Features of the variety Crazy (wild) cucumber
Wild cucumber is an unusual crop of the pumpkin family. It gained popularity due to its ability to throw seeds. And also for unpretentiousness in care and resistance to disease.
Crazy (wild) cucumber
Used by gardeners for decorative purposes and in folk medicine. This is a poisonous plant, so you need to be extremely careful with it.
Characteristics of the variety
The culture got its name from its interesting breeding method. It is also called echinocystis or prickly fruit. Crazy Cucumber is an annual herb. It is the only representative of this species. Momordica is the most famous variety. Originally from North America, in the XIX century was brought to Europe. Now distributed in the Azores, in the Mediterranean, in the south of Russia and Ukraine, in Asia Minor and Central.
In the wild, it occurs near roads, in garbage places. Can be seen as a weed near the sea.
Description of the bush
The culture looks like a vine. It develops rapidly, stretches upward along the support. The length of the shoots is up to 6 m, in good conditions it can reach 10 m. The stem of the plant is without antennae. It spreads along the ground, has small villi on its surface. The root is white, thick, fleshy.
Description of leaves: arrangement on petioles alternate, heart-shaped or triangular in shape. They have denticles along the edges. The top is green, the bottom is wrinkled, grayish felt. The size is 5-10 cm, it can reach 20 cm. The petioles are fleshy, their length is 5-15 cm.
Crazy Cucumber flowers are regular, pale yellow. They are unisexual, monoecious, rarely dioecious. The flower has the shape of a corolla, five-part. There are five stamens, four of which are accrete, the fifth is placed separately. Pistil of three carpels with a lower ovary. The aroma is pleasant, reminiscent of the smell of gardenia. Therefore, the plant attracts insects, especially bees. This significantly increases the yield of horticultural and garden crops. Flowering occurs in July-September.
Description of the fetus
After flowering, juicy fruits are formed. The color is green or gray-green, the shape is ovoid. Length from 3 to 6 cm, width - 1.5-2.5 cm. Seeds are dark brown, their surface is smooth, about 4 mm long. They have spiny bristles. The skin is thin. Maturation takes place in August. Then the fruits turn yellow. If you touch them, seeds are shot. This is due to the high pressure that forms inside (up to 6 atmospheres). Because of this, the plant received such a name. Crazy Cucumber seeds spread up to 6 m, splattering everything around with mucus. This is how culture multiplies.
If the ripe fruit is not touched, it falls off the dried stalk. A hole is formed through which the seeds come out.
Young fruits can be eaten
The fruits of mad cucumber can only be eaten by young people at the age of 10. In the more mature, they are very bitter. Before use, they are soaked in salt water for 10-12 hours. The procedure can be repeated until the bitterness is gone. The skin must be removed.The pulp is used for making salads or stewed.
Also, the Mad Cucumber plant is used in the medical practice of traditional medicine. After all, it has beneficial properties due to its valuable composition. Scientists are studying them to this day. These wild fruits are known to contain:
- alkaloids;
- glycosides (elaterins, elatericins A and B);
- sterols;
- nitrogen-containing compounds;
- fatty and organic acids;
- proteins.
The presence of carotenoids, triterpenoids, vitamins C and B1 has been proven.
Our ancestors used not only green fruits for medicinal purposes, but also stems with juice. Used for diseases such as worms, dropsy, hepatitis and joint pain. It also has antineoplastic, diuretic, decongestant, absorbent and bactericidal properties. Fresh plant juice is useful for abscesses, fistulas and hemorrhoids. When preparing it, gloves should be worn to avoid burns.
It is necessary to use medications prepared on the basis of Mad Cucumber under the supervision of a doctor and monitor your well-being. Do not take them if pregnant or breastfeeding. Overdose threatens with nausea, dizziness, vomiting, abdominal pain, rapid pulse.
Growing
Momordica loves sunny places, but can grow in partial shade. Does not accept drafts. They are planted near the supports along which the vine will curl. It should be borne in mind that it has the ability to spread to other plants that are located nearby.
The most suitable soil for growing crops should have the following properties:
- water permeability;
- ease;
- neutral or slightly acidic.
Loamy or sandy soils meet these criteria. If the composition of the land is not suitable for cultivation, it can be improved. To neutralize the overestimated acidity, liming is carried out.
Planting in open ground
Momordica is planted both by sowing directly into open ground, and by seedling. You can buy seeds at the store or prepare yourself. For this, the fruit is placed in a bag and shaken. The content remains in it. The seeds are washed. Sometimes they are simply harvested when the plant shoots. But then most of them will fly away in an unknown direction.
Sowing cucumbers is best in early May.
Wild cucumber seeds can be planted even in autumn. They tolerate winters well and germinate well due to cold stratification. They must first be soaked. But it is better to plant after the end of the frost. It's around the beginning of May.
The planting site is moistened. The distance between the bushes should be 30-50 cm.
Growing seedlings
The preparation of the seed of the Crazy Cucumber plant should be started in April from scarification. For this, the tip of each seed is rubbed with sandpaper, since their shell is very hard. Then pour it with a warm solution of potassium permanganate. Leave for several days. To germinate seeds, they are placed in a box with wet sawdust or on a bandage moistened with water, gauze. The room temperature should be at 25 ° C.
After the appearance of small roots, the seeds are planted in cups, which are filled with soil mixture. For its preparation, take in equal proportions:
- leafy ground;
- peat;
- humus;
- river sand.
2 seeds are placed in each glass in order to remove a weaker sprout later. The vessels are left at home or placed in a greenhouse. The main thing is to keep it warm.
Seedlings are planted in a permanent place at the end of May. Water abundantly.
Care
Growing Crazy Cucumber is easy. On their plots, it is planted for decorative purposes. They are used to decorate balconies, house walls, gazebos, and hedges. In one or two months it grows, greening the desired surface. A wild plant adapts well to different environmental conditions.
It can be planted by itself, since it shoots seeds at long distances. Therefore, it does not always grow in the desired places. At a young age, the sprouts are easy to pull out and remove from the site.Also, during the winter, the roots disappear, so you should not be afraid of a strong spread of culture.
Watering
In addition to the sun, moisture is an important factor for the growth of prickly fruit. With normal natural moisture does not require additional watering. But in dry weather, it should be produced in moderation. You can water together with other crops.
Garter
In order to provide the culture with the necessary lighting, it is equipped with vertical trellises. Then the plant will not fall or break. If it is used to shade gazebos or other buildings, you do not need to tie it up. After all, he will cling to structures.
Top dressing
Although the Common Crazy Cucumber is not whimsical to care for, fertilizers are applied for a beautiful appearance and rapid development. If a seedling growing method is chosen, then for the first time feeding is done when it is planted in a permanent place. This is done at the end of May at the beginning of July. Each planting hole is given half a shovel of humus.
The next fertilization is done twice a month. Organic substances such as mullein or bird droppings are used. Solutions are prepared from them: 1 shovel for a bucket of water. Full organic fertilizer can be applied. It is added in the amount specified in the instructions.
Possible cultivation of the plant at home. It can be a window sill, a loggia or a glazed balcony. But then mineral fertilizers are applied, which are bought in specialized stores.