Content
Planting and caring for physalis in open ground will not be difficult for interested gardeners. The annual vegetable species is still a curiosity in dachas, although a perennial ornamental crop with bright lantern fruits can often be found in gardens. Physalis is unpretentious, grown as seedlings, and ripens by the end of summer.
Where does physalis grow?
The natural habitat of the plant is Central and South America, the territory of modern Mexico. The decorative species, also called ordinary, is cold-resistant and winters well in the open ground in the middle zone. Its small fruits are inedible. Hobbyists also grow heat-loving strawberry or pubescent physalis, the small light orange fruits of which taste like the aroma of garden berries. The vegetable species, which is becoming more popular every year, has several varieties adapted to temperate climate conditions. Vegetable physalis bushes grown as seedlings for open ground also give a good harvest in the Non-Black Earth zone, in the Urals.
How does physalis grow?
When growing physalis from seeds, grains can be sown directly onto the site only in the southern regions, where there is no threat of return frosts. In all other areas, seedlings have been cared for indoors since the beginning of the month. If desired, vegetable physalis is planted on the balcony in tubs with 10 liters of soil. Several bushes are grown nearby, because the crop is cross-pollinating. Since the plant belongs to the nightshade family, caring for it is the same as for tomatoes. From the fruit left in the open ground for the winter, self-seeding plants often sprout in the spring, which also bear fruit abundantly.
A characteristic feature of physalis is a berry-shaped fruit, similar to a medium-sized green tomato, which is located in a shell, a dry cover formed from fused sepals. In the decorative variety, the orange-red berry is tiny; in the fruit variety, weighing 30-90 g, the berry is green, greenish-yellow or purple.
One plant in comfortable open ground conditions produces 150-200 fruits with a total weight of 3-5 kg.
Different vegetable varieties produce fruits that are round, flat, oval, smooth or ribbed. The plants are also excellent in structure. There are tall specimens up to 1 m, with branches that rise obliquely upward. In semi-cresting varieties, the branches bend downwards. The leaves are ovate, smooth, the flowers are small, yellow.
How to plant physalis seeds
Vegetable seedlings are ready to move into open ground after 30-35 days. For seedlings, vegetable physalis seeds are sown in mid-March or April. The grains are small, they are deepened by 0.5 cm. Physalis is picked with the development of 2-3 leaves.A comfortable temperature for sprouts is 18-20 °C. The substrate is kept moderately moist. 12-14 days after transplantation, the plants are fed with one of the special fertilizers for vegetable seedlings. After 7-10 days, the seedlings begin to harden for open ground, taking them out into the fresh air in partial shade.
Preparing the landing site
An exotic vegetable plant in open ground loves light and warmth, but will also tolerate light partial shade, drafts or winds. It is impossible to determine a low-lying area or soil with an acidic reaction for physalis. Heavy soils are not suitable for it either. This species is planted 10-12 days earlier than tomatoes, because even in open ground it is not afraid of slight cold snaps. The soil must be deeply loosened and enriched with humus and wood ash 2 weeks before planting.
Seed preparation
Crops are planted in open ground when the soil temperature rises to 9-12 °C. When planting physalis with seeds collected with your own hands, they are disinfected for 15 minutes in a pink solution of potassium permanganate.
This preparation is carried out for seeds that are sown for seedlings and directly into open ground. If desired, physalis can be planted in the fall. The sprouts emerge strong and hardened in the spring, but produce their harvest later than those that developed indoors.
Planting physalis in open ground
The seedlings are transferred to the soil in the middle zone climate from mid-May, when 5-6 leaves have formed. Plants are placed at intervals of 0.9 m using the square-cluster method. Or they retreat 70 cm between rows, and 50-60 cm between holes. The seedling is deepened to the first leaf. Vegetable physalis are usually powerful plants that rise up to 1 m in open ground and widely spread branches with leaves.
The bed is covered with a light net for shading during the midday.
Caring for physalis after planting
Caring for exotic vegetables in open ground is not difficult. The soil near the plants is regularly loosened and removed weeds. To reduce the time for this work, mulch is applied.
Watering and fertilizing
Plants need systematic watering every other day, especially in hot weather. If it rains, open soil is not poured additionally, only after the soil has dried.
The procedure for fertilizing a plot with vegetable crops:
- The first fertilizing with a nitrogen component is carried out 15-18 days after planting.
- The second - in the phase of buds or the beginning of flowering with the same substances.
- The last one is during the filling of the ovaries.
They use organic matter, complex mineral preparations for nightshades, as well as the usual means for open ground:
- 2 tablespoons of nitrophoska;
- 1 tablespoon of superphosphate;
- 1 tablespoon of ammonium nitrate;
- 1 tablespoon of potassium salt.
The selected substance is dissolved in 10 liters of water and the entire infusion is consumed at 1 liter per plant. Before fertilizing, the beds are watered abundantly. In moist soil, the preparations will be absorbed more quickly by the roots.
Topping
The process of growing and caring for physalis includes pinching the tops of the stems. This procedure is carried out in June, when the plant in the open ground has become stronger and well formed. Pinching helps increase the number of ovaries. During the growth of ovaries, tall plants are tied up or the area is well mulched with dry hay.
Preparing for winter
In our climate, only common or ornamental physalis bushes overwinter in open ground conditions. The colorful lantern-shaped fruits are cut when they acquire a rich hue. Otherwise, during the autumn rains, the dry shell in the open ground becomes dark. The bushes can withstand frosts down to -30°C. They are usually not trimmed or covered. Replant once every 5-6 years.
Reproduction
The vegetable species spreads by seeds, which can be sown in open ground in mild climates. In areas of the middle zone, the seedling method is more acceptable. A physalis fruit left by chance for the winter in the spring can germinate into several seedlings, the fruits of which will ripen only in September.
Decorative varieties for open ground are propagated by:
- seeds;
- cuttings;
- dividing the bush.
The grains are sown as in vegetable species. Cuttings are cut in July, choosing a fragment with 2-3 buds. Root using standard methods. Creeping rhizomes are divided in spring and autumn. The bushes quickly take root.
Diseases and pests
Physalis are resistant to diseases and are little susceptible to late blight. They are affected only due to improper agricultural practices:
- dense plantings;
- too frequent watering;
- drought conditions;
- proximity to weeds on which pests parasitize and pathogens of fungal or viral infections can develop.
Infection with mosaic viruses is especially dangerous when light spots appear chaotically on the leaves and the leaf blade wrinkles. Such specimens are removed with a clod of earth and burned. Do the same with plants infected with fusarium. They are recognized by the leaves first withering from below, and then the entire bush withers.
During hot weather without sprinkling, aphids develop.On 10-12 bushes it is removed with infusions of soap or soda. Insecticides are used over large areas. Underground pests, mole crickets and wireworms, gnaw at the roots. Wood ash is added to the area, which insects do not like.
When to remove physalis from the garden
3 months after germination, the fruits are already ripe; those on the bottom are ready first. The signal for collection is the dryness of the sepals. Physalis vegetable is also called glutinous because of the characteristic bitter substance under the covers. To get rid of it, the fruits are washed and then eaten. Delicious berries, sweet and sour or slightly sweet, are those that ripen in the summer. Autumn ones are used for preparations.
With a slight frost of - 1 ° C, the plant does not suffer. Unripe berries with the sticky substance remaining remain in the refrigerator for 4-5 months. If the frosts are early, the plant is uprooted and hung in a room where the fruits ripen.
What to plant after physalis
The crop is planted after cabbage or melons. The next year, the area is occupied with any plants except nightshades, so that the same diseases do not develop.
Conclusion
Planting and caring for physalis in the open ground is possible for a gardener with little experience. The fruits of the Mexican tomato will diversify the summer table and expand the range of preparations. Regular watering in hot weather, fertilizing with organic matter, pinching the tops are the main points in caring for an unpretentious crop.
