Bottled pumpkin: growing at home

About such a plant as a bottle pumpkin (lagenariya), has been known since ancient times. From such a fruit, utensils and various decorative objects were made. In addition, it is valued for its useful properties.

Description

Bottle pumpkin was born in the territory of Africa and modern America, besides it became widespread in Central Europe. Archaeologists have discovered utensils from the langenariya, which is more than 12 thousand years old.

The stem of this culture resembles a vine and can reach a length of up to 15 meters. In addition, it is slightly faceted and it has a slight pubescence. The leaves of the plant are pentagonal, corrugated. An interesting feature of this variety is that the flowers can be seen only at night, in the afternoon they are hidden in the axils of the leaves.

Fruits can be round, oval or pear-shaped. In length they grow up to 2 meters. The minimum diameter is 10 centimeters. Also, one langenariya can weigh from 500 grams and up to 1.5 kilograms. Because of such a large size, 10-15 fruits grow on one bush.

Because of the individual characteristics of this variety, he received many names, for example, a bottle pumpkin, a jug pumpkin, a mall, a Vietnamese zucchini or an Indian cucumber. We will deal with growing.

Calabash. Cultivation

This variety is similar in its properties to zucchini, but the technology of reproduction of these two vegetables varies considerably among themselves. A long vegetation period of 120-150 days is an individual characteristic of a plant such as a pumpkin. Cultivation at home should begin with the preparation of seeds for seedlings. If you immediately plant the plant in an open ground, then it may not have time to ripen in a short summer period.

Preparation of seeds for seedlings

Pumpkin is a bottle, the seeds of which are very solid, large and flat, can not give rise to shoots. To avoid such an outcome, the seed must be prepared, namely:

• It is necessary to keep seeds for 24 hours in warm water, heated to 35-40 degrees. For such purposes, you can use a thermos bottle.
• Then they are removed, wrapped in damp cotton wool or a cloth and put in a plastic bag, which should be in a place with a stable air temperature of at least 28 degrees.

Reproduction of seedlings

• As soon as it becomes apparent that the seeds have given seedlings, they must be moved to pots, the volume of which should not be less than one liter.
• The soil must be fertile and moist.
• In the process of transplanting, it is necessary to deepen seeds by 3 cm, sprinkle with earth and lightly crush. To accelerate the process of germination, you can build a greenhouse that will hold warm air, thereby helping the pumpkin to get out more quickly.
• That shoots appeared within 2 weeks, it is necessary to maintain a comfortable temperature equal to 23-25 degrees.
• Seedlings need timely watering, avoiding drought, or vice versa excessive moistening of the soil.

Plant transplant into open ground

A bottle of pumpkin, the cultivation of which began at home, sooner or later must move to the open ground. It is best to wait for such a time when the threat of the onset of spring frosts will pass.

Selecting a destination:

• Bottle pumpkin is very thermophilic, so it is difficult to grow it in those areas where there may be significant temperature changes. Such a plant is unlikely to withstand even the weakest frosts.
• It is also better to avoid areas with high groundwater levels and acidic soils.
• Considering that the plant belongs to the liannom type, it needs a support, in which quality a fence, a prefabricated fence or simple trellis can act.

It is best to dig shallow holes at a distance of 1 meter from each other, they need to put 1 tablespoon of any fertilizer containing potassium, or 1 glass of ash. Also, half the bucket of humus or compost will be the key to successful growth.

The seed pot is placed in a pit on one level with the ground and is buried with a small layer of fertile soil. At the end of the procedure, pumpkin should be poured with warm water.

Care

1. Thermophilic plant - this is what a bottle pumpkin is characterized, care of which should begin with the construction of shelter. It can be made from improvised means and can not be removed before the onset of favorable temperatures, both during daytime and at night.
2. Watering the plant, too, should pay special attention to this feature. And always use only warm water. This procedure should be carried out as the soil dries.
3. To form the fruit was most effective, as soon as the stem of the plant reaches a value of 2 meters, it must be nipped.

Feeding

Bottle pumpkin (lagenariya) very much loves both organic and mineral top dressings. To plant well developed and bring quality fruits, fertilize it every 7-10 days, alternating the two types of fertilizers.

During mineral fertilizing, the following composition is best used:

• 3 tablespoons of nitrogen fertilizer;
• 2 tablespoons of potassium fertilizer;
• 10 liters of water.

One liter of the prepared solution will be consumed per plant.

Preparing organic top dressing, most often use:

• 1 kg of manure or 0.5 kg of poultry manure;
• 10 liters of water.

The resulting fertilizer pours out under one bottle pumpkin.

Pollination

To get unusual fruits langenarii, it must be pollinated by hand. This need arises because the plant blooms in the dark, when almost all the insect pollinators are asleep.

Carrying out such work, it is necessary to be extremely attentive and accurate. One negligent movement can easily deprive the entire planned crop. The main difficulty is in the ability to distinguish a male flower from a female one. The presence of small fruits under the flowers indicates the female beginning. In order for the process to be performed correctly, and the plant has enough of the substances necessary for it, several individuals of a male are used to obtain one fetus.

How to dry a bottle pumpkin

This process has its own peculiarities. Bottle pumpkin is very light, and in the dried form it is practically weightless, besides it does not let moisture through itself. It is for these qualities that it was appreciated from ancient times, making dishes from such fruits. The initial stage is the preparation of the material, for this you need to dry the pumpkin.

1. This whole process is very long and laborious, it begins with the fact that the fruit needs to be cut off, leaving only a small tail, moisture will evaporate through it, and rinse thoroughly with soapy water, then it should be wiped dry with a towel.
2. Dry bottle pumpkin is best on the street, so that there is a uniform air circulation, but if this is not possible, you can use a well-ventilated room. Avoid exposure to open sunlight. In no event should you use an oven or microwave oven for such purposes. The process must proceed naturally. This is necessary to preserve the shape and quality of the pumpkin.
3. During drying, the pumpkin must be in a suspended state or lie on a grate. It is also necessary to avoid contact of several fruits.
4. In a bright place, it should be about a week, until the upper layer hardens and the color changes.
5. Then it must be moved to a dark room, where the whole main process will take place, the duration of which can reach 6 months.
6. Every week the pumpkin should be checked for various defects, for example, wrinkling or rotting. Such specimens are immediately removed, so that the harmful effects do not spread to healthy fruits. Also they need to be turned over gradually, so that they are dried evenly.
7. Mold does not apply to serious problems, if you notice it in time, you can wipe the pumpkin with a dry cloth.
8. The readiness of the fetus can be judged by the sound of seeds, which begin to rattle.
9. As soon as this indicator is noticeable, it is necessary to trim the tail, remove the seeds and leave the bottle pumpkin to dry out from the inside.
10. After a few days, the base will be ready for various dishes or hand-made articles. Such a plant can be painted, decorated, polished.

Using lagenarii

There are many ways to use the fruits and stems of such a plant:

• From a bottle pumpkin, various crafts, musical instruments, pipes for smoking and even toys are made.
• From the stems weave hats or baskets, they are very durable and beautiful.
• From the seeds for a long time after harvesting you can get butter.
• We should not forget about the beneficial properties of pumpkin, as a food product. Flesh pulp is used in diseases of the heart, vascular system, kidneys, bladder, liver and stomach. Also, regular intake of lagenarii can help normalize the metabolism and, accordingly, lose excess kilograms. It is important to remember that only young fruits, the size of which does not exceed 50 centimeters, can be eaten.

The ability to use fruits as a material for making various crafts is the difference between a bottle pumpkin. Care and growing a plant is not difficult, and even the beginner can cope with this task, the main thing is to choose the right place for growing lianas.