Overview of cucumber trees and their cultivation

Many inexperienced gardeners, summer residents and novice botanists often, upon hearing about a cucumber tree, imagine it to be like a common herb from the pumpkin family - a cucumber that grows in almost every garden bed. As it turned out, this is a misconception, since the cucumber is an exotic culture with a long history and numerous features.

To date, the cucumber tree has significantly expanded the geography of growth, so it can be seen not only in Central and South America, East Africa, Indonesia, Tanzania, Malaysia, India, the Philippines and Sri Lanka, in the Far Eastern countries, but also in Europe, but as a cultivated plant even in Russia. The most common crops, called the cucumber tree, are bilimbi, long-pointed magnolia and Socotran dendrosicios.

Dendrositsios Socotransky is an unusual representative of the pumpkin family. It is rather difficult to call this culture a tree, because outwardly it resembles the leg of an elephant. Dendrositsios is a medium-sized tree, stretching up to 4-5 meters in height, sometimes up to 7. The lower part of the trunk is very thick (diameter 100-150 cm), because it accumulates a huge amount of moisture, which allows it to survive during periods of prolonged drought and heat. The culture is characterized by a sparse crown, which is thickened with dark green foliage, similar to the leaves of ordinary cucumbers, as well as short thorns and thin branches.

During the flowering period, which occurs in the 5th year of life, the cucumber tree is abundantly covered with small elongated bright yellow flowers, where fruits are then formed. Self-fertility in the tree is high. At the stage of ripening, the fruits look completely unattractive - a green peel, covered with small thorns on the outside and white, delicate flesh on the inside. The aroma of the fruit is also not very pleasant. Ripe fruits acquire a rich orange color, elongated shape and length from 4 to 5 cm.

The fruits of the Socotran dendrosicios are absolutely inedible for humans, but have long served as food for wild and domestic animals that live on the island of Socotra - goats, camels.

It is quite difficult to grow an exotic tree at home. This is due to the fact that it needs to be grown through seeds that quickly lose their germination.

If you still managed to acquire seed, and there is a great desire to grow a cucumber tree in the garden of your own home, then you should take into account the basic rules for caring for the crop.

• The soil should be selected with a good limestone content. Sandy, rocky soil is the best option. In addition, the soil must be breathable.

• The site should be well lit by sunlight. Even slight shading can kill the plant.

• Watering is carried out not very often, since the plant is adapted to an arid climate, but it is simply necessary to control the moisture level, since the root system of the culture does not tolerate stagnant moisture.

• The tree needs periodic sanitary pruning of branches that are withered or deformed.

Today, many lovers of exotic cultures have learned to grow the dendrosicios cucumber tree on the windowsill as a houseplant.

Bilimbi is a bright representative of the oxalis class that grows in the vastness of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Tanzania, South and Central America. The culture is a tall tree growing up to 9 meters high. The tree has a powerful trunk, which branches a meter from the ground, forming a crown thickened with elongated dark green leaves. The length of a composite leaf reaches 50-60 cm. The tree has a very attractive decorative appearance. Outwardly, bilimbi resembles an acacia.

During the flowering period, the tree is covered with incredibly beautiful star flowers of different colors. - from deep red, dark orange to yellow-green, emitting an incredibly pleasant aroma that attracts pollinating insects. At the end of flowering, fruit clusters are formed.

Fruits that look like cucumbers, at the stage of technical maturity, have an elongated shape and average size - 12-15 cm in length, and up to 5 cm in diameter, as well as a rather tough peel. The ripe fruit changes color from green to pale cream. Its rind becomes ribbed and very thin, and the flesh is filled with juiciness, acquiring a bright sour aftertaste. Ripe fruit, due to its elliptical shape and strong ribbing, looks a bit like a star. The taste of this exotic fruit can be compared to lime or lemon. The climatic features of the place where the tree grows can affect and even change the taste of the fruit, so sometimes an exotic fruit takes on the taste of grapes, plums or apples. Due to the fragility and thinness of the skin, you need to remove the fruits very carefully so as not to violate their integrity.

Despite the decorativeness, the tree - its fruits, leaves and even wood - is widely used in completely different industries.

• Farming. The ability to accumulate moisture in wood tissue makes it soft and juicy. It is this juicy pulp that is used as animal feed.

• Cooking. After a series of processing, the fruits are used to prepare spices for meat and fish. In addition, jelly, various drinks, candied fruits and other sweets are made from them. The special value of the fruit is in the composition of its pulp, where there are many trace elements and vitamins.

• Medicine. Decoctions are made from the fruits, used for colds, rheumatism. The flower extract is excellent for treating intestinal disorders, and the fresh foliage cleanses wounds.

• Religion. African tribes consider bilimbi to be a sacred tree, worshiping it during various cult rites.

In addition, the pulp of the fruit is widely used in the field of cosmetology, the production of detergents and cleaning products.

The exotic culture is so attractive that even in Russia they are engaged in its cultivation. It is unlikely that it will be possible to grow a cucumber tree outdoors, it simply will not take root, and in a greenhouse, winter garden or a heated greenhouse, the plant will certainly grow and develop.

The cucumber tree is grown through seeds. Fresh fruit seeds are suitable.

The agrotechnics of the plant are quite simple: moderate watering, application of mineral fertilizers, sunlight, preventive spraying and sanitary pruning of branches, crown formation. For the summer period, the tree can be transplanted into open ground. The optimum air temperature for wood is considered to be 22-35 degrees Celsius.

The magnolia family is one of the largest, with over 240 plant species.The most stress-resistant, capable of withstanding a drop in temperature to -30 ... 34 degrees, is the type of long-pointed magnolia (cucumber), which is more than 250 years old.

Cucumber magnolia is a tall tree reaching a height of 25-30 meters. The tree is characterized by a neat pyramidal crown shape, a thickened trunk with a diameter of 100-120 cm, flexible branches, as well as elongated leaves (25-30 cm long) fixed on short thick cuttings. The thickening of the bright green foliage of the tree is moderate.

Flowering occurs at 8-9 years of age. During this period (April-June) the crown is covered with small bell flowers of an interesting color - from yellow-greenish to green-blue. Flowers do not emit a scent in order to attract bees and other insects, so pollination occurs with the help of beetles. From pollinated flowers, fruits are formed. Visually, the fruits resemble small cucumbers no more than 6-8 cm long and up to 3 cm in diameter. The color at the stage of technical maturity is usual - pale green, but when the fruits are ripe, they are covered with a crimson-red color. The shape of the fruit can be even, but often, it is slightly curved.

The exotic culture is endowed with completely simple agricultural technology, therefore it gained popularity long ago and is successfully grown even in central Russia. You can grow a tree through seeds or cuttings. Planting material (cuttings) is planted in open ground in June-July.

The site should be chosen protected from drafts and gusty winds, but abundantly illuminated by the sun and light. The soil should be breathable, fertile, and low in acidity. Caring for a tree includes several points.

• Moderate watering. The plant loves not dry, but also not too humidified environment, therefore it is recommended to water the tree exclusively during dry periods. When irrigating, use only settled water.

• Loosening and mulching of the soil near-root zone.

• Application of mineral and organic fertilizers according to a certain scheme - in spring and autumn.

• Weed removal. When cleaning the soil, it is recommended not to use garden tools, since the root of the tree is vulnerable and partially superficial.

• Sanitary pruning of branches. It is better to remove dried branches in spring.