Characterization of Red Cucumber

Red cucumber is an unusual plant, it is also called “Tladianta dubious.” A few decades ago, red cucumbers were brought to Europe and America from Southeast Asia. This cucumber variety was cultivated by the Hmong tribe, living in Thailand, China, Burma, Laos and Vietnam. Today, vegetables are successfully grown in many countries of the world.

Characteristic of Red Cucumber

Characteristic cucumber

Cucumber T ladiant belongs to the pumpkin family. It got its name due to the similarity of unripe fruits to cucumbers. The color of the ripened crop turns red or orange. Also different from ordinary cucumbers Tladianta has a gun on the fruit, which disappears after a while.

Fruits grow no more than 6 cm in length and 2 cm in diameter. The pulp of ripened fruits of dark orange, has a specific taste. There are also many seeds inside.

Features

• Red cucumber has both male and female type of flowering. Only a culture with feminine attributes gives fruits. Tladianta is a perennial culture. In winter, she remains only like tubers, the upper part dies in the fall.
• This is a pollinated culture. In the homeland of Tladiant, insects pollinate in those parts. Growing red cucumber in other regions requires artificial pollination. To do this, take a soft brush or male flowers. At the same time, anthers are applied to the female pestle.
• There are hybrids of red cucumber. Breeders develop new varieties by crossing vegetables with pumpkin, melon and ordinary cucumber.
• Red cucumber is not only eaten. The culture has the appearance of a liana, tolerates bad weather conditions, is unpretentious, therefore it is used to decorate personal plots or balconies.
• A dubious tladiant grows up to 5 m in height. The entire stem is covered with small hairs. The tendrils grow in the culture, thanks to which it clings to the support, because it begins to grow and bear fruit after it rises.
• The sheets of dark green color are lowered down. They are heart-shaped. When the plant blooms, bright yellow buds appear, similar to tulips.
• In summer and early autumn, the culture blooms. Male flowers are different from female flowers. Male – five-part, golden yellow, grow in inflorescences, petals with a bend back. Female – flat, single.

Advantages of the variety

Positive aspects:

• healing properties;
• good taste;
• low maintenance;
• exquisite appearance.

Medicine

Among the advantages of red cucumber, useful properties are distinguished. If you regularly eat red cucumber, you can arrange the work of the gastrointestinal tract. It is also used to prevent such diseases.

Red cucumber is used for medical purposes

This vegetable is also used in medical practice in the East. From the tubers and seeds of red cucumber, a decoction is prepared that has a bile and diuretic effect. It is also used for coughing for expectorant action, as an astringent and anti-zingotic drug. In the flu season, a decoction is made from the flowers, which is drunk as a preventive measure.

After making pulp from the tubers, compresses are made. They treat sciatica and osteochondrosis. With the help of red cucumbers, they also get rid of headaches and hypertension.

Cooking

The vegetable contains a lot of vitamins (A, B, C, E), as well as micro and macro elements:

• calcium;
• potassium;
• magnesium;
• cobalt;
• iron;
• phosphorus and others.

To prepare dishes (salads, side dishes, snacks) take green fruits. They can be both raw and heat-treated. In addition, due to the presence of a large amount of sugar, ripened fruits are used for making jam, jams, marmalade and candied fruit. They even make preservation from this vegetable.This distinguishes the product from the rest.

Decor

A total of 2 plants of this species make a beautiful wicker fence, enclose a gazebo. They also decorate loggias, balconies. A bowl of leaves is thick. Fruits and flowers together give a beautiful color scheme. The result is a beautiful picture.

Variety deficiencies

The disadvantages include the fact that the Tladianta dubious grows too quickly over long distances.

Sugar also causes harm, which is a lot in Tladiant, therefore, people with diabetes should limit themselves in the use of this vegetable. Also, Red cucumber can cause allergic reactions in case of individual intolerance.

Planting

Choose the appropriate method for propagating the plant

The variety is propagated in two ways:

• sow seeds;
• plant tubers .

Seed method

To grow seedlings of Tladiant, first dry the seeds well at room temperature. They are black, small, have a round shape. Then they are left for 3-4 months in a room with a temperature of 1-5 ° C. Before sowing, the seeds are soaked for 6-8 hours in hot water. You can use a thermos. Sown in moist soil to a depth of 2-3 cm. Seedlings feel good at low, but plus temperatures.

Seedlings are planted in a permanent place in May, because the crop will spend all its energy on forming tubers.

Tuberous method

It is easiest to plant red cucumber with tubers . They are planted in the spring to a depth of 6-8 cm. New tubers are distributed up to a distance of 2 m. To avoid this, at a depth of half a meter they protect the planting site with pieces of slate. Separate individuals of different sexes: in the future it is difficult to distinguish them.

Tubers in the soil have a great winter.

Shoots appear in late May, soon grow. Male inflorescences quickly bloom, which can not be said about female. They bloom in July or August.

Soil selection and crop garter

Choose a landing site on the south side, it can be half-shaded. The soil should not be heavy. It is better to choose loose fertile soil.

Cucumber of this variety needs support, so it is often planted near fences, walls or trees. This does not cause much trouble and does not harm the plant. If you need to install a support, use pipes 3-4 m high. Of these, make an arc with the letter “P”. Between the pipes, a flat slate is instilled. Its edges should be visible from the ground. Make grooves, put tubers there, sprinkle with soil on top and make a fence.

Care for the bush

Red cucumber does not require much care.

Seedlings, after she has taken root, feed. To do this, choose complex mineral fertilizers or saltpeter.After the first buds appear, the soil is fed with phosphorus. When the bush begins to bear fruit, only organic fertilizers are applied: mullein or droppings.

You can prepare a special solution: 1 tbsp. ashes are poured with 2-3 liters of water, the resulting solution is allowed to infuse for 2 days. Bushes are watered, adhering to a dosage of 5 liters per 1 square. m.

Red cucumber watered 1-3 times a week, depending on climatic conditions, after which they must surely loosen the soil. The variety is especially in need of watering if it has been planted in a drought.

The lower shoots are pruned throughout the growing season: this prevents the spread of cucumbers. In the fall, cut off part of the plant located above the ground. Extra tubers are being dug up.

Pest Control

According to the description, red cucumber is exposed to the same diseases as ordinary green cucumbers, so fight pests need conventional means.

Conclusion

This type of table vegetable is rare in our latitudes. Those who have not grown this crop before should take into account all the features of these cucumbers. If you make a mistake in cultivation, they will grow to the entire site, crowding out other crops.