Fruit "Dragon's eye": growing at home
The plant called "Dragon's Eye" has the botanical name longan. It belongs to the Sapindov family of dicotyledonous flowering plants.
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Description of the plant
It is not surprising that this plant is called the eye. The peeled fruit resembles an eyeball, and its bone is a pupil. Why dragon? Most likely because the plant on which these fruits grow grows in Southeast Asia. And there, dragons have a special relationship.
Longan is a tall evergreen tree. In the wild, this plant is rarely found even in its homeland. Usually its cultivars are grown, which are created by breeders in China. Their height is 10-12 m. At the same time, the width of the tree can reach 14 m. The bark is rough, in some countries it is used to heat houses. Leaves are compound, pinnate. The width reaches 5 cm, the length is 20 cm.
In China, Vietnam, Thailand and other countries in the region, longan fruits are ubiquitous.
They are sold in supermarkets and can be bought from street vendors' layouts. True, there is a risk of buying immature or overripe "dragon eyes". In the first case, they will be tasteless. But you shouldn't throw them away. You need to put off the fruits and wait until they "reach" to readiness. Worse if overripe fruits are caught. They are not stored for a long time and may turn sour. Therefore, when choosing longan fruits, it is better to take a little unripe. After all, they still need to be transported home to please loved ones or surprise acquaintances. You can store longan fruits in the refrigerator for about a week.
Longan fruits are collected in bunches. Each is about the size of a walnut, but perfectly round in shape. The peel covering the fruit is quite firm. The skin color is shades of brown. It cracks under mechanical stress and can be easily removed. Inside there is a colorless pulp, a seed plant called aryllus. A shiny dark round bone is clearly visible through it. This is the seed of the "dragon's eye". Its diameter is about 5 mm. A white dot is visible on the seed. This is the germ of the sprout.
How to consume the fruit
The edible part of the longan fruit is the vitreous arillus. It has a pleasant sweet taste, somewhat reminiscent of kiwi. There are notes of musk in it. It is very simple to feast on it - they remove the skin and eat it raw, throwing out the bones. If there are a lot of fruits, you can make sweet soup, various desserts, drinks from them. Can be prepared for the winter, canned or dried. 100 g of dried fruit contains 286 kcal (100 g fresh - 60 kcal).
It is not for nothing that the longan fruit is called the "eye". They improve vision. Longan fruits are valued not only for their unusual appearance and pleasant taste. The Chinese claim that eating them improves liver health. Longan fruits are used to treat the organs of the digestive tract, as an anthelmintic. They lower the temperature for colds.
Longan fruits act on the body as an invigorating agent that improves performance.
They calm the nervous system and help reduce anxiety levels. This is due to the high content of vitamins, iron salts, phosphorus, calcium.Scientists claim that the pulp of the fruit has antioxidant properties. The dragon's eye fruit is more than 80% water. Regular consumption of the fruit improves skin condition.
Some people have an individual intolerance to longan fruits. Therefore, the first time you need to use them carefully. Not fresh fruits can cause stomach upset and poisoning.
Growing at home
Most of those who have eaten these fruits are sorry to throw away its bones. There is a desire to plant them in order to grow at home. But will it germinate and grow in conditions that are fundamentally different from the usual? Will you be able to get the fruits? Such questions can be answered in the affirmative. Of course, not everyone will be able to get the fruits. But growing a beautiful home plant that will remind you of unusual fruits is real.
It is good if you can quickly plant seeds in the ground. Their germination rate is very high if the fruit was ripe. It has been noticed that in the fruits of longan bought in early summer, it is noticeably lower. If there is no way to plant seeds right away, you need to take care that they do not dry out and shrivel. After all, then the germination rate will be significantly reduced. The seeds are washed, kept in the air for several hours to dry out. Then wipe it with a napkin so that the seeds are not damaged by mold. Wrap it up with another napkin and hide it in foil or a small box. It is advisable to land them in two weeks.
cultivation features:
- The soil for growing longan must be moisture-proof. You can buy a mixture for exotic plants. A drainage layer of small pebbles or river sand is laid at the bottom of the pot.
- You need to plant seeds shallowly, a few centimeters, lightly sprinkling with soil. You can even submerge the seeds two-thirds of the way into the ground so that the top is above the ground.
- When planting, make sure that the white point - the embryo is on the side. This will facilitate the formation of the sprout and root. They don't need to bend, they grow in a straight line.
- Seeds from mature fruits germinate well with normal germination. They are kept in water for 3 days, then sent to the refrigerator for 5 days. Then they are planted in the ground. It's a good idea to scarify the seeds by scratching them with sandpaper or a knife. It is believed that the germination temperature of longan seeds should be at least 24 ° C. Moreover, with bottom heating. But experience shows that they germinate successfully in a glass covered with a damp cloth, even in the refrigerator.
- It is better to plant longan seeds in a deep bowl so as not to transplant a small seedling. It's a good idea to cover the sprout with a jar for the first month.
- If you have planted several seeds in one bowl, and they all sprouted, you will have to diveshoots. This must be done carefully so as not to damage the roots and stems of plants. To do this, water the soil abundantly with water at room temperature, wait for it to get wet. It is better to take it out of the pot with a special dive fork.
The planted plants are set in partial shade so that they take root, then transferred to a sunny place.
Longan care
The plant grows rapidly during the first weeks. But by the end of the first month, growth slows down, and will continue to grow slowly.
Care Tips:
- Longan needs regular watering. If the soil is dry, it sheds leaves or even dies. Excess moisture does not harm the plant. Moreover, excess water goes through the drainage into the sump.
- The optimal temperature for longan in summer is 22-25 ° C. But it also withstands a decrease to 12 ° C. Therefore, the plant can be taken outside in the summer. You just need to install it in a place where there are no drafts. A temperature of -2 ° C is unacceptable for him, the plant dies from the cold. In winter, you need to carefully monitor so that the plant is not destroyed by drafts.
- Longan likes to grow in a well-lit area. In autumn, the plant needs to extend the daylight hours to 12 hours using phytolamp... If this is not done, the tree will not bear fruit.
- You can feed organic or mineral fertilizers... They accelerate the growth of the tree, the leaves become larger. Formative pruning will help give the tree a beautiful shape. Longan takes it well.
- In the fall, the number of watering is reduced, the temperature is reduced to 16 ° C. The amount of light is not reduced. Thus, the plant goes through a dormant period, which ideally lasts 3 months.
- Longan at home can be affected by the scale insect, mealybug. You need to regularly inspect the plant so as not to miss their appearance. Prevention of mealybug can be regular spraying of the crown with warm water. Pests are destroyed with insecticides intended for indoor plants.
- Longan leaves may be affected powdery mildew... To combat it, the plant is treated fungicides.
Longan begins to bear fruit at 4-7 years. Of course, if he is properly cared for. But even without fruit, this plant will decorate the house thanks to its beautiful leaves.
More information can be found in the video: