2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
In the garden of my acquaintances, an unusual bush with thorns drew my attention. It turned out that these are lychee tomatoes or, scientifically, nightshade. He has another interesting name - cocoon. The owner of the site told a lot of interesting things about this exotic plant
Description
Fancy lychee tomatoes belong to the nightshade family. The homeland of the plant is South America. According to some sources, they came to Russia from Argentina. Despite the southern origin, they are successfully grown in the Middle lane through seedlings.
From germination to ripening of the first fruits, 120 days pass.
Bushes are quite high up to 80 cm (in greenhouses up to 1 m). Stems are prickly, highly branched. The leaves in their structure are a bit like a walker, hence the scientific name of exotic. They are much larger and larger than the original.
Flowers are similar to potato - white with a slight blueness. They have a specific smell of freshly caught fish. In rare cases, terry specimens are found.
The fruit is represented by a berry containing from 2 to 4 hollow chambers with yellow seeds. The outside is covered with a green calyx with spines, making it look like a lychee plant. The walls of the berry are red, the flesh is bright yellow, juicy. The size is within 3-4 cm. The taste is sweet with a slight sourness, reminiscent of ripe cherries.
The seeds are smooth, without hairs and mucous membranes. They are isolated from the pulp after the fruit is fully ripe. Then they are dried on paper. Fermentation of the pulp, when receiving planting material, like tomatoes, is not required.
Preferences
Perfectly adapts to growing conditions. Nightshade is not afraid of late spring frosts down to -5 degrees. According to long-term observations of the culture, planting in early terms (early April in greenhouses, the first decade of May in open ground) allows you to get strong branchy plants and an early harvest of fruits.
There were years when in places there was snow on the ground. The beds were spilled with hot water, then the prepared seedlings were planted. From above, through the arcs, were covered with a film. In mid-July, the first ripe berries were picked.
Kokona loves warmth, but at elevated temperatures of more than 30 degrees, sunburn appears on the bushes. In the southern regions, a little shading is required at noon.
Nightshade prefers soils with a neutral or alkaline reaction. On an acidic substrate, plants lag behind in growth, bear little fruit.
Resistant to soil pathogens. It is practically not affected by late blight even in years with a lot of rain. Resigns itself to arid conditions.
Harvesting
With early planting in the open ground and greenhouses, they begin picking berries from mid-July until the very frost in several times. A sign of readiness is the cracking of the prickly shell. The inner content is exposed. Cut the crop with a pruner along with a green cup. Then carefully peel off the shell, taking care not to disturb the integrity of the soft berries.
The fruits are stored until processing for 3-5 days in a cool place. They are poorly transported over long distances due to the thin skin. In the southern regions and greenhouses, up to 3 kg of ripe berries are harvested from one bush, in the open field of the Middle Lane - up to 1 kg of ripe berries.
Usage
Cocoon is often used as a hedge in Western countries. Tall plants with thorns protect the site well from stranger animals and people. They create an openwork barrier that gives delicious fruits.
In the confectionery industry, jams, jams, marshmallows, marmalade are prepared from nightshade berries. Juice is harvested at home. Fresh fruits are suitable for salads and as an additional ingredient for tomato paste.
Unpretentiousness to growing conditions, widespread use of the crop makes lychee tomatoes a profitable crop for cultivation in amateur gardens.
We will tell you about the reproduction and agricultural techniques of cocoons in the next article.
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