Azimina

Asimina (Asimina), or as it is also called -pau-pau, is a flowering plant and belongs to the Annonov family. At the moment, there are 8 known species belonging to this genus. The most common plant can be found in the United States. American papaya (steam-couple), also called a banana tree, due to the similarity of the fruits of these trees. In order to get edible fruits, gardeners cultivated Asimina triloba, or three-lobed azimine, the cultivation of which was started at the beginning of the 17th century. The cultivation of the species takes place in warm regions, these include France, Italy, Spain, Japan. This culture is also found in Ukraine, in the south of the country. In the territories of the Russian Federation, it is also found, for example, in the Stavropol Territory, in Krasnodar and in the Orenburg Region, where conditions are excellent for the good development and fruiting of this species. The tasty fruits of this plant are not its only advantage, it also has many elements that the body needs.

Features:

Azimina triloba belongs to deciduous plants. The maximum height of a tree that it can reach is 8 meters. The bark has a smooth surface and is colored gray-brown. The crown resembles a wide pyramid and is evenly covered with foliage. Young shoots are somewhat pubescent. The green leaves are ovoid and oblong, with a leathery surface. They become narrower next to the thick and short petiole, and sharpened at the other edge. They reach 25 centimeters in length and about 12 centimeters in width. On the outside, young leaves are shiny, on the inside, pubescent. The tree begins to bloom in mid-April or in the first half of May with beautiful purple-brown flowers, similar to bells. Their appearance can be observed simultaneously with the leaves on the branches of the previous year. The fruits are cylindrical in shape and have curled tips. They ripen at the beginning of the autumn season. Berries are collected in several pieces, no more than 9, in seedlings about 9 centimeters long and about 5 centimeters wide. The weight can be up to 200 grams.
At the beginning, the fruits are painted in a dark green color, during ripening they acquire lighter shades, then they begin to turn yellow, and during the period of full ripening they turn into brown. Berries with the most delicate, orange, yellow or cream-colored pulp are covered with a thin shell. The sweet taste of the fruit is very similar to the taste of bananas and mango, but the aroma emits similar to strawberries and pineapple. The pulp contains seeds in two rows. One fruit contains 12 seeds of a dark brown color 2.5 centimeters long, on the sides they are slightly compressed.

Growing rules:

Correct fit:

Fruit ripening occurs in a warm season for five months. Plants for the first two years of life should be in areas protected from direct sunlight. Further, they begin to require an abundance of bright light from the sun, these conditions can provide the plant with good growth and excellent fruiting.
Azimina is not demanding on the soil and can develop in any area. However, it prefers loose, slightly acidic soils with good air exchange and good moisture permeability. Heavy soil is also suitable for growing, the main thing is to lay out a thick drainage layer at the bottom of the planting hole.
For planting, it is better to choose two-year-old seedlings.When preparing the landing holes, it is necessary to maintain a distance of at least 3 meters between them and 5 meters between rows. The diameter of the pit should be about 70 centimeters, it should go 60 centimeters deep into the ground. The planting hole is filled with the mixture. To prepare it, you will need garden soil, compost, sand and wood ash. At the bottom, drainage is laid out with a layer of about 20 centimeters of pebbles or gravel. The previously prepared earthen mixture is poured on top so that a small hill is formed. Further, the roots of the seedling are gently straightened and it is planted in the center of the hill. After that, it is sprinkled with a fertile soil mixture, compacted and watered with plenty of water. As soon as moisture saturates the ground, the root circle should be covered with mulch from peat, humus or wood ash.

Correct care:

With the onset of spring, before the start of sap flow in the tree, it is necessary to prune. At this point, all branches are removed that do not grow correctly, have any damage or signs of disease. Right now the crown of the plant is being formed. The tree begins to bloom in the second spring month or in early May and ends in three weeks. During the waking period, when the plant is growing, it is necessary to regularly water it using a large amount of water, but avoid stagnation of water in the ground, as this can cause rotting of the root system. In the fall, after the fall of the foliage, watering must be stopped completely. After watering, it is necessary to loosen the soil and remove all weeds. Water can be used rain or settled, it must also be warm.
When growing a tree in the garden, you need to regularly make additional fertilizing, in the first year of life in an open garden plot, the plant will have enough of those organic fertilizers that were applied before planting the seedling. The next year, before the beginning of flowering, fertilizing is carried out with mineral fertilizers based on nitrogen. Organic fertilizers are also great as a top dressing. Cow dung is a good option.

To increase the yield of a tree, you can artificially pollinate it with the azimine of other varieties. So it will be necessary to plant several trees in the garden, two are enough, and transferring pollen from one to another with a brush, pollinate them. This method doubles or even more yields. Natural pollination occurs thanks to flies, rotten meat hanging on the branches of the plant will help to lure them when flowering begins.

Azimina is highly resistant to frost, it feels comfortable even at temperatures of -29 degrees. Such a high degree of resistance allows you not to waste time preparing for the winter cold. From the second spring month, buds appear on the tree from which flowers grow later. Their surface is protected by a dense shell that protects against recurrent frost.

Breeding methods:

The propagation of trees takes place using cuttings, seeds, dividing roots and grafting.

Sowing seeds

Before the seeds are sown in the ground, they must undergo stratification for four months; they must be at a temperature not higher than 4 degrees and not lower than 0. After that, sowing takes place. In one hole no more than 30 mm deep. sown in 2 seeds. For this, peat pots filled with soil mixture are suitable. Common containers are not suitable for sowing, since picking or transplanting plants is impossible due to sensitive roots that can be easily damaged. Seedlings must be removed in a place where the thermometer will not fall below +18 degrees.
Sowing can also be carried out in open garden areas. Then the seeds must be sown in the middle of autumn and in advance they will not need to carry out stratification, since they will naturally pass it in the winter months.The first shoots of seeds planted in pots can be observed in a couple of months, those that are planted in the garden will show themselves with the arrival of spring. After the end of the first year of active growth and development, the seedlings will reach 15 centimeters in height. The first berries on a seed-grown tree will appear at the age of six.

Division:

Propagation of azimine is possible by separating the roots at the base of the tree. They are planted in a hole and covered with a nutritious earthen mixture. The first twigs will show themselves in 30 days or more. You can in the same way plant the shoots appearing at the base of the trunk, if any.

Graft

To propagate a tree by grafting, you must use a graft of wood cuttings. The splitting of the upper part of the cut should take place to a depth of 1.5 centimeters. A sharpened cut is placed in the slot, and at the same time it is necessary to control the cambial layers, both of their parts must coincide. To protect the vaccine from dampness, cover it with a film. When choosing a propagation method, it is important to know that only grafting can guarantee the preservation of the varietal characteristics of this tree.

Susceptibility to diseases and harmful insects:

The pawpaw tree has good immunity, which protects anyone from various diseases and pests. But if water stagnates regularly in the soil, the root system can be affected by putrefactive diseases that stop the growth and development of the plant, as well as the leaves will change color to brown. This is the importance of watering correctly. Bacteria, viruses that cause infections, as well as pests, affect the plant extremely rarely.

When to collect and how to store:

The fruits stop growing at the very end of summer or even in the first days of September, at which point they begin to ripen. You can determine the full ripening of berries by their softness, as well as by their sharp aroma and yellowed color. If you do not plan to use the fruits for food immediately, then they should be harvested a week before they are fully ripe, that is, before they begin to fall off on their own. Berries are poorly stored and only for a short period of time, keeping quality is very low. You can put them in the refrigerator in the compartment where vegetables are stored, where they can be kept retaining all their properties for three weeks. If left warm, they will become unusable after 3 days. For this reason, it makes sense to recycle or freeze them. The fruits of this tree make excellent compotes and jams. Transportation is not for these berries, they can only be transported unripe and not subject to any mechanical stress. You can increase the shelf life by wrapping each berry in a paper sheet.

Popular varieties:

Today in the world there are 8 species of azimine, including one natural hybrid plant. For cultivation, gardeners use only one species - three-bladed azimine or triloba. But thanks to the many years of work of breeders, today about 70 varieties of this plant can be grown. The following varieties are especially popular among lovers of this species:

Davies - has berries, the quality of which is very high. They have a yellowish flesh with a sweet taste and an incredible aroma.
Martin- this plant is distinguished by its frost resistance and fruits of the highest quality.
Overlease- its berries do not differ in their quality from those of Davies.
Victoria- the weight of its fruits reaches 380 grams. The yellow pulp is sweet and emits a pleasant and strong aroma.

In addition to these varieties, you can often find other varieties in gardens, for example: Strickler, Sunflower, Prima, Balda, Zimmerman, Potomac, Taylor, Dessert or Autumn surprise.

Rejuvenating and revitalizing azimine:

The berries of this tree have an antioxidant and rejuvenating effect on the body due to the high content of vitamins A and C.This combination allows not only eating these fragrant fruits, but also making anti-aging masks out of them. In addition to essential vitamins, their composition is saturated with calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and iron. The content of amino acids, sugars, pectin, fiber and fat make berries incredibly healthy and important in a complete diet.
The consumption of these berries has antimicrobial effects. The fight against the development of tumors, cancers occurs thanks to acetogenin, which is included in the list of useful substances in these fruits. These berries strengthen human defenses, fight free radicals and protect brain cells during stress.

Contraindications include individual intolerance, pregnancy, breastfeeding. In all other cases, you can safely enjoy the taste and aroma of these berries.