Decorative pumpkin: description of varieties, cultivation and use with photos

Often when decorating a garden, ordinary flowers and other decorative elements are used. However, some gardeners use unusual vegetables for this, which include decorative pumpkin. In the past few years, the plant has been gaining popularity among fans of growing vegetables. Pumpkin bushes have rather strong shoots, on which large fruits with an unusual shape eventually appear. They are also painted in bright colors, which will delight the eyes of not only the owners of the garden or vegetable garden, but also the guests.

Why should I grow her?

Before growing pumpkins of bizarre shapes, you should figure out why they are grown. There are several reasons many people plant ornamental gourd varieties:

• Beauty. The main reason is the beauty of pumpkin bushes. They have bright orange, green, yellow flowers, unique leaves and unusual fruits, the originality of which attracts people.
• Growth rate. A feature of ornamental pumpkin varieties is the growth rate of bushes. Within a month, they grow up to five meters in length, so many use it for vertical gardening of country courtyards or gardens.
• Easy maintenance. It is quite easy to care for such a plant, as it is unpretentious. It is enough to regularly water the bushes so that they do not fade from drought.

Decorative pumpkin miniature

There are quite a few ornamental gourd varieties that anyone can purchase at the store. For example, vegetable growers often plant orange varieties of the vegetable, as they differ from many other varieties in their bright orange color.

The fruits are rounded and look like an orange. There are varieties that are completely different from orange types of vegetables. These include bottle varieties, the fruits of which are bottle-shaped. These vegetables have a mottled greenish color.

Despite the fact that the varieties of decorative pumpkins differ, they all have in common the diminutiveness of the fruit. The fruits of almost all varieties are small and weigh no more than 200-300 grams.

Can I eat it?

Many people who plan to grow ornamental varieties wonder if they can be eaten and used in cooking.

Some believe that the ripened fruits are used only for decoration, and this is partly true. Such varieties of pumpkins were bred specifically for use in design and therefore their taste is not very good. However, some species are still used for cooking.

For this, it is better to use only young fruits, as ripe ones are covered with a hard crust and have a bitter taste. Therefore, ripe pumpkin fruits are used to feed livestock.

There are several ornamental varieties that were bred specifically for human consumption. These include Baby Boo, Sweet Dumpling and Bee Little.

Growing

To grow your own decorative pumpkin, you should follow the basic rules for growing ordinary pumpkin varieties.

The first half of June or the end of May is perfect for planting this vegetable, as night frosts will disappear by this time. In the southern regions of the country, planting a vegetable is carried out by seeds, and in the northern regions, a seedling method is used.

If you properly plant and properly care for the planted plants, the bushes will grow 5-8 meters in height.

How are small varieties grown?

Special mention should be made of bush varieties of ornamental pumpkin, as they have certain growing characteristics. They land in the ground on June 5-10. To do this, the area intended for planting the plant is pre-fertilized with top dressing. Then small holes are made in it with a distance of about 40-50 cm from each other. 2-3 seeds are placed in each of the holes, after which they are sprinkled with soil.

Such varieties are most often planted in small lawns or flowerbeds as a decorative ornament. In order for the plant to grow better, the soil is periodically sprinkled with compost. Regular fertilization will improve yields and speed up fruit ripening.

Place for a decorative pumpkin

Before growing any variety of pumpkin, choose the most suitable area for planting it. When choosing a site, they take into account that pumpkin bushes need a strong and reliable support, since at the end of the season a lot of green mass grows on the bushes.Therefore, many recommend planting a vegetable in dense soils.

If the plant is planted in the garden, then well-heated areas are selected for this, on which beets, onions, carrots, legumes or cabbage were previously grown. It is not recommended to grow vegetables in places where cucumbers, potatoes, melons or zucchini used to grow. It will not be possible to get a good harvest in such a territory.

Also, when choosing, pay attention to the plants that will grow nearby. A pumpkin cannot be planted if spinach, peas, beans or onions are planted near it. These plants attract pests that can harm pumpkin bushes.

Seed Selection

The quality of the harvest largely depends on the selected seeds for further planting. Therefore, it is recommended to pay attention to the choice of planting material.

If the pumpkin will be eaten, then pay attention to the size of the variety. To make the fruits tastier and sweeter, varieties with small fruits are chosen for planting.

During the selection, pay attention to the appearance of the planting material. Its peel should be perfectly smooth and free of defects on the surface. If there are wavy stripes on the peel, then it is better not to choose such seeds, since they contain nitrates. Also, do not use a seed with dark spots on the surface for planting.

Growing from seeds: agricultural practices

When growing pumpkins from seeds, a seedless method is used, which is most often used by residents of the southern regions of the country. Seeds are planted in the soil only if the earth is well warmed up to a temperature of about 15 degrees.

Before planting, all seeds are pre-treated. To do this, they are heated for about 10 hours at a temperature of about 40-50 degrees, after which they are treated with an ash solution. This is done to speed up the emergence of the first shoots and the ripening of fruits.

When the seed is prepared, they mark out and make rows with holes for planting a vegetable on the site. The diameter of each hole should be at least 35 cm. After creating rows, 2-4 seeds are placed in the holes, which are watered with warm water immediately after planting. All crops on the site are covered with a film to protect the seedlings from possible frosts.

Seedlings

Residents of the northern regions of the country are advised to plant pumpkins in seedlings, as seeds planted in open ground will not germinate due to frost.

Before planting seeds for growing seedlings, they are engaged in preliminary preparation of the soil mixture. For its preparation, the soil is mixed with organic and mineral supplements, which will improve the germination of planted seeds. The prepared soil is placed in small peat pots with a diameter of about 20 cm. No more than one seed is planted in each pot.If you plant two or more seeds, they will not grow well.

All containers with planted pumpkin seeds are covered with foil and transferred to a well-lit room.

How to prepare seedlings?

Before transplanting seedlings into open ground, you must first prepare and grow seedlings. Therefore, it is recommended to familiarize yourself with the features of growing pumpkin seedlings.

After the first shoots appear, all pots with planted plants are placed on windowsills so that direct rays of light fall on them. In the room where the seedlings are grown, the optimum temperature is maintained. During the daytime, the temperature should not fall below 20 degrees, and at night - below 15 degrees. When growing, all seedlings are periodically watered with warm water. At the same time, watering is carried out in such a way that the soil is not heavily waterlogged.

Also seedlings are regularly fed with fertilizers. To prepare a feed mixture, 20 grams of potassium sulfate, a liter of mullein and 20 grams of superphosphate are added to 10 liters of water. Two weeks before transplanting seedlings into open ground, the plants are hardened. To do this, containers with pumpkins are taken outside daily so that they get used to new temperatures.

Proper planting of seedlings in open ground

Pumpkin needs open air and therefore its seedlings will have to be transplanted outside. As with planting seeds, planting seedlings in the ground begins with the preparation of holes. For seedlings, the holes are made a little deeper than for seeds, and therefore their depth should not be less than 10 cm. Fertilizers are added to each created hole in the form of 50 grams of ash, 40 grams of superphosphate mixed with water.

After top dressing, all holes are moistened with warm water so that the soil is moist when planting a decorative pumpkin.Having finished with watering, the seedlings are taken out of the pots along with the root, placed in the ground and covered with earth. Then the site is mulched with peat and re-sprinkled with dry soil.

Planting seedlings in a greenhouse

Sometimes, due to the climate, it is not possible to grow pumpkin bushes on the street and you have to plant them in greenhouses. Before planting seedlings, you should make sure that all the windows are fully open.

Planted plants need good ventilation during flowering. You should also take care of the lighting, because without enough light, the bushes will not grow well.

After preparing the greenhouse, holes are created for planting seedlings. As with planting in the garden, the depth of the holes should be about 10-12 cm. All rows are pre-watered with warm water, after which the seedlings are planted.

Decorative pumpkin care

When growing ornamental varieties of pumpkins, be sure to take care of them. The yield of plants depends on the quality of care for planted seedlings. Caring for pumpkin bushes consists in regular weeding of the site from weeds, watering and fertilizing the planted bushes. Sometimes you have to do the pollination of plants yourself. Most often this is done if the plant is grown in greenhouse conditions. However, sometimes incomplete fertilization of the ovaries occurs when grown outdoors.

Feeding

It is recommended to regularly feed the bushes with fertilizers to increase the yield of planted seedlings. For the first time, fertilizers are added to the site 10-15 days after planting seedlings in the garden. To do this, manure and chicken manure are added to the soil in a ratio of one to four. These organic top dressings are added three times a month.

Also, experienced gardeners recommend adding a solution of wood ash to the soil where the pumpkin is grown. It enriches the soil with nutrients and protects the leaves of the bushes from yellowing. To prepare it, 10 liters of water is mixed with 100 grams of ash.

To use this fertilizer, small holes are made around each bush, into which the prepared mixture is poured. After top dressing is completed, all fertilizer pits are covered with soil.

Pollination

It often happens that when growing pumpkin plants, part of the ovaries rot and fall off. It seems to many that this happens due to a lack of nutrients in the soil. However, this problem is associated with poor pollination by the plant. Therefore, in order to get a good harvest in the future, it is recommended to carry out pollination of plants yourself.

Pollination should be done before 11 o'clock in the morning, as this is the most suitable time. To do this, you will have to pick a male flower from one bush, tear out the petals from it and touch the anthers of the plant to the pistil of one of the female flowers. The procedure is repeated until all female flowers are pollinated.

Decorative pumpkin varieties

Pumpkin vegetable culture belongs to gourds and is the most common plant among other representatives. It's no secret that there are three main types of pumpkins, which include hard-skinned, large-fruited and nutmeg varieties. Many consider ornamental pumpkins to be a separate type of plant, but this is not so. Ornamental gourds are slightly modified hard-barked varieties.

Ornamental gourd plants also come in many varieties. Therefore, before planting, it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with the most common decorative representatives.

Legenaria

Pumpkin Lagenaria is popular among fans of growing vegetables. The plant differs from other ornamental varieties in the length of its bushes, which grow to 10-12 meters. The fruits of the plant have a bizarre shape, outwardly resembling a nesting doll.In our country, this variety is commonly called a serpentine pumpkin or gourd.

This variety of pumpkin plants is planted not only to decorate the site, but also for food. It is also often used in folk medicine and preparations are made from it for the treatment of diseases of the heart, stomach and kidneys.

Crown or star gourd

A feature of this variety is the unique shape of the fruit, which can be umbellate, star-shaped or crown-shaped. The plant is considered undersized, as it grows up to 1-2 meters in height. Most often it is used to decorate the walls of buildings, arches or gazebos.

Star-shaped variety loves warmth and therefore it is recommended to plant it in the second half of May.

Warty

The warty variety is considered one of the most unique, as it has an extensive range of colors. The fruits can turn yellow, white, black and orange. Sometimes there are spotted and striped pumpkins, which are immediately painted in two colors.

It is customary to plant bushes in April or early May. With proper care, the plant grows up to three meters.

Pear-shaped

Decorative curly pumpkin in the form of a pear attracts the attention of many vegetable growers. This plant is used to decorate summer cottages and for eating.

The peculiarities of the variety include pear-shaped fruits, which can be painted in different colors. Some varieties of pear gourds are bicolored and striped.

Bottle gourd

Another common ornamental gourd plant is the bottle gourd. Bottle-grade gourd vines are quite long and grow up to 15 meters. Plants have useful properties, which is why it is often used for the preparation of medicines. Also, the fruits of the variety are used to create dishes. In India, China and Africa, dishes made from this plant are still used.

Mandarin Mandarin

By the name of the variety, it becomes clear that the fruits of the vegetable look like tangerines. They are orange in color and have a rounded shape. Also, the fruits are not very large and weigh only 300 grams.

Orange

This ornamental cultivar has an orange-like appearance as its fruits are bright orange in color and shaped like a fruit. Each pumpkin fruit weighs about 250 grams.

Chalmoid or pumpkin fungus chump

This variety differs from many ornamental cucurbits in that it has rather large fruits. Another difference between the turban-shaped pumpkin is that the vegetable consists of two parts. Its upper part is slightly convex and stands out against the background of the lower one. Because of this, the shape of the fruit resembles a fungus.

The plant is not classified as a tall pumpkin variety, as it grows up to one and a half meters.

Jack be little

This type of pumpkin resembles the Orange variety, since the fruits are also painted in bright orange colors and have a diameter of about 10 cm. The bushes are highly productive, since each of them grows about 10-15 fruits weighing 100-120 grams . The variety is used to decorate the site and prepare vegetable dishes.

Turkish turban

This edible variety differs from other species in its growth rate. In a few weeks, the plant grows up to six meters. This allows the use of bushes in the organization of vertical gardening of the site. The Turkish turban is considered a light-loving variety and therefore it is planted only in areas with good lighting. The fruits of an ornamental vegetable are not very large and grow only up to 15 cm in diameter.

Baby Boo Baby Boo

Baby Boo is considered a unique pumpkin variety, as its fruits have a perfectly white color.The weight of each pumpkin does not exceed 200 grams, and the diameter is 10-15 cm. The surface of the vegetable is perfectly even and smooth. A mature plant is more often used not for decorating plots, but for cooking.

Sweet Dumpling Sweet Dumpling

This variety of pumpkin plants is considered the most beautiful. Its fruits are colored green and covered with small stripes of orange. Applied grade for interior decoration.

Kleine bicolor

The variety belongs to the pear-shaped varieties of pumpkins, as their fruits are pear-shaped. The color of ripe vegetables varies, but green pumpkins are more common.

Bischofsmutzen

The vegetables belonging to the Bischofsmutzen variety are less common than others. Ripe pumpkins, which consist of hemispheres of different sizes, are considered a characteristic feature of such plants. Half of the vegetable turns white, and the other half turns green or red.

Cou-Tors Native

The plant belongs to the varieties of torticollis. The fruits have an original shape that distinguishes them from other types of vegetables. They are shaped like swans and covered in orange bulges all over.

Goose in apples

Feature of goose pumpkin variety in apples is its fertility. About five kilograms of crops are harvested from one bush. The harvested fruits are used to make pumpkin porridge and puree.

Diseases and pests

The bushes of this vegetable crop often suffer from fungal diseases. Many bushes die from black mold, which stops the growth of plants. When the disease appears, the leaves become covered with small spots. Over time, the spots begin to dry and cavities appear in their places.

Powdery mildew is also considered a common disease. On the leaves of plants with the disease, a whitish coating appears, which looks like flour. Leaves with bloom gradually dry and fall off.

Among dangerous insects, slugs that feed on leaves of bushes should be distinguished. Most often, these pests appear on plants after prolonged rains. It is recommended to immediately get rid of slugs, as they take root on the site for several years.

Using ripe fruit

Sometimes people who grow ornamental pumpkin varieties just don't know what to do with it. Of course, many try to use the fruits in cooking.

Some varieties are great for preserving and preparing vegetable salads or dishes. However, most often a decorative pumpkin is used to decorate rooms or gardens. Dried fruits are used to make excellent handicrafts, which include lanterns, vases, boxes and even candle holders.

Creative people use the vegetable to create artistic painting and burning pictures.

How do pumpkins dry?

Particular attention is paid to the peculiarities of drying the harvested fruits, as dried pumpkin is often used for decoration. The entire harvest is carefully sorted out to weed out unripe pumpkins. To distinguish ripe fruits from unripe ones, pay attention to their dried stalk. It is also almost impossible to leave scratches on a fully ripe pumpkin.

All selected ripe pumpkins are washed from dirt with warm water, wiped dry and treated with an alcohol solution. Then the vegetables are transferred to a warm room with good ventilation for further drying. It is necessary to regularly inspect the harvested crop, as some of them rot when dried. Rotten fruits are disposed of immediately so that the rot does not spread to neighboring pumpkins.

Also, when examining vegetables, pay attention to the presence of mold on their surface. If signs of mold are noticed on the peel, the vegetables are immediately treated with antiseptic agents. Sometimes they get rid of it with rags and bleach.

To make sure that the pumpkin is well dried, it is thrown into a container of water. If it sinks, it means that the harvest is not completely dry yet.

How are pumpkins processed?

When using dried pumpkins to decorate the interior of the house, you will have to pre-process the vegetable. First, all fruits are polished with sandpaper to get rid of the husks on the surface. Then a pattern is cut out on the walls and painted. Some wax the surface of the fruit to make it firmer.

In the manufacture of dishes, pumpkins are drilled with a drill with various drills to make holes of the required diameters in them. Before drilling, the vegetable is opened and all seeds and pulp are removed from it.

Conclusion

Many vegetable lovers are engaged in the cultivation of decorative varieties of pumpkins. Before you start planting such a plant, you should familiarize yourself with the known varieties and the features of their cultivation in a garden or greenhouse.

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