Kochia Care: Perky looking easy to maintain beautiful plants
Image by Bishnu Sarangi from Pixabay
These bright green bushes are one of the best plants to grow in the garden. The plants look attractive with their thick slender bushy leaves and red stems. Kochia care is easy and requires very little care. The plants are hardy and drought resistant. They are edible when they are young and hence are pet friendly.
Quick Details of kochia
| Other Common Names | Mexican firebrush, Ragweed, Mock-cypress, Kochia, Summer cypress, Belvedere, Mexican firebrush, Mexican fireweed, Burning bush |
| Type | Tropical plant |
| Maintenance | Low |
| Flowering | Summer |
| Light | Bright direct sunlight |
| Water | Regular watering |
| Temperature | Warm climatic conditions that preferably mimic desert environment or tropical climates. |
| Soil | Well draining nutrient rich soil |
| Fertilizer | Nitrogen rich fertilizer during summers. |
| Habitat | Eurasia |
| Toxicity | No |
| Common Diseases | Not prone to any diseases |
| Scientific name | Bassia scoparia |
Kochia Buying Instructions
- Buy a bushy plant.
- These grow very fast, so you can buy more number of small plants instead of buying a bigger plant.
- These plants are excellent for the garden or balcony decoration because of their looks and shape.
Overview of Kochia
They are annual herb or shrubs native to Eurasia and belonging tot the family Amaranthaceae. The are mostly found in deserts and grasslands. The plants are bushy with vigorous growth and are erect and conical shaped.
They can grow up to a height of 100 cm tall. The stems are usually red in color with thin, narrow, ovate green leaves. The leaves can turn red or orange in color during winters. The flowers are green in color and is surrounded by hairy bracts. The seeds are dispersed by wind.
They are C4 plants and has an ability to close their stomata at harsh summer thus making them hardy and drought resistant. The plants are edible when they are young. But ones they mature and produce seeds they can be toxic and can cause irritation and allergy .
Usage and Advantage of kochia
- Grown as an ornamental plant.
- The seeds are used in Traditional Chinese Medicine
- Used as fodder for cattles
General Kochia Care
Soil:
They prefer well draining, fertile clay, loamy or sandy soil with a neutral pH.
Water:
The plants are hardy and drought tolerant to an extend. They can survive without watering for some time. The potted plants can be watered regularly. These plants are not much affected by underwatering or over watering.
Sunlight:
Provide them with bright direct sunlight for at least 6-8 hours a day. The plants can also grow in partial shade.
Temperature:
They are heat tolerant plants and prefer to grow in places with warm climatic conditions and with normal humidity. They become dormant during winters and in some cases the leaves turn orange or red in color.
Special Care:
They are hardy plants and do not require much care. Prune the plants after summer to prevent excess bushing of the plants. Remove any dead part of the plant. Make sure to provide enough sunlight to the plants.
Fertilization:
Even though they prefer a nutrient rich soil, these plants can survive in soil with little nutrients. However, provide the plants with a nitrogen rich fertilizer ones a month during the growing period for a healthier and bushy growth.
Pests and other problems for kochia
These plants are hardy and are not prone to any diseases or pests.
Propagation of kochia
The propagation takes place through seeds. The seeds can be sown before summer (growing period) when the temperature starts to warm up. The seeds can either be directly sown on grown or can be soaked overnight in water and grown in germination bags containing cocopeat and the seedlings can be outdoors late spring.
