How to grow ganja at home?

The evergreen tropical Longan tree grows in China, Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand. Its juicy, sweet fruit tastes somewhat like grapes. The whitish transparent pulp with a black or red bone inside resembles a dragon's eye in a section, and this is how the name of the fruit is translated from Chinese.

Longan: description and useful properties

The longan fruit is small in size and resembles a small potato. Its juicy flesh is covered with a thin, inedible rind that is easy to clean with your hands. The pulp has a pleasant, unobtrusive grapefruit aroma.

The fruits contain less than 1% protein, about 18% carbohydrates, as well as such useful substances:

• calcium;
• magnesium;
• potassium;
• phosphorus;
• iron;
• manganese;
• zinc;
• copper;
• vitamins C, B1, B2, B3;
• bioacids.

Eating longan is beneficial for skin health and youthfulness. The fruit is used in traditional Chinese medicine because it is believed that when dried, it has a calming effect on the human nervous system.

• Fresh fruits are eaten to raise the tone, relieve fatigue, dizziness and heart palpitations.
• Phenols are found in the pulp of longan, which have a healing effect on liver cells, reduce the negative effects of chemotherapy on the body.
• The fruits have anti-inflammatory and antipyretic properties. They are useful for treating gastrointestinal disorders, blurred vision and fever.

In China, not only the pulp of the fruit is considered healing, but also the seeds, leaves and flowers of the longan.

The seeds, according to traditional healers, can absorb snake venom if they are applied to the site of the bite. In a crushed form, they are used to reduce perspiration and as a hemostatic agent.

The nuances of growing at home

When grown in an apartment, Longan rarely bears fruit and is quite capricious. This thermophilic plant does not tolerate air temperatures below -2 ° C, therefore, it cannot be grown on a personal plot in central Russia.

Tubs with a plant in the summer are taken out to an open loggia or to a garden, since longan is useful for fresh air and an abundance of sun. In winter, it must be protected from drafts and cold.

The plant does not tolerate dry land at all and consumes water in large quantities. Care must be taken to ensure that there is good drainage in the planting tub. Top dressing is added in the form of granules or liquid. They can be applied all year round, since the plant does not have a dormant period. In winter, longan stops growing a little, but does not shed leaves.

Planting material and planting dates

For planting, use the bones of a ripe longan. They have 100% germination when taken from fresh, ripe fruits. It is worth noting that the shelf life of ripe fruits does not exceed 5-6 days, therefore unripe fruits are picked for export.And their seeds may not germinate well or not at all.

It is advisable to buy longan for seeds in those countries where it is cultivated.

Longan can also be grown from cuttings and seedlings. Various varieties and varieties are sold in China. Planting dates in indoor conditions are not tied to the season, but seedlings planted in spring develop best of all.

Growing soil and container

The plant has no special requirements for the soil. For its normal development, a universal soil with neutral acidity is suitable.

A volumetric container is needed for growing, since the tree has a large, well-developed root system.

Longan is a plant that needs an annual transplant, during which the planting capacity increases as the roots grow.

After watering, the soil must be loosened so that it has good permeability, is light and fertile.

Sowing fruit seeds

The seeds are planted in small containers with universal soil or in peat tablets. It is advisable to place each seed in a separate planting container. This is not difficult to do, since the seeds are quite large.

When planting, the seed is placed in the ground with a light spot to the side and buried in moist soil by 1 cm. You can cover the seed with a transparent jar until a sprout appears, but this is not necessary.

Crops and seedlings care

Seedlings after planting the seed in the soil appear rather quickly, within a week.

1. They need an air temperature of about + 24 ° C.
2. When the seeds hatch, the sprouts will need bright lighting. You can use a round-the-clock illumination with a fluorescent lamp in the first decade of seedling development. On short winter days, they must be highlighted so that the plants grow strong and do not stretch out.
3. Watered frequently with filtered water at room temperature. Saplings, like adult plants, are very fond of moisture, and if it is lacking, they stop developing, they can shed their foliage and die.
4. The soil must be constantly moist.
5. They also maintain high air humidity by spraying the leaves of the seedling with a spray bottle.

Picking

It is advisable to plant longan seeds in separate deep glasses, because these exotics grow quickly. In this case, the pick can be skipped, and when the seedling grows up, it is simply moved into a large planting container without destroying the earthen coma.

Longan tree care at home

In indoor conditions, the plant suffers especially from drying out of the soil in the pot, poor lighting and drafts. But with skillful longan care, a pretty evergreen tree with large leaves can grow.

For a plant, it is necessary to allocate a place near the lightest window, often spray, water and fertilize with dressings for decorative leafy indoor crops.

It is advisable to alternate mineral and organic supplements. In warm weather, the intensity of dressing is the same as that of most indoor plants - 2 times a month.

Fruiting period

The fruiting period begins at the 3rd or 7th year of the tree's life. In indoor conditions, the tree does not reach large crown sizes due to the limited space for root growth. The height of an adult plant grown in a room is about 2 meters. In nature, however, these trees reach more than 10 meters in height.

Under indoor conditions, it is difficult to achieve longan fruiting; there is no available information about the fruits obtained by someone. In southern regions with a warm tropical climate, the tree bears fruit successfully in the garden. The fruits appear in large bunches, they are harvested in the summer.

What to do if longan leaves turn black

At home, longan can be attacked by insect pests, like other indoor plants. Especially carefully you need to observe the plant in the summer, when it stands outdoors in the garden or on the loggia.

Dry air encourages spider mites to multiply.The appearance of an insect on a plant can be detected by a thin cobweb entangling the leaves. Simply spraying the leaves with water does not fix the problem; acaricides must be used. Fitoverm is a relatively safe preparation of acaricidal and insecticidal action. It helps to kill not only spider mites, but also scale insects, aphids, mealybugs and thrips.

Lovers of exotic plants will be interested in growing a healthy fruit from a small stone. The fruiting of an indoor tree will be a real triumph, but even if this does not happen, its appearance will not disappoint amateur flower growers. The large green leaves make Longan quite attractive to grow at home.

Growing longan fruit at home from seed before harvesting will take over 4 years. Best suited for this purpose is the bone taken from a ripe fruit.

Semen preparation

After removing the seed from the fruit, it must be prepared for planting:

1. Rinse off the remaining pulp.
2. Dry on a dry cloth for 2-5 days.
3. Take a plate and put a damp material on the sleep bottom.
4. Wrap the seed in this fabric.
5. Cover the container with cling film.

The cloth can be moistened with a root-cutting solution. This will speed up the emergence of roots.

Growing longan fruit at home should be done in warmth and moisture, so you need to monitor the temperature - at least 22 degrees and constant humidity of the matter. After one or two weeks, the seed will take root and can be planted in a pot.

Longan Seeds

Preparing the container and soil for cultivation

It is possible to grow a tree with a powerful root system only in a wide, deep pot with a thick bottom. It is better to purchase containers made of natural materials, they are breathable.

Drainage should be poured at the bottom of the pot: small stones or expanded clay.

The soil can be purchased at a specialty store. They sell ready-made mixtures for exotic trees.

Planting seeds

The germinated seed must be planted in a pot with the root down and covered with a layer of earth on top - no more than 4 centimeters. The container is placed in a warm place: 24-26 degrees. The sprouts will appear in 6-14 days.

You can also plant non-germinated seed. On their side there is a small bright area - the embryo. The bone should look to the side with this spot when planting.

Planting seeds of exotic fruit on the channel "Florists of all countries unite".

The subtleties of plant care

Growing longan fruit at home is possible only by creating tropical conditions. In the Russian climate, the tree will face an unusual change of seasons, which needs to be smoothed out with an even warm temperature and a certain level of humidity.

It is necessary to take care of the longan by doing:

• regular watering;
• weeding;
• disease prevention;
• timely tree transplant.

Conditions and care of crops

The air temperature in the room should be constant - 24-26 degrees. Sharp changes can slow down the growth of the plant, and in the cool, the longan will not hatch from the seed at all. The soil must be kept constantly moist, it must not be allowed to dry out.

If possible, you need to heat the pot from below by placing it on the battery. Special warming carpets are sold and can also be used.

Conditions and care of seedlings

To grow a fruit you need:

1. After the emergence of seedlings, you will need to monitor the daylight hours - 12 hours. If the street light is not enough, you will have to install a phytolamp. The tree will grow without illumination, but will not bear fruit.
2. Drafts should not be allowed, the plant can get sick and begin to wither. The temperature should be kept the same.
3. Longan is watered 2-3 times a week, more often when the soil dries out. Excess moisture does not harm him, and he does not tolerate drought.
4. The humidity in the room should be from 70%. This can be achieved by purchasing a humidifier. At low humidity, the leaves of the plant must be sprayed every day with a spray bottle.
5. From the moment shoots appear, it is necessary to start feeding the tree 2 times a month. It loves mineral-rich soil. Organo-mineral compositions are used as fertilizers according to the instructions. You should alternate the introduction of granules into the soil with spraying the leaves. One of these fertilizers is Sapropel.

Sapropel in granules - 110 rubles

In winter, the plant goes into hibernation: it does not bear fruit and does not develop. For three months, the frequency of watering is reduced to once every 7-10 days and the air temperature is reduced to 16 degrees. The lighting should be kept the same.

If several seeds are planted in the container or a small container was originally chosen, the sprouts must be transplanted. The first shoots dive at the age of 1-2 weeks, otherwise there will be a risk of damaging the growing roots.

Further care

Active growth lasts only 3 weeks from the moment the shoots appear. Further, development will slow down noticeably.

Caring for him will remain the same as for seedlings. After watering, the soil must be regularly loosened so that air penetrates to the roots.

After a year, the longan should be transplanted into a larger pot with new soil. This procedure is mandatory and annual.

In the southern regions of Russia, you can take the tree outside in the summer.

The appearance of the plant should be monitored, it can be attacked by pests:

1. Powdery mildew is a fungal disease in the form of white spots on the leaves. The diseased plant should be stopped spraying. In the fight against the disease will help: Nitrafen, Maxim.
2. Spider mites appear only at low air humidity. It mainly lives on the lower part of the leaves, entangles them with cobwebs. If found, wash the leaves with soapy water. If it does not help, then you can apply insecticides: Fitoverm, Neoron.
3. Scabbards are insects up to 0.5 centimeters in length, transparent in color. They destroy the plant in 3 years of their activity. If found, you need to treat the leaves with a solution of laundry soap. Their chemicals successfully destroy: Aktara, Confidor.

Fruiting period

The tree begins to bear fruit at 4-8 years of age - it all depends on the conditions in which the exotic grew. At this age, it should be 2 meters high and have a thin crown with long rich green leaves.

The ovaries appear in spring, and the fruits ripen in clusters from July to August.

Ripe fruits have:

• 1.2 to 2.5 centimeters in diameter;
• thin light brown rind;
• faint nutmeg aroma.

Photo gallery

Photo of trees and fruits longan.

Video

An adult longan plant on the Oksana Bondarenko canal.

Today, such exotic things as longan (the Chinese name for "dragon's eye") can be tasted not only while traveling in eastern countries, but also here - it appears more and more often in large supermarkets.

The fruit has many beneficial properties: it cleanses and rejuvenates the body, strengthens the immune and cardiovascular system, and improves brain function. Having tasted the "dragon's eye" once, they want to feast on again and again. For more details, see the article about longan.

And what to do with the bone? For those who like to acquire green "exotics" it will not be difficult at all to grow a longan at home - it looks very decorative, and with persistent efforts, there is hope to wait for the harvest.

Accustomed to the mild subtropical climate, the plant is absolutely not capricious and easily becomes indoor.

What you need to know before boarding

The most convenient way to grow the "dragon's eye" is from the bone. Seed germination is highespecially considering the following points:

Fully ripe fruit seeds germinate better than unripe fruit. Therefore, it is recommended to take "planting material" from fruits purchased directly from Thailand or other Asian countries. Longan is supplied to our stores "greenish", therefore, the chances that the seed will sprout are much less.

Attention!

Sometimes seeds from under-ripe fruits still germinate, but they take more time to do so.You should not give up, it is important to continue watering for at least two weeks.

It is not always possible to germinate the nucleoli of fruits purchased at the beginning of summer., our labor can be wasted. The reason is the same: the longan season is just beginning and it does not have time to fully mature.

Seed germination directly depends on their freshness. If, when we eat the "dragon's eye", it is possible to immediately stick the bone into the ground - this option is optimal. It is even allowed to "throw" the future longan to another subtropical plant (it is important that the soil composition is suitable), and then dive the shoots.

Being away from home, we are unlikely to be able to plant a bone right away. The algorithm of actions in this situation is as follows:

• we clean the core from the remnants of the pulp and dry it during the day in the open air, avoiding direct sunlight;
• we carefully wipe it with a cloth so that there is no mold;
• wrap in several layers of napkins and pack in foil;
• put in a box and close tightly.

In this form the bone can last up to 2 weeks and we will deliver it to the place of "residence" without any problems.

A dried seed that has been left outside the fruit for a long time will not germinate.

How to properly prepare a bone

Experienced growers recommend planting longan seed without any preliminary preparation, as soon as it is extracted from the fruit. To speed up germination, the bone is placed in water at room temperature for 3 days, and then kept in the refrigerator for another 2 days.

There is also another way. A plant growth stimulator is added to warm water and the longan kernels are left in solution for 6 to 8 hours. After that, you can land.

However, not everyone has the patience and is able to withstand the torment of the unknown, waiting for a seed to sprout. It is much easier to constantly monitor the process, carrying out germination without soil. It is desirable that we have at least 5 seeds in our arsenal.

Seed germination:

1. After eating the fruits of the longan, we extract the nucleoli from them, put them on a paper napkin and leave them for 1 - 2 days.
2. Next, wrap the seeds in a damp cotton cloth, lay out the resulting "bundles" on a tray and place them in a plastic bag. It is not worth using cling film as a greenhouse, since periodically the planting material will have to be moistened.
3. The tray is placed in a warm place. Usually the roots hatch after 7-14 days. It is very important that the seeds are constantly in a humid environment, therefore, the cloth, as it dries, is sprayed from a spray bottle.

To make longan take a good start

Like other inhabitants of the subtropics, the Dimocarpus longan tree needs warmth and high humidity... It is especially important to provide comfortable conditions for young, still fragile shoots.

To begin with, let's put our bone in the ground correctly:

1. Find a small light speck on the dark seed. So that the root and stem grow in the right direction, this "mark" should be on the side when landing.
2. We spread the bottom of the pot with a thick layer of drainage: small pebbles plus river sand, and then fill in a suitable soil. It is best to purchase a ready-made potting mix for exotic plants..

   Attention!

   If we intend to plant several seeds in one container, it should not be too small, since there is a possibility of a large number of seedlings. They need space to grow and get stronger.

3. We place the seed shallowly - one and a half its height, sprinkle with a thin layer of earth and be sure to water abundantly... You can lightly rub the surface with sandpaper before planting or scratch it with a knife - it will be easier for the sprouts to break through.
4. The room temperature must be at least 24 ° C. In winter, you can place the seed pot on the shelf above the radiator.
5. Longan does not like drafts very much. Therefore, the container with seeds is covered with a mini-greenhouse made of polyethylene or a plastic cup.

   Important!

   Every day, the impromptu "greenhouse" is cleaned for a short time to provide fresh air.

6. Longan shoots resemble a small loop, light green, almost white. Inexperienced gardeners often mistake the stem for a root that has not sprouted correctly and may even try to remedy the situation. This is by no means necessary. In a few days, the "loop" will straighten and the first two leaves will appear on its crown.

How to care for seedlings

Longan sprouts are very vulnerable. It is undesirable to dive them too early, so as not to damage the roots and weaken the seedlings. If possible, it is better to immediately plant the seeds in separate, small-sized containers.

The first two weeks, the seedlings are actively growing. However, when they reach a height of about 15 cm, they slow down, which can cause anxiety. The owners begin to actively "feed" the plant, but in fact, this "behavior" is quite normal.

During this period, the root system is formed and strengthened.

What young plants definitely need:

• long-term lighting, at least 12 hours a day;
• regular watering and spraying;
• warmly;
• top dressing;
• a spacious pot, where there will be no tightly powerful and branched roots.

Most Longan at any age afraid of drafts and dry air... He feels good both in the southeast and southwest windows, where there is a lot of sunshine. However, you need to make sure that the plant is not near the balcony or in the area of ​​the open sash. It is recommended for seedlings to make a greenhouse - this is the best protection against all the troubles associated with the climate of our apartments, unlike the subtropics.

The most comfortable temperature for a longan during the growth period is 22 - 25 ° C. If the room is cooler, it is better to put a special infrared mat under the exotic pot.

Water the plant as the soil dries. It is also necessary to regularly spray the leaves. Water quality requires special attention. Ideally, it should be purified, free of chlorine, for example, well or rainwater.

During the cold season, when there is not enough natural light, the plant is placed under a fluorescent or LED lamp... Backlighting is best done both in the morning and in the evening.

Longan must be fed with nitrogen-containing fertilizers, especially during the period of intensive development. However, it is important to observe the measure and not over-stimulate the plant, so as not to get the opposite effect.

"Adult" longan: how to grow it and wait for the harvest

The house tree needs to form a beautiful crown. Pruningas in the case of lychee, better to produce after a yearwhen the plant gets stronger. In the future, it is necessary to provide uniform illumination so that the branches grow symmetrically.

Watering as the topsoil dries up and spraying the leaves is still an important factor in longan wellbeing. It is not difficult to notice that he does not have enough water - the tree begins to shed its leaves. But overflow is not needed either: the roots will begin to rot.

If brown spots appear along the edges of the leaves, most likely the plant is already suffering from excess moisture. In this case, it is necessary to loosen the soil well in order to provide air access to the deep layers and thereby dry them out.

Attention!

You do not need to plant grown trees immediately in a spacious pot. There is a danger of flooding them. It is more correct to transplant longan as it grows. If the root is very long, it should be pinned.

The plant is "fed" regularly, throughout its life. However, the "dragon's eye" has a special period that requires completely different conditions of detention. This is the time from the end of November to March, when he rests and gains strength before active growth, and in nature, flowering and fruiting.

Dormant period

Like lychee, starting in late autumn, Longan has a period of rest for three months... At this time it is necessary:

1. Reduce the room temperature to 14 - 16 ° C. Of course, this is not always possible, but it will not be difficult to cover the battery in the place where the longan stands.

   Important!

   In no case should you open windows for ventilation in winter without first removing the capricious inhabitant of the subtropics from the window sill. Sometimes one breath of cold air is enough for a robust-looking, luxurious plant to die.

2. Longan loves water, but not during rest periods. If in the summer it is even allowed to "fill in" a little, in the winter the soil condition must be monitored very carefully. Since the plant "drinks" much less, with an excess of moisture, there is a high probability of root rot.
3. In no case should the longan be deprived of additional lighting, otherwise it will not be able to get stronger for the spring revival.
4. Top dressing during the dormant period needs minimal.

Pests

The three main enemies of the subtropical "exotic":

• scabbard
• mealybug
• spider mite

The last pest is well protected by abundant spraying of the leaves with warm water.

The scabbard, the appearance of which on the plant is evidenced by numerous brownish tubercles, is best simply washed off with soapy water. And then use insecticides for further prevention.

The mealybug, which leaves characteristic sweet dew on the branches and leaves, is similarly destroyed. To prevent this pest from appearing at all, the plant must not be overdried.

Harvest

So, we found out if it is possible to plant a longan at home and how difficult it is to care for it. But the main question remains open: will the tree give a harvest? Unfortunately, there can be disappointment for amateur gardeners.

Yes, with careful care and compliance with all necessary conditions, at 4-7 years of age, longan blooms and gives the first ovary... There will be few fruits on it, although their number directly depends on the size of the plant. In the southern regions, where the climate is close to subtropical, for example, on the Black Sea coast of Russia, longan can be grown in large tubs, exposed to the open air in summer. Here, the opportunity to achieve a harvest is much higher.

If the plant is at home all year round, it is most likely should be perceived as decorative, not fruit... This is the main difference between Longan and its closest relative, the lychee. The Chinese plum is quite capable of making us happy with the harvest in an ordinary city apartment.

Longan, moreover, is less resistant to unusual weather conditions and rarely survives to fruiting.

Does it mean that we need to give up and get away from the idea of ​​growing it? Of course not. After all, the very process of emerging from the stone of a unique exotic tree is fascinating and can bring a lot of positive emotions.

Therefore, we will definitely try. First, the fruit itself tastes, and then it is grown from the seed. Good luck with your experiments!

Useful video

This video contains various photos of the growing process:

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