Description of the variety Chistets or Stahis Woolly, planting and care

Chistets or - Stachys woolly, is a herbaceous plant of the Lamiaceae family. The bush grows in coniferous and mixed forests, forest-steppes. It is widely bred in private areas for further use for medicinal purposes. People call chistets - hare's or sheep's ears. This is how the culture became known due to the whitish edge on the leaves. To successfully grow bushes, you need to become familiar with all their features.

Description and features

The bush consists of leaves covered with dense pubescence along the entire back side. Sheep's ears grow up to 100 cm tall. The leaf blades are arranged oppositely and can be solid or serrated. The flowers are part of false whorls that form spike-shaped inflorescences. Their color can be purple, yellow, lavender, pinkish or white.

The fruit is a triangular nut, ovoid or oblong in shape. The representative of the flora is unpretentious and can withstand even hot, dry days. The optimal temperature for the plant is 20-25 degrees Celsius. The chist is not afraid of the cold; under a thick layer of snow, he safely endures the winter. The annual bush is valued by beekeepers as a good honey plant.

Popular varieties

There are many varieties of chistets, nine of which are described below. Each species differs in size, color of flowers, foliage.

Big Ears

The variety is a low-growing plant with branched shoots up to 25 cm high. The leaves are fleecy, soft, muted green in color.

Silver Carpet

The chistets variety grows up to 15 cm in height. The bush resembles a solid silver-gray carpet. The plant does not form flowers.

Striped Phantom

The variety grows with whitish, longitudinal leaves. The flowers are deep yellow. The bush grows up to 20 cm high.

Cotton Ball

It is distinguished by the presence of white, longitudinal stripes along the entire length of the leaves. This is one of the best varieties of variegated chickweeds.

Sheila Macqueen

The bushes are compact, reaching 15 cm in height. The variety does not bloom; when planted densely, it creates a ground cover effect. The leaves are covered with bluish pubescence.

Marvel

The plant reaches 50 cm in height. There are many small hairs on the foliage, the bush itself is dense.

Primrose Heron

The variety is famous for its non-standard leaf color. They are yellow in the spring, but over time they turn silvery green. The flowers grow soft pinkish. The height of the bush is 20 cm on average.

Silky Fleece

Chistets shrubs grow up to 25 cm tall, their flowers are purple. The leaves are densely pubescent, whitish-felt in color due to numerous fibers.

Byzantine

Chistets Byzantine is distinguished by highly branched, erect stems. The bush grows up to 60 cm tall. It blooms with soft lavender, small inflorescences located in the bud.

Deadlines

You can prepare planting material from seeds at the end of February or beginning of March, using a seedling soil mixture.

It is important that the soil warms up to 10 cm deep, the air temperature is above 0. The bush variety is frost-resistant, therefore, it is not necessary to wait for significant warming. Seedlings appear after 1 month.

Seedlings are planted in a permanent place in mid-April and until early May. In the South, you can postpone planting work to the fall. It is important that the air temperature warms up at least +10 degrees.

Soil preparation

Sheep ears are unpretentious to the soil and adapt well to different types of soil. It is advisable to plant chistets in light, loamy or rocky soil with a moderate degree of fertility. The alkaline reaction should be neutral. Excess mineral components negatively affect appearance. The plant loses its silvery tint and becomes rich green. Before planting, the soil is loosened using 2 shovels.If necessary, reduce the acidity, add additional lime or charcoal.

It is better to plant chistets in a well-lit, draft-free place without stagnant groundwater. The bush can grow in illuminated areas or in partial shade.

Planting chistets for seedlings

For regions with harsh winters, the method of planting chistets as seedlings is suitable. The seeds are sown in boxes with moist sandy-peaty soil and sprinkled with a little soil. After 5-10 days, the first shoots form.

Dive

It is not necessary to pick chistets seedlings. Seedlings can be kept in the same container where the seeds hatched before planting in open soil. If desired, the procedure should be carried out after the first pair of leaves appears. The seedlings are transplanted into new containers and hardened 2-3 days after being “relocated” outside. Keep seedlings outdoors for up to 2 hours. Every day, the time of stay increases.

Transplantation into open ground

In the selected place on the plot, 2 weeks before planting, dig holes. Their diameter should be larger than the rhizome of the seedlings. Place the holes at a distance of 15 cm from each other so that the bushes feel free.

1. At the bottom of the holes, pour a layer of drainage consisting of small pebbles and gravel.
2. Next, pour out a layer of soil mixture of sand, humus and peat.
3. Remove the seedlings in pots, water them abundantly before doing this, and transfer them with a lump of earth into the holes.
4. Place the seedling on a mound and carefully cover it with soil.

After planting, water the young chistets bushes generously.

Companion plants

Chistets are rarely planted alone; usually the plant serves as part of the garden design. Bushes are widely placed on fences, in a flower bed, on a hill, or in a vegetable garden.Among the desired neighbors are silver wormwood, sugar lungwort, ageratum, oatmeal, heuchera, cinquefoil, cinquefoil, hosta and marigold. You can plant pinkish roses nearby.

Care

The chist does not require special care. The plant is unpretentious, but it should be regularly watered, fertilized, weeded, pruned, and treated against harmful bugs or diseases. The leaves should not be irrigated; only the rhizome is moistened.

Watering

During dry periods, water the crop moderately, 2-3 times a month. Lack of water can cause leaves to fall. Between each irrigation, the soil around the bushes should dry out. Water stagnation should not be allowed; this is dangerous due to rotting of the plant.

Loosening and weeding

Weeding and loosening the soil is necessary to get rid of weeds and ensure its saturation with oxygen. The manipulation is carried out approximately 2 times a month, using a hoe. Plow the soil to a depth of 5 cm.

Top dressing

Fertilizer is applied once per season using quail manure. To enhance the growth of chistets, you can add ammonium nitrate with chicken droppings. Fertilize once every 3 months, in non-concentrated dosages. The optimal ratio is 1:1 to 10 liters of water.

Pruning inflorescences

After the flower stalks wither, they are disposed of. Trim them as far as possible. You should also remove damaged lower leaves so that the plant develops a new, lush appearance.

Before wintering, the shoots of the chistets are shortened by 2/3.

Wintering

Chistets safely endure cold winters under a fur coat of snow. If frosts in the region are more than -30, additionally cover the bushes with spruce branches and fallen leaves.

Harmful bugs and diseases

Chistets are extremely rarely attacked by diseases and pests.With excessive watering, fungal attack is possible, which can lead to rotting. Remove severely affected specimens and treat the soil with a fungicide.

Reproduction of the chist.

The plant is propagated by cuttings, dividing the bush and seeds. The most popular method is the first. When a crop is propagated by seeds, bushes form later.

Dividing bushes

After 2-3 years, the chist is subject to division. In the spring, the bush should be dug up with a lump of soil, manually divided into a couple of parts, and planted in separate holes at a distance of 20 cm from each other.

Cuttings

Plant shoots with 3-4 leaves in a damp mixture of sand and peat. Water sparingly to prevent rotting. When the first signs of growth appear, they can be planted separately.

Seeds

Chistets seeds germinate without problems, quickly, but this method is the longest. Pour a combination of peat and sand into a wide container, distribute the seeds on top, sprinkle with a thin layer of sand, and spray with a spray bottle. You don’t have to cover the containers, but irrigate the soil every day. The temperature in the place should be within 25 degrees Celsius. Proper lighting is required. If necessary, thin out dense shoots. After the seedling material has developed, it is planted in a permanent place in the garden.

Usage

Chistets is widely used for the purposes of alternative medicine and for garden decoration. This amazing bush grows safely, does not require painstaking care, but provides a lot of benefits.

Medicinal properties

Chistets has a hypotensive, analgesic, and cardiotonic effect on the human body. The plant stimulates contractions of the uterine muscles and is widely used in labor. It also stops bleeding.To lower blood pressure or reduce tachycardia, resort to dry extract, decoction or tincture of chistets. Decoctions help with colic, stomach cramps, colds, and tuberculosis.

Alcohol infusions are effective in cases of disorders and pathologies of the nervous system.

Lotions made from a decoction of chistets are effective in cases of eczema, mastopathy, and scrofula. Medicinal infusions are sometimes used for epilepsy and hysteria.

Garden decoration

Chistets is widely used to decorate summer cottages. Plants are placed on an alpine hill, in rockeries, and flower beds. The crop looks harmonious on borders, at the intersections of garden paths, and near stones. In a rockery or alpine hill, the gaps are filled using the woolly chickweed. It goes well with other flowers of different colors. Chistets are also used in floristry to create a base for winter bouquets.

Reviews

Feedback from gardeners about woolly chickweed is given below. They will help ensure the feasibility of growing it.

Natalia Krapivina, 69 years old, Rivne

Greetings to all! I have been growing Primrose Heron in my garden for 4 years. Blooming always creates an energetic atmosphere in the garden. Maintenance is easy, I water the bushes once a week. I recommend to everyone!

Rostislav Lapin, 54 years old, Moscow

Hello! The opinion about chistets is positive; I have been growing the crop at my dacha for more than 10 years. I grow Byzantine and Silky Fleece varieties.

Lyubov Nesterova, 60 years old, Kyiv

Hi all! A neighbor shared seedlings of chistets, now this is one of my favorite plants in the garden. I grow it without problems, standard care.