Chayote plant growing herbaceous vine of the genus Sechium also known as Chayote squash or Chuchu, Chayote plant is perennial plant but can grow as annual plant, mostly used for edible fruits also the tuber and the leaves edible can grow in mediterranean, subtropics or tropics climate and growing in hardiness zone 8-10 as annual and 11+ as perennial.
Leaves are edible when they are young and tender after that the leaves become hairy, the shape of the leaves is maple leaf shape.
Flower color is white, there are female and male flower.
Chayote plant edible fruits
Fruits edible are pear shaped, the color fruit are green or yellow. The weight is 100-900 gram, size 7-20 cm, the peal also edible and seeds are green-white and edible, taste reminds kohlrabi taste when eaten raw, recommend to harvest the fruit when it’s still soft, young and fully grown.
Tuber is edible brown skin and white from the inside
Chayote plant for sale – Seeds or Plants to Buy
How to grow Chayote plant growing and care:
Trellising, frost free, well-drained soil, slightly acid
How to care:
Add organic matter, fertilize twice a year, cover with mulch
What is the best way to start growing?
Seedling / Seed / vegetative reproduction – cutting
Is it necessary to graft or use vegetative reproduction?
The seeds are part of the fruits and it’s impossible to separate them from the fruits, and it’s easy to start by cutting
Difficulties or problems when growing:
Aggressive
Planting season:
Spring in hardiness zone 8-10, spring to summer in hardiness zone 11, all the year in hardiness zone 12+.
How to plant:
Planting in well ventilated soil, dig bigger hole than the plant and put organic matter, humus and dead leaves
Pests and diseases:
Powdery mildew, aphids, moth, virus, beetles
Pruning season:
No need. But possible all the season
How to prune:
Infected leaves needed to take out, pruning mostly for design and easy pickup
Size of the plant:
5-10 m, 15-30 feet
Growth speed in Chayote plant:
Fast growing
Chayote plant Irrigation Water Management:
Average amount of water to big amount of water
Water requirement:
Full Sun
Is it possible to grow indoor as houseplant?
No
Growing is also possible in a pot / planter /flowerpot / containers:
Yes
How to plant chayote in container:
Planting in containers need to be at least 20L (5 gallons), well-drained soil, the plant not react well to overwater, need to make enough holes in the container for good drainage also choosing soil for container important and need to be soil well ventilated, can be potting mix or peat soil with perlite, when use bottom for the pot need that it will dry in the same day.
Blooming information
Bloom season:
Late spring to summer autumn (in the tropical all year)
General information about the flower
White flower with five lobs, there are female and male flowers
Thinning the bloom:
Sometimes happened because disease or not enough water
Pollination is done by:
Bees and more pollinators, by hand
Edible Fruits
Fruit harvest season:
Summer to autumn (in the tropical all year)
Fruits pests or diseases:
Powdery mildew
What can be done with big quantities of Chayote plant fruits?
Cooked, baked, grilled, stir fry, fry, eaten raw
Work requirements on the fruit:
Trellising
How long does it take to bear fruit?
120-150 days (4-5 month)
Edible leaves
Leaves harvesting season:
All year
How to harvest the leaves?
From the base of the leaves
Information about leaves:
The shape of the leaves is maple leaf shape, the color light green
Uses of Chayote edible leaves:
Cooked, staffed leaves, stir fry, salad
Edible Roots
Information about tuber:
Brown skin and white from the inside
When to pull up tuber:
At least 10 month from planting can be all year long, in cold area in the autumn
Uses of Chayote edible tuber:
Cooked, staffed leaves, stir fry, salad
How to grow Chayote plant from seeds
Sowing requirement:
The seed germinate while inside the fruit, the seeds have short life and sprout plant from fruit
Saving seeds until sowing:
As long as the fruit alive the seed alive inside
Sowing season:
Spring in hardiness zone 8-10, spring to summer in hardiness zone 11, all the year in hardiness zone 12+.
How to plant:
Better to plant it in light soil that will be well ventilated and keep the moist like vermiculite
Planting spacing:
20-30 cm
Depth of Sowing:
Put the fruits on the soil and cover half of the fruits in 5cm (2 inches), possible without cover
Conditions for seeds germinate:
Moist soil, full sun
Watering requires for Seeds:
Average amount of water
Germination time:
10-20 days
Condition of seedling:
Warm weather, big amount of water, full sun, place to trellising
Do the seeds require burying?
No
Scientific name:
Sechium edule
Alternative names: Chayote squash, Chuchu, Mirliton plant, Sayote