Beninquaza or wax gourd is an annual culture that is more common in the southern regions of the country. Fruits contain many useful substances, have good taste and can be stored for a long time. You will learn about other advantages of a vegetable and how to grow it while reading this article.
Beninquaza Pumpkin
Beninase has many beneficial properties.
Beninase can be stored for a long time in a cool and dark place.
Origin
Beninquase is a separate pumpkin variety and belongs to the lianoid crops. Southeast Asia is considered the homeland, but today it has gained popularity in many warm countries and is gradually spreading in the south of our country. Vegetables are valued for their healing properties and long shelf life.
Description
The main characteristics are:
- Stalks. Thin, reach a length of 4 m. Covered with medium-sized leaves.
- Flower. It blooms very beautifully - at the same time several large orangeish flowers with a rich aroma appear.
- Fetus. When creating good conditions, you can grow vegetables weighing up to 10 kg. They have an oblong shape and a greenish tint. Top covered with a wax coating and small villi, which perform a protective function.
- Pulp. Pale white. Juicy, has a sweet taste with a slight acidity.
The main characteristics of Beninquaz pumpkin:
Growing season, days | Fetal weight, kg | Seedling time, month | Transplant time in soil, month | Seeding time in soil, month | Productivity, fruits from the bush |
80 | 4-5 | 4-5 | 5-6 | 5-6 | 12 |
Beneficial features
Benincase fruits contain many vitamins and nutrients, so pumpkin is often used for medicinal purposes. Healing properties are possessed not only by the flesh, but also by the peel, seeds, leaves.
The use of wax pumpkin is recommended for diabetes, cardiovascular and gastrointestinal diseases.
What is the benefit:
- improves the gastrointestinal tract;
- normalizes metabolism, which facilitates weight loss;
- has a diuretic effect, this helps in the fight against high blood pressure;
- removes excess cholesterol from the body;
- has an antipyretic effect;
- increases the protective functions of the body;
- cleanses the body of toxins, especially with alcohol poisoning;
- reduces the burden on the cardiovascular system;
- relieves swelling;
- wax used in cosmetology.
How to grow?
There are several features of growing wax gourds.
Through seedlings
In the north and in the central regions, the vegetable is grown in seedlings.
Time and method of sowing
Seeds for seedlings are planted 25-30 days before transplanting to a permanent place.
What should be done:
- prepare a container for planting, preferably peat pots;
- fill them with soil for seedlings;
- make a hole in the soil, 1-2 cm deep;
- lower in each hole 2 seeds;
- sprinkle with earth;
- pour water at room temperature;
- transfer the pots to the south windowsill.
After germination, a weaker germ is carefully cut with scissors.
Growth conditions
In order for seedlings to grow well, it is necessary:
- Temperature. Keep within 25 degrees. Before sprouts appear, provide additional thermal insulation. To do this, cover the pots with a transparent film.
- Watering. Do this with a spray gun. Spray plants regularly from the moment of planting as the soil dries.
- Hardening. 1 week before planting in the soil, plants should be taken outside and left for 3-4 hours to allow adaptation to climate conditions.
Transplant to the ground
Planting plants in the ground should be closer to the beginning of June, when the weather on the street will be stably warm. You can also transplant to a greenhouse, where the temperature is constantly maintained at 25-30 degrees. This method is suitable for cold climatic regions, where the cultivation of thermophilic vegetables is possible only in the greenhouse.
How to do it:
- pour boiling water in the garden;
- dig holes at a distance of 70-100 cm from each other;
- gently transplant seedlings, along with a peat pot;
- mulch the bed with foliage and humus.
Bed preparation
You should remember these rules when choosing a place to plant a pumpkin:
- The plot. Good light will be required.
- The soil. Planted in fertile soil with low acidity.
- The predecessor cultures. It is better to plant Beninkazu in the soil in which beans, peas, potatoes, cabbage used to grow.
Do not use the soil in which pumpkin was previously grown.
- Cooking. In the fall, you need to dig a plot, then make manure. In the spring add mineral fertilizers.
- Disinfection. For the prevention of many diseases, additional soil treatment with a solution of ash mixed with water in a ratio of 1 to 10 will help. The liquid is infused for 3 days. It is brought in by a spraying method.
Sowing seeds in open ground
The temperature of the soil when planting seeds should be at least 10 degrees. Typically, this method is used in areas with a hot climate.
Landing procedure:
- break the site into rows;
- in each row, dig holes 4 cm deep (adhere to the scheme, as when planting seedlings);
- take 2 seeds;
- put them in each well;
- sprinkle with a thin layer (about 2 cm) of soil or peat;
- water;
- after germination, pinch a weaker sprout.
Care
Do not forget about the rules of engineering.
Watering
The recommendations are as follows:
- Frequency. Immediately after the trick, you need to water the plants daily. After 1 week, you can reduce the frequency to 2 times in 7 days.
- Temperature. Water for irrigation should be warm, about 20 degrees. Cold water can ruin a vegetable.
- Time. It is better to bring in water in the late afternoon when the heat subsides. If you do this during the day, a crust will form on the ground, and if water gets on the leaves, they can dry out.
- Amount. About 1 liter of water is required per plant.
- The way. Pour water under the roots, avoiding their exposure.
Top dressing
What are the rules:
- Composition. You can prepare a mixture of ammonium nitrate, ammophos and potassium sulfate in a ratio of 2 to 4 to 2. The finished mixture must be added to 10 liters of water. There are 4 liters per 1 plant.
- Frequency. During growth, it is necessary to make at least 2 top dressings - after the appearance of the 4th leaf and the formation of lashes.
Bush formation
Among the tips that will help in growing pumpkins:
- the formation will be more convenient if you put a trellis on the site;
- you need to direct the growth forces to 1 stem, for this all side shoots are removed;
- the central stem is pinched after the appearance of 3-4 ovaries.
Pollination
Usually carried by bees. But if for some reason they rarely fly to the site or the pumpkin grows in the greenhouse, you can do it manually.
Actions:
- choose a warm sunny day;
- carry out the procedure in the morning;
- take a soft brush and collect pollen from the "male" flower;
- bring to the "female" flower and pollinate.
Pest and Disease Control
Parasites that are dangerous for Benincase are:
- Gourd aphids. It harms the ovaries and leaves, as a result of which they curl and rot.
Starts due to the abundance of weeds on the site, so you need to pay attention to weeding. You can also spray the pumpkin with a low concentration soap solution.
- Spider mite. It sucks juices from pumpkin leaves, and then covers them with a layer of cobweb, which leads to death.
Onion and garlic infusions help with mites.
Among the possible diseases:
- Root rot. A fungal disease that affects a plant, starting at the root. As a result, complete death occurs.
Avoid the development of the disease will help control the quantity and quality of irrigation, the frequency of fertilizing.
- Powdery Mildew The first signs of the disease are light spots on the surface of the plant, which gradually merge into 1. The result of development is the death of the plant.
The spores of the fungus can be in the soil, so you need to:
- dig a bed carefully;
- reduce the amount of nitrogen fertilizers (organics) and increase the phosphorus-potash;
- observe crop rotation;
- also helps spraying with tincture of hay.
- Mosaic. It appears in the form of multi-colored spots on the surface of the leaves.
The disease is transmitted by insects, so you need to protect the plant from them beforehand, treating it with insecticides, for example, Fitoverm. For those who do not want to use chemicals, you can advise spraying onion husks with infusion. Prepared from the calculation of 200 g of raw materials per 1 bucket of water.
Harvesting and storage
What you need to know about this:
- Time. It is better to clean before the period of frost.
- Collection method. The fruits must be carefully cut with scissors or a knife, while taking care of the safety of the stalk.
- Sorting. Immediately after harvesting vegetables need to be sorted out. For long-term storage, only fully ripened pumpkins are suitable, on which there is no damage. All the rest is better to use in the near future or cut into pieces and freeze.
- Caution. In no case should the wax layer on the surface of the fruit be washed or washed off, because it is thanks to it that pumpkins can be stored for a long time.
- Terms. It does not require special storage conditions. It is enough to place it in a cool and dark place.
Beninkaza pumpkin can be stored at home, in the room, the main thing is that direct sunlight does not fall on it.
Pros and cons
The main advantages of culture are:
- Storage. It can be stored up to 2 years.
- Transportability. Fruits without loss of commercial qualities tolerate transportation.
- Agrotechnical events. No different from caring for other pumpkin crops.
- Taste qualities. Beninkazu can be consumed raw and ready-made. She canned, cooked soups, cereals, mashed potatoes. From the fruit very useful sweets are obtained.
- Decorative properties. Can be grown as a garden decoration.
The only negative is the lack of the ability to grow vegetables in the open ground of the Northern regions. They do not tolerate cold and can die at temperatures below -4.
Reviews
To learn more about wax pumpkin, reviews of people who have already grown this variety of culture will help:
Elena, 56 years old. I’ve been planting Beninqaz for the second year already. Last year’s harvest lay in the cellar almost until spring and did not lose its appearance and taste at all. It is hot in our region in the summer, so we manage to get a good harvest. The main thing is to water and fertilize on time.
Ivan, 61 years old. My wife began to grow Beninkazu, having deducted that the fruits help strengthen the cardiovascular system. Now we plant every year. I can’t say anything about the healing properties, but I really like the taste, I can even eat it raw. And the wife says that the fruits improve well-being with hypertension.
Maria, 48 years old.I learned about the Beninkaza pumpkin from my neighbor. I really liked the beautiful flowers that appeared on her site. Now I myself grow these vegetables for decorative purposes. As a bonus, I get large fruits that can be added to soups and canned for the winter.
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Before growing a wax pumpkin, you need to create suitable conditions for the culture. Take care of air temperature and lighting, prepare the ground and take measures to prevent pests. Only in this way can large and tasty fruits be grown.