Lagenaria Vulgaris

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Lagenaria ordinary (Lagenaria siceraria) is an annual herb of the Pumpkin family. This type of lagenaria grows in Southeast Asia.

Characteristics of culture

It is a liana with large three- or five-lobed leaves with a small downy. The flowers are single, large with delicate lacy petals. The fruits of the laginaria are pear-shaped, vaguely reminiscent of a bottle, hence another name “bottle gourd”. Young fruits taste and look like cucumbers. As it ripens, the juicy pulp is replaced by a solid mass, which dries out over time, and the fruit becomes inedible. The skin becomes woody, gains strength and does not allow moisture to pass through.

Medicinal properties

The medicinal properties of Lagenaria vulgaris are well studied. They are very similar to the properties of squash. Young fruits contain a large amount of vitamins C, B1, B2, B6, E, provitamin A (carotene), a lot of their own sugars, various minerals: potassium, phosphorus, sodium, calcium, magnesium, iron, copper, etc.

Lagenaria vulgaris has a mild diuretic effect, the juice helps to remove harmful toxins from the body, kidney stones and bladder stones. The increased content of fiber and pectins equates Lagenaria vulgaris with valuable dietary products for patients with malfunctioning of the gastrointestinal tract: with gastritis, stomach ulcers, hemorrhoids, constipation. Having a low calorie content, lagenaria helps overweight people get rid of extra pounds. This type of plant helps to eliminate excess cholesterol from the body, as well as salts of heavy metals, including radioactive elements.

Growing

Lagenaria vulgaris is a heat-loving, moisture-loving and light-loving plant, requires fertile soils with a neutral reaction. Nevertheless, under certain conditions, it is difficult to grow lagenaria in the middle lane in the open field. It is safest to cultivate a plant in a greenhouse, for this you first need to grow seedlings.

The seeds of Lagenaria are large, irregular in shape, with a dense brown-gray skin. When soaked, they hatch with difficulty. You can help them by slightly breaking the narrow part of the seed or rubbing it with sandpaper. Sprouted seeds are sown in individual containers with nutrient soil to a depth of 3 - 5 centimeters and watered with warm water. At a temperature of 20-22 degrees Celsius, seedlings appear on the 8-10th day. If the temperature is lower, germination will be delayed. At a temperature of 9-10 degrees Celsius, the embryo dies. As the plant grows, the original small leaves die off, and young shoots develop from the sinuses. By this time, the seedlings should already be planted in a permanent place.

It must be borne in mind that this type of plant builds up a large vegetative mass, therefore, additional feeding is mandatory. There is a lot of nitrogen in manure, it causes the rapid development of green mass to the detriment of fruiting. It is better to use mineral fertilizing, nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium. This plant has two phases of fruit formation. When several ovaries are formed, the growth of shoots stops, and after 2-3 weeks it abruptly resumes and a new stage of fruiting begins. It is during this period that you need to give the plants a new portion of nutrition, carry out the next top dressing and carefully monitor so that the soil does not dry out and is not waterlogged.

The second phase is short-lived. To stimulate the formation of female inflorescences, the apical buds of the lateral shoots are pressed down. First, male inflorescences bloom and only after 10 days - female ones. Pollination occurs in the evening. For safety reasons, it is better to carry out pollination manually. The life of a flower lasts only 10-12 hours. In the evening it opens, and in the morning of the next day it closes and falls off. After two days, it is clear whether the ovary is fertilized or not. The fertilized ovary grows very rapidly.