Melotria - The plant is originally from Africa, has edible fruits and is becoming increasingly popular in our latitudes among lovers of exotic crops.
Melotria mini-cucumber: description of the plant
Melotria rough belongs to the pumpkin family, with edible fruits and root vegetables. The plant has liana-like stems more than three meters long, the leaves look like cucumber, triangular in shape with sharp edges, but without cucumber roughness.
The melotria is blooming with yellow flowers, the flowers of the cucumber are melotrias bisexual. Female flowers grow singly, while male flowers grow into inflorescences of two flowers.
Fruit at the same time similar to cucumber (form), and watermelon (color). They taste like cucumber, with a sour skin. Repeating the rough shell of a cucumber, the melodriya is nevertheless not prickly. Roots African cucumber and to taste, and in shape similar to a long radish.
Choosing a landing site
Melotria likes to grow in the sunlit places, but easily tolerates partial shade. The soil for the plant is desirable loose and nutritious. These cucumbers can be planted even in a container on the balcony, and on the plot they can be planted at the hedge or pergola, then, when they grow long stems, they can decorate the surface. Since the stems grow quickly and in large quantities, the plant can be used not only as a garden crop, but also as a decorative crop.
Did you know? Ordinary cucumbers are from the Himalayas, and the name we used is derived from the Greek "agouros", which means "unripe". As a cultivated cultivated plant, cucumber has been known for over 6000 years.
Landing felines
Melotry grown seedlings and seeds, sowing in open ground. In the second method, the fruits of the cucumber will ripen a little later than in the seedling method. Most often, seeds are planted in the ground fines for decorative purposes.
Important! For planting in mid-latitudes, only one plant variety is suitable - Hummingbird fang.
Seed method
For sowing by seed method, a shallow furrow is pulled out, two seeds are sown every twenty centimeters. Then the furrow is covered with earth and the furrow is covered with a board, pressing it against the soil. It is necessary to fill up with wet earth. Sowing dates - the second decade of May.
Planting seedlings
Melotria mini cucumber is ideally grown seedlings. In early April, seeds are sown in seedling boxes filled with a nutrient substrate for seedlings. Seeds are not sprinkled, and covered with glass. For germination box is placed on a warm window sill.
When the seedlings form three strong leaves, they dive into separate containers, and at the same time, after the pick, they feed the first time. Seedlings are watered regularly, not plentiful.
In the open ground, seedlings are transplanted in the second half of May, when the shoots grow to five centimeters. The distance between the bushes is left at 40 cm.
Care instructions
Growing mouse watermelons need frequent watering. Water them preferably with warm and distilled water. Be sure to weed the soil from weeds and loosen for access of oxygen to the root system of the plant.
Feed in the period of growth, flowering and fruiting potash and phosphorus compounds. Suitable mineral fertilizers for vegetable crops, determine the dosage according to the instructions. The watermelon cucumber does not need pinching shoots; it already bushes well and bears fruit.
As a preventive measure against disease, spray with soapy water at the beginning of summer and at the end.
Interesting! In ancient Egypt, the image of a cucumber was used in funeral rituals: its image was applied to the sacrificial platforms, the fruits were left in the tombs of the pharaohs. In ancient Greece, cucumbers had a different attitude: they were used as a medicine on the recommendation of Dioscoride and Theophrastus, scientists of that time.
Harvesting
The melotria of the mini cucumber ripens quickly, the first fruits appear two to three weeks after planting. Since fruits tend to overripe, they are harvested when they reach 2-3 cm in length. Up to five kilograms of fruits are harvested from one bush.
After collecting all the cucumbers, the harvest of the root crops of watermelon cucumbers of melotriya begins. To taste, they resemble yams or radishes.
Root crops and fruit flesh is not suitable for long-term storage. Cucumbers are often pickled and salted, and root vegetables are mainly eaten immediately after harvest.
Useful properties of footage
Melotria is a storehouse of fiber; it is indispensable for fasting days and dietary nutrition. Permanent consumption of mini-cucumber melothria strengthens the immune system and vascular walls.
Attention! It is not advisable to use African cucumber for gastritis and peptic ulcer diseases.
As part of a cucumber magnesium, iron, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, sodium, in addition: vitamins B9 and C. Vitamin B9 is shown to expectant mothers for the formation of the brain in the fetus. Consumption of fines stimulates cardiac activity, restores pressure, reduces the amount of cholesterol in the blood.This vegetable is useful if you want to reduce and normalize your weight, because at low calorie (15 kcal) can cause a feeling of satiety. Studies of the composition of the plant showed that it has a tonic, restorative and anti-inflammatory effect on the body.
If you want to diversify your diet with useful vegetables and decorate the plot, plant a melotraria. Her planting and growing do not constitute any problems. The plant is unpretentious, fruitful, useful and decorative.
