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Cyclantera is a very healthy and tasty vegetable. How to grow this product at home, what is its advantage, what dishes are prepared from it and in what diets are used, you will learn by reading this article.
Cyclantera – this is the name of a special plant genus from the gourd family, which unites seventy-five species. Mexico, as well as Central and South America, is considered to be the birthplace of this exotic vegetable. This genus includes the well-known zucchini, squash, cucumber, as well as other products that are less common with us.
Cyclantera is also known under the names: wild cucumber, Peruvian cucumber, achohcha. The fruits of this culture are suitable for food, which taste like a cross between cucumber and pepper.
What is the best way to grow cyclanthera?
Loamy, sandy loamy fertile soil is suitable for cyclantera. Needs drainage. Likes organic, mineral fertilizers. Suitable for well lit areas. Seedlings are planted in glass greenhouses or flower pots, standing on the south side. It is preferable to plant in the ground next to verandas, gazebos, as a beautiful decorative culture.
Preparing the soil for planting
Plots are prepared in the autumn. It should be dug up by 25-30 centimeters, fertilized: per 1 sq. meter – manure (a bucket is enough), superphosphate (2 tablespoons), one – potassium sulfate and a glass of ash.
I miss the cyclamen
In addition to planting, seeds can also be used with seedlings. They should be sown in the ground from the beginning of May (just like cucumber seeds are planted), keeping a distance of about 25-30 centimeters between plants. Literally on day 5-6, cultivation will lead to seedlings.
The algorithm is as follows:
- We dig neat pits for planting on a site previously prepared for this purpose, having dimensions: 40x40x40 centimeters.
- We put humus in them alternately, half a bucket in each, add two glasses of ash from the tree. We mix the fertilizer with the earthen layer located at the top.
- We plant all this trellis, maintaining the interval: one hundred and ten – one hundred and twenty centimeters between them. Water the seedlings with cold water.
- After two, maximum – three weeks, the growth of plants begins, they climb the trellis. It is important that the stems are well tied with a loose loop so that the twine passes through each knot.
Proper care of the cyclanther
This culture is moisture-loving and blooms profusely. It is important to know this, because in case of insufficient watering, the ovaries may disappear – they simply fall off. Do not water with cold water. The second half of the growing season reduces the need for moisture, as the root system goes deeper. Watering will now need to be with a three-day break. One seedling needs seven to eight liters of liquid. If necessary, the window in the greenhouse complex can be periodically kept open – there will be no excess moisture. When flowering and fruiting begin, the culture should be fed using mineral fertilizers or ordinary mullein for this. The calculation is as follows: each plant has two liters. Feeding is carried out with a three-week break.
To speed up fruiting, each side shoot should be shortened by a couple of sheets. In the middle, they are removed, which have up to four leaves, which allows the formation of shoots from the side (and the main part of the crop consists of them). While the season lasts, you need to do three or four weedings, alternating them with loosening the soil layer. With the onset of mid-July, the plant should be provided with hilling. Those shoots that do not bear fruit, remove, repeating the procedure every two weeks. Cyclantera is an example of a vibrant decorative culture. Moreover, it gives fruits that are distinguished by excellent taste and have beneficial properties. Despite some increased demands on growing conditions, in the conditions of an average region it can be effective.
How is this product useful?
The seeds have approximately twenty-eight to thirty different amino acids. We are talking about peptin, galacturonic acid, glycoside, brompicrin, flavonoids, alkaloids, carbohydrate group, resin, sterols, and other components that are very necessary for a person. However, not only fruits are good.
| Seed | leaf, root | Fetus |
|---|---|---|
| A tea made with cyclantera seed is taken by Peruvians as an antihypertensive to control high blood pressure (hypertension) | The leaves are suitable for a decoction that lowers blood glucose levels; a decoction is also used as a hypoglycemic agent when diabetes mellitus is treated. | May be used as a diuretic. It is enough to boil the fruit in olive oil and you will get a healing analgesic and antipyretic medicine. |
| It is enough to dry and grind cyclantera seeds and they will be deadly to intestinal parasites. The main thing is to observe the dosage (one gram). Also indicated for indigestion | Powdered cyclantera is suitable as a dentifrice. The powder also helps in the treatment of sore throat, as well as colds. In the latter case, it is boiled in milk. |
Diets that use Peruvian cucumber
Cyclantera is not just edible, but can also be used with a mono-diet. We are talking about the dietary use of only this vegetable throughout the day. Other than that, you can only drink. You should eat 1,5 kg per day. cucumbers from the ground. All meals are divided into 5 receptions. Drinking clean water (without gas) is allowed during the break. You should drink from one and a half to two, or even three liters a day. It is important to remember that in order to prevent body failures, such a mono-diet should be used only on the day of unloading – and not more often.
When following a weekly diet based on cucumbers, the following foods are combined with them: rye bread, boiled rice, lean fish, fruit juice or freshly squeezed fruit, green peas, low-fat soup.