How to grow Kiwano

Kiwano grow and care – herbaceous vine of the genus Cucumis also known as Horned melon or Cucumis metuliferus, Kiwano is an annual plant grow for the edible fruits and can grow in desert, mediterranean, subtropics, temperate or tropics climate and growing in hardiness zone 4+, in hardiness zone 4-5 might not bear fruits without right care.

Leaves color green leaves become hairy mature, the shape of the leaves is heart.

Flower color yellow with five lobs, female contain semi fruits that looks like a little fruit and male flower are smaller without

Kiwano fruits

Fruit color yellow, the seeds cover with juicy jelly like (remind passion-fruit) the peal is yellow-orange with spines, the taste similar to cucumber with little bit sweet banana, seeds edible.

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How to grow Kiwano growing and care:

Recommend to watering on the ground and not watering on the leaves or the fruits, need trellising depend on the species

What is the best way to start growing?
Plant / Seedling / Seed

Is it necessary to graft or use vegetative reproduction?
No

Difficulties or problems when growing:
?

Planting season:
End of the winter in cold climate spring

Pests and diseases:
Powdery mildew, aphids, Cucumber Beetles

Pruning season:
All season

How to prune:
Infected leaves needed to take out, also try to clean them

Size of the plant?
1-4 m, 40-160 inches

Growth speed in optimal condition:
Fast growing / Medium growing

Water requirement:
Small amount of water / Average amount of water

Light conditions in optimal condition for growing:
Full Sun / Half Shade

Is it possible to grow indoor as houseplant?
No

Growing is also possible in a planter /flowerpot / containers:
Yes, planting in containers need to be at least 10-20L (2.5-5 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:
Spring / Summer

General information about the flower
Yellow with five lobs, female contain semi fruits that looks like a little fruit and male flower are smaller without

Pollination is done by:
Bees +

Edible Fruits

Fruit harvest season:
Summer / Autumn

Fruits pests or diseases:
Powdery mildew

What can be done with big quantities of Kiwano fruits?
Eat raw, salad

Work requirements on the fruit:
Sometimes to space it from the ground

How long does it take to bear fruit?
50-80 days

How to grow Kiwano from seeds

Sowing requirement:
Easy to sow no special treatment, sowing temperature better to sow in 21-25C (70-77F)

Saving seeds until sowing:
Room temperature, dry place

Sowing season:
Spring (but in warm weather possible in the summer) and in cold climate start in the winter indoor

How to plant:
Better to plant it in light soil that will be well ventilated and keep the moist like vermiculite

Planting spacing – How far apart to plant:
Depend if trellising 40*50cm (16*20 inches) when crawling 1*1.25m (40-50 inches), sowing to transplanting 5*5cm (2*2 inches)

Depth of Sowing:
1-2cm (0.5-1 inch) from the top

Conditions for seeds germinate:
Moist soil, full sun

Watering requires for Seeds:
Average amount of water, don’t let it dry

Germination time:
5-20 days

Condition of seedling:
Warm weather, big amount of water, full sun, place to trellising

Do the seeds require burying?
No

Scientific name:

Cucumis metuliferus

Alternative names: Horned melon plant, African horned cucumber plant, Jelly melon, Kiwano melon, Spiked melon, Hedged gourd, Melano

How to grow Kiwano

Harvest Kiwano

Kiwano

Categories

Blooming Seasons
  • Spring flowers
Edible Parts
  • Edible Fruit
Culinary uses
  • Cooked
  • Stuffed or Wrapped
  • Vegetables
Flower colors
  • Yellow flower
Climate
  • Desert Climate
  • Mediterranean Climate
  • Subtropics Climate
  • Temperate Climate
  • Tropics Climate
Harvest Season
  • Summer Harvest
Ornamental parts
  • Ornamental fruit
Plant growing speed
  • Average growing plants
  • Fast growing plants
Plant life-form
  • Annual plant
  • Herbaceous
Plant Uses
  • Edible plants
  • Ornamental plants
Planting Season
  • Spring Planting
Plants sun exposure
  • Full sun Plants
Watering plants
  • Regularly water
Hardiness zone
  • Hardiness zone 10
  • Hardiness zone 11
  • Hardiness zone 12
  • Hardiness zone 13
  • Hardiness zone 4
  • Hardiness zone 5
  • Hardiness zone 6
  • Hardiness zone 7
  • Hardiness zone 8
  • Hardiness zone 9