Juniper (Mexican tomato) - this plant has several difficult and incomprehensible names, but it is familiar to local gardeners under the name physalis. Growing and caring for it began within our state only in 1926, previously ordinary inhabitants could not taste delicious and healthy berries.
Usually, two species of this plant are cultivated - strawberry and less tasty Mexican. Not only is it nice to eat berries of the first kind, they also have much more nutrients. Strawberry physalis, the cultivation and care of which is now available to almost everyone, contains up to 9% sugars, which is almost two times more than in traditional raspberries or strawberries. It is also worth noting the importance of the pectin that is part of it: it allows you to create amazing jellies, without the help of gelatin or long cooking. Berries are used not only in jams and candied fruits, but also in pickles, borsch, sauces and various salads. Strawberry physalis is also used as a red culinary pigment. Cultivation and care begins with the distillation of healthy seedlings. Popular varieties are considered - mushroom, Mexican, strawberry raisins, confectionery and vegetables.
The best previous plants in the area in front of a delicious bush are pumpkin, legume, root and cabbage plants. A common cultivation technique is similar to tomato care. At the age of 25-30 days young physalis is planted on the beds. Growing and caring involves garter, top dressing and regular watering. The plant copes well with short-term frosts, therefore, planting can be safely carried out immediately after the last snow melts on the site at the end of March or in the month of April. Seedlings are placed by the nesting method according to the traditional tomato pattern 75x75 or 80x80, in accordance with the size of the bush itself. In warm areas, you can just sow slightly hatching seeds immediately into the ground, sprinkling them on top with soil at 1-1.5 cm.
Physalis will eject flowers almost immediately, and the harvest will have to wait 40-60 days for the seedling method and 80 days for growing from seeds. You need to feed with conventional organic and mineral fertilizers, for example, bird droppings or mullein are well suited. Observing these simple rules it is easy to get a tasty and healthy physalis. Growing and caring will take no more time and effort than ordinary tomatoes, and the benefits of this plant are much greater.
For medical purposes, the fruits are used to treat kidney stones, gout, or used as a diuretic. You can also use physalis for the manufacture of ointments for rheumatism, and a decoction of it will help with inflammatory processes in the mucous organs: lungs, intestines and stomach. Berries are stored in a dry room at a temperature of + 2-4 ° C for 3-5 months, which allows you to eat fresh fruits almost all year. Physalis is also used for purely decorative purposes, making autumn ikebans, since there is a variety with a bright overgrown cup having an orange color. Young annual bushes will be a great addition to the compositions on flower beds and discounts. And you can try to sow the collected dry seeds before winter to get an early harvest.