Contents
Growing pitahaya at home from seeds, benefits and harms, calorie content
Pitahaya is an exotic fruit. Its unusual appearance is striking and makes you want to taste the fruit, but it grows in Mexico, Central and South America, and rarely gets to our area and costs accordingly. However, growing pitahaya is also possible at home, if you take proper care of the plant.
Calorie content of pitahaya – 50 kcal per 100 g
Is the fruit worth trying to cultivate, or is it enough to try once for general development? What are the benefits of the fruit:
- pitahaya is able to relieve stomach pain;
- it actively strengthens the immune system;
- helps to normalize the work of the cardiovascular system;
- helps with endocrine diseases.
The low calorie content of pitahaya – 50 kcal per 100 g – makes it a valuable product for those who are overweight.
The composition of the fruit is rich, it contains:
- proteins;
- calcium;
- iron;
- phosphorus;
- vitamins C, B1, B2, B3, PP.
Being an exotic product, pitahaya can be harmful to an organism that is not used to it. Possible consequences of use are allergic reactions, indigestion, diarrhea.
Do not eat the whole fruit at once, you first need to try a small piece.
How to grow pitahaya from seeds
The fruit of the pitahaya has white flesh with frequent interspersed with black seeds. These are the seeds. They are not eaten, so you can try to grow your own plant.
In fact, pitahaya is a cactus. Accordingly, he is picky about growing conditions and can feel quite comfortable in an ordinary apartment. Pitahaya loves warmth and light, but is able to withstand temperature drops to freezing and periodic blackouts.
Growing process:
- We must collect the seeds and germinate them. To do this, use wet gauze: put seeds on one part and cover them with the second.
- Sprouted seeds are placed in pots with soil and placed in a bright room, you can on the windowsill.
Usually, the shoot gets out very quickly to the surface and begins to grow, reaching a height of up to 80 centimeters in a year. It needs moderate watering and periodic nitrogen fertilization.
If you want to not only watch how the pitahaya grows, you have to work hard. Theoretically, an adult plant should bloom, and then fruit will appear in place of the peduncles two months later. However, this process usually does not occur in an apartment, because there are no pollinating insects. If you want to harvest a regular crop, you need to grow at least two copies and pollinate them by hand.
Flowers open at night, at this time you need to walk with a soft brush in the center of one flower, then repeat with the second plant.
With proper care, the pitahaya will delight not only with exotic flowering, but also with juicy healthy fruits.