Growing pepino from seeds: how to prepare and plant the plant?
Pepino is a very interesting and original plant that has become increasingly widespread in recent years. It is called pear melon or melon pear.
Another name that is often found in everyday life is melon tree. The melon-pear combination is always present because fruit This plant is shaped like a pear and tastes like a melon.
Pepino belongs to the nightshade family and is similar to its closest relatives: tomatoes, potatoes, and physalis. The shape of pepino resembles a strong, branched, semi-lignified bush, 1.5 m high and with a stem thickness of 5-7 mm. Pepino flowers are collected in inflorescences.
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Growing a plant from seeds
Pepino is propagated by cuttings and seeds. The seeds of this plant have high germination rate. Growing pepino from seeds is not particularly difficult and is similar to growing tomatoes or peppers.
First you need to collect the seeds, similar to the principle of collecting eggplant or tomato seeds. The seeds need to be dried in a shady, not hot place. You can grow pepino with a pick or without it. Let's consider these methods.
With the picking method, seeds are sown between December and January in a light, loose soil mixture in special pots or containers.The seeds are very small, so they do not need to be placed deep in the ground, but rather lightly sprinkled with earth.
To preserve moisture, containers are covered with film or glass. The air temperature should be in the range from 25 to 28 °C. Under such favorable conditions, seedlings appear within a week.
Before 2-3 leaves appear, the plants are still very weak, and you need to take care of them very carefully. After the third leaf appears, the seedlings are planted in separate pots, deepening them down to the cotyledons. In this case, for the prevention of diseases, steamed soil or soil treated with a solution of potassium permanganate is used.
Seedlings are also covered with a film to create a greenhouse effect (on top of the arches, without damaging the leaves). In the first month, young seedlings grow poorly and slowly. At the time of planting in the ground, they reach 10 cm in height and have 7-8 leaves.
Method 2. Without picking. For this method, you need to make sure that the seeds are germinated. To do this, several seeds from different batches are planted in the fall. If the result is positive. Seeds 2-3 pcs. sown in small cups in loose soil mixture. Lighting is used to speed up plant growth.
In these pots, the seeds grow until they are planted in open ground. They are planted together in 2-3 pieces, which does not harm their bush growth and ensures easy adaptation, because there is no damage to the root system.
Soil preparation and planting
The pepino plant needs fertile soil with neutral acidity. In autumn, the soil is cleared of weeds and dug up. In spring, the soil is loosened, rows are made at a distance of 70 cm and organic fertilizers are applied.
The plant is planted in open ground in May, when the weather becomes warm.It is best to plant seedlings in a checkerboard pattern, deepening them 2-3 cm lower. The distance between plants should be 40-50 cm. In case of planting as a bush, the distance should be 60-70 cm.
The soil should be moist. Planting should be done in the afternoon or evening to reduce the possibility of moisture evaporation. Watering is repeated every 2-3 days.
Plant care and popular varieties
Plant Formation is to leave 2-3 good shoots, and the rest are removed. The plant is tied up: the central stem is vertical, and the side ones are inclined.
Stepsons are mandatory for pepino, because the plant forms a lot of stepsons. Stepchildren are removed when they reach 3-5 cm, while stumps up to 1 cm are left to prevent the formation of new ones.
Mandatory points in the process of caring for pepino:
- Loosening the soil and removing weeds
- Feeding the plant with organic fertilizers
- the first fertilizing is done after rooting
- second feeding during fruit formation
- Water the plant as needed
- Protection against insect pests (Colorado beetle, spider mites, aphids, whiteflies)
Plant protection from pests must be ensured before fruit formation. The most popular varieties are “Consuelo” and “Ramses”.
"Consuelo" is a plant with thin purple stems up to 2 meters in length. The leaves resemble pepper leaves. The fruits are flattened and rounded, reaching 1.3 kg of cream color. The skin is strong, and the fruits are juicy and tasty with sweet and sour pulp, reminiscent of melon.
"Ramses" is an unpretentious variety with green stems with purple spots and light leaves. The fruits are oblong. The taste of melon is not pronounced. The fruits contain many seeds.
Pepino is an original plant with tasty and juicy fruits. Growing it is not very difficult, and the result exceeds all expectations.
The fruits grow up to 17 cm in length and up to 12 cm in diameter. The fruits are covered with a shiny skin, behind which dense pulp is visible. Inside the fruits there are seeds similar to the seeds of tomatoes or eggplants. But smaller ones.
Pepino is suitable for salads, soups, and preserves. The fruits can be used alone or in combination with other vegetables.
How to grow pepino correctly:
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