2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Physalis (Latin Physalis) - a large genus of annual and perennial herbaceous plants of the Solanaceae family. The plant is often called earthen cranberry, emerald berry, or anti-Semitic cherry. Physalis naturally grows in South and North America. Today the culture is cultivated in Colombia, Venezuela, Guatemala, Mexico and Peru. In Russia, it is grown as an ornamental crop and for use in folk medicine.
Characteristics of culture
Physalis is an annual or perennial plant with a branched stem, lignified at the base. The flowers are five-lobed, white, after flowering they acquire a red or red-orange color. The calyx remains with a red berry fruit in the form of a swollen flashlight. Physalis is a botanical relative of tomato, potato, eggplant and pepper. All representatives of the genus are thermophilic, they do not tolerate frost.
Physalis are divided into three groups: decorative, food and medicinal. Food or vegetable physalis are of the greatest interest. These include the following types: Peruvian, Strawberry and Mexican. On the territory of Russia, amateur gardeners prefer decorative forms, for example, Flexuoza, Akekengi, Longifolia and Franchetia.
Nutritional and medicinal physalis boasts analgesic, diuretic, hemostatic and choleretic properties. In the countries of South and North America, vegetable physalis are divided into Mexican and South American. They have a number of differences. Thus, the South American species of physalis form small and fragrant fruits with a sweet taste.
In South America, Strawberry Physalis is especially popular; its berries have a pleasant strawberry aroma. The species is represented by annual plants with a strongly branched stem up to 70 cm high, equipped with oval, slightly corrugated leaves. Strawberry Physalis is propagated only by the seed method. In regions with a warm climate, seeds are sown in open ground, in northern regions - through seedlings. The optimum temperature for growing Strawberry Physalis is 20-25C, the seeds germinate at 15C.
Russian gardeners appreciate Peruvian Physalis. This species is grown as a berry crop and only through seedlings. Seeds germinate at temperatures not lower than 20-22C. The species is very picky about soil conditions and moisture. Peruvian Physalis grows into small berry-like fruits enclosed in a walnut-colored flashlight. The fruits have a sweet and sour taste and a light pineapple smell. The growing season of Peruvian Physalis is quite long, the fruits ripen only in September.
The subtleties of growing
Physalis are demanding plants, although some species, for example, Physalis Franchet, are very unpretentious. The location is preferably sunny, light partial shade is not forbidden. You can grow plants under the openwork crown of large shrubs and trees. The largest calyxes of plants form when growing crops in open sunny areas.
The soils should be loose, fertile, moderately moist. Thorough preparation is important for physalis. Organic and mineral fertilizers are mandatory applied to the soil. Representatives of the genus do not accept acidic soils; they must be preliminarily limed. Areas with a close occurrence of groundwater are not suitable, plants have a negative attitude towards stagnation of water.
Sowing
Physalis is grown in Russia mainly by seedlings. The seeds are sown in a well-moistened substrate. Deep seeding is undesirable. After sowing, the seedling containers are covered with foil or glass until shoots appear. In the future, the seedlings are exposed on the windowsill.
Crops are regularly watered and fed with liquid complex fertilizers every two weeks. The diving of seedlings into peat-humus pots is carried out in the phase of three true leaves. In open ground, seedlings are planted at the end of May in the phase of 6-8 true leaves. Low-growing forms are planted according to the scheme 40 * 50 cm, medium-sized - 40 * 70 cm, tall - 60 * 80 cm.
Care
Physalis is hygrophilous, needs regular and moderate watering. Plants are watered until August-September, depending on climatic conditions. In a drought, watering is carried out every other day. Physalis need systematic feeding. The first feeding is done during flowering, the second - with the beginning of fruit formation. The third feeding in the middle cycle of fetal formation is also not prohibited.
For top dressing, it is recommended to use bird droppings diluted in water in a ratio of 1:20, or slurry, as well as potassium salt, ammonium nitrate and superphosphate. You should be very careful with nitrogen fertilizers, their excess negatively affects the quality of the future crop.
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Physalis-like Nikandra is one of the plants of the family called Solanaceae, in Latin the name of this plant will sound like this: Nicandra phisaloides (L.) Gaertn. As for the name of the Nikandra physalis family itself, in Latin it will be like this:
Physalis Jam
Physalis jam is a peculiar and unusually tasty preparation from physalis, familiar to everyone and very beloved by many. The stunning amber color of such an unusual jam almost always whets the appetite, and its delicate and incredibly pleasant taste can satisfy the claims of even fastidious gourmets. It is absolutely not necessary to cook this extraordinary jam from vegetable physalis - both Peruvian physalis and raisins (pubescent or strawberry) will be very suitable for this
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Physalis, Berries In The Hood
Physalis, a relative of such representatives of the Solanovy family respected by Russians as Tomato, Potatoes, Eggplant, Capsicum (capsicum), has not yet managed to take its rightful place in Russian gardens, although it is the largest genus of this plant family. One of the reasons is Physalis's love for warmth, and another reason lies in ignorance of the useful abilities of the fruits of the plant, hiding from the outside world in a pretty little case
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