Hokkaido pumpkin

In this article, we will tell you about the Japanese Hokkaido pumpkin variety. You will learn a description of the pumpkin, the main characteristics of its fruits, what are the advantages and disadvantages of this variety. We will also talk about the peculiarities of growing Hokkaido pumpkin, how to plant it properly and take care of it in the future. We will also touch on what diseases and pests the Hokkaido pumpkin is susceptible to, and also share the feedback from gardeners.

Japanese pumpkin Hokkaido: variety description

Hokkaido pumpkin: photo of the variety

Pumpkin is a delicious, healthy and beautiful vegetable. You can cook a huge number of dishes from it, to the delight of households. But from the many existing varieties, how to choose the one that is ideal for growing in your region. And so that the taste pleases your taste buds, and the abundance of the harvest pleases your eye.

The Hokkaido variety was bred by Japanese breeders, so it is best known in Japan. Incidentally, the French also grow a variety called Potimaron.

In Russia, you can find seeds of only a hybrid of the main variety - this is Ishiki Kuri Hokkaido F1. It is included in the Belarusian catalog of varieties, but is not noted in the achievements of domestic breeders.

The hybrid has a rich orange color. Shape resembles a pear, good yield. The hybrid variety is recommended for use in the fall. Fruits are stored for no more than six months.

The more the fruit is stored, the worse its taste becomes. It becomes more bland and starts to deteriorate.

The Hokkaido pumpkin has large fruits with a pronounced round stalk. The inflorescences are large, there are a lot of them, with a rich yellow color. The foliage of this variety is large, heart-shaped, green.

The growing season from the moment of emergence of the first shoots to the moment of ripening is 90 days. The plant belongs to the early ripening varieties. Hokkaido can be stored for quite a long time - about 9-10 months. At the same time, it does not lose its taste characteristics.

Hokkaido hybrid is unpretentious to natural conditions, it tolerates drought with dignity. Ideal for warm to moderately warm regions.

Ishiki Kuri Hokkaido F1 has a high yield level, several fruits are tied on one shoot. A dozen medium-sized pumpkins can be removed from one plant.

The seed has medium vigor. In the southern regions, pumpkin is planted immediately in open ground in May, in other regions, pumpkin is grown in seedlings. For full ripening of the fruit, it is imperative to suppress the growth of the stems, vegetables ripen in late summer - early autumn.

Harvesting must be done when the fruits are fully ripe, otherwise the taste will be bland.

Very often, the Ishiki Kuri Hokkaido F1 pumpkin is grown for decorative purposes, for example, on fences. In this case, the pumpkin is grown vertically, ripe orange pumpkins look very beautiful on green foliage.

Japanese pumpkin Hokkaido: the main characteristics of the fruit

• Hokkaido fruits have firm skin and tasty juicy pulp. At the stage of ripening, the pumpkin acquires not only the rich orange or yellow hue that we are used to, but also ripe fruits can have gray or green colors.
• The shape of the pumpkin fruit resembles a flattened ball or droplet. The exterior is very beautiful. Some gardeners also grow this variety for decorative purposes.
• The flesh of the Ishiki Kuri Hokkaido F1 pumpkin is dense, without a feeling of fiber. During heat treatment, the pulp acquires a pasty state. The pulp has a minimal amount of water and sugar, so it is not sweet. Many even note a certain blandness.
• The rind of the Ishiki Kuri Hokkaido F1 pumpkin is thin, there are no clearly visible ridges. In order to cut a pumpkin, you need to work hard. The peel is softened only by heat treatment.
• The fruits of Ishiki Kuri have an average weight of 1.5 to 2 kg, with a diameter of about 15 cm. As mentioned earlier, they stand out for their decorative effect. They have an elongated neck and a protruding peduncle, the peel sometimes has deformations.

Hokkaido pumpkin variety. Advantages and disadvantages

As part of this variety, as in other relatives, there is a great variety of vitamins, trace elements and useful amino acids. An excellent product for dieters who support healthy, proper nutrition.

The fruits of Ishiki Kuri Hokkaido F1 are eaten raw, together with the peel - this is considered the uniqueness of the species.

A variety of dishes can be prepared from pumpkin fruits. There are many Hokkaido pumpkin recipes in cookbooks. For example, you can fry like potatoes; bake, prepare cream soups. Very often, pumpkin fruits are used as pots for stuffing various desserts and other dishes.

I would like to draw your attention to the fact that the taste and aroma of the fruit of the Ishiki Kuri Hokkaido F1 variety is specific, and does not resemble the characteristic taste qualities of other pumpkin varieties.

From cons, as gardeners note, this is that candied fruits cannot be prepared from this variety, and the seeds are not suitable for their use.

Hokkaido pumpkin: cultivar agricultural technology

Hokkaido pumpkin is whimsical to a warm area with a lot of light. Accordingly, a site should be chosen where it is under the rays of the sun throughout the day. To grow the variety, pegs, huts or cones are most often used. The reason for this is the very branchy bushes.

Also note that Hokkaido pumpkin requires nutrients to grow. The plant reacts positively to fertile soil. It is preferable for chernozem, light loamy and sandy loam soils.

The site is freed from weeds before planting, fertilizers are applied. To do this, use humus or mullein - at the rate of 6 kg per square meter. Then the site is dug up. For good warming up, it is recommended to make a high ridge.

Planting a Hokkaido pumpkin

You can plant a Hokkaido pumpkin both as seedlings and once in open ground. But the choice of this or that method directly depends on the growing region. Since even minimal frosts are terrible for Hokkaido, in cool regions they resort to the seedling method.

On the seedlings the pumpkin is planted at the end of April. It is recommended to do this in peat pots.

In each, you can sow 2 seeds, but no more, since the root system develops very quickly. And this is done in order to further exclude a dive, since damage to the roots during a dive cannot be avoided. And this will negatively affect the yield in the future.

The depth of the hole, respectively, and the depth of planting the seeds should be about 10 cm.After the shoots appear, we leave the strongest and strongest stem. But those shoots that are less strong, do not pull out, but carefully cut, so as not to disrupt the root system of a healthy plant.

After 5 leaves appear on the plants, the pumpkin can be moved into open ground. At the time of transplantation, ash (150 grams), sawdust (100 grams) and superphosphate (50 grams) are poured into each well.

The distance between plantings should be about one meter, since the pumpkin reacts negatively to tightness. Immediately after the end of the transplant, pumpkin bushes should be watered with any stimulant. This will help the plant take root more easily.

At planting seeds pumpkins by direct sowing in open ground, at first, seedlings need shelter. To do this, you can cover with foil or build a greenhouse.

Seeds germinate at temperatures above +15 degrees, but + 19 ... + 25 degrees is considered the ideal temperature for growth, then the first shoots appear after 7 days.

How to care for a Hokkaido pumpkin

After planting, a simple move is needed behind the plant. This is required in order to collect the maximum, tasty harvest. Care includes watering, loosening, weeding, and fertilizing.

After five leaves appeared on the bushes - their shape. For this, the stem is pinched. This is done to give the pumpkin side shoots. It is they who give more fruits, that is, this is done to increase yields.

Hokkaido, although drought tolerant, is nevertheless watering needs. Water the plant with warm water once a week. At the same time, the water consumption per square meter is about 30 liters of water. In the flowering phase, the pumpkin needs more moisture, that is, it is recommended to water it more often;

After each watering, it is recommended to loosen and weed the ground, it is very beneficial for the plant;

During the growing period, the pumpkin will need several times feed... For this, both mineral and organic fertilizers, in dry and liquid states, are ideal. It is best to alternate organic and mineral fertilizers.

Fertilizers from nitrogen are applied at the time of planting, they activate the growth of the plant. Phosphate fertilizers are used at the time of ovary formation. Potash fertilizers are applied in the phase of active flowering of pumpkin.

If you are using liquid fertilizers, be careful not to apply them to foliage and stems.

Gather Hokkaido pumpkins are necessary immediately, as they ripen - we do not recommend overexposing. The entire crop must be harvested before the onset of autumn frosts. Carefully cut the pumpkin, leaving the length of the stalk about 9 cm.

Keep the harvest is recommended in a dark room at an air temperature of +5 to +16 degrees. It is very important that the fruits do not touch each other. Ishiki Kuri Hokkaido F1 variety should be stored for no more than 6 months. Further, the taste and quality characteristics are already lost.

Diseases and pests, how to deal with them

Ishiki Kuri Hokkaido F1 pumpkin is quite resistant to most common diseases inherent in other pumpkin crops. Bushes can become infected with fungal diseases or aphids if the plants are planted in the shade and in a wetland.

Therefore, when choosing a site, give preference to a sunny, well-ventilated place.

In order to reduce the risk of possible ailments, it is necessary to follow the rules of crop rotation. Keep in mind that the worst predecessors for the site are pumpkins, cucumbers, and zucchini. Because they have the same ailments that remain in the earth for more than one year.

The best predecessors are cabbage and legumes.

As a preventive measure, it is recommended to use special drugs that are sold in stores. They should be used according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Conclusion

The Hokkaido variety, which came to us from Japan, is not yet very well known in gardening circles. His hybrid Ishiki Kuri Hokkaido F1 quite well adapted to the climatic conditions of Russia.

Growing it is not difficult. This variety is unpretentious and does not require special care. But the harvest, besides being very tasty and healthy, is also used for decorative purposes.

Hokkaido pumpkin. Variety reviews

Olesya Bogomolova, 34 years old, Moscow

I myself do not grow pumpkin, but my friends often bring the harvest of Ishiki Kuri Hokkaido F1 for storage and as a gift. I really like how it looks on the outside, I cook soups from it, bake it - and I do it all with the peel. The only thing is that they do not lie very long - at most until the new year, so you have to freeze.But in principle, the vegetable is delicious - and in terms of taste, it is radically different from other pumpkins.

Irina Vorontsova, 37 years old, Boguchar

I really like the look of the "Ishiki Kuri Hokkaido F1" pumpkin plantings, I look at these wonderful beds and I am happy. I do not carry out special care, the only thing I water every weekend and loosen it. But I really like to eat pumpkin - one fruit is just enough to cook something. By the way, I cook it without peeling it, but my husband eats it completely raw. I love stuffing it, especially when the fruit is small - it looks very nice on the table.