceous bushes are tall, growing up to 2 meters during the season.
During the growing season, more than 70 thousand small flowers with sweet, fragrant nectar can bloom on each plant.
Important! Goldenrod blooms for a long time, beginning at the end of June and continuing until the beginning of autumn, which increases its value as a honey plant.
Honey productivity and honey quality
Due to the long flowering period, which stretches for 2-2.5 months, the honey plant is of particular value to beekeepers.Depending on climatic and weather conditions, 1 hectare of planting produces from 100 to 180 kg of high-quality bee nectar per season. The collected nectar is not candied for a long time and can be stored in the hive throughout the winter period, therefore it is used to maintain and feed insects during the cold season.
Fresh beekeeping product is characterized by a yellow or beige hue, viscous consistency, sweet taste and tart, bitter aftertaste. During the process of sugaring, the nectar thickens, acquires a darker color, and the bitterness is replaced by a subtle sourness and a pleasant fruity-floral aroma.
Important! Fructose predominates in goldenrod nectar, thanks to which the valuable product can remain in a liquid and transparent state for a long time.
Useful properties of honey plant
Thanks to the rich composition of vitamins, mineral compounds and other beneficial substances, goldenrod has healing properties that have been used in traditional and folk medicine for more than 3 centuries.
Honey plant is used as a preventive or therapeutic agent in the following cases:
- as a diuretic to restore proper functioning of the genitourinary system and eliminate swelling;
- the plant has an antiseptic and anti-inflammatory effect and is used to combat infectious, viral and fungal diseases;
- has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, helps in complex treatment of digestive disorders;
- has healing properties, is used for skin lesions, for scarring various wounds, ulcers and erosions;
- Helps cleanse and improve blood composition.
The plant also contains biologically active compounds that protect the body from the harmful effects of the environment, the development of tumors and cardiovascular diseases.
Infusions and decoctions from medicinal plants are used to cleanse the body of harmful and toxic accumulations and are used in the process of losing excess weight.
In cosmetology, honey plant is used to make rejuvenating and nourishing masks, creams and balms. The plant extract slows down the aging process of the skin, gives it elasticity and a healthy appearance.
Features of cultivation
The honey plant is unpretentious to climatic conditions and soil composition, and is found everywhere in its natural habitat. The plant is rarely planted in garden plots, and there is a reasonable explanation for this.
The herbaceous shrub grows quickly and suppresses other garden and vegetable crops. The plant propagates by seed or vegetative method.
When growing crops in a vegetable garden or garden, careful thinning of plants is required. Perennial goldenrod does not require complex care and agricultural technology. After 2-3 seasons, the bushes are divided and transplanted to a new place of growth.
The honey plant prefers to grow and develop in well-lit areas. During the season, the bushes are watered if necessary, fertilized and protected from damage by diseases and pests. In late autumn, after flowering has ended, the plants are cut to 10-15 cm from the ground surface. After snow appears, snowdrifts are raked over the plantings.
Important! Most often, honey plants are affected by powdery mildew.In this case, the bushes are treated with preparations based on fungicides.
Where it blooms
In the wild, the honey plant is distributed throughout the European part of the Russian Federation, in Siberia, the Far East, and is found in the Caucasus and the Crimean Peninsula. The timing of goldenrod flowering directly depends on the climatic and weather conditions of the growing region.
