Growing Cockscomb In My Garden

When I expressed my liking for this flower and expressed my wish to plant it in my garden, my friend grabbed hold of a dried comb, plucked it off from the plant and gave it to me. When I reached home, I removed the tiny black seeds from the dried comb. I just gave the dried comb a light shake and many tiny black seeds dropped off from it.

I sprinkled some the tiny black seeds onto the soil in a small container. And I added a few centimeters of soil to cover the seeds. Then I lightly watered the soil and kept it in partial shade, keeping the soil moist until the seeds sprouted.

Some of the common names of this flower are Cockscomb, Red Cockscomb and Crested Celosia, etc. Its scientific name is Celosia Cristata.

Cockscomb flower looks like the rooster's or cock's comb or crest on its head.

The cockscomb flowers come in many shapes, sizes and various striking colours of red, golden yellow, pink, orange, purple and etc.

Here, the baby plants are ready to be transferred to a bigger pot. Cockscomb is very easy to propagate through seeds, easy to grow and maintain.

I planted them deeper into the soil for the roots to be anchored firmly in the soil.

Later, I removed the smaller plants and let the bigger and healthier plants remained in the pot.

The plants are getting bigger and they all looked so healthy that I had a hard time deciding which to discard. Finally, I managed to remove the smaller ones and left behind 4 bigger ones in the pot.

Took this picture during a hot, sunny day.

Every morning when I watered my plants, I would peek to see if there was any sign of the comb. One morning, I saw something pinkish like this and my heart leaped for joy!

 Cockscomb loves the sun. Can be under full sun or in partial shade.

 It is also drought resistant. If it is too dry, the leaves will droop. But once it is watered, the leaves will be restored to its full freshness.

If it is exposed to full sun, the plant will grow taller.

It can grow to about 3 to 4 feet or even taller.

With regular fertilizing, the plant will grow healthy and have bigger comb.

It grows well in rich and moist garden soil with good water drainage.

 It is not a woody plant. It is quite disease resistant but can be attacked by fungal disease and mealy bugs. Cockscomb is usually grown as ornamental plant. The flower or comb can last for many weeks.

Medicinal Uses:

• The seeds are used to treat retinal degeneration, blurred vision, cataracts, bloodshot eyes.
• The flowers or comb are used to treat uterine bleeding, bloody stool, bleeding hemorrhoids, to control diarrhea.
• The pulp of leaves and stalks are used as dressings for boils, sores, wounds.
• Whole plant are used for cough, excessive menstrual flow, intestinal bleeding, intestinal worms, hemorrhoids, urinary tract infection, painful urination, mouth sores, redness of eyes, lower blood pressure, headache, etc.
• Tender leaves and shoots are used as vegetable.

Use these herbs with caution. For uses and dosage, please refer to traditional sifu or professional herbalist. 

One morning, an uninvited guest came to visit the Cockscomb plant.

It landed on a leaf, almost went unnoticed. I have not seen this visitor before and I was curious. I stood and watch and this visitor was too engrossed with its organic meal to notice me.

It went about doing its business. It started to feed on the leaf. From a tiny hole, the hole started to grow bigger. I took a pincer and took hold of it and threw it out of my garden. Hope it will go elsewhere and not return.

This is a dried cockscomb. The tiny black seeds will easily fall out just by brushing against or shaking the dried cockscomb.

Cockscomb of different shapes and sizes.

Be obedient to God, and do not allow your lives to be shaped

by those desires you had when you were still ignorant.

Instead, be holy in all that you do,

just as God who called you is holy.

(1 Peter 1:14-15, GNT)