Pretty flowers, a wonderful scent, healing properties and plenty of nectar for bees: German chamomile has a lot to offer that makes it attractive for growing in the garden.
Despite its many benefits, chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) is often misjudged as a weed and removed. The cultivation of native weeds in your own garden is worthwhile for many reasons. Read here what makes the medicinal plant so special and how to care for it appropriately.
Camomile: flowers, origin and properties
True chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) is an award-winning medicinal herb: after being named Medicinal Plant of the Year in 1987, the award for Medicinal Plant of the Year followed in 2002. Chamomile is known and valued all over the world for its beneficial effect on stomach and intestinal problems, but also as an anti-inflammatory agent. Camomile from the daisy family (Asteraceae), originally from southern and eastern Europe, is cultivated commercially in the Balkan region, among other places. When harvested in fields and meadows, however, chamomile can easily be confused with other non-effective or poisonous plant species. Typical of the real chamomile are its pleasant smell, its white flowers with a yellow center and its pinnate leaves. It reaches heights of 15 - 50 cm. In order for the cultivation of chamomile to be successful in your own garden, only a few requirements of the undemanding herb have to be met. But it is worth paying attention to - because the possible uses of real chamomile for healing and well-being are manifold.
When does the chamomile bloom? The chamomile blooms between May and October. Then she shows her typical chamomile blossoms, which are particularly attractive to wild bees.
Is chamomile a weed? Wild herbs are often referred to as weeds, because they occur naturally in our country and sometimes sprout out of the ground where they don't exist were sown. However, our native wild herbs are notonly beautiful to look at, but usually extremely useful. Occasionally, the real chamomile is also referred to as a weed, it not only serves as a bee pasture, but can also be used to prepare medicinal tea.
By the way, the real chamomile is also an indicator plant. This means that certain site conditions are to be expected where it grows. It shows, among other things, nitrogen-rich and neutral to slightly acidic soils. The radiant chamomile (Matricaria discoidea) also indicates heavy and compacted substrates.
In addition to the two types of chamomile from the genus Matricaria that occur naturally in Germany, there are other plant species that look very similar to chamomile or are used in a similar way. These include, for example, Roman chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile) and dyer's chamomile (Anthemis tinctoria). For a better overview, we have also written a detailed article on the different types and varieties of chamomile for you.
Care for real chamomile
How to care for the real chamomile depends mainly on the location. Poor and sandy soils, for example, require more water and nutrients than nutrient-rich, loamy subsoil.
Water and fertilize
Depending on the condition of the soil, care should be taken to ensure that the chamomile is sufficiently supplied with water. If the subsoil cannot store the water well and dries out quickly, it must be watered regularly. The substrate should always be evenly moist, but not wet. In order to improve the water storage capacity of the soil, a high-quality soil such as our Plantura organic universal soil can also be worked into the soil. It also supplies the chamomile with important nutrients and is completely peat-free. In addition, a layer of mulch ensures that the soil does not dry out as quickly and keeps the heat longer in winter. Nutrients enter the soil through weathering.
Additional fertilization is only necessary if the soil is naturally very poor in nutrients. In this case, the use of a slow-release fertilizer is recommended. For example, our primarily organic Plantura organic universal fertilizer is suitable for chamomile. This is simply planted in the ground in springincorporated and cast. It supplies the plants with all the important nutrients over the next three months. In August, it can then be lightly fertilized again. Our fertilizer not only supports he althy plant growth, but also active soil life.
If the chamomile was planted in a pot, regular fertilizing and watering is also necessary here. You can use your finger to determine how much water you need in the pot: If the top centimeters of the substrate feel dry, it should be watered.
Alternatively, a layer of mulch ensures that nutrients are delivered to the soil. It consists of organic material that slowly decomposes and is broken down by microorganisms. In this way, nutrients gradually enter the soil. However, depending on the mulch material used, nitrogen must be added to balance the carbon to nitrogen ratio.
Common diseases and pests
In the culture, some parasites can also threaten the camomile stock: Fungal pathogens are, for example, powdery mildew and downy mildew and the Fusarium that occurs on the roots and stems. The chamomile ware beetle (Olibrus aeneus) threatens the harvest of chamomile flowers by eating their flower heads. The real chamomile is also occasionally attacked by aphids.
Is chamomile hardy?
The real chamomile is conditionally hardy. It is an annual plant - that is, it dies after the seeds have ripened. As a rule, it does not have to be overwintered, but new camomiles will sprout from the seeds that have been shed the following spring. However, if you sow yourself or sow in autumn, rosettes of leaves can form as early as winter. These are hardy, but should also be protected from frost. For example, a mulch layer made of leaves can be applied over the seedlings. If the chamomile is only sown in late spring, no protection from the cold is necessary.
Propagation of real chamomile
True chamomile is best propagated by seeds. The simplest method is self-seeding. You simply leave the seeds that appear after flowering on the plant and the chamomile will multiply on its own. If you prefer to proceed in a targeted manner, you should collect the ripe, heady seed heads from the plants and carefully remove the small chamomile seeds. The camomile can then be sowed either directly in the autumn on thedesired location, or you can dry the seeds and sow them next spring. When sowing in autumn, it is important that the seedlings are protected from frost, for example with a layer of mulch. If you want to harvest and store chamomile, you must remove the flowers from the plants before the seeds ripen. In this case, it may be necessary to resort to seeds from specialist shops for the chamomile propagation.
You can find out more about the healing properties of chamomile and the use of the medicinal plant in this article.