Purple Loosestrife: How to Grow It and Its Main Uses

Purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) has an elegant form and bright flowers, making it the best plant for waterside landscaping and for growing in pots for ornamental display. So how do you grow purple loosestrife? What is it good for? Let's take a look below.

1. Growing methods

Choosing pots and soil

When choosing a flowerpot for potted purple loosestrife, you can choose according to your needs. You can choose a pot with a larger diameter and plant several plants together to form a clump, or you can choose a small pot about 20cm in diameter to make a miniature potted plant. For potted purple loosestrife, pond mud should be used, and the soil should be fertile.

Light and temperature

Purple loosestrife likes a warm growing environment with plenty of light. It needs light and the environment must be kept ventilated. Purple loosestrife is also fairly cold-hardy; in winter it can overwinter outdoors.

Water and fertilizer management

Purple loosestrife mostly grows in swamps or near wetlands. It likes moisture and grows better in shallow water, so during the growing period you need to ensure the pot has an ample water source. Even in the cold winter, the pot must be kept moist and watered frequently. Purple loosestrife does not need frequent fertilizing; adding some base fertilizer when potting is enough. However, if the leaves of purple loosestrife turn yellow, you can apply some fertilizer.

Notes

Purple loosestrife likes strong light, is cold-hardy, and likes moisture, so there is no need to worry about overwatering it to death. It is not strict about soil, and grows better in deep, fertile potting soil.

Purple loosestrife can be propagated by sowing, cuttings, division and other methods. For home potting, division or cuttings are enough. Cuttings can be taken in June-July; take tender shoots about 10 cm long and insert them diagonally into muddy water, and they will root in 1 month.

2. Uses of purple loosestrife

1. Purple loosestrife can be used as medicine; it can treat enteritis, dysentery and blood in the stool; externally it is used for bleeding from external injuries. It also has a blood sugar-lowering effect.

2. The tender stems and leaves can also be eaten as a vegetable, and can supplement vitamins. Generally, from April to May, go out to the wild to pick them. Pick the tender stems and leaves of purple loosestrife from the easily broken places, wash the fresh vegetable, blanch it briefly in boiling water, and it can be eaten cold dressed, stir-fried or made into soup. Some chop it up and mix it into flour to steam; some eat the fresh vegetable with noodles; others use it as a hot pot ingredient, and so on.

3. Purple loosestrife can be made into dried vegetable to keep for winter and spring. That is, first blanch the fresh vegetable briefly in boiling water, then sun-dry and store it. When eating, rehydrate it in water; it can be stir-fried or made into soup, and also has a distinctive flavor.

4. Cosmetics made by combining purple loosestrife with other ingredients have beautifying effects such as reducing congestion, preventing skin dryness and protecting against external irritation.