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The Petroselinum crispum, commonly called parsley, is much more than that sprig of garnish that so often embellishes a dish without anyone eating it. It is a herbaceous plant of the family Apiaceae, from the central Mediterranean area. Parsley has traditionally been used as a garnish in all kinds of dishes and, far from falling into disuse, today it is sold when years ago it was not uncommon for it to be given to us in the market.
In this Green Ecologist article we are going to see how to enjoy all its benefits at little cost by teaching you how to plant potted parsley, as well as all parsley care.
Parsley: medicinal properties and benefits
Parsley is credited with an enormous amount of beneficial health properties, but although it is clear that it is a plant with extensive medicinal properties, not everything that is said about it is true or proven. Let's see what the medicinal properties and benefits of parsley that are proven:
- Rich in vitamins and iron: parsley contains large amounts of vitamins K and C, as well as antioxidants, so it helps maintain a healthy balance in the body. Its high intake of iron makes it also recommended for those who suffer from anemia.
- Diuretic: The intake of the leaves of this plant has diuretic properties, and therefore helps to reduce excess water in our body, in addition to helping proper kidney function.
- Anti-inflammatory: This is another of the properties of the plant, so its regular use helps to relieve joint pain.
- Anticancer: Recent studies show the excellent anticancer properties of parsley, both in terms of prevention and action.
- Rich in mirecetin: It is one of the foods richest in this natural nutrient, which significantly reduces the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Parsley care - a simple guide
Parsley is a fairly resistant plant, so it does not require much attention. However, let's see how to care for a parsley plant so that it grows healthy and strong.
Light
The parsley plant requires being in a very bright area, but it should not be directly exposed to it for more than 4 or 6 hours a day. This is one of the reasons why it is most common sow the parsley in a pot before in the garden.
Irrigation
This plant requires a humid environment, especially in its earliest stages. For this reason, the parsley must be watered so that the soil is always moist. In dry environments, it is convenient to mist or spray water on its leaves and stems from time to time. As it will always receive moisture, it is important that you place the plant in a pot with adequate drainage or it will flood.
Pruning
The most important thing at this point is to remove the flowers from the plant as soon as they form, or the plant will mature. In addition, it is also advisable to regularly remove dry or diseased leaves to improve the health of the plant.
Pests
Parsley does not tend to suffer especially from any plague. In any case, placing it next to other aromatics always helps to keep insects away, and if aphids appear, it is best to spray with soapy water that will solve the problem. In this other article we explain how to make potassium soap to treat this problem if it appears on your plant.
Also, you can use other effective products and that you will surely have on hand at home. Discover here the best Home Remedies to eliminate aphids.
How to plant single-branch parsley
Planting parsley by cuttings it is possible, but not recommended. Being such a thin and short stemmed plant, the plant will find many difficulties to take root. This, coupled with the fact that parsley seeds they can be planted throughout the year, making reproduction by cuttings impractical in this case.
If you still want to give it a try, use a rooter to help the plant. Here you can discover How to make natural hair straightener.
How to sow parsley seeds
If you go to sow parsley seedsTake into account its light and humidity needs when choosing the location of the pot. This plant also does not need any special substrate, and can share space with any other plant in planters or large pots.
Even if parsley can be planted throughout the year, it is recommended to avoid extremely cold or hot days, as they can greatly slow down the seed germination. It may take up to a month to see the first shoots appear, so the optimal season for them to grow best is in spring and at night.
If you sow or plant in the garden, leave a space of about 15 cm between each one to give them space. Finally, when sowing the parsley seeds or planting the small plant, water often to keep the substrate moist, although always avoiding waterlogging.
In this other article we tell you more details about How to sow and plant parsley and in the video below you can see the guide.
If you want to read more articles similar to Parsley care, we recommend that you enter our category of Cultivation and care of plants.
Bibliography- Royal Horticultural Society, Jarrín Rodríguez, T., Bellido Ojeda, X. and Rodríguez Fischer, C., (2011), Encyclopedia of Gardening. Ideas for growing just about anything. Barcelona, Spain, Blume.
- Cecchini, T., (1994), Practical Encyclopedia of Floriculture and Gardening, Barcelona, Spain, Editorial de Vecchi.
- Cebrián, J., (2012), Dictionary of medicinal plants, Barcelona, Spain, Integral RBA Libros.
