Fruit kiwano - appetizing tropical exotic on the site

In the shops there are many exotic fruits that can be grown at home. A kiwano fruit from Africa has an unusual shape and appearance, so confusing it with something else is simply not realistic. Inside, it consists of jelly with seeds.

Kiwano - description

Exotic fruit is also called an African cucumber or horned melon, since there are pimples on the surface. The plant is a grassy liana, which extends to a length of 3-5 m. It is worthwhile to find out where the kiwana grows, so this culture grows in the countries of Central America, Israel, New Zealand and other territories with a similar climate.

1. This one-year-old creeper has creeping and creeping stems, which are brittle and pubescent.
2. The leaves are dissected, and the flowers are large and yellow, and outwardly they look like watermelons.
3. Seventy days after the seeds have sown, it will be possible to harvest fruits that are about 15 cm long. They can be yellow, orange or red. The taste of a jelly-like pulp is somewhere between a banana and a cucumber.

One can not but pay attention to what is useful for the kiwano fruit, which consists of 89% water, which causes low calorie content. The main properties include the following information:

1. In areas where fruits are grown, the flesh is used as a means that promotes rapid healing of wounds. It is believed that it helps to cleanse the body of possible toxins and toxins.
2. With regular use, you can strengthen immunity and tone the body.
3. The fruit pulp contains vitamin A, C and group B, and these substances are important for the proper functioning of the body.
4. Useful kivano in the presence of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and cardiovascular system, because it contains a lot of potassium.
5. The fruit positively influences the skin condition, increases its elasticity and activates the process of cell regeneration.
6. Kivano is the ideal product for those who want to lose weight.
7. Use the pulp for cosmetic purposes, so make masks that have a toning and tightening effect.

Many people are interested in how to properly eat a kiwano fruit, so you can use it to prepare different dishes, for example, snacks, salads and desserts. Fruit must be cut into halves and a spoon to remove the flesh. Cork can be dried and used, as a decoration or bowls for dessert. Kivano can be eaten fresh, as well as pickling and salting.

Cultivation of kiwano from seeds in the garden and at home

Planting material can be obtained in two ways: to purchase them in a store, but it is not so easy to find them, or to take them out of ripe fruit, rinse, dry and hold in nutrient solution. To grow a kiwano at home, follow this pattern:

1. Soak the seeds better in a solution of "sodium humate" or "epin-extra". They must swell, which is important for germination. This takes a day.
2. Plant prepared seeds are recommended in separate containers and the diameter of the pots should be about 10 cm. Put in each container a nutrient soil, which must be loose.
3. Plant the seeds to a depth of about 3 cm. Pots must be placed in the greenhouse for at least two weeks. If this is not possible, then cover the container with glass or film. It is important not to allow the soil to dry out and to avoid direct sunlight.
4. When the shoots appear, you can remove the glass and expect the ability to transplant the seedlings.

How to plant a kiwano?

You can grow a plant in a greenhouse or wait for a warm time to transplant to an open ground. Having received a good seedling kiwano from the seeds at home, you can plant it according to such rules.

1. Planting in the greenhouse should be carried out in two rows, the distance between which should be 40 cm. Between seedlings in one row should be 35-40 cm.
2. If the kiwana fruit is grown outdoors, then it is recommended to choose the places protected from the wind and it is important to provide a place for weaving the creeper. It is better to plant seedlings near a structure or a fence. In this case, the optimal distance between the seedlings is 50-80 cm.
3. Saplings must be tied with twine to the vertical trellis. As the growth, the main stem needs to be twisted around it clockwise.

If there is a desire to decorate your balcony or loggia with a beautiful vine and get more delicious kiwano fruit, then for this prepare a capacity of 5-25 liters. All the recommendations considered earlier are relevant and the difference lies in the fact that it will be necessary to carry out manual pollination of flowers. It is necessary to use a cotton swab, transfer pollen from male plants to the stigma of female brushes. It is recommended to conduct the procedure before 12 pm.

When to plant a kivana?

It has already been mentioned that the plant is thermophilic, since it comes from Africa, so the kiwana does not tolerate low temperatures and, especially, frosts. Sprouts of horned cucumber kiwano in a greenhouse are allowed to be planted in the middle or at the end of May. As for the landing in the open ground, then we will have to wait until the frost is finally warmed and the frost period will pass.

Kiwano - growing conditions

To develop a vine and get a good harvest, it is important to carry out the right care, which involves several mandatory procedures: watering, fertilizing, loosening and so on. During the cultivation of the kivana, when there are many side branches, it is important to pinch shoots on the ovary. Blossoms are better to remove completely. Young ovaries are recommended to be taken off in two days, so that new fruits quickly grow. When the growing season is over, harvest the fruits and plant the plant in compost .

Melon kiwano - soil

Practically for all plants, the quality of the soil is of great importance. There are several features for this creeper:

1. In order for the kiwana fruit to become a frequent guest on the table, it is necessary to plant the plant in a loose ground, which will ensure sufficient inflow of air and water to the roots.
2. The nutrient layer of the soil may be small, since the root system is located close to the surface, enough 15-20 cm. The mature mixture must include mature compost or humus.
3. To fruit kiwano in the garden developed well, it is recommended to mulch . If the mulch is organic, then it will not be necessary to add fertilizer during the growing season.
4. It is important to permanently remove weeds and conduct loosening of the soil.

Kiwano in the garden - watering

The moisture for this fruit is important, so do not let the earth dry completely. Irrigation should be such that the soil around the plant was wet, but not too wet, because it does not like the swamp. Finding out how to grow a kiwano, it should be noted that the irrigation frequency implies two-time irrigation per week. If the summer is arid, then you may need additional watering.

Fruit kiwano - top dressing

The exotic plant responds well to the fertilizing, which must be done regularly. It is better to use mullein or infusion of herbs, diluted with water or chicken droppings. To get large fruits of horned melon kivano, experienced gardeners recommend alternating organic and mineral top dressing. Complex mineral fertilizers are worth using. Useful and are foliar top dressing with different trace elements.

Melon kiwano - diseases

Exotic plant is famous for the fact that it is rarely sick, because it has good protective properties. If it is wrong to care for a plant or not to follow plantations, then bushes can be affected by viral diseases, for example, a cucumber mosaic virus or a tobacco mosaic virus. In rare cases, powdery mildew and fusarium wilt are found on the kiwana plant. As for the pests, the lianas may be affected by greenhouse whiteflies.