Momordika: growing and care at home, photo

Exotic and extraordinary like a magnet attracts gardeners, flower growers and truck farmers. Pineapples, coconuts, orange and lemon trees - all this has become a common phenomenon in our homes and apartments. But, believe me, the world of plants will not tire us to surprise. Pay attention to the tropical liana with the unusual name "Momordica". Cultivation at home of this exot is quite realistic, moreover, you can get amazing and edible fruits. Read the article about what you need for this.

Genus

Under the name "Momordica" is united the whole genus of plants belonging to the family of pumpkin and includes about 20 species. They are all perennial and annual tropical lianas, which grow in the moist forests of Australia, Africa and Asia. Two species are considered cultivated and widely used: the Momordica Kharantsia and the Kohinchin.

Momordica Charentsia

An annual liana is native to the tropical forests of Asia. It is cultivated around the world in areas with a hot climate. The plant grows to 4 m in length, has a 5-faceted thick stem with simple antennae and longitudinal furrows. Leaves are decorative, rounded, deeply dissected on the petiole length from 1 to 7 cm, the flower is yellow, five-petalled. Various forms of fruit with rough surface, warts and wrinkles - this is what is valued for momordica. Growing from seeds at home is possible when creating two main conditions - good lighting and warmth.

Fruits have a bitter taste. To get rid of it, they soak for several hours in salted water. Then the vegetable is stewed, boiled and preserved. It has outstanding characteristics. For example, beta-carotene in momordica is 2 times more than in broccoli.

Momordika Cochin

In Vietnam, it is also called "hook". Annual creeping plant with tripartite leaves and large fruits of ellipsoidal form. It is actively used in folk oriental medicine due to the high content of various substances: carotene, glycosides, lycopene, sapotoxin, tocopherol, essential fatty acids. It is 15 times more beta-carotene than in ordinary carrots. Grown in the southern regions on a par with the previous species.

The conditions of cultivation of momordica, similar to natural ones, by and large are easily recreated in a room, on a balcony, on a terrace, in a greenhouse and even outdoors (in southern regions). In addition to the practical benefits of fruits, you still get aesthetic pleasure from a beautiful vine with large leaves and fragrant flowers.

To grow this exotic plant is not so difficult, as it may seem at first glance, the agrotechnics in this case is in many respects similar to that of its close relatives - pumpkins and zucchini. Meanwhile, there are several points to which you should pay attention.

Seed treatment

A quality planting material from a reliable producer is something to begin with, otherwise it can not grow after long expectations by not a mommordika. Cultivation and care at home begin with the preparation and seeding of seeds. They are quite large in size (1,1-1,5 cm in length and up to 1 cm in width) and a dense thick shell. The shape of the seeds is flat-faced with uneven edges and a rough surface. In order for them to successfully germinate, it requires scarification, that is, damage to the rigid outer shell by a mechanical method. To do this, sharpen the tip of the seed with an abrasive paper, so that the water penetrates faster and opens more freely.

Then soak the planting material in a dark crimson solution of potassium permanganate for 3-4 hours. This not only disinfects, but also stimulates germination and further development. After you prepare the wet sawdust (it is best to use a container with a lid, like, for example, a cake) and place seeds wrapped in cloth in them. Put in a warm place (+24 ... + 25 ° С) until germination. Such conditions contribute almost 100% germination. Momordica (cultivation and care will be discussed in detail later in the text) gnaws in different ways, but on average in 2-3 days.

Growing seedlings

As soon as the seeds get through, they should be immediately put in a prepared soil mixture. It is best to use individual pots with a diameter of about 10 cm. Fill them with soil from the store (you can use a special for seedlings) or prepared yourself beforehand. To do this, mix in a proportion of 1: 1: 1: 0.5 leaf land, peat, humus and sand, respectively. The depth of seeding is 1.5 cm. Pre-pour the soil, put them on edge, and then sprinkle dry earth. Top the pots with polyethylene and put them in a warm place. It will take 3-4 days to grow a Momordica. Cultivation and care of seedlings in the future are simple.

The soil should be kept moist, but not filled. Plants for full development should stay at a temperature of at least +20 ° C. Periodically (2 times a month) the seedlings are fertilized with a solution of mineral and organic preparations in turn. Do not forget that when growing vines in room conditions, fertilizer consumption rates should be calculated in accordance with the volume of the earth coma. Observe the dosage exactly, otherwise you can burn the roots.

Momordika: growing and care at home

Change for a seedling pot is recommended by the time it reaches a height of 25 cm. Prepare a larger container and transplant the Momordica. Immediately take care of a permanent place for her in the apartment or on the balcony. Note that the plant does not tolerate shading, only the sun and bright light. Prepare trellises and support for the vine in advance. Given the correct development and growth, one copy is capable of braiding a half-balloon at a minimum.

If your goal is to get a crop, then thicken the crown should not be. To a level of 50 cm, remove all side shoots, and then leave 2-3 main stems. As soon as they begin to tie fruit, the top should be pinched (by analogy with the cultivation of pumpkin). Flowers from the liana are female and male, so pollination is required to form the ovary. In natural conditions, this task is performed by insects, it is necessary to transfer them to artificial pollen with the help of a brush. Watering on hot days is daily and abundant, in cloudy weather - as needed.

Diseases and pests

With cucumbers and melons in general melons (growing and leaving, photos in the text) is similar in many respects. Including susceptibility to certain diseases and pests, namely: powdery mildew, white rot, bacteriosis and aphids. The cause is often too dry air. The native land of the plant is the tropics, where the high ambient temperature is combined with great atmospheric humidity. Therefore, regularly spray the plant late at night or in the early morning hours, put a container of water on the balcony, which will gradually evaporate. Another possible reason - sudden fluctuations in air temperature, in order to prevent this, try to maintain the daily average value of +20 ... + 25 ° C, the temperature below 10 ° C for momordica is practically pernicious.

Chemical preparations for processing use the same as for cucumbers: Topaz, Quadrase, VDG, Tivit Jet, etc.

Harvesting and its use

Momordica, growing and caring for which is not so difficult, gives amazing fruits both in shape and color, and to taste. Collect them is recommended for 8-10 days after the appearance, at this moment they still do not have characteristic bitterness. In addition, this stimulates the further formation of ovaries. Too much fruit the plant weakens. The harvested crop can be used at its own discretion - boil, stew, marinate. Taste preferences are different for everyone, but there is an opinion that the exotic vegetable resembles zucchini.

Fruits are especially widely used in Sino-Tibetan folk medicine to treat a wide range of diseases: cardiovascular, burns, ulcers, diabetes, to lower cholesterol, etc.

Momordika: growing and care in the Urals

The question of whether it is possible to grow such an exot in the mid-range and the Urals is quite common. With regard to the above described method at home, then, in principle, it is relevant for any climatic zone, provided that there is enough heat and light. However, as practice shows and the experience of gardeners, momordica in the Urals can be grown in the open field or in greenhouses.

Only the seedling method is used. In the open ground the plants are planted at a distance of 50-70 cm from each other, when warm nights are set (at least from +15 ... + 17 ° C). Further care involves loosening, tie to the trellis and regular abundant watering.