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Deadly growing.

ThedarkoneThedarkone Posts: 68
in Plants


Here is my deadly nightshade.
i grew it from a small plant which I got over the internet. It has grown this big but what I want to know is when does it start producing flowers and does it self pollinate so I can collect the seeds for next years
planting.
thank you.
adam.
«13

Posts

  • Chrissy the gardenerChrissy the gardener Posts: 1,072
    Why would you want to grow deadly nightshade ?
  • LoxleyLoxley Posts: 5,698
    It's perennial so should come back next year (presuming you are planting it outside?) I imagine it will produce seed. Bird's will eat the berries and spread the seed around, and you should probably have a think about this - it could spread into neighbour's gardens that way and could end up poisoning a child.
    "What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour". 
  • ThedarkoneThedarkone Posts: 68
    Ok. Thanks for all your advice but it does grow wild and I think a lot of your points are wrong. I grow it for its beauty. Not something bad. It is a plant that should be more appreciated and welcome. I have been intrigued by this plant from a young age and I will always grow it. Along with other Nightshades.
  • amancalledgeorgeamancalledgeorge Posts: 2,736
    Being infamous for its tap root, can't imagine it would be happy in a pot for long. Are you planning in putting it in the ground? Can't see much wrong with growing it, but probably a good idea to deadhead it to stop the berries from forming. We have to be responsible with the wider consequences of what we grow in our gardens especially when we know they can cause harm to humans and animals. 
    To Plant a Garden is to Believe in Tomorrow
  • ThedarkoneThedarkone Posts: 68
    I don’t intend on putting it in the ground. I am growing it indoors. Do I take it back outside?
    or is that too risky for the
    Humans and animals?
    i don’t see the problem of growing this wonderful plant. I am not around children and the only animal around are the birds. So would you suggest putting it in a greenhouse or planting it in the ground?
  • LoxleyLoxley Posts: 5,698
    edited May 2020
    It would be much happier in the ground, outdoors, where it should come back. It's entirely your choice, but introducing it into a suburban neighbourhood, where it presumably isn't already growing, does entail some sort of risk. Cutting it back once the berries have formed would help control it from spreading out of your garden. I agree it's a stunningly beautiful plant.
    "What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour". 
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    edited May 2020
    I agree with @amancalledgeorge ... it will develop a huge root ... it also grows to around 2m tall ... I suppose if you have a really big container and a tall conservatory or greenhouse it might be happy.  :/

    I too grow plants from the Nightshade family ... mostly in my veg patch 😉  ... and my farming brother grows hundreds of acres of them every year 😉  .... and I see many other types of them growing wild in the hedgerows on country walks ... this is where their true beauty can be seen ... growing a plant like Atropa belladonna in a pot on a windowsill puts me in mind of William Blake’s poem about ‘... a robin in a cage...’. 

    But that’s up to you ... I’d rather go into the countryside and see it in its  natural place ... and watch the wild birds flying free. 

    😊 


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • josusa47josusa47 Posts: 3,530
    edited May 2020
    Half the plants in our gardens are more or less toxic if ingested.  Is nightshade so much worse?  I know a lot of livestock farmers take measures to control ragwort; I've never heard of them controlling nightshade.  But I agree, it's not cut out to be a houseplant.
  • Silver surferSilver surfer Posts: 4,719

    Quote Dove.....
    "I too grow plants from the Nightshade family ... mostly in my veg patch 😉  ... and my farming brother grows hundreds of acres of them every year 😉 ! 

    Come on Dove..admit that you and your farming brother are growing Potatoes!

    Perthshire. SCOTLAND .
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Silver surfer said:

    Quote Dove.....
    "I too grow plants from the Nightshade family ... mostly in my veg patch 😉  ... and my farming brother grows hundreds of acres of them every year 😉 ! 

    Come on Dove..admit that you and your farming brother are growing Potatoes!

    🤣 ... @Silver surfer how did you guess? 😇  and tomatoes and chillies and peppers and aubergines ... the list goes on ...


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





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