How to grow physalis from seeds at home: planting and care with video

Physalis is not so common in summer cottages. Many gardeners do not even know what this plant is for. Meanwhile, physalis is used in cooking and for the preparation of traditional medicine. It is not difficult to grow physalis seeds at home.

Choosing a variety of Physalis for growing at home

There are two varieties of plants - vegetable and ornamental. Depending on the purpose of cultivation, one or another type should be preferred. The most famous edible physalis is called Mexican.

Physalis vegetable varieties:

Pineapple - fruits are small, the smell of ripe vegetables resembles pineapple. The berries taste sweet. The variety belongs to early ripening. Grown to make jam.
Strawberry - the height of the bush is no more than 70 cm. The fruits are small. The skin is a rich yellow-mustard hue, the berries taste sweet. Suitable for fresh consumption.
Korolek - used for making jam, candied fruits, caviar, as well as for preservation.
Vegetable confectioner - mid-early variety. The peel of the fruit is light green or yellow. The berries are large in size.

There are a huge number of varieties of nightshade culture. Their characteristics are similar.

Preparing for landing

Particular attention when growing any crop is given to planting seeds and growing seedlings. The future harvest depends on this stage.

Date of planting

The optimal time for planting seeds of a plant is mid-March and until the end of April. Seedlings sprout and grow for 45-50 days. As a rule, seedlings should be planted in open ground in early May. In addition, it is important to plant seedlings after there are no frosts at night.

Soil Requirements

Culture grows on any type of soil. But there is one condition that must be observed. Before planting seedlings, the soil must be dug up to a depth of 20-25 cm and rotted manure should be applied Physalis prefers to grow on loose soils, so you need to saturate the soil with oxygen before planting.

Using fresh manure is not recommended. It is too concentrated and negatively affects the growth of young plants. Dig up the soil in early spring, as soon as the earth warms up.

Seed rejection

The plant has very small seeds. And in order to increase the germination of seedlings, they are rejected before planting seeds in open ground. To do this, dilute half a tablespoon of s alt in a glass of water. Pour the seeds into the solution. Those seeds that have surfaced are not suitable for planting. They can be thrown away. And those that remain at the bottom are planted in the soil.

Caring for physalis at home

Plants are planted in one container. Their seeds are small and planting a vegetable in different containers is problematic. The first days, when the seedlings grow up, she is kept in the house. Seedlings are planted in the soil outside after the soil warms up.

In order to increase the yield, seedlings are regularly looked after. Although the vegetable is not demanding, it still needs minimal care.Bushes do not need to stepchild and tie up, unlike the closest relatives of physalis - tomatoes. The more branches there are on the bush, the higher the yield.

The beds need to be watered several times a week (depending on the weather) and weeds removed. Mature bushes need even less care than seedlings. Since the plant belongs to perennials, in the middle of autumn you need to think about preparing the bushes for winter. The culture is not frost-resistant, so it must be covered for the winter.

Before the cold weather, the bushes are cut at the root. Then they cover the roots with spruce branches or leaves from the garden. If the plant is an annual, then it is simply dug up along with the rhizome.

Harvesting

Physalis berries begin to be harvested after the bright petals containing the fruit begin to dry out and fade. Berries ripen unevenly. At first, those berries that are closer to the soil ripen.Then everyone else. If not collected in time, they begin to fall to the ground and deteriorate. True, if the weather is dry and warm, then you need to collect fallen fruits. And if it rains outside, then the berries rot, and the caterpillars eat them. Such berries are not suitable for cooking. Ripe fruits have a pleasant aroma.

In order to store physalis for some time, its fruits are harvested a little unripe. Moreover, the berries are cut along with the bushes. While they are stored, the fruits will receive nutrients from the tops. You can store vegetables this way for several weeks.

Physalis berries are eaten fresh. Also, jam is made from them, candied fruits are made and canned. In addition, various folk remedies for diseases are prepared on their basis. It is a versatile fruit that is rich in nutrients and trace elements essential for the human body.