Orange bush pumpkin - description, planting and care
Content:
Orange bush pumpkin: variety photo
Pumpkin variety Bush orange is quite popular among domestic summer residents and gardeners in rural areas. The reason for this is the sweet taste of its pulp, besides, pumpkins of the Kustovaya Orange variety ripen quite early, which allows you to please yourself with dishes prepared from them in the middle of the season.
Orange bush pumpkin: variety description
Orange bush pumpkin: variety photo
Orange bush pumpkin belongs to the mid-season varieties: these pumpkins can be harvested 3-3.5 months after the shoots appear. This variety has a self-explanatory name, by which one can judge its characteristic external feature - the orange color of the peel. A thin, smooth shell covers the surprisingly sweet pulp of the same shade. The average weight of a bush orange pumpkin is 4-7 kg.
The carrot color of the Kustovaya orange pumpkin is not accidental and fully corresponds to the chemical composition of its pulp. The fact is that it contains a large amount of the provitamin vitamin A, better known as carotene. It is this pigment that gives vegetables a bright orange color. The benefits of carotene for the human body are widely known - it has an immunomodulatory effect and is necessarily included in the diet of those who need general health promotion or who often experience increased stress and stress.
Carotene is the most notable, but not the only beneficial element contained in the pulp of the Orange Kustovaya pumpkin variety. Eating it in food allows not only to stimulate the immune system, but also to purposefully improve the condition of hair, skin, nail plates, teeth, organs of vision, as well as prevent the formation of deadly cholesterol plaques in the vessels. The substances contained in pumpkin contribute to the prevention of another very dangerous and common ailment - cancer. The effect of removing free radicals is also known.
Pumpkin variety Orange Shrub grows in the form of a bush, which follows from its name. The bushes, as a rule, do not grow widely, the lashes reach medium length. This feature allows you to significantly save space in the garden, since instances of the pumpkin variety Orange bush can be located at a short distance from each other.
You can grow a bushy orange pumpkin both by sowing seeds in the ground, and through seedlings. Below we will go into detail about each of these two methods.
How to properly grow a bush orange pumpkin
Orange bush pumpkin: variety photo
The choice of the method directly depends on the climatic conditions of the growing region. In the south of Russia, both seed sowing and seedling method are permissible. In the conditions of the domestic middle zone, it is recommended to grow pumpkin through seedlings. Prolonged rains in summer periods and temperature drops, characteristic of these regions, can slow down the ripening of seed-planted pumpkins.
As for the optimal planting dates, it is recommended that seed sowing for seedlings be carried out in April. Planting seedlings in open ground, as well as seed sowing in the soil, is best done in the last week of May, or in the first days of June.
Orange bush pumpkin: seed preparation
Orange bush pumpkin: variety photo
The quality of the seeds plays a decisive role in the successful cultivation of the Orange Kustovaya variety pumpkin. It is recommended to purchase them only from trusted sellers and manufacturers, whose products have already proven themselves from the best side. If, on the other hand, seeds collected on their own site are launched for sowing, it will not hurt to disinfect them in order to avoid the development of diseases in seedlings. Here is a step-by-step algorithm for the preparatory treatment of pumpkin seeds:
- Within 1-2 months, it is necessary to warm up the seeds, for which a sachet of seed must be placed in the immediate vicinity of heating devices, batteries or a stove. This will allow more female flowers to form.
- It is necessary to check the germination of the seed. To do this, the seeds are immersed in salt water for several minutes: the seeds, ready for sowing, will sink to the bottom, only they are suitable for growing pumpkin.
- This is followed by soaking the seeds for 12 hours in warm water, and in the event that the manufacturer has not etched them, it is better to do it yourself. For disinfection, a solution of potassium permanganate or aloe juice is suitable.
- Finally, the seeds of the Bush Orange pumpkin variety are wrapped in a damp cloth and placed in the refrigerator for several days. This procedure will harden the seed, which will help it to survive the rainy and cold days of the season safely in the future. It is necessary to monitor the degree of moisture of the tissue - the surface of the seeds should not dry out.
Seedling formation
Sowing seeds for seedlings of pumpkin Bushy orange does not require much effort and skills. Each seed should be placed in a separate container with soil - pumpkin seedlings do not like picking. The size of the seedling pots or cups should be quite large - 10 cm long and 10 cm wide.
Peat pots are very popular among gardeners: in this way, the root system of seedlings will not be damaged when transplanted into open ground. This is extremely important for the quick adaptation of sprouts in a new place, their correct development and high productivity of the pumpkin Bush orange. In the absence of peat tanks, you can make them yourself. It is enough to pour peat soil into paper cups.
The sowing substrate must be moistened before planting the seeds, after which the seed can be placed in it. To speed up the emergence of seedlings, the pots can be covered with plastic wrap, thus creating a greenhouse effect. Pumpkin seeds need to be constantly maintained at a fairly high ambient temperature - 18-25 degrees. After emergence, it can be lowered by 7 days to 16-18 degrees. This will prevent over-stretching of the sprouts. After this period, the temperature is again raised to 18-22 degrees.
The seedling watering regime assumes regularity and moderation: too much water will cause the sprouts to stretch in length, and drought will slow down their development.
The place for seedlings should constantly be in the sun - the bush orange pumpkin is a photophilous crop. The nutritional value of the soil can be increased by applying fertilizers - mullein infusion, or a complex mixture - nitrophoska. Recommended two-fold application of dressings at the stage of seedling formation.
Planting seedlings of Bush orange pumpkin on the beds
Preliminary preparation of the beds for planting seedlings will help the seedlings quickly take root in a new place and quickly give a rich harvest. For these purposes, in the fall, it is recommended to dig up the site and fertilize it with nitrophos, humus, or by sowing green fertilizers - siderates. For growing pumpkins, areas where root crops and legumes were previously grown are suitable.
The place for the pumpkin patch should be sunny - after all, we remember the light-loving nature of the pumpkin, as well as protected from drafts.In the spring, the area can be covered with a layer of mulch, for which humus is suitable. Another option is to warm up the soil by covering the beds with plastic wrap.
Thorough warming up of the soil is very important for the successful transplanting of orange bush pumpkin seedlings and especially for seed sowing. Planting holes for seedlings (and for seeds) should be spaced at intervals of 60-100 cm. If the weather is dry, then it is necessary to moisten them by pouring 2 liters of hot water into each. When sowing by seed, pumpkin seeds are immersed in the soil by 5-6 cm, and seedling bushes - to the level of the cotyledons.
From above, the pits are covered with a nutrient layer of humus, peat or manure. For the first time, it will not hurt to build a film shelter for seedlings, stretched over the beds with the help of support arcs.
Orange bush pumpkin: reviews of gardeners who planted
Gardeners leave positive feedback on the orange bush pumpkin. Summer residents fell in love with this variety so much that they even drew up a care instruction, because if certain agrotechnical recommendations are followed, pumpkin seeds of the Bush orange variety will yield very high yields. Planting care is as follows:
- systematic watering is required, and its volume is reduced during the period of fruit ripening;
- every two weeks it is necessary to make organic and mineral dressings;
- weeding and loosening the soil will maintain constant air circulation;
- under the formed pumpkin fruits, it is recommended to place a material that is resistant to decay, which will protect them from damage and help them ripen faster.
Only by observing the rules of care, as gardeners respond, pumpkins Bush orange yield will delight absolutely everyone.