Physalis - "Chinese Lantern"

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

Now a plant like physalis is extremely rare in country and garden areas. Many gardeners grow this crop in their garden only for the reason that its fruits in a bright red color have a spectacular and amazing decorative appearance. But in fact, physalis is also a healthy and quite tasty vegetable. Well, or a special … berry

It is easy to grow it, and even a beginner in the world of vegetable growing can easily cope with this task. Physalis often does not require preliminary preparation of seedlings, and summer residents plant it directly with seeds.

Physalis has a lot of decorative and beautifying qualities, thanks to which it becomes a spectacular and attractive bright accent in the garden landscape. Reproduction in this plant takes place with the help of seeds. Although the method of preliminary cultivation of seedlings is often used. As a result, the gardener acquires well-developed crops that give a plentiful and high-quality harvest.

When planting the seeds of this vegetable, bad and unstable sprouts can form immediately into the soil. Especially in dry spring climates, the risk of weak plants is high. At the same time, physalis can tolerate frost well and be an undemanding plant in terms of maintenance and mandatory procedures.

Physalis often reproduces by self-seeding. Fallen ripe physalis fruits scatter their seeds over the garden bed. Vegetable crops can bear fruit throughout the autumn season, even if there are slight frosts.

Physalis seeds are tiny in size, and their quality is very difficult to determine. However, it is still necessary to identify empty seeds. This requires some manipulation. In a glass filled with water, two tablespoons (without a slide) of ordinary table salt are added. Stir the solution until the sediments at the bottom are eliminated. Next, seeds are placed in a glass with a solution, after which you need to mix everything again with a spoon. Part of the planting material will float. These are poor quality seeds that should be removed immediately. Get the sowing materials that have sunk to the bottom, since it is with them that further processes will take place.

Physalis seed dressing

Extracted high-quality seeds must first be rinsed with running water and dried thoroughly. Before planting, the seed must be placed in a weak manganese solution for twenty minutes. Also, seed treatment with fungicides called Vitaros, Maxim or Fitosporin will be an excellent treatment option. Epin's growth stimulator will accelerate the development of the plant if the seeds are kept in it for twelve hours. The solution is prepared according to the scheme of two drops of the product per hundred ml of water. As a result, friendly sprouts are formed very quickly.

When to plant physalis?

In the case of growing physalis by the seedling method, it is necessary to sow seeds at home in early April. Ready sprouts are placed in the open area of the garden in May. However, the specific climate of a particular region can play a role. Sometimes the seeds are planted in mid-May. And seedlings are planted on the beds themselves exactly one month after sowing.

How to prepare the soil?

The very process of growing physalis does not present any particular hassle and difficulties. It will be especially easy to grow this vegetable for those summer residents who have come across planting and caring for tomatoes. Seeds are planted in light and fertile soil, which consists of two parts of peat, half part of sand and one part of compost (or humus). Heat treatment of seeds will also not harm them, but, on the contrary, will help protect seedlings from fungal-type diseases.

Physalis seedlings are recommended to be grown in containers specially purchased in stores - peat pots. In this case, the roots of the plant will not be damaged or injured during transplantation. Before planting, the seeds need to be dried a little, then during sowing they will not stick together. After planting, the seed must be sprinkled a little with a thin layer of soil, compacted and covered with a plastic bag or film. Physalis sprouts must be regularly ventilated and watered. The place for growing vegetables must be light and warm without fail.