How to grow and care for Nightshade plants?

Nightshade refers to several plants belonging to the family Solanaceae. This family includes several well-known vegetables, such as tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants, and peppers. It also contains several inedible plants, such as tobacco or mandrake, and is known for containing alkaloids. The berries that are born out of various plants that belong to this family have different toxicity levels and allergens, making them debatable for consumption.

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Nightshade: Quick facts

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Nightshade plants: Varieties

1. Bittersweet Nightshade
2. Woody Nightshade
3. Black Nightshade (S. Nigrum)
4. Deadly Nightshade or Belladonna (Atropa Belladonna)
5. Enchanter’s Nightshade 
6. Malabar Nightshade/Spinach
7. Eastern Nightshade (S. ptycanthum)
8. Cutleaf Nightshade (S. triflorum)
9. Hairy nightshade (S. sarrachoides)

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Nightshade plants: Physical description

1. The most distinguishable characteristic of nightshades is their content of alkaloids. All fruits and vegetables that plants of this family produce contain some amount of alkaloids in them in varying quantities. This alkaloid is solanine, which effectively acts as an insecticide while the plant is still growing. While some of these alkaloids have positive impacts, they might also have a negative impact.
2. Due to solanine’s presence, one must consume the nightshade fruits and vegetables with proper care.
3. Nightshades can cause diseases such as cancer due to tobacco consumption. Since they are weeds, nightshades are likely to attract harmful pests such as the Colorado potato beetle and other diseases such as early or late blight. 
4. Though fruits and vegetables produced by several of these plants are edible and quite healthy for consumption, the same family is responsible for producing poisonous berries that contain certain toxic substances. Research has shown that though nightshade vegetables are not completely bad for your health, they might not be the best choice of consumption for people who suffer from inflammatory or autoimmune conditions such as bowel diseases or arthritis, with the nightshades increasing inflammation that is already present due to the disease.
5. One can check their sensitivity towards nightshades by removing them from their diet for a couple of weeks and then adding them back to their diet to check whether they have led to any discomfort or relief. 
6. Nightshades can also be grown indoors, provided they are given proper conditions and care to grow. To be grown inside the house, they require special pruning. Indoor nightshades are usually of height that is approximately 12 inches or 30 centimetres. As for their appearance, they form a matted canopy out of dense branches by growing out of a straight trunk that grows woodier as the plant grows.
7. The leaves of this plant can be seen to be short-stalked, having slightly wavy edges, solid and lanceolate, appearing to be dense and neat, having a dark greyish colour to them. 
8. The flowers of the nightshade are usually inconspicuous with a white or pale yellow colour. The flowers bloom into a star shape, one of the two colours, spaced sparsely or in single florets. The fruits soon replace these flowers in the form of berries.
9. Since the nightshade is consistent with various plants, the appearance of plants, fruits, and vegetables is varied, along with different benefits and disbenefits.

Nightshade plants: How to grow?

Nightshades can be produced from seeds. In the case of the black nightshade plant, research has shown that the plant can produce a large number of berries, provided that the plant is grown without competition. The nightshade plants have been observed to have a competitive tendency with other plants. When planted with other crops, they are likely to compete with the other plants to gain their nutrition and water, therefore resulting in probable damage and insufficiency for both crops. 

To grow nightshades, it is advisable to plant them separately from other crops for better health and produce. One can gain control over nightshade through various cultural practices that further help control weed density in the field. For example, potatoes can be grown in narrow rows to prevent the competitiveness of the nightshade from taking over in the later stages of the crop, preventing damage.

Nightshades are said to require hand pollination and a good amount of light. Being light-loving plants, they should be placed only on windowsills when being grown indoors to absorb a good amount of light that they require to thrive and produce.

It is also necessary to ensure that the plant is not exposed to harsh sunlight. Preferably, one may go for eastern and western windowsills to ensure the light rays are enough but not too harsh. When winter approaches, one can shift the plant to a southern windowsill to compensate for the low amount of sunlight it will receive during that season. Supplementary lighting can also be used as an aid for the same in the absence of a southern windowsill.

Nightshades are recorded to be able to survive frost and remain green during the season. However, it is necessary to maintain the temperature during fruiting. To grow healthy plants, one must maintain a temperature of below 64°F or 18°C. From November to February, it is advised to keep the plants or bushes in a temperature range of between 41-50° F or 5-10°C. The maximum tolerance level is recorded at 50-59°F or 10-15°C.

After February, the plants are required to be placed at room temperature. This is done immediately after transplanting in early spring. During the summer, it is best advised to maintain the temperature between a range of 20-25°C or 68 -77°F at a maximum. 

Nightshade plants: Care tips

1. To grow nightshade plants, one has to ensure an abundant fertilisation supply to gain flowers and fruit and for the plant to grow. This can be ensured by several methods of pruning that have been researched for the same purpose. It is also essential to ensure that there are no interruptions faced during the irrigation of the plant.
2. When growing an indoor nightshade plant, it is crucial to ensure it is always in moist soil. Nightshades are said to be moisture-loving, and no more than a few inches of the top soil in the pot should be allowed to dry out. Even when winter or cold conditions approach, an overly dry substrate cannot be allowed in the plant. However, it must also be maintained that during fall, the watering is reduced to dry the substrate to the needed limit.
3. Plants belonging to this family are seen to require high air humidity. Therefore, installing a humidifier or a tray of wet moss is advisable. For regular maintenance, the best interest is spraying foliage and preventing humidity from falling below 60%.
4. To produce a good and abundant amount of fruit, the plant must be provided with highly nutritious soil. During active vegetation, the feeding of the plant should be done as frequently as every 7-10 days due to the plants’ characteristic of absorbing nutrients and resources from the substrate quite quickly. After the stage of fruit formation is over, this duration can be changed to once in 3-4 weeks. 
5. As for fertilisers that need to be used for this plant, the range is varied, starting from flowering plant fertilisers to all-purpose fertilisers.
6. Nightshade plants are said to produce glossy fruits and vegetables, but this is only possible if the pruning of the plants is done properly and at proper intervals, along with shaping. If failure of pruning arises, the plant will be needed to be replaced by newer seeds as soon as possible. 
7. To increase permeability, nightshade plants are recommended to be grown in clay soil. It is relatively heavy with the addition of porous substances such as coarse sand, perlite, or vermiculite. However, these plants can also be grown in general-purpose soils with a neutral response, ensuring that the nutrient content of the same is high in value.

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Nightshade plants: Common problems

Nightshade plants are generally resistant to diseases, but when placed outdoors and not well cared for, they can attract pests like whiteflies, aphids,and spider mites. It is important to promptly control these pests with an insecticide to avoid the plant losing its ornamental value.

Nightshade plants indicate their needs through their leaves. They curl their leaves in direct sunlight, shed them in the absence of light, and show signs of yellowing and shrivelling when experiencing drought or over-watering. Paying attention to these signals can help in providing the right care for the plant. Don’t add any diseased plants to the compost as that will definitely infect other plants. Make sure to burn any diseased plants immediately. 

Nightshade plants: Uses

1. The black nightshade, also known as S. nigrum, is recorded as an important ingredient used in Indian traditional medicines. These plants are said to help with treatments of fever, stomach infections as well as diarrhoea or dysentery. It also helps treat skin diseases or ulcers, asthma, or what is described as excessive thirst. Historically and traditionally, this nightshade plant has been used to treat severe diseases like jaundice or tuberculosis.
2. As the name suggests, belladonna, translated to its original language, Italian, is a “beautiful woman”. This plant has been used in the form of droplets to serve the purpose of making women more beautiful or seductive by dilating their pupils. Besides cosmetic purposes, the belladonna nightshade can be used for dietary supplements.
3. The stem from the bittersweet nightshade has been used to treat acne, healing of wounds, eczema, as well as several other conditions; however, it lacks scientific support.
4. It has been recorded that people applied black nightshade directly to the skin to cure several skin conditions, such as psoriasis and abscesses.

Nightshade plants: Benefits

1. Nightshades contain antioxidants that help protect cells from damage that can be caused due to extreme stress. These antioxidants also provide other advantages, such as reducing the risks of developing severe diseases such as diabetes, cancer, heart disease, or several infections. One such antioxidant is lycopene present in tomatoes.
2. These plants and vegetables are great providers of vitamins and minerals that can contribute to a healthy lifestyle, such as vitamins A and C. The bell pepper is an example of a nightshade vegetable that can be a daily supply of adequate Vitamin C.
3. Nightshades provide an excellent range of medicinal purposes, with various types of plants serving various kinds of treatments. They have also served cosmetic and makeup purposes in history.

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Priya Banerjee

Priya Banerjee, a writer with a keen eye on the property market, she deciphers the ever-changing trends in residential real estate. Priya excels at simplifying complex real estate terms, making them easy for everyone to understand. Her well-researched advice helps buyers and investors understand complex topics.

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