Pepino (melon pear): growing at home from seeds and seedlings, reviews

Content

1 What is pepino
2 Features of growing pepino
3 Melon pear varieties adapted for cultivation in Russia
- 3.1 Pepino Consuelo
- 3.2 Pepino Ramses
4 How to grow pepino at home
5 Optimal conditions for growing pepino
6 Diseases and pests
7 Harvesting
8 How to eat pepino fruit
9 Conclusion

Growing pepino at home is not a difficult task, but rather unusual. The seeds have already appeared on sale, but there is little information. So domestic gardeners are trying to master all the intricacies of growing pepino on their own, and then share their experience on forums. Meanwhile, conditions, for example, in the Krasnodar Territory and the Urals are different, so ridiculous mistakes are made. But the culture is simple, there are simply rules, deviating from which it is impossible to teach the harvest at home.

What is pepino

Melon pear or Pepino belongs to the Solanaceae family. It originates from South America and is grown in warm to temperate climates for its edible fruit. Unlike other nightshade crops, unripe pepino berries are edible, taste like cucumber, and are used as a vegetable. Well-ripened fruits have an aroma and taste similar to cantaloupe.

Comment! Ripe pepino berries are often called fruit. It is not right.Despite its sweet taste and the fact that, from a biological point of view, the melon pear is a berry, from a culinary point of view it is a vegetable, like the rest of the Solanaceae family.

Pepino is a perennial woody shrub more than 1.5 m high at the base. Some varieties can reach 2 m when grown in a greenhouse. Pepino forms many side shoots and quickly gains green mass. Its leaves are the same as those of pepper. The flowers are similar to potato flowers, but are collected in racemes, like those of a tomato.

Fruits weighing from 150 to 750 g, like some varieties of eggplant, are pear-shaped or flat-round. They vary in color, size, shape, and are often yellow or beige, with violet or purple vertical streaks. The white or yellow pulp is juicy, aromatic, sweet and sour. There are very few small seeds, sometimes there are none at all.

Important! Pepino is a self-pollinating crop.

Features of growing pepino

Reviews of pepino vary dramatically. Some consider growing a melon pear to be as simple as other nightshade crops, while others argue that it is difficult to wait for the harvest. This is due to the fact that some gardeners do not bother studying the needs of the plant. They don't even always read what is written on the label before germinating seeds. Meanwhile, if the pepino does not create suitable conditions, it will constantly shed leaves, flowers and ovaries. Its growing requirements are very strict.

What you need to know about pepino:

This is a short day plant. For flowering and fruiting, Pepino needs at least 12 hours of darkness. Oddly enough, such needs are mainly found in tropical and subtropical crops.The fact that tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants are planted in the sun, and they safely produce a harvest until autumn, is explained by long and diligent selection. Pepino has strict lighting requirements. Moreover, it cannot be planted in partial shade - the crop needs a lot of sun, but not for long. On a large bush, fruit may set where the flowers are covered by leaves, or on the side that is shaded by other plants.
Comment! Someone might argue that pepino is most often grown in countries with a tropical climate, where daylight hours are much longer than ours. This is true. They just plant it so that the period of fruit set occurs in winter.
Although pepino is a heat-loving crop, at temperatures above 30⁰ C it sheds flowers and ovaries. And not necessarily everything, because of which gardeners may consider that it was not they who made a mistake, but the plant is capricious. In fact, the ovaries usually remain inside the bush or on the side that is constantly in the shade, and there the temperature is slightly lower.
Important! At a temperature of 10⁰ C, pepino can die.
Those fruits that set before the end of May should not fall, unless, of course, there is extreme heat. They fill up and increase in size.
In pepino, 4-5 months pass from the moment of sprouting to harvesting.
Melon pear blooms in clusters, up to 20 buds on each. This does not mean that all of them will bear fruit, even with the correct agricultural technology. Adult plants planted in a greenhouse may have from 20 to 40 berries reaching ripeness. For pepino grown in a greenhouse, 8-10 large fruits are considered a good result. The same result can be achieved at home, on the windowsill. Small-fruited specimens will produce more berries.
When the seeds are sown, the pepino splits.This means that, even if you collect planting material from one fruit, grow it, and harvest it, the berries from different bushes will differ not only in size, but also in taste. It is believed that specimens grown from cuttings are better than those grown from seeds. And the fruits formed on the stepsons are sweeter than those collected from the main stem.
You can often find a statement on the Internet or in printed publications that the germination rate of pepino seeds is almost 100%. It is not true. Biologists assess the ability of melon pear seeds to germinate as low.

Important! Pepino is affected by all pests of nightshade crops, but he is especially annoyed by the whitefly. If you bring a plant from the street into the house in the fall for fruit ripening or a mother bush and do not treat it with an insecticide, most likely the melon tree will die. It is difficult to remove whiteflies at home, but infecting indoor flowers with the pest is very simple.

Melon pear varieties adapted for cultivation in Russia

To date, more than 25 varieties of pepino have been created, and their number is growing. You can grow any cultivars in a greenhouse, only there you can create ideal conditions for a melon pear. For greenhouses and open ground in Russia, two varieties are recommended - Israeli Ramses and Latin American Consuelo. It is quite easy to distinguish them from each other.

You can learn more about the Pepino and Consuelo varieties and the appearance of the fruit by watching the video:

Pepino Consuelo

The variety was accepted by the State Register in 1999, recommended for cultivation in film, permanent greenhouses and open ground throughout Russia. Pepino Consuelo is an indeterminate (does not require pinching of the tops) plant with purple stems, more than 150 cm in height, forming many stepsons.Small leaves with a whole edge are light green.

The flowers are white or white with purple stripes, similar to potato flowers. Reviews of the pepino Consuelo melon tree claim that only striped ones form the ovary; plain ones fall off.

120 days after emergence, the first fruits weighing from 420 to 580 g ripen. When fully ripe, their color is yellow-orange, with vertical purple or lilac stripes and streaks on the sides.

The shape of the fruit resembles a heart, the top is blunt, the skin is thin, smooth, the surface is slightly ribbed. The walls are up to 5 cm thick. The light yellow flesh is sweet, juicy, soft, with a strong melon aroma.

The yield of commercial-size fruits in heated greenhouses reaches 5 kg per square meter. m. Germination of quality seeds is 70-80%.

Comment! In the Consuelo variety, the ovary is better formed in the spring.

Pepino Ramses

The melon tree pepino Ramses, the cultivation of which is recommended throughout Russia, was registered by the State Register in 1999. This is an indeterminate plant higher than 150 cm. The shoots are green, with purple spots, the leaves are medium-sized, with a solid edge, dark green.

The flowers are the same as those of Pepino Consuelo, but the Ramses variety begins to ripen earlier - 110 days after germination. The fruits are hanging, weighing 400-480 g, cone-shaped with a sharp apex. Reviews of the Pepino Ramses melon tree claim that their color is creamy, with lilac strokes and stripes, but the State Register indicates a yellow-orange color. The skin of the fruit is glossy, thin, the walls are 4-5 cm thick, the sweet flesh is pleasant to the taste, light yellow, with a faint aroma of melon.

Productivity in the greenhouse is 5 kg/sq. m. Germination of good quality seeds is 50%.

Comment! The fruits of the Ramses variety set well in spring and autumn; this pepino is generally more persistent than Consuelo.

How to grow pepino at home

It is believed that pepino grown from seeds and suckers ripens fruits of varying quality. On plants propagated vegetatively, they are tastier, larger and sweeter. In general, the State Register specifically states that pepino is propagated by cuttings, and this in itself is rare - usually they do not provide such information there.

Growing pepino from seeds at home

The seeds of the melon pear split, and the cuttings completely inherit the characteristics of the mother plant. But what should ordinary gardeners do? Where to get cuttings? Pepino seeds are available for sale, but the stepsons of herbaceous plants may dry out or become wrinkled by the time they arrive by mail. Even in pots, it is inconvenient to transfer the rooted parts of soft, brittle stems. You have to grow pepino from seeds. But if you like the culture, in order to improve the taste of the fruits, you can take the one with the best fruits as a mother plant.

Before growing pepino from seeds at home, you need to know:

Sowing is carried out from late November to early December. Only in this case will the pepino bloom and set fruits of such a size that they will not fall off with the onset of long daylight hours or at elevated (but not extreme) temperatures.
If you sow the seeds in the spring, they will sprout well and bloom actively. Perhaps the pepino will even set berries. But at best, single fruits will ripen, which will hide in the shade of the leaves, where the temperature is several degrees lower. The pepino ovaries will stop falling by the end of August.When there is room for winter maintenance of a plant more than one and a half meters high, which also requires garter, this is not a problem. Getting exotic fruits in winter is no less pleasant than in summer or autumn.
The germination rate of pepino seeds is determined to be low. It is unknown where the information came from that all planting material will hatch 100% and turn into an adult plant. Perhaps someone was just lucky, the person shared his joy, and others followed suit. To avoid disappointment when germinating pepino seeds, you should not expect miracles from them.

Growing pepino seedlings at home

It is believed that pepino seedlings should be grown in the same way as other nightshade crops. This is only partly true - after the appearance of two true leaves and picking, the crop is really easy to care for. But while the seeds are germinating, you should not deviate from the rules; their germination rate is already poor.

Experienced gardeners sow pepino on filter paper. There the culture not only sprouts, but is also brought to the picking stage. But it’s better for beginners not to even start growing seedlings this way. Young pepino on cellulose are easy to dry out or overwater, they are very fragile, they break when transplanted, and it is difficult to separate the thin roots from the filter paper.

It's better to go the traditional way:

For pepino seedlings intended for picking, you should choose transparent containers, such as plastic food containers with holes made in the bottom. You can plant 2-3 seeds in peat cups. Then they won't need to be dived.But in this case, you should take care of a closed transparent container, which will be used as a greenhouse for the first months.
Drainage is placed at the bottom, covered with a layer of sand calcined in the oven or disinfected with potassium permanganate. Soil for seedlings is placed on top, compacted (so that small seeds do not fall through), leveled, and spilled with a foundation solution.
Important! It is impossible to replace foundationazole with potassium permanganate in this particular case.
The seeds are laid out on the surface of the soil.
The germination container is covered with glass or transparent film.
Every day the cover is removed for ventilation; if necessary, the soil is moistened with a household spray bottle.
The temperature of pepino content is 25-28⁰ C. Deviations from this range are unacceptable! If it is not possible to provide a suitable temperature, it is better not to start germination.
At a distance of 10-15 cm from the surface of the covering material, install a light source, or even better, a phytolamp. They illuminate 24 hours a day during seed germination and before picking. Pepino, planted in individual cups, is illuminated all day until the third true leaf appears.
Important! As the seedlings grow, the lamp should be raised higher.
Most seeds will sprout within a week, but some may take a month to sprout.
A very important point in the development of pepino is the shedding of the seed coat by the cotyledons. They cannot always free themselves and rot. The sprouts need help: arm yourself with a magnifying glass and a sterile needle, carefully remove the shell. Care must be taken as the tiny pepinos are very fragile.
When the third true leaf appears, the seedlings are planted in individual cups. After a week, the backlight is reduced to 16 hours a day.For seedlings planted immediately in a separate container, the lighting is reduced when 2-3 true leaves are fully opened.
After a month, the backlight is reduced to 14 hours. By the beginning of March they switch to natural mode, of course, if the seedlings are on the windowsill. Otherwise, lighting conditions are made as close to natural as possible.
Water the soil regularly to keep it slightly moist. It should be borne in mind that with artificial lighting it dries out faster. Both a one-time lack of moisture and overwatering, which can cause blackleg and death of seedlings, are unacceptable.
The first fertilizing is applied two weeks after picking. Pepino, sown immediately in individual containers, is fertilized in the phase of the third true leaf. To do this, use a special fertilizer for seedlings or dilute a regular complex fertilizer 2-3 times more than what is written in the instructions. In the future, fertilize every 2 weeks. From March you can give complete fertilizing for nightshade crops. Fertilizers must be dissolved in water.
Important! Pepino in a pot is watered 10-12 hours before feeding.
The melon pear grows very slowly, when it has 6-8 true leaves, transfer it into a container with a volume of 700-800 ml so as not to disturb the earthen lump.

Growing pepino from cuttings

The melon pear forms many stepsons that need to be broken out regularly. They take root well and inherit their mother’s characteristics. So, even from one sprouted seed in a season you can get so many young plants that it is enough to plant a small plantation.

Pepino grown from cuttings and stepsons develop much faster than those obtained through seedlings.It is enough to cut off the lower leaves and place a piece of the stem in water or plant it in light soil. Roots form quickly and survival rate is high. There is no need to cover the cuttings with film, but they need to be sprayed frequently.

Pepino, taken out of the ground along with a lump of earth and planted in a pot, can be easily stored in the apartment. In the spring, cuttings are cut from the stems and rooted. Unlike the difficulties that seeds can bring, even a teenager can cope with vegetative propagation of pepino.

Important! Rooted cuttings are watered only when the soil dries to the depth of the first phalanx of the index finger.

Optimal conditions for growing pepino

The melon pear will do best in a greenhouse. But in the absence of a winter garden, pepino is grown on window sills, in greenhouses and open ground. It is convenient to plant the crop directly in large pots with a capacity of 5-10 liters. But then you need to make side holes so that excess moisture comes out into the ground through them (stagnation of water will definitely destroy the plant), feed and water with caution.

Pepino can only be grown in greenhouses if the temperature is controlled. It is often hot there up to 50⁰ C, and this will force the melon pear to shed its leaves and ovaries, even if they have grown enough to ripen in the summer.

In open ground, choose a place illuminated by the sun only in the first half of the day. Otherwise, the fruits will be preserved only inside the bush or where they are covered by other plants. Flowering will continue, but viable ovaries will appear by the end of August.

Important! Although pepino is self-pollinating, you can improve the yield and quality of the fruit by transferring pollen from flower to flower with a soft brush, or simply shaking the shoots.

Transplanting pepino into open ground is possible no earlier than May, when not only the soil has warmed up, but also the night temperature will be at least 10⁰ C. According to reviews, the crop can withstand a short-term drop to 8⁰ C.

Pepino can be planted quite compactly, but do not forget that the plant can reach 1.5-2 m in height, and its shoots are fragile, herbaceous, less than a centimeter thick. Without a garter, the melon pear will simply collapse under its own weight, and even if it doesn’t break, it will begin to take root. This will already lead to the appearance of dense thickets that, not only bear fruit, will bloom sparingly.

Stepchildren should be regularly removed, otherwise the pepino will spend all its energy on the formation of new side shoots, and not on fruiting. The resulting cuttings take root well, grow quickly, and under good conditions can even catch up with the mother plant. You should also remove the lower leaves to provide fresh air and make watering easier.

It is recommended to fertilize Pepino every 2 weeks, and it is better to use special fertilizers for nightshade crops. If the green mass grows quickly, but flowering does not occur, you should skip fertilizing - most likely, excess nitrogen has formed in the soil. This can even cause fruit to drop.

There is no need to pinch the top of pepino - it is an indeterminate plant with unlimited growth. Under good conditions, 2-3 shoots are formed, which are directed upward and tied up.If you do not remove the stepsons, there will be fewer fruits, however, according to reviews, they are much tastier than those formed on the main stem.

Important! Pepino should be cared for in the same way as an eggplant.

When the temperature drops and reaches 10⁰ C, the melon pear is removed from the street. It often happens that the fruits at this time have just begun to form or have not yet even reached technical ripeness. If the plant was planted directly in a pot, everything is simple: they dig it up, clear it of soil, put it in a beautiful pot and bring it into the house.

Important! Before sending the pepino indoors, it must be washed and treated with insecticides.

A melon pear planted in the ground without a container is carefully dug up and transplanted into a pot. The larger the earthen lump, the greater the likelihood that the plant will not shed its leaves and fruits after changing the conditions.

You can put the plant on the windowsill and wait for the fruits to ripen or new ones to set (the time is favorable for this). The mother plant, from which cuttings are supposed to be obtained in the spring, is sent to a cool room where the temperature does not drop below 10-15⁰ C.

Diseases and pests

Pepino is susceptible to all the diseases and pests that affect nightshade crops, but it also has its own problems:

the plant can destroy the Colorado potato beetle;
pepino is susceptible to spider mites, aphids and whiteflies;
Seedlings that are over-watered often have a black leg;
overwatering of mature plants causes various rots;
With a lack of copper, late blight develops.

Pepino should be inspected regularly and, if necessary, treated with appropriate fungicides or insecticides. Before transplanting into a pot, spraying is necessary.If problems began after pepino was brought into the house, the fungicides used are the same as in open ground; it is recommended to choose Actelik from insecticides.

Harvesting

Typically, pepino sown in November-December sets fruit by May. In this case, harvesting occurs in June-July. The fruits ripen unevenly, since flowering continues for a long time, especially if the stepsons are not removed. Unfavorable conditions can cause pepino to shed its ovaries and leaves, which grow back over time. Even during summer flowering, single fruits do not fall off, but reach ripeness. Most often they are hidden between the leaves.

Comment! If pepino is grown as a perennial crop, the second wave of ovary emergence begins in August and continues until October. In different varieties, the main fruiting can be either summer or winter.

According to reviews, the taste of overripe pepino is mediocre. The fruits reach technical maturity when the peel turns cream or yellow-orange, and lilac streaks begin to appear on the sides. At this time, pepino can be removed from the bush, wrapped in paper and left to ripen in a dark, well-ventilated place. The fruits will reach consumer maturity in 1-2 months.

Pepino reaches full ripeness as soon as its color appears fully, and the fruit is slightly pressed when pressed.

Important! There is no mass harvest of melon pears. The fruits are picked as they ripen.

How to eat pepino fruit

Residents of Japan and South America eat pepino fresh, removing the peel and removing the core and seeds. New Zealanders add fruits to meat and fish, and prepare sauces and desserts from them. Pepino can be added to compotes and made into jams.Due to the high content of pectins, the fruits make excellent jelly.

Interesting! Unripe pepino is edible and has a cucumber-like taste.

Fruits at the stage of technical ripeness can be stored for up to 2 months until they ripen.

Conclusion

Growing pepino at home in summer looks like fun. Its fruits cannot particularly diversify a table already rich in vegetables and fruits. But the winter harvest will not only surprise, but also saturate the body with vitamins, the lack of which is especially felt in the cold season.

Pepino: what kind of plant is it?