Winter melon plant grow and care – – plant of the genus Benincasa also known as Benincasa hispida, Winter melon annual plant grow as semi vine or vine, can grow mediterranean, desert, subtropics or tropics climate can be grown in temperate climate and growing in hardiness zone 5+, might need special care to bear fruit in hardiness zone 5-7.
Leaves color green in heard shape and lobed, margin also wavy.
Flower color yellow with five lobs, female contain semi fruits that looks like a little melon, and male flower are smaller
Winter melon plant fruits edible (vegetable)
Fruit in green color the taste is sweet when the fruit is young after the sweet taste gone and it use as vegetable the size can be 10-80 cm in round shapes and shapeless, after picked the fruit can be used after ripen, seeds also edible
Winter melon plant for sale – Seeds or Plants to Buy
No products found.
How to grow Winter melon plant growing and care:
Long summer at least 3 month from flowers recommend to watering on the ground and not watering on the leaves or the fruits, some species need trellising (the small ones),
What is the best way to start growing?
Seedling / Seed
Is it necessary to graft or use vegetative reproduction?
No
Difficulties or problems when growing:
When the plant attacked in the base if not treatment well it will die
Planting season – When to plant:
Spring
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, fungal disease, spider mites
Pruning season:
All the season
How to prune:
Infected leaves needed to take out, before cut, try to clean them, don’t prune growth vertex
Size of the plant:
2-6 m, 6-19 feet
Growth speed in optimal condition:
Fast growing / Medium growing
Water requirement:
Big amount of water
Light conditions in optimal condition for growing:
Full Sun
Is it possible to grow indoor as houseplant?
No
Growing is also possible in a planter /flowerpot / containers:
Yes
How to grow winter melon 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 / summer
General information about the flower
Yellow flower with five lobs, female contain semi fruits that looks like a little Winter melon, and male flower are smaller
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 – autumn
Fruits pests or diseases:
Powdery mildew
What can be done with big quantities of Winter melon fruits and how to eat?
Cooked, pickle
Work requirements on the fruit:
Sometimes to space it from the ground
How long does it take to bear fruit and when to harvest?
100- 140 days
How to grow Winter plant from seeds
Sowing requirement:
Easy to sow no special treatment
Saving seeds until sowing:
Room temperature, dry place
Sowing season:
Spring
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
Germination time:
4-20 days
Condition of seedling:
Warm weather, big amount of water, full sun
Do the seeds require burying?
No
Scientific name:
Benincasa hispida
Alternative names: Wax gourd, Ash gourd, White gourd, Winter gourd, Tallow gourd, Ash pumpkin
Categories
| Blooming Seasons |
|
|---|---|
| Edible Parts |
|
| Culinary uses |
|
| Flower colors |
|
| Climate |
|
| Harvest Season |
|
| Ornamental parts |
|
| Plant growing speed |
|
| Plant life-form |
|
| Plant Uses |
|
| Planting Season |
|
| Plants sun exposure |
|
| Watering plants |
|
| Hardiness zone |
|