Characteristics of Red Cucumber
Red cucumber is an extraordinary plant, it is also called "Doubtful Tladiant". Several decades ago, red cucumbers were introduced to Europe and America from Southeast Asia. This variety of cucumbers was cultivated by the Hmong tribe living in Thailand, China, Burma, Laos and Vietnam. Today the vegetable is successfully grown in many countries of the world.
Characteristics of Red Cucumber
Cucumber characteristic
Cucumber Tladiant belongs to the pumpkin family. It got its name due to the similarity of unripe fruits with cucumbers. The color of a mature crop turns red or orange. Also, Tladiant differs from ordinary cucumbers by the presence of a cannon on the fruits, which disappears after a while.
Fruits grow no more than 6 cm in length and 2 cm in diameter. The pulp of ripe fruits is dark orange, has a specific taste. There are also many seeds inside.
Features of the
- Red cucumber has both male and female flowering patterns. Fruits are produced only by a culture with female characteristics. Tladianta is a perennial culture. In winter, she only has tubers that look like potatoes, the upper part dies off in autumn.
- It is a pollinated crop. At home, Tladiantu is pollinated by insects that are found in those parts. Growing red cucumber in other regions requires artificial pollination. To do this, take a soft brush or male flowers. In this case, the anthers are applied to the female pistil.
- There are red cucumber hybrids. Breeders are developing new varieties by crossing the vegetable with pumpkin, melon and common cucumber.
- Red cucumber is used not only for food. The culture has the appearance of a liana, tolerates bad weather conditions well, is unpretentious, therefore it is used to decorate personal plots or balconies.
- Doubtful tladiant grows up to 5 m in height. The entire stem is covered with small hairs. In culture, tendrils grow, thanks to which it clings to the support, because it begins to grow and bear fruit after it rises up.
- Sheets of dark green color are lowered down. They are heart-shaped. When the plant blooms, bright yellow buds appear, similar to tulips.
- In summer and early autumn, the culture blooms. Male flowers are different from female flowers. Male - five-part, golden yellow, growing in inflorescences, petals curved back. Women are flat, single.
Advantages of the variety
Positive sides:
- medicinal properties;
- good taste;
- undemanding care;
- exquisite look.
The medicine
Among the advantages of red cucumber are useful properties. If you regularly eat red cucumber, you can improve the work of the gastrointestinal tract. It is also used to prevent such diseases.
Red cucumber is used for medicinal purposes
This vegetable is also used in medical practice in the East. A decoction is prepared from the tubers and the seed of red cucumber, which has a bile and diuretic effect.It is also used for coughing for an expectorant effect, as an astringent and antiscorbutic drug. During the flu season, a decoction is made from the flowers, which is drunk as a preventive measure.
Having prepared the gruel from the tubers, they make compresses. They treat sciatica and osteochondrosis. With the help of red cucumbers, they also get rid of headaches and hypertension.
Cooking
The vegetable contains many vitamins (A, B, C, E), as well as micro- and macroelements:
- calcium;
- potassium;
- magnesium;
- cobalt;
- iron;
- phosphorus, etc.
For the preparation of dishes (salads, side dishes, snacks), take green fruits. They can be either raw or thermally processed. In addition, due to the presence of a large amount of sugar, ripe fruits are used to make jams, jams, marmalades and candied fruits. They even make canning from this vegetable. This is what sets the product apart from the rest.
Decor
Only 2 plants of this species make a beautiful wicker fence, enclose the gazebo. They are also used to decorate loggias and balconies. The ball of leaves is dense. Fruits and flowers together give a beautiful color scheme. It turns out a beautiful picture.
Disadvantages of the variety
The disadvantages include the fact that the dubious Tladiant grows too quickly over long distances.
Sugar, which is abundant in Tladiant, also causes harm, so people with diabetes should limit themselves to the use of this vegetable. Also, Red Cucumber can cause allergic reactions in case of individual intolerance.
Landing
Choose a suitable plant propagation method
The variety is propagated in two ways:
- sowing seeds;
- plant tubers.
Seed method
To grow Tladiant seedlings, first dry the seeds well at room temperature. They are black, small, and round. Then they are left for 3-4 months in a room with a temperature of 1-5˚С. Before sowing, the seeds are soaked for 6-8 hours in hot water. You can use a thermos. They are sown in moist soil to a depth of 2-3 cm. Seedlings feel good at low, but positive temperatures.
Seedlings are planted in a permanent place in May, since the culture will spend all its energy on the formation of tubers.
Tuberous method
The easiest way to plant Red Cucumber is tubers. They are planted in the spring to a depth of 6-8 cm. New tubers spread to a distance of up to 2 m. To avoid this, at a depth of half a meter, they enclose the planting site with pieces of slate. Different-sex individuals are divided: in the future, it is difficult to distinguish between them.
Tubers in the soil have a great winter.
Shoots appear at the end of May, soon grow. Male inflorescences bloom quickly, which cannot be said about female ones. They bloom in July or August.
Soil selection and crop tying
The landing site is chosen on the south side, it can be semi-shaded. The soil should not be heavy. It is better to choose loose, fertile soil.
This type of cucumber needs support, so it is often planted near fences, walls or trees. This does not cause a lot of hassle and does not harm the plant. If it is necessary to install a support, pipes with a height of 3-4 m are used. An arc is made of them with the letter "P". Flat slate is buried between the pipes. Its edges should be visible from the ground. They make grooves, put tubers there, sprinkle them with soil on top and make a fence.
Bush care
Red cucumber does not require much maintenance.
Seedlings, after they have taken root, are fed. To do this, choose complex mineral fertilizers or nitrate. After the first buds appear, the soil is fed with a phosphorus agent. When the bush begins to bear fruit, only organic fertilizers are applied: mullein or dung.
You can prepare a special solution: 1 tbsp. ash is poured into 2-3 liters of water, the resulting solution is allowed to brew for 2 days. The bushes are watered, adhering to a dosage of 5 liters per 1 sq. m.
The red cucumber is watered 1-3 times a week, depending on climatic conditions, after which the soil is necessarily loosened.The variety especially needs watering if it was planted in a drought.
During the entire growing season, the lower shoots are cut: this prevents the spread of cucumbers. In the fall, a part of the plant located above the ground is cut off. Excess tubers are dug out.
Pest control
According to the description, red cucumber is subject to the same diseases as ordinary green cucumbers, so pest control must be done with the usual means.
Conclusion
This type of table vegetable is rare in our latitudes. Those who have not grown this crop before should take into account all the features of these cucumbers. If you make a mistake in cultivation, they will grow throughout the entire area, displacing other crops.