Few plants can rival the elegance of the flowering mackerel. During flowering, it seems that a pink cloud is entangled in the crown of the tree. This article is all about the intricacies of planting and proper care of smoky wood in the Moscow region.

Skumpia: variety of species and varieties

The shape of the scumpia resembles a tree or a powerful bush with unusual leaves that change color during the growing season. During the flowering period, the tree is so charmingly beautiful, even the photo shows the lightness and transparency of the pink inflorescences, reminiscent of haze.

Mackerel (Cotinus) goes by several names: sumac, leather tree, wig tree or yellowberry. The culture is classified by botanists as a separate genus of the Sumacaceae family. The distribution area is limited to the regions of North Africa and the southern regions of Europe, and is sometimes found in China.

Mackerel flowering

Wood is widely used in industrial production:

Mackerel wood has an unusual yellow-green hue, due to which the tree is widely used for all kinds of crafts.
Dyes for wool and silk fabric, dyeing yellow and orange, are obtained from skumpia.
The leaves of the tree are used in tanning for leather.

The tree has become widespread for decorating gardens and parks. Unusual flowering brings aesthetic pleasure, this can be seen even in the photo - mackerel in bloom attracts the eye, so the plant is used in landscape design quite often. Sumac reaches a height of 4 meters, lives with good care for over 100 years.

Main species representing the culture

Proper planting of a smoky tree: all the subtleties of growing a crop

Mackerel is considered by gardeners to be a non-capricious plant, but for its favorable development it is necessary to follow certain rules:

To plant the plant, you should choose the brightest place protected from the wind. Near the place where the mackerel seedling is planted, there should not be any mature trees that can shade the young plant.
The crop is very sensitive to waterlogging - high-lying groundwater can greatly harm the development of the root system of the mackerel. When planting, reliable drainage should be provided, and if its installation is impossible, a planting site should be chosen that is drier and protected from the influence of groundwater.

Provide good drainage for the scumpia

The root system of the scumpia is branched and of considerable length, so the plant is absolutely undemanding to the composition of the soil. But young mackerel will grow faster on light soils with an alkaline reaction.

Advice! Avoid planting mackerel in areas with heavy acidic soils.

In the first years of life, the young plant requires shelter in winter. Planting of skumpia in a permanent place can be done in spring and autumn, in the latter case, provided that winters are not severe and long.
A tree is usually planted with ready-made seedlings, the price of which is quite high, so in order to prevent the premature death of the plant, you must follow all the rules for planting a crop.

Sumac: proper care in the Moscow region

Caring for mackerel in the summer consists of gentle but regular watering, weeding and feeding with nutritional compounds. Treatment of the plant is necessary when diseases or pests that have attacked the tree are detected.

Young plant

In winter, the plant should be protected from frost. To do this, you can use shield structures that enclose the seedling, covering the trunk and fence with snow. Such shelters must be dismantled with the onset of warm weather, otherwise the tree may rot under the shelter.

Advice! If, when removing the winter shelter, damaged branches of the mackerel are found, they should be pruned and treated with garden varnish.

An overgrown tree can be subjected to sanitary pruning:

pruning to a “stump” will rejuvenate the tree and increase the branching of the bush;
With the help of regular pruning, the tree can be given a decorative shape.

Mackerel: feeding, timing of feeding, types of fertilizers used

Mackerel does not tolerate excess organic matter or complex mineral fertilizers. The plant, in principle, does not need fertilizing; it is enough to apply a complex of mineral fertilizers once a year (in spring), taking into account the size of the plant.

Fertilize once a year to keep the plant blooming well.

In some cases, if the plant develops poorly and produces insignificant growth, you can carry out foliar feeding with growth regulators, spraying the product over the green branches. This treatment should be carried out in the first half of summer, no later than August.

Mackerel propagation: methods and secrets

The following methods are used to propagate leather mackerel:

Advice! When taking cuttings, it is necessary to take cuttings from green branches. To speed up rooting, you can treat the cuttings with heteroauxin, epin, and root.

Diseases and pests of mackerel in the Moscow region

Mackerel has a remarkable feature - it is practically not damaged by pests and known diseases. Sometimes in winter, scumpia trees that overwinter without shelter can be damaged by hares or mice by gnawing on the bark.

Otherwise, this is a very stable crop, growing well in central Russia, decorating city parks and private gardens with its decorative appearance.

Skumpia in autumn: video

Growing scumpia: photo

melon tree) belongs to the Caricaceae family. It is a woody plant grown in tropical countries.

Latin name: Carica papaya. In English it is called Papaya.
The pharmaceutical name for the milky juice of unripe fruits is Papaya-Latex (Papainum, Papayotinum), the leaves are Caricae papaye folium.

The fruits are eaten and used to prepare desserts and other dishes. Unripe fruits act as vegetables. Ripe ones are like fruits. They are large in size and shaped like a melon. The enzyme papain is extracted from the milky juice of the fruit.

Features

Melon tree (papaya) is a slender and short tree without branches, reaching a height of 5-10 meters. At the top there is an umbrella in which palmately dissected leaves are placed on long petioles.

The leaf size is 50-70 cm in diameter.

Flowers growing in the axils of the petioles become large fruits.

The length of the fruit is 15-45 cm, diameter - 10-30 cm. The color of the fruit is from amber to yellow, they are soft. Milky sap is present in all parts of the plant. The fruits ripen within 4-6 months.

Habitat

Papaya is native to southern Mexico, northern South America and Central America, but is now grown in tropical countries around the world. As an experiment, melon trees are also planted on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus.

Compound

This plant contains amino acids, lipase, callase, lysozyme, chymopapain A, chymopapain B. The main of the six enzymes is papain. The leaves contain glycosides, alkaloids, saponins, various enzymes and papain.

Application and medicinal properties

Melon tree (papaya) is used as a treatment for gastritis and ulcers, constipation, colitis, to improve digestion, for weight loss and for other purposes. This plant is also used externally for eczema, burns, wounds, herniated discs and intervertebral osteochondrosis.

The enzyme papain has medical significance and brings great benefits to the body. The largest amount of it is found in the milky juice of unripe fruits. This enzyme breaks down proteins and is prescribed for indigestion. For the treatment of digestive disorders, the enzyme papain is produced in tablets. The alkaloid carpain, which is found in the leaves and fruits of papaya, has an anthelmintic effect. It cannot be used in large doses, since in such quantities it is hazardous to health.

A large number of drugs and products are created from papain in the cosmetic, food and pharmaceutical industries. Beefsteaks in America are often treated with papaya enzyme, as it softens the meat fibers well. Papain is used in the production of liqueurs, beer, cheeses, to clarify wine and give it a special taste. In medicine, medicines are made from it to treat thrombosis and gastritis, herpes, and spinal diseases. In the tropics, locals use milky sap against tapeworms.

The fruits of the plant are harvested when they begin to turn yellow. To ripen, the fruits are placed in dark places for 3-4 days. Eat fresh. Papaya is an excellent thirst quencher. Fruit slices are served as part of a fruit salad for dessert. Due to its low calorie content, this fruit is suitable for those on a diet.

Young leaves are used for collection.

Papaya juice should be taken three times a day before meals, up to 10 milliliters to improve digestion.
For insect bites, papaya juice is diluted a little with water, a cotton swab is soaked in it and applied to the bite.
Fresh papaya leaves should be chewed to heal sores in the mouth.
To improve the functioning of the digestive tract, you need to take 2 tbsp. spoons of dry leaves, fill them with hot water (400 ml) and leave for 12 hours in a thermos. It is recommended to strain and consume 3 times a day warm, 50 ml half an hour before meals.

Several years ago I read on a gardening website about an unusual overseas fruit - pepino. Lemons, pomegranates, and figs are already growing and bearing fruit on my windowsills. I decided that the “melon tree” should definitely be on this list.

After researching the Internet on this topic, I went from buying seeds to enjoying the unusual taste of a strange fruit. In this article I will talk about this interesting plant and share the secrets of growing it at home.

Pepino is a tropical perennial plant in the form of a shrub with partially woody branches. Its bushes reach 1.5–2 m in height. They can easily be called a tree. The leaves are large, oval-shaped, up to 15 cm long.

This amazing fruit, oddly enough, belongs to the nightshade family. It is closely related to potatoes, eggplants and tomatoes. Pepino flowers are very similar to potato flowers, only slightly larger.

Natural habitat is the countries of South America. This strange fruit is very popular among the local population and is included in many dishes.

Pepino photo:

Fruits of the "melon tree"

Oval or round fruits when ripe have a soft yellow color with purple stripes and small inclusions. The size of the fruit varies depending on the variety and growing environment - from 50 grams to 1.3 kilograms.

Fruits grown in the sun under favorable conditions gain sweetness and juiciness. The taste is reminiscent of melon, pumpkin and pineapple. In appearance it is similar to a pear, which is why it is popularly called “melon pear”.

If the fruit has not received enough sunlight or other important conditions for full development, its taste will resemble an ordinary cucumber. But even then it is perfect as an ingredient in salads. Overripe fruit loses its juiciness and attractive taste.

Some varieties have a slightly bitter peel, so it is best to remove it before use. Also carefully remove the seeds with a spoon.

The value of the “melon pear”

Pepino fruits not only have a bright juicy taste, but are also rich in nutrients and vitamins. This exotic fruit is rich in vitamin C, as well as groups of vitamins B and PP. It contains such important substances as iron, pectin and carotene.

Pepino: growing at home

For cultivation in the regions of Russia, two varieties are most popular:

"Ramses". A variety with good productivity and high resistance to unfavorable development conditions. The fruit is pear-shaped, yellow-brown in color and is distinguished by early ripening.
"Consuelo." It also has good yields. Its fruits are cream-colored with lilac-colored stripes with juicy pulp and a pronounced melon flavor. Their weight reaches 1.3 kg. This variety is more demanding in terms of development conditions.

Pepino is a heat-loving plant; to grow it, it is necessary to create a special favorable microclimate:

The ambient temperature should not be lower than +13 °C;
the optimal average daily temperature for active growth and fruiting is +20 – +25 °C;
air humidity should be high - approximately 75–80%;
always moist soil.

The root system of the plant is located almost on the surface of the soil, so it is worth protecting it from wind and strong drafts to prevent it from breaking. In extreme heat, when the temperature remains stably above +30 °C, the flowers fall off without an ovary.

A glass balcony or greenhouse can be a great place for this miracle fruit. It is quite possible to grow it on a windowsill, but the fruits will not be as large and tasty.

Growing from seeds

Pepino seeds are sold in a specialty store. You can try to extract it yourself from a ripe fruit purchased at the supermarket. But in this case, you risk getting late flowering or not entirely healthy shoots from the hybrid fruit.

The development of pepino seedlings occurs rather slowly, so sowing should begin in December. First you need to germinate the seeds:

It is recommended to soak the seeds in a growth stimulator for a day.
Seeds treated with a stimulant are wrapped in a wet cloth and left in a warm place without access to light.
As soon as the first signs of germination appear, the sprouts should be placed in a shallow container under glass and provided with round-the-clock lighting. It is important to ensure that the fabric is always wet.
When the cotyledons emerge from the peel, the sprouts are planted in prepared soil and covered with glass or film. To avoid bacterial diseases, it is recommended to treat the soil with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. Lighting is reduced to 16 hours a day.
Once the shoots have appeared, covering is not required. Continue to monitor temperature and humidity.
After 2-3 leaves appear, the seedlings are picked and transplanted into individual pots.

Cuttings

The simplest and most reliable way is cuttings. The donor is a bush that has survived the winter well.

Before wintering, the mother bush is cut to 1/3 of its height and stored all winter at a temperature of +8 °C. During the dormant period, the plant is watered approximately once a month.

At the beginning of February, the plant is moved to a warmer room (16–17 °C), and regular watering begins. A week later, feed with nitrogen fertilizer. During the period of shoot growth, remove the buds that form.

The cutting procedure can be started closer to the end of February - beginning of March.

A shoot with 7 leaves is cut from a bush.
The bottom two leaves are removed and the rest are cut in half. Thus, they reduce moisture loss and help speed up rooting.
The cutting is placed in a container with water up to the leaves, and after 7 days the roots appear.

Stepchildren from a bush can be planted directly into the ground. To do this, you need to moisten the soil well and cover it, for example, with a cut plastic bottle. This will increase humidity and speed up rooting.

Watering and fertilizing

Pepino requires high humidity, but excessive moisture also harms the plant. Watering should be carried out as the top layer of soil dries. It is useful to mulch the soil with sawdust to reduce moisture loss and reduce the frequency of watering.

Feeding seedlings with mullein gives good results. Dilute in a ratio of 1:10 and water 3 times:

as soon as the seedlings have taken root;
2 during the period of active growth and development of the bush;
at the beginning of fruit formation.

Planting seedlings in a permanent place

Seedlings are planted in a greenhouse or permanent container (8–10 liters) at four months of age. The minimum air temperature should not be lower than +18 °C. At home, the plant is given a window sill on the sunny side.

Pepino prefers light soil. An excellent predecessor for it would be garlic, cucumber or beans. The soil must be well loosened and freed from old roots and weeds.

The distance between the beds should be at least 70 cm. Do not get carried away with nitrogen fertilizers, otherwise you risk getting active growth of greenery instead of fruits. Combine last year's manure with phosphorus and potassium.

Bush formation

The plant forms many stepsons throughout the growing season. They draw life-giving forces from the bush, which negatively affects the formation of the ovary and the formation of fruits.

They should be removed when they reach 3–5 cm. Leave small stumps 1 cm long so that new ones do not grow in the same place. Repeat the procedure 2-3 times a month.

Usually 1–2 stems are left on the bush. As they grow, the shoots are tied to a support so that they do not break under the weight of the inflorescences.

During the flowering period, shake the bushes slightly to help the flowers pollinate. It is recommended to pick off white flowers without lilac stripes, as they are barren flowers.

Diseases and pests

The overseas fruit was enjoyed not only by our gardeners, but also by local insects. On bushes and fruits you can find:

slugs;
Colorado potato beetle;
ticks;
ants;
whitefly

Fungal diseases in the form of rot and blackleg become a common problem for pepino. It is necessary to carefully monitor the humidity level and temperature. Regularly ventilate greenhouses and the rooms where they grow.

The melon tree belongs to the famous papaya family. This tree-like plant comes from the tropics, where it has been successfully grown for many years. There are extensive plantations in East Africa, Sri Lanka, India and Pakistan, Brazil and Australia. The tree can reach 8 meters in height, but on average specimens grow between 4-6 meters. It has a dense crown, which is formed by a bunch of large petiolate leaves, and spongy wood. The leaves, consisting of seven segments, are palmately dissected.

The very large fruits are incredibly similar to a melon. Their weight in a ripe state can be about 5-7 kg. The yellow pulp is eaten both fresh and in the form of delicious compotes. Unripe fruits are collected for medicinal purposes. Only their peel contains a unique milky juice. This clear drink is extracted through small cuts. The resulting papain enzyme in its crude form is locally called papayotine. Large leaves are also collected when they are quite young.

The presented herbaceous plant has bare trunks and beautiful openwork crowns in the form of umbrellas, which consist of large palmate leaves. Each melon tree is usually densely hung with juicy yellow-green fruits. Currently, it is easily grown on numerous ecologically clean islands of the Malay Archipelago. In this territory no less favorable conditions for the growth of the tree were found than in its homeland. Standard gardening techniques can be used to stunt their growth.

The melon tree bears fruit for about 10 years. The shape, size and taste of the fruits vary significantly from tree to tree.

Useful properties of melon tree

The undoubted advantage of this herbaceous plant is the most important enzyme papain. Also found in the composition are chymopapains A, chymopapains B, callase, lysozyme, lipase, and glutamine transferase. In addition, the large fruits of the melon tree also contain essential amino acids. Interesting leaves boast not only a large amount of papain, but also enzymes such as saponins, glycosides and alkaloids.

The unique component papain has a powerful effect similar to the effect of gastric juice enzymes. It significantly improves digestion, which allows it to be successfully used to treat various gastric and intestinal diseases and ulcers. It should be noted that papain easily breaks down proteins and softens raw meat. By adding a couple of drops of this enzyme to the broth during cooking, you can enjoy the most tender meat.

As a wonderful healing agent, the incomparable papaya promotes the rapid dissolution of numerous dead cells, while promoting the proper growth of various living tissues. Traditional medicine has proven that the fruits of the incomparable melon tree can quickly restore physical strength in people exhausted by illness. They also have a beneficial effect in cases of severe fatigue.

The leaves of the plant also contain a lot of useful substances. Exceptional biologically active components were found in the bark and shell of the green fruit, as well as in the core of the tree stems. Due to its special composition, the fruits of the tree are widely used in the pharmaceutical industry for the manufacture of various miracle drugs. Healing drinks are indicated for preventive purposes to prevent problems with the digestive system.

Uses of melon tree

The juicy pulp of papaya is considered an exceptional dietary product. It promotes better and faster digestion, which makes it possible to recommend the consumption of tree fruits to obese people with increased weight. They are also indicated for patients with insufficient production of gastric juice. After a large meal, a few slices will help digest a large amount of heavy food. You can also use a special medication that includes papain.

In the stomach, the unique papain breaks down proteins and fats very well, making it indispensable for patients suffering from increased protein deficiency, which is caused by the body’s inability to partially absorb the necessary components from food. It should be noted that some pharmacological agents based on this plant are intended to relieve all kinds of inflammatory processes and treat stomach ulcers. Special tablets for the treatment of typical herpes are widely used.

A special mixture of enzymes is often prescribed for serious disorders of gastrointestinal secretion. Such ready-made preparations, in contrast to the use of papaya fruit pulp, are indicated when there is a dangerous difficulty in digesting proteins. The unsurpassed milky juice, which has no analogues in nature, is used as a powerful remedy against various tapeworms. Bitterness has also been found in the leaves of the tree, helping to remove parasites from the body.

Papaya or melon tree

Perhaps few have ever heard of such an exotic plant native to tropical America as the melon tree, which is also called “carica papaya”. Nevertheless, lovers of exotic plants, as well as those who are interested in medicinal crops, are already growing carica in our conditions. In tub culture, the plant is quite decorative, resembling a palm tree with a cone-shaped trunk.

The melon tree is truly unique, especially valued for some medicinal properties. The fact is that the plant contains a proteolytic enzyme - papain - in its fruits and leaves. This enzyme is similar in its physiological effect to gastric juice. Therefore, the fruits of the melon tree are used as a dietary product that helps digestion. Papain's ability to dissolve proteins is used to soften tough meat. Interestingly, in tropical countries, small pieces of the karika fruit are added to meat soups and stews.

But papain is used not only as a traditional medicine; it is also popular in the food industry. Indeed, the toughest meat, wrapped in the leaves of this plant, becomes soft after a few hours. Therefore, in the USA, for example, about a million servings of steaks treated with melon tree enzyme are produced annually as a delicacy. And in Florida, carika leaves have found another interesting use, for example, for washing clothes. Here this plant is even called “Negro soap.”

But let's return to the medicinal properties of papaya. In South Africa, poorly healing wounds and festering ulcers are treated with karika leaves and fruits. Interestingly, this method was once even used in a London hospital, when antibiotics and other medications had no effect during postoperative inflammation of surgical sutures. Then doctors, remembering such an effective folk remedy, used chopped strips of the fruit. And when they were applied to open wounds, the results were stunning. It’s not for nothing that the people of Peru apply a bandage of papaya leaves to their wounds, after which the wounds heal literally before their eyes.

In official medicine, papain is used externally for burns, eczema, in cosmetics to remove freckles and strengthen hair, internally for gastritis, dyspepsia, as a blood anticoagulant, and to treat thrombosis. The seeds of the fruit have an anthelmintic effect.

But in general, the spectrum of action of this plant, as well as its medicinal properties, is not limited only to the above examples. Thus, in some countries, papain is also used to clarify beer and flavor cheese. Papaya extract is used for weight loss.

Carica papaya is also indispensable in cooking. In addition to its excellent taste, papaya has another advantage - versatility. Imagine that ripe papaya is a fruit, and unripe papaya is a vegetable, which is used as a component of vegetable salads and side dishes. And dried ground grains are an excellent spice that is added to sauces, salads, and vinaigrettes.

And now information for those who want to try growing this exotic plant on their own.

Most papaya varieties are dioecious plants. But the absence of a male plant does not in any way affect the setting and quality of the fruits; in this case there will simply be no seeds in the fruits. There are also self-pollinating varieties that have both female and male flowers.

Now a little about the carika fruit. The ripe fruit is a bright orange pear-shaped or oval berry from 6 to 40 cm in length. Its pulp is juicy, sweet and sour. The fruit can ripen calmly on a tree brought in for the winter, even after the leaves have been shed. The ripe fruit is soft and easily separated from the stalk. But its seeds have a burning taste, but they have almost 100% germination.

In winter, papaya, like most exotics, is kept indoors. And after the threat of spring frosts, the plant is taken out into the open air. Immediately with the appearance of leaves, buds are tied in each of its internodes. Then the plant blooms until autumn frosts. The flowers are very fragrant.

For papaya, of course, dry and hot climates are most suitable. The fact is that the plant needs as much heat as possible from May to October. An adult plant can bear fruit in a shaded place, but the fruits will be smaller.

You need to water the plant carefully and do not forget that even in summer it is afraid of excess moisture. Papaya is fed regularly from spring to autumn every 2 weeks, alternating organic and mineral fertilizers.

The melon tree is one of those plants that begins to bear fruit very early. When planting seeds in December, the first flowering may begin as early as November of the following year. The largest harvest is obtained in the second or third year.

The size of the plant, as a rule, depends on the container in which they are planted, and can range from 1 m to 3 m. Therefore, in order for papaya to produce large fruits, it is better to plant it in a tub with a volume of at least 25 liters. In this case, the amount of harvest will directly depend on the fertility of the soil.

How to propagate a plant? They do this with seeds. Containers with seeds should be covered with film or glass and placed in a warm place. The first shoots will appear in 2 weeks. Only the soil with crops needs to be ventilated periodically.

The melon tree is loved by pests such as spider mites. You can fight it by spraying plants with an aqueous solution of Actofit.

L. V. Mikhailichenko