Pumpkins of decorative varieties are a real decoration of the site. Such plants do not require special care and grow very quickly. Fruits ripen in the form of pears, mushrooms, oranges and even flowers. About what the rules of agricultural technology in the cultivation of varieties and for what purpose they can be applied, you will learn during the review of this article.
Description
Decorative pumpkin is an annual melon plant, bred artificially in order to obtain beautiful and unusual fruits. There are mostly curly, but there are also bush types. Most varieties are light weight, bizarre or interesting pumpkin color.
Why grow?
Among the main reasons to plant a crop on the site:
- Decorative qualities. With the help of plants, you can cover unsightly buildings.
- The simplicity of agricultural technology. No need to spend much effort on caring for plants and on the formation of bushes.
- Growth rate. Pumpkin lashes in a short period of time reach a length of about 5 m.
- Durability. The fruits retain their external characteristics for a long time.
Agricultural technology
To properly grow decorative pumpkins, you need to use the appropriate recommendations.
Seat selection
Among the requirements:
- The soil. Must be dense, well warmed up.
- The presence of support. On it the plant will drag up. The wall of the house will fit, you can put a trellis.
- The predecessor cultures. Plant in the ground in which cabbage, beets, and legumes were previously grown. In no case do not allow crop rotation with melons.
- Neighborhood. Do not plant next to onions, peas, spinach, as they attract dangerous pests.
Seed preparation
How does this happen:
- Sorting. Remove seeds that have spots or dark streaks. To remove the empty ones, place them in a glass of water and catch those that will pop up.
- Warming up. Place in the oven and heat for 10 hours at temperatures up to 50 degrees.
- Hardening. Wrap in a damp cloth and refrigerate for 10 hours.
- Protection. For 2-3 hours, place the seeds in a weak solution of ash or potassium permanganate.
Growing seedlings
How to land:
- Prepare the mixture for the soil. To do this, mix the soil, mineral and organic fertilizers in a ratio of 2 to 1 to 1. You can take the workpiece from the store.
- Prepare containers. It is best to take cups of peat.
- Plant seedlings. Pour the earth into the pots and make a hole up to 5 cm. Plant 1 seed. Sprinkle with earth. Pour, cover with a transparent film. It must be removed after emergence.
What is the further care:
- Choose a place. Transfer the seedlings to the well-lit windowsill.
- Set the temperature. It should be within 15-20 degrees.
- Water it. Do this at room temperature as the soil dries.
- Feeding. Do this 2 times during seedling growth. Use a mixture of 10 liters of water, 20 g of potassium and the same amount of superphosphate.
- Temper. 2 weeks before transplanting into the ground, begin to take out pots of plants on the street daily.
Seedling is more suitable for residents of the northern regions.
Planting in the open ground and greenhouse
Usually occurs on the 30th day after planting seeds for seedlings. In time, this is the end of May-beginning of June.
How to do it:
- Prepare the site. Dig the soil for this. Make holes with a depth of about 10 cm. Add to each fertilizer - for 1 liter of warm water 3 tbsp. l ash and 2 tbsp. superphosphate.
- Consider the scheme. The distance between plants is not less than 60 cm.
- Transplant. Transfer the seedling into the hole with the peat pot and sprinkle with soil.
- Mulch. Use peat or sawdust. Then add a thin layer of earth.
If you are going to grow pumpkins in a greenhouse, take care of good ventilation before planting and during the flowering period.
Seed planting
This method is suitable for residents of the southern regions.
What do we have to do:
- wait until the soil warms up to 15-20 degrees;
- apply fertilizer;
- make holes at a distance of 40-50 cm;
- plant 2 seeds in each in order to pinch a weaker sprout in the future;
- sprinkle with earth;
- water.
Care
For better growth, you need to properly take care of the plants.
Watering
Tips:
- Frequency. Immediately after landing, you will need to repeat the procedure up to 4 times a week. As you grow, you can reduce it to 4 times a month.
- Water. It is better to take room temperature.
- The way. It is brought under the root.
Top dressing
Held every 15-20 days. Organic or mineral fertilizers are used.
Loosening and weeding
Produced as weeds appear. When the lashes form, you need to do this more carefully so as not to damage the plant. Usually weeding is carried out before irrigation, and loosening is carried out after.
Pollination
As a rule, insects cope with this, but if for some reason they rarely fly to the site or the plants are in the greenhouse, you will have to perform the procedure yourself.
It is better to do this early in the morning:
- take a brush with a soft pile;
- “Dip” in the pollen of a male flower;
- transfer to a female flower.
Diseases and Pests
For a decorative pumpkin, there are such dangers:
- Powdery Mildew It is a white coating that covers leaves and lashes. It leads to the death of ovaries and fruits. Spraying with a 1% solution of vitriol will help to cope with the problem.
- Root rot. A fungal disease that leads to the death of a plant, starting from the root. You can prevent it if all the conditions of irrigation are observed.
- Slug. They bite through leaves, harm fruits. You can get rid of them if you cultivate the earth with a mixture of ash and lime in equal proportions.
- Gourd aphids. The parasite, due to which the leaves rot and curl. Often occurs if the norms of care, crop rotation and crop proximity are not respected. A way to save plants is to spray them with a mild soapy solution.
Pumpkin Powdery Mildew
Pumpkin Root Rot
Pumpkin slug
Gourd aphids
Harvesting
Usually occurs in the fall before the first frost. By this time, the skin should be firm and dense. Pumpkins are cut just above 5 cm from the stem.
Application
The use of pumpkins for decorative purposes is widespread.
First, unusual fruits decorate the site, and then they are dried, used for crafts and as vessels (for example, for wine or baking dishes).
Some vegetables are good to eat and taste quite good. But to add to the food is only those fruits that have not yet had time to lie down and have a thin skin.
The manufacturer usually writes about the possibility of using pumpkins for food on packaging with seeds.
How are pumpkins dried?
The process is carried out immediately after the harvest.
How does this happen:
- Wash the pumpkins in a soap or baking soda solution.
- Lay them on the floor or bedding in a warm, ventilated area. Do not stack fruits on top of each other.
- Turn the vegetables periodically, removing damaged and rotting vegetables.
- After about 7 days, when the top layer of the skin dries, move the pumpkins to a dark room with good ventilation. Put them on a wire rack or hang them.
- Once every 1 week, check the fruits, discarding the bad ones.
- After complete drying, coat with a layer of acrylic varnish to maintain durability and strength.
The drying process can take up to 6 months.
The best varieties
There are several popular varieties of decorative pumpkins.
Lagenaria
What you need to know:
- The form. Differ in freakiness and a variety. There are vegetables in the form of bottles, swans, jugs.
- Bush. Long lashes and slightly rounded, large leaves.
- Colour. Dark or light green. Some varieties are covered with white spots.
- Use. Only in a very young form. They taste like zucchini. They need heat treatment to get rid of light bitterness.
- Productivity From 1 bush you can collect up to 12 pumpkins.
Pear
Information:
- The form. It looks like a fruit of the same name. Oblong at the top and extended to the bottom.
- Bush. Form long, branched shoots with dark green leaves.
- Colour. Diverse. There are light and saturated yellow, watermelon colors. You can find a combination of 2 colors - lemon on top and green in a white stripe below.
- Use. Do not eat.
- Productivity Collect about 20 "pears" from 1 bush.
Crown
About Pumpkin:
- The form. It resembles a crown or star, in which from the round base depart the spikes-rays. Some claim that vegetables look like umbrellas.
- Bush. It grows up to 4 m, has good climbing ability. The leaves are large, emerald colors.
- Colour. There are white-yellow and gray-green fruits. Varieties combining 4 colors can be purchased.
- Use. They have a specific, bitter aftertaste. Rarely put in food.
- Productivity Up to 15 pumpkins are formed on 1 bush.
Fango
Main parameters:
- The form. Rounded with pronounced segments.
- Bush. Scourges of medium size, up to 3 m. Green, wrinkled leaves.
- Colour. It resembles a flower on top. Usually two-tone, include the base and the "petals" drawn on it. Combine orange, green, gray, black and yellow.
- Use. Do not add to food.
- Productivity About 10-15 fruits from 1 bush.
Little Red Riding Hood
Specifications:
- The form. Like a mushroom or head with a hat on.
- Bush. Not very long lashes, grow up to 3 m. The plants have large funnel-shaped flowers.
- Colour. The lower part is usually light, the upper part is reddish-orange or orange.
- Use. Raw and ready-made. They have a pleasant, sweet taste.
- Productivity Collect up to 20 pumpkins per season.
Mandarin
What is known:
- The form. Very small, rounded pumpkins resembling the fruit of the same name. They have slightly pronounced segmentation.
- Bush. It has good climbing ability.
- Colour. Orange or red-orange.
- Use. Not suitable for food.
- Productivity About 15 fruits.
Baby Boo
Basic information:
- The form. Small, neat pumpkins grow like garlic heads. They seem fake due to a perfectly smooth surface and clear segmentation.
- Bush. Forms long lashes.
- Colour. Uniform white with a green stalk.
- Use. It has a pleasant taste, suitable for cooking.
Warty
Significant are:
- The form. They can be round, oval, pear-shaped and flattened. All fruits are covered with small growths resembling warts.
- Bush. Lashes grow up to 4 m long.
- Colour. There are white and black-green, yellow-orange, gray and with a white tint.
- Use. For decorative purposes only.
- Productivity On 1 bush, up to 30 fruits ripen.
Sweet dumpling
Variety Facts:
- The form. Rounded or closer to cylindrical. It has brightly defined segments.
- Bush. Climbing plant, about 3 m.
- Colour. Perfect white color combined with greenish or orangeish stripes.
- Use. Very good taste. Can be eaten raw and cooked. It has a rich fruity aroma.
- Productivity Only 5 pumpkins weighing up to 500 g grow on 1 bush.
Orange
What do we know:
- The form. Rounded ball-shaped fruits.
- Bush. It has an average climbing ability of about 3 m.
- Colour. Golden orange with light stripes.
- Use. Not recommended.
- Productivity About 15 pieces on 1 bush.
Reviews
You can learn more about growing decorative pumpkins by reading the opinion of gardeners:
Elena, 43 years old. Every year I plant on the site a variety of Little Boo. It turns out very neat miniature pumpkins, as if made from paraffin. A nice bonus is a good taste. This year I want to try to plant Mandarin. They say that very beautiful fruits also grow.
Anna, 51 years old. For several years now, I have been planting varieties of Little Red Riding Hood and Sweet Dumpling. It looks very nice on the site. But their taste is most pleasing - sweet, juicy, and Sweet Dumpling also has very fragrant fruits. Pumpkins grow quickly and do not require special care.
Maria, 45 years old. I plant varieties Orange and Pear. Stunningly beautiful fruits grow from afar, reminiscent of real fruits. I dry them and use them for crafts. This year I want to try to make pear-shaped wine glasses.
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The advantages of decorative varieties are their miniature, vibrant colors and unusual shapes. They can be grown on the site and in the greenhouse, without making any special effort. The resulting crop can be used for cooking or creating crafts.
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