A plant such as bottle gourd (lagenaria) has been known since ancient times. From this fruit made dishes and various decorative objects. In addition, it is appreciated for its beneficial properties.
Description
Bottle gourd was born in Africa and modern America, moreover, it was widely used in Central Europe. Archaeologists have discovered dishes from langenaria, 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 there is a slight pubescence on it. The leaves of the plant are pentagonal, corrugated. An interesting feature of this variety is that the flowers can be seen only at night, during the day 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 langenaria can weigh from 500 grams and up to 1.5 kilograms. Because of such large sizes, 10-15 fruits grow on one bush.
Due to the individual characteristics of this variety, it received many names, for example, bottle gourd, pitcher pumpkin, gourd, Vietnamese zucchini or Indian cucumber. We will deal with the cultivation.
Bottle Gourd. Growing
This variety resembles zucchini in its properties, but the technology for reproducing these two vegetables varies significantly. A long growing season of 120-150 days is an individual feature of such a plant as bottle gourd. Growing at home should begin with preparing seeds for seedlings. If you immediately plant a plant in open ground, then it may not have time to ripen in a short summer period.
Preparing seeds for seedlings
Bottle gourd, the seeds of which are very hard, large and flat, may not germinate at all. To avoid such an outcome, seed must be prepared, namely:
- It is necessary to keep the seeds for 24 hours in warm water, heated to 35-40 degrees. For such purposes, you can use a thermos.
- Then they are taken out, wrapped in wet cotton wool or a cloth and put into a plastic bag, which should be in a place with a stable air temperature of at least 28 degrees.
Seedling reproduction
- As soon as it is noticeable that the seeds sprouted, 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 the seeds by 3 cm, sprinkle with earth and lightly crush. To speed up the process of germination, you can build a greenhouse that will retain warm air, thereby helping the pumpkin to get out more quickly.
- In order for seedlings to appear within 2 weeks, you need to maintain a comfortable temperature equal to 23-25 degrees.
- Seedlings need to be watered in a timely manner, avoiding drought, or vice versa excessive soil moisture.
Transplanting plants in open ground
Bottle gourd, the cultivation of which began at home, sooner or later must move to the open ground. It is best to wait for the time when the threat of spring frost will pass.
Choosing a place to land:
- Bottle gourd is very heat-loving, so it is quite difficult to grow it in areas where there may be significant temperature differences. Such a plant is unlikely to withstand even the weakest frosts.
- It is also best to avoid areas with high groundwater levels and acidic soils.
- Given that the plant is of the lianas type, it needs support, which can be a fence, a pre-designed fence or simple trellis.
It is best to dig shallow holes at a distance of 1 meter from each other, they need to place 1 tablespoon of any fertilizer containing potassium, or 1 glass of ash. Also, the key to successful growth will be half a bucket of humus or compost.
A seedling pot is placed in a hole on the same level with the ground and dug in a small layer of fertile soil. At the end of the procedure, pumpkin should be poured with warm water.
Care
- A heat-loving plant is what characterizes a bottle gourd, the care of which should begin with the construction of a shelter. It can be made from improvised means and not be removed before the onset of favorable temperatures, both in the daytime and at night.
- Watering the plant, you should also pay special attention to this feature. And be sure to use only warm water. This procedure must be carried out as the soil dries.
- In order for the fruit formation to proceed most effectively, as soon as the stem of the plant reaches a value of 2 meters, it must be pinched.
Top dressing
Bottle gourd (lagenaria) is very fond of both organic and mineral nutrition. In order for the plant to develop well and bear high-quality fruits, it needs to be fertilized every 7-10 days, alternating these two types of fertilizers.
During mineral dressing, it is best to use the following composition:
- 3 tablespoons of nitrogen fertilizer;
- 2 tablespoons of potash fertilizer;
- 10 liters of water.
One liter of the prepared solution is consumed per plant.
When preparing organic dressing, most often use:
- 1 kg of manure or 0.5 kilograms of bird droppings;
- 10 liters of water.
The resulting fertilizer is poured under one bottle gourd.
Pollination
To get the unusual fruits of langenaria, you need to pollinate it manually. This need arises because the plant blooms in the dark, when almost all pollinating insects sleep.
Performing such work, you need to be extremely careful and accurate. One careless movement can easily deprive the entire planned crop. The main difficulty lies in the ability to distinguish a male flower from a female. The presence of small fruits under the flowers indicates a feminine. In order for the process to be carried out correctly and the plant needs the substances it needs, several males are used to produce one fetus.
How to dry a bottle gourd
This process has its own characteristics. Bottle gourd is very light, and when dried, it is practically weightless, moreover, it does not pass moisture through itself. It was for these qualities that she was appreciated from ancient times, making dishes from such fruits. The initial stage will be the preparation of the material, for this you need to dry the pumpkin.
- This whole process is very long and painstaking, it begins with the fact that the fruit must be cut off, leaving only a small tail, moisture will evaporate through it, and thoroughly washed with soapy water, then it should be wiped dry with a towel.
- It is best to dry a bottle gourd outdoors so that there is uniform air circulation, but if this is not possible, you can use a well-ventilated room. Avoid exposure to open sunlight. In no case should you use an oven or microwave for such purposes. The process should proceed naturally. This is necessary to maintain the shape and all the quality indicators of the pumpkin.
- During drying, the bottle gourd should be suspended or lie on a wire rack. It is also necessary to avoid the contact of several fruits.
- It should be in a bright place for about a week, until the top layer hardens and changes color.
- Then it needs to be moved to a dark room, where the whole basic process will take place, the duration of which can reach 6 months.
- Every week, the pumpkin must be checked for various defects, such as wrinkling or rot. Such specimens are immediately removed so that the detrimental effect does not spread to healthy fruits. Also, they need to be gradually turned over so that they are dried evenly.
- Mold is not a serious problem, if you notice it in time, you can wipe the pumpkin with a dry rag.
- The readiness of the fetus can be judged by the sound of seeds that begin to rattle.
- As soon as this indicator is noticeable, it is necessary to trim the tail, remove the seeds and leave the bottle gourd to dry from the inside.
- After a few days, the base will be ready for various dishes or crafts. Such a plant can be painted, decorated, polished.
The use of lagenaria
There are many ways to use the fruits and stems of such a plant:
- Various crafts, musical instruments, smoking pipes and even toys are made from bottle gourds.
- Hats or baskets are woven from stems, they turn out to be very durable and beautiful.
- From the seeds for a long time after harvesting, you can get oil.
- We must not forget about the beneficial properties of pumpkin as a food product. The pulp of the fetus is used for diseases of the heart, vascular system, kidneys, bladder, liver and stomach. Also, regular intake of lagenaria can help normalize metabolism and, accordingly, lose extra pounds. 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 the manufacture of various crafts is what distinguishes bottle gourd. Care and growing a plant is not difficult, and even a beginner can cope with this task, the main thing is to choose the right place for the growth of vines.