Lagenaria

DMore often than not, recently you can find a plant that has interesting fruits in its shape that twine around a gazebo and a fence. Such plants grow right next to greens, cucumbers and tomatoes. This plant was named Lagenaria. What this plant is like, we will consider a little below.

Lagenaria: a description of the vegetable

Lagenaria: video

Lagenaria (in another way, this plant is called Indian cucumber, Vietnamese zucchini, cucurbita, calabas, gourd, musical pumpkin) is an annual plant that looks like a fast-growing herbaceous vine. An interesting type of plant is a representative of the Pumpkin family. Long lashes of a plant in 1 season can reach a length of up to 15 m and bring a good harvest - about 15 pieces of pumpkins with a bizarre shape and unusual color. The plant has in its composition about 7 varieties, which include both edible species and plants that are grown exclusively for decorative purposes. Domestic summer residents most often grow lagenaria ordinary, which is capable of striking with its unusual shape. Depending on which variety the plant belongs to, it can take the form of geese, nesting dolls, snakes. The flowers of the plant are large in size, but you can see them in all their beauty, in their open form, you can only in the evening. It is important to note the fact that in ancient times, the plant was grown only for various household needs - from the fruits of the plant, durable dishes were obtained, which were used to store liquid and bulk items. Many scientists say that the plant appeared about 9-10 thousand years ago. The country of origin is considered to be South America. In other countries and continents, the plant literally fell through the sea - the fruits of the plant do not sink in the water, so they fell into the sea and so nailed to the shores of other continents, where they quickly and easily took root and germinated. Lagenaria vulgaris is an edible variety that tastes like regular pumpkin. Inedible varieties have various poisonous elements in their composition. Also, many praise this plant for its various healing properties, which are much richer than that of squash, melons and cucumbers. However, most often, plants are cultivated for decorative purposes.

Lagenaria: varieties and types

Lagenaria: photos

As we said just above, the plant includes various varieties. But it is customary to divide them all into 2 large groups - dishware and edible Lagenaria. The first varieties have bitter flesh, so you won't be able to use it for cooking any dishes. Edible species include:

• Pollen Lagenaria... Edible species with fruits of a light green hue, have a regular cylindrical shape, length can reach up to 2 m, weight - up to 15 kg. It is important to note that the long, cucumber-like gourd is capable of regeneration. If you want to use only part of the Lagenaria fruit, you can cut it off for your own needs, after which the cut will quickly tighten and the plant will continue to grow.
• Serpentine Lagenaria... Most of the characteristics of the variety are similar to those of the log variety. the difference is that the fruits of the serpentine lagenaria wriggle like a snake.
• Cobra... The fruits have a deep green hue with light spots that have an indefinite shape. The plant has a wide, rounded base, followed by a long curved neck with a thickening - the head. The variety is the owner of food, medicinal, decorative qualities.The temperature regime is very important for the plant, therefore it is suitable for growing in the southern regions.
• Lagenaria Goose in apples... It is also an edible variety of culture, it may look like a cobra in appearance, but does not have a pronounced upper part - a head. Lagenaria variety Goose in apples has a long shelf life, while not losing its taste and external characteristics.
• Swan geese. Lagenaria Swan-geese lianas are a relative of the goose, but have compact external data - the plant height does not exceed 1.5 m, it has small foliage.

As for the decorative varieties of Lagenaria, one can single out among them.

• Clavate Lagenaria... The plant got its name due to the fact that it looks like an ancient type of weapon - a mace. The fruit at the stalk is narrow and expandable at the bottom.
• Calabaza... The fruits are similar to giant pears, the difference in the upper part is that it is narrower. This type of plant is used to create water jugs.
• Bottle lagenaria. It is a compact plant species. the liana can have a length that will not exceed 3 m. The fruits can reach 65-70 cm. The shape of the bottle lagenaria fruit can resemble a jug - the upper part is, in principle, wide, followed by a constriction and a wide base.
• Turban. They belong to one of the more decorative varieties. In its shape, it resembles strong overgrown mushrooms. The fruits are suitable for decorative purposes only. When fully ripe, the so-called cap acquires an orange-red hue, the leg becomes a light shade.

Lagenaria varieties with compact sizes are suitable for growing at home - in loggias and on the balcony. The snake-like variety can be grown at home, thus you can provide yourself with healthy vegetables for the entire winter season without resorting to canning and freezing.

Lagenaria: growing a vegetable

Lagenaria: photos

Planting seeds of lagenaria and their further cultivation has similarities with the cultivation of pumpkin. Sowing is best in April, in the second decade.

We are preparing seeds. Lagenaria seeds must first be soaked in a cloth. To achieve more success, you should take water, it should be warm and thawed, or add a small amount of simulator to ordinary water for growth and development. After about 4 days, the seeds of the lagenaria will begin to swell. To provide the plant with the necessary development, the seeds need to be cleaved. After which the seeds will again need a habitat with moist and growing conditions. After a couple of days, you will be able to notice the appearance of the first shoots. this will indicate that the seeds are already ready for use.

We are engaged in planting in the soil or we grow a plant using seedlings. Lagenaria seeds with sprouts can be planted immediately in open soil, or you can start growing seedlings first. In the southern regions, the first method is preferred. The regions of the middle belt, the Urals and Siberia, of course, choose to grow with seedlings. It is important to understand that a plant is considered fully mature 90-100 days after planting. Ornamental varieties should remain on the liana for at least another 1 month, but the skin on the fruits should become completely hard so that the plant can withstand the winter period without negative consequences. if the fruits do not fully ripen, they may start to rot. Those seeds that have sprouted must be planted in separate containers; it is better to use seedling cups, which must be filled with standard seedling soil. Plant care boils down to keeping the substrate moist. After 30 days, the seedlings can already be planted in open soil. An important condition is that the risk of the return of winter frosts should disappear. Seedlings should be placed on the south side of the building.You need to prepare the soil in the same way as for growing zucchini or pumpkins, the only difference is that the reaction must be neutral or slightly alkaline. also, at the same time, it is necessary to provide for the installation of supports for vines, which will gain their power.

Vegetable care

Lagenaria: video

Lagenaria has no special requirements for irrigation and fertilization. But:

The plant needs to be watered with warm water, if there is no rainfall for a long time, no more than once every 3 days.

If you notice that the plant has slowed down in its growth, then it will be necessary to apply fertilizers, but if the plant stops blooming, then you can add mullein, herbal infusions. The plant is characterized by good immunity against various diseases that are characteristic of other, similar crops. but, if temperature drops are observed, then the plant can be attacked from the side of powdery mildew, anthracnose rot. The methods and methods of treatment are exactly the same as for pumpkin crops. vines with a large length need to be formed - to pinch the lateral shoots, when the length of the main shoot is about 2 m. in order to improve the quality of the harvest, it will be necessary to remove some ovaries.

What to cook? Lagenaria is equally popular for preparing various dishes. Let's figure out how and with what you can use this plant. They use not only unripe fruits, but also flowers, leaves, young shoots. Using the pulp, it almost does not differ from the pulp of zucchini or pumpkin, but you should not eat it fresh without heat treatment. This is because the pulp has a bitter taste. You can find recipes with this plant on the Internet that use squash or pumpkin. Therefore, you can use your imagination and create.

Lagenaria: photos

Grafting garden crops on lagenaria. How you can use the plant for the benefit of summer residents. Liana has a fast growing root system, so it is most often used as a rootstock for crops such as watermelons and cucumbers. Cucumbers do not begin to bear fruit very well if the soil temperature drops below +15 degrees. If the root system is developed, then it will begin to actively absorb nutrients from the soil at + 7 degrees. Gardeners often use an agrotechnical trick - they are grafted onto a bottle pumpkin. this not only helps to improve frost resistance, but also makes it possible to produce large watermelons, and also helps to improve immunity against fusarium, which can lead to the fact that melons begin to die. With regard to cucumbers, the quality and quantity of the harvest is improved. Some people believe that grafting melons on lagenaria is not possible because they are not mutually compatible. But in the recent past, scientists have been able to graft melon flowers onto a flowering pumpkin vine. But summer residents do not use this method much. In general, summer residents in the Moscow region and the Northwest regions often use the grafting method, where it turns out to grow delicious watermelons with a sweet taste. The plants that will be best grafted are best grown from an inedible variety. it is best to choose the spring period for grafting, when the stock and scion are capable of producing the formation of cotyledon leaves. All actions are best carried out in greenhouse conditions, because after grafting, the plant will need a high level of humidity and a stable temperature regime. To perform a grafting operation, you must have sufficient skills and experience in carrying out such operations.

We hope that we were able to introduce you to Lagenaria, you were able to find out what this plant is. Even beginners can grow this plant.Any summer resident will be able to grow lagenaria on his site.