Hi all!

Who's talking about what, but I'm talking about fruits from Thailand. Many who have been to Asia on vacation have tried longan. But if suddenly you are one of those who haven’t seen it yet, haven’t tried it, I’ll tell you what it tastes like and what it is, and I’ll also touch on such an interesting point as growing longan at home.

This one has exotic fruit There is also another name - " eye of the Dragon "You can try this fruit as an option in Thailand or Vietnam; China is considered its homeland.

Longan grows in clusters on tall evergreen trees; from the outside they reminded me of grapes.

PRICE

In October, at the markets of Phuket, for 1 kilogram of longan they asked for 80 baht (about 160 rubles).

For comparison, Russian online stores offer longan for 1,300 rubles per 1 kg.

And you know, I don’t advise you to buy it in Russia. For some reason, in Thailand it was eaten easily, like sunflower seeds, but when they brought it to Russia, it lay in our refrigerator for almost a month and no one ate it. Then my husband took a Thai wonder to work, and there were some brave souls there to try it.

STORING LONGAN

At room temperature the ripe fruit is stored no more than 3-4 days. By placing it in fridge, shelf life can be extended up to 7-10 days. Longan can also be frozen; it does not lose its properties at all. taste qualities, and can lie in the freezer for several months.

And on another site it says that the shelf life in the refrigerator is 4 weeks. I think that this is closer to the truth, since I tried fruit with such a shelf life and it did not deteriorate or lose its taste. But I don’t recommend buying a lot at once, so as not to store it for so long.

APPEARANCE

It reminded me of very small potatoes (2 cm) on a branch and these potatoes are sold in bunches.

The peel is light Brown with dark brown spots.

Easy to clean. The peel comes off like an egg shell, and inside is a white cloudy ball.

The thickness of the peel is 1-2 mm.

INSIDE

If you cut it, you can see one large bone in the center.

The stone is very hard, smooth, similar to a hazelnut only in color - rich brown. These seeds can be dried and used in children's crafts.

FRAGRANCE

Reminded me of sperm, disgusting, better not to smell it.

TASTE

Sweet like green grapes. It is easy to eat and has a sour aftertaste. None of my loved ones had any adverse reactions from the digestive system. If you abuse it for the first time, your stomach may react.

Externally, longkong is similar to longkong, but these fruits taste different and I liked longkong better, but my husband liked longkong, so everything is individual. Every man to his own taste.

CALORIES

Low: 100 g fruit contain approximately 60 Kcal.

COMPOUND

100 g of longan have: water - 82.8 g; fat - 0.1 g; carbohydrates - 15.1 g; proteins - 1.3 g; fiber - 1.1 g.

The fruit also contains: potassium- 266 mg; magnesium- 10 mg; calcium- 1 mg; phosphorus- 21 mg; manganese- 0.05 mg; copper- 0.2 mg; gland- 0.13 mg; zinc- 0.05 mg.

BENEFIT

The pulp of the fruit is used in oriental medicine for the treatment of inflammation, stomach diseases or as antipyretic.

Longan immunity improves And rises tone the whole organism as a whole.

Used for relieving fatigue and dizziness, improved vision And concentration, normalization of sleep, with poor metabolism and as a sedative.

Longan seed powder is used to stop bleeding, treat eczema, hernias, dropsy, and enlarged lymph nodes.

GROWING AT HOME

The child stuck two fresh longan seeds from a ripe fruit into a pot of ficus, and after about 20-30 days two “weeds” grew. They grew quickly and rapidly, reaching for the sun. They love moisture along the way.

After half a month, I decided to transplant them into another pot. The roots were strongly intertwined with the ficus, twisted around, so that I even had to tear off part of the rhizome.

I made sure that it was a longan, the bones were still there, sprouts grew out of them.

I found some soil and drainage at home, so I transplanted the longans into another pot. And if you are planning to germinate longan seeds, know that they germinate well from fresh fruit and it is better to immediately plant them in a separate container.

The leaves of the sprouts are green, oblong with veins.

I didn’t do anything supernatural when planting, I just poured soil into a pot, put drainage on top and watered it.

There are currently 13 leaves.

During the month they were in the new pot, the longans did not grow much while they got used to their new location. It’s a pity that they most likely won’t bear fruit, since they need to be grafted.

Fans indoor floriculture They have long gone beyond the usual begonias and geraniums, turning their attention to more exotic plants.

It is no longer difficult to acquire your own figs, coffee or feijoa - every year new specimens from distant, mysterious countries appear on windowsills.

Growing longan at home is a new hobby for home gardeners.

Longan - appearance

The fruit brought from China, which we call longan, is called “the eye of the dragon” - “long yang” in its homeland. The fruits are formed on large, natural environment evergreen trees of the Sapindaceae family exceeding 30 m. Cultivated ones rarely exceed the 20-meter mark.

The fruits themselves small size, look like nuts that hang on branches in clusters. The peel is dense, but thin, colored in “walnut colors” - from dark yellow to brown with a reddish tint. The pulp of the fruit is edible - tender, almost transparent, with a pleasant specific smell, sweet in taste with a musky note.

The inedible peel of the dragon's eye is successfully used as a heating material - when dried, it burns well and gives even heat.

A large seed is clearly visible through the glassy pulp of a ripe longan, which gives the fruit a resemblance to an eye.

The benefits of longan pulp on the human body

The leaves of the plant are rich in quercetin, a powerful antioxidant that simultaneously has a pronounced antibacterial and antiviral effect. Their decoctions or infusions help reduce the manifestations of allergies, are useful for diabetics of both types, and increase the tone and resistance of the body in the treatment of cancer and problems of the cardiovascular system.

Fruit seeds contain many saponins - substances with a soapy effect. Based on them, natural detergents for home use.

The harm that eating fruit can cause is not known, except in cases of individual intolerance.

Longan in a pot

Preparing the seed and planting it

The best seeds for planting are those that have just been removed from the fruit. The following factors are taken into account:

1. There are no specific planting dates; they focus only on the freshness of the planting material - no more than 15 days of storage.
2. 100% germination is achieved by seeds selected from fruits directly in the place of growth - the countries of Southeast Asia. You can preserve them by thoroughly clearing them of the pulp, drying them slightly, wrapping them first in a dry napkin, then in foil and packing them in a box.
3. The seeds, selected from fruits sold in local supermarkets, have about 50% germination. Reason: for export, the fruits are picked unripe, and therefore the seeds do not receive sufficient nutrition.

The worst results come from fruits purchased in spring.

Before planting, it is preferable to scarify the seed, that is, slightly disturb the hard shell with sandpaper, a nail file, a file, or simply scratch it with a sharp knife. This will allow you to wait for the first shoots faster.

Pre-soaking the seed in water (2-3 days) and then daily stratification in the refrigerator also helps to speed up germination. Another possibility is to keep the seed in a growth stimulant solution for 6–8 hours.

Plant the seed at a depth equal to one and a half its size. At the same time, make sure that the light spot on the shell looks to the side.

Immediately after planting, the soil is moistened warm water, make a mini-greenhouse and place the glass in a warm place with good lighting.

Usually a thin stem appears already 10–12 days after planting, the root develops earlier - a thick root breaks through the shell within a week.

A longan sprout is a thin twig-loop, which due to inexperience can be confused with a root. At first there are no leaves or buds on it; they form 4–5 days after germination.

Caring for seedlings and shoots

Tropical exotics require appropriate conditions for successful growth.

Lighting

To place the container with the tree, choose the lightest window sill. Duration daylight hours- at least 12 hours, so the pot with the seedling needs additional lighting.

Picking

The procedure is necessary if several seeds were planted in one container or seedlings grow in small cups. It is carried out according to the algorithm:

1. Water the sprouts generously.
2. Prepare new pots - disinfect them, add a drainage layer, then a soil mixture, moisten it.
3. The seedlings are carefully removed from the old container. If several pieces grow together, use a special picking fork.
4. The roots are pinched at 1–2 cm.
5. Place the plants in new pots, add more substrate, and water them.

After transplanting, the pots are placed on a well-lit, warm windowsill. They are protected from direct sunlight for several days using a matte film or thin white cloth.

Caring for an adult plant

When grown at home, longan is not capricious. It is important for him to comply with the following conditions:

• good lighting 12 hours/day;
• maintaining a temperature of 20–25°C;
• constantly moist soil;
• regular feeding;
• annual transplant in spring;
• formative pruning - if necessary.

It is useful for longans to spend summer time in the fresh air - in the garden, on the balcony. At the same time, we should not forget about the temperature required by the plant - above 20°C. When it gets cold, the pots need to be brought indoors.

The first ovaries are formed in the fourth year, less often - in the third year, if all the conditions of maintenance fully correspond to the required ones. The tree bears fruit qualitatively at a more mature age, starting from 7 years.

Rest period

For the tree to fully develop in winter, it is given a dormant period of three months. From the end of autumn, watering is reduced, the temperature is lowered to 15–16 ° C, with the same daylight hours. No fertilizing is applied.

At the end of winter, the tree is transferred to a warm place and the watering and fertilizing regime is restored. After 10–15 days, they are transplanted into a larger container.

Longan pest control and pest control

Dangerous diseases include fungal infections - powdery mildew, root rot. As a preventive measure, several crystals of potassium permanganate are added to the water for irrigation once every two weeks. If the temperature in the room where the tree is kept drops below 20°C, reduce watering.

If signs of disease appear, treatment with Fitosporin is carried out; the last resort is emergency transplant plants with washing and cleaning of the root system.

To grow an exotic tropical tree at home, no special knowledge is required. It is enough to follow the rules of planting a seed and caring for a tree in order to enjoy the unusual, but tasty, healthy fruits in a few years.

Where should I put the bone? For those who like to acquire green “exotics”, it will not be at all difficult to grow longan at home - it looks very decorative, and with persistent efforts there is hope of a harvest.

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

What you need to know before boarding

The most convenient way to grow a “dragon eye” is from a seed. Seed germination rate is high, especially if you consider the following points:

The seeds of fully ripened fruits germinate better than those of unripe ones. 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 unripe fruits still germinate, but they take longer 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 kernels of fruits purchased at the beginning of summer, our work may be in vain. The reason is still the same: the longan season is just beginning and it does not have time to fully ripen.

The germination of seeds 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 pick up the sprouts.


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

• we clean the kernel from any remaining pulp and dry it during the day in the open air, avoiding direct sunlight;
• Wipe it thoroughly with a cloth to prevent mold;
• wrap in several layers of napkins and pack in foil;
• Place in a box and close tightly.

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

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

How to properly prepare a bone

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

There is another way. IN warm water add a plant growth stimulator and leave the longan kernels in the solution for 6 - 8 hours. After this, you can plant.

However, not everyone has patience and is able to withstand the torment of uncertainty, waiting for the seed to sprout. It is much easier to constantly monitor the process by germinating without soil. It is advisable that we have at least 5 bones in our arsenal.

Seed germination:

1. After enjoying the longan fruits, remove the kernels from them, place them on a paper napkin and leave for 1 to 2 days.
2. Next, wrap the seeds in damp cotton cloth, lay out the resulting “packages” on a tray and place them in plastic bag. You should not use cling film as a greenhouse, since the planting material will have to be moistened periodically.
3. Place the tray in a warm place. Usually the roots hatch in 7–14 days. It is very important that the seeds are constantly in a moist environment, so as the fabric dries, it is sprayed with a spray bottle.

So that the longan is well received

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


First, let’s plant our seed correctly in the ground:

1. We will find a small light spot on the dark seed. To ensure that the root and stem grow in the right direction, this “mark” should be on the side when landing.
2. We lay out the bottom of the pot with a thick layer of drainage: small pebbles plus river sand, and then pour suitable soil. It is best to purchase a ready-made soil mixture 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 appearing. They need space to grow and get stronger.

3. We place the seed shallowly - one and a half times its height, sprinkle it with a thin layer of earth and be sure to water thoroughly. Before planting, you can lightly rub the surface with sandpaper or scratch it with a knife - it will be easier for the sprouts to break through.
4. The room temperature should not be lower than 24ºС. IN winter period You can place a pot of seeds on a shelf above the radiator.
5. Longan really does not like drafts. Therefore, the container with seeds is covered with a mini-greenhouse made of polyethylene or a plastic cup.

   Every day, the makeshift “greenhouse” is briefly removed to allow fresh air to enter.

6. Longan shoots resemble a small loop, light green, almost white. Inexperienced gardeners often mistake a stem for a root that has not sprouted correctly and may even try to correct the situation. There is no need to do this under any circumstances. After a few days, the “loop” will straighten out and the first two leaves will appear on its top.

How to care for seedlings

Longan sprouts are very vulnerable. It is not advisable to pick 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 containers.

During the first two weeks, the seedlings actively grow. However, after reaching a height of about 15 cm, they slow down, which can cause concern. 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;
• warm;
• feeding;
• a spacious pot where powerful and branched roots will not be cramped.

Most longan at any age afraid of drafts and dry air. It does well in both the southeast and southwest windows, where there is a lot of sunlight. However, you need to make sure that the plant does not end up next to the balcony or in the area of ​​the open sash. It is recommended that seedlings make a greenhouse - this best protection from all the troubles associated with the climate of our apartments, unlike the subtropics.

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

The plant should be watered as the soil dries out. It is also necessary to spray the leaves regularly. Special attention requires water quality. Ideally, it should be purified, without chlorine impurities, for example, from a well or rainwater.

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

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

“Adult” longan: how to grow it and wait for harvest

A home tree needs to form a beautiful crown. Pruning, as in the case of lychee, better to produce after a year when the plant gets stronger. In the future, it is necessary to provide uniform lighting so that the branches grow symmetrically.

Watering as the top layer of soil dries and spraying the leaves is still an important factor in the good health of the longan. It is not difficult to notice that it does not have enough water - the tree begins to shed its leaves. But there is no need for overwatering: the roots will begin to rot.

If along the edges of the leaves there are brown spots, most likely the plant is already suffering from excess moisture. In this case, you need to loosen the soil well to provide air access to the deep layers and thereby dry them.

Attention!

There is no need to plant grown trees immediately in a spacious pot. There is a danger of flooding them. It is more correct to replant longan as it grows. If the root is very elongated, it should be pinched.

The plant is “feeded” regularly throughout its life. However, the “eye of the dragon” 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 by flowering and fruiting.

Rest period

, starting in late autumn, longan begins a dormant period for three months. At this time it is necessary:

1. Reduce the room temperature to 14 – 16ºС. Of course, this is not always possible, but covering the battery in the place where the longan is located will not be difficult.

   Under no circumstances should windows be opened for ventilation. winter time, without first removing the capricious inhabitant of the subtropics from the windowsill. Sometimes one breath of cold air is enough for a strong-looking, luxurious plant to die.

2. Longan loves water, but not during the rest period. If in summer time It is even allowed to “flood” it a little; in winter you need to monitor the condition of the soil very carefully. Since the plant “drinks” much less, if there is an excess of moisture, there is a high probability of root rotting.
3. In no case should the longan be deprived of additional lighting, otherwise it will not be able to properly strengthen for the spring revival.
4. Minimal feeding is needed during the dormant period.

Pests

Three main enemies of subtropical “exotic”:

• scale insect
• mealybug
• spider mite

The latter pest is well protected by generously spraying the leaves with warm water.

Scale insects, the appearance of which is indicated by numerous brownish tubercles on the plant, are best simply washed off with soap and water. And then use insecticides for further prevention.

Mealybugs are similarly destroyed, leaving a characteristic sweet dew on the branches and leaves. To prevent this pest from appearing at all, the plant should not be overdried.

Harvest

So, we found out whether it is possible to plant longan at home and how difficult it is to care for it. But the main question remains open: will the tree produce a harvest?? Unfortunately, amateur gardeners may be disappointed here.


Yes, with careful care and compliance with all necessary conditions, at 4–7 years of life, the longan blooms and produces 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 the 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, and not as fruit. This is the main difference between longan and its closest relative, lychee. The Chinese plum is quite capable of making us happy with the harvest in an ordinary city apartment.

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

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

Therefore, we will definitely try it. First, taste the fruit itself, and then grow it from the seed. Happy experiments everyone!

Useful video

This video contains various photos growing process:

In recent years, people of the post-Soviet space have greatly enriched their knowledge (and skills!) in cooking, and also discovered many different previously unfamiliar products. However, some still keep their secrets, which would be nice to reveal. Such mysteries include fruits from the Sapindaceae family: pulasan, longan, lychee, ackee, rambutan, corlan and the funny-sounding mamoncillo. The thing is that it is almost impossible to find such fruits on the open market; even these fruits are rarely used in recipes, so only people who have traveled around Asia can talk about them. Meanwhile, there is an opportunity to create an interesting experiment: it is relatively easy to grow the same longan at home, but then you can try this fruit yourself and brag to your friends.

What is this strange plant?

Actually, this is the name of a tree that grows almost everywhere, in Taiwan, China, Indonesia, Vietnam. In Asian countries it is called Lam Yai. And translated from Chinese, the name translates as: The fruits that grow on it have a dense but thin skin; it protects the fruit well from infections and insects, but can be easily peeled off, which is an additional bonus for fruit consumers.

At the “beginning of his career,” longan was grown almost on an industrial scale by Indians and Sri Lankans. Then it gradually spread to nearby countries. Where you can buy longan, it is sold in bunches. Moreover, the most delicious is considered to be the one that is not only from the branch, but has already been lying around for a while in a warehouse or store.

Useful exotics

Why is it suggested to grow longan at home? This is just a storehouse of positive qualities. Women simply have to fall in love with it: the fruit has a magical effect on the skin. At the same time, it also stops general aging, contains a lot of necessary microelements and vitamins and contains compounds that perfectly protect the liver from the chemicals and toxins it processes. For those losing weight, longan is also invaluable: no fat, no protein. Simply by eating this fruit, you can get rid of dizziness and fatigue, relieve stress and nervous tension, improve sleep and get rid of elevated temperature. All these reasons are quite conducive to attempts to cultivate longan at home.

How to choose and eat longan with the greatest benefit

If you manage to find a place that sells this miracle product, remember it! At least until you figure out how to grow your own longan. However, remember that you and the seller have different interests, and you need to respect yours. Choose the fruit correctly, that is, first of all, reject bunches that have cracks in the berries. It is advisable that you are allowed to try one berry, since depending on where the longan was grown, it may be very sour or too sweet.

If you want to enjoy the gifts of Asian nature longer, store the fruits in the refrigerator. This way they won't spoil for almost a week. In the warmth (and not in summer) three days is the limit.

Longan can be eaten fresh as an independent product - this is the most popular Thai method. But it is especially good with coconut milk and rice (necessarily sticky). As an option, boil the dried longan with sugar a little and combine with ice. The drink is refreshing, quenches thirst and awakens appetite.

It is also good with ice cream and in salads; The filling for pancakes and pies also comes out wonderful. In sauces (especially fish), longan is simply irreplaceable. And in medical purposes it is used for diarrhea - it stops diarrhea almost instantly, and also disinfects the intestines.

How to enrich your home garden: taking care of the bone

It is almost impossible to buy seeds of this tree; and even if you find them, the price will clearly not please you. So if you come across a fruit in the supermarket, think about it: shouldn’t you grow longan from a seed? It's not very difficult, but very entertaining. The only “ambush”: you will have to wait eight years (at least) for fruiting. Or you will have to look for a tree that is already bearing fruit and graft a petiole from it.

So, let’s imagine that you managed to find (buy, steal, trade) a tree seed from which a longan will subsequently grow. Growing at home begins with proper handling planting material. That is, the seed needs to be washed thoroughly, the uneaten fruit residues must be cleaned off, a pot with moistened soil must be prepared and the seed pressed into it. This should be done not very deep and not too superficial - about 4 centimeters (one and a half “growth” of the bone). The pot is wrapped in plastic film, which is removed every day for ventilation; the soil is kept moist. The seed may hatch from a week to four weeks.

You can speed up this process. This recommendation is especially good if, in your opinion, the fruit has been stored in a store or warehouse for quite a long time. In order for longan, grown at home, to sprout successfully, you need to soak the seed for about three days, and then put it in the refrigerator for five days.

How to protect sprouts

In no less than 2 weeks, shoots will appear. They will grow rapidly for the same amount of time, and then growth will slow down significantly. By that time, the sprout will have stretched 15 centimeters. There is no need to worry about stopping growth - this is a plant that rises slowly. However, this applies to all stone fruits. Console yourself with the thought that you already have longan in your home greenhouse. Growing this plant at home in the future is not much different from most others.

If the fruits have already appeared

It will take several years to wait for this, so be patient. However, sooner or later this moment will come, and you need to be prepared to handle the fruit correctly. The best solution would be to dry them. All beneficial features and the taste qualities of the fruits are preserved, and they can be used for many years. At the same time, the option of preparing our usual dried fruits will not work here: first you will have to boil the fruits, and only then dry them - in the oven or naturally (as circumstances allow).

In a word, if you have the opportunity and you don’t mind “indoor” gardening work, try growing longan. The photo clearly shows that even without fruits it is quite capable of decorating your collection of indoor plants.

There are many fruits in the world that many people don't even know exist. So, the residents of China are most likely little informed about the gooseberries or cranberries we are used to, and the average person from the Russian hinterland has probably never even heard of longan or rambutan. However, the modern level of development of the media gives us the opportunity to learn about a wide variety of exotic cultures. So today we will talk about such a tasty and very healthy curiosity as longan, and we will also find out whether it is possible to grow it amazing plant at home.

Longan is a fruit whose historical homeland is China. In this country, it is one of the favorites; it is consumed as food, as a delicacy, and also as a source of many useful substances. In addition, this culture is actively used as medicine for the treatment and prevention of various ailments. Today, this plant is cultivated in Indonesia, Vietnam, and also in Taiwan.

Longan can be colored different colors, from reddish-yellow to brown. This fruit has a thin and fairly dense skin that can be easily peeled off. The pulp of longan is very sweet and highly juicy; small notes of musk are clearly felt in it. In the middle of the light and delicate fruit there is a fairly large seed, colored black. The fruits form clusters and grow on evergreen trees, which wild conditions grow up to twenty meters.

What are the beneficial properties of longan?

Longan contains many vitamins. This fruit is an excellent source of ascorbic acid, in addition, it contains a lot of B vitamins. Also, its pulp is rich in macro and microelements, among which there is especially a lot of phosphorus, magnesium, calcium and copper. Longan also contains iron, manganese and zinc. This fruit is especially rich in potassium; one hundred grams of this pulp contains more than two hundred and fifty milligrams of this substance.

This exotic fruit saturates the entire body with health, nourishing its tissues nutritional components. The phenols contained in this product have an antioxidant effect, which slows down the aging of tissues and cells of the human body by an order of magnitude. Also, these components have a positive effect on the condition of the liver and other organs, helping to protect the body from the pathological effects of substances used in chemotherapy.

In China, longan is often used as a tonic. This fruit is used for ailments in which a person feels weakness, fatigue, dizziness, tachycardia, and the quality of vision may deteriorate. It has a positive effect on the activity of the digestive tract, promoting the activation of the intestines and stomach. Longan is also capable of lowering body temperature, calming overexcitement, improving the quality of sleep and memory, and increasing concentration.

Growing

Longan is a fairly heat-loving plant. In adulthood, it can only tolerate a slight drop in temperature to minus two degrees. In winter, the tree sleeps, which ensures excellent fruiting in the future. Since this culture is natural conditions If it grows in a fairly humid climate, it loves water very much. Don’t be afraid to overfill it, beware of excessive dryness of the soil. Even a short-term drought is fraught with the dropping of leaves from the plant, as a result of which it may die.

Longan is considered quite unpretentious when grown indoors. This crop is propagated by seeds; they retain their similarity for up to two weeks after removal from the fruit. In addition, it is considered possible to plant this crop using cuttings.

Seeds should be placed in a wide and fairly deep container filled with a fertile mixture. Great option There will be a soil mixture for exotic plants, purchased at the nearest flower shop. At the bottom of the container it is worth placing drainage - small pebbles and coarse river sand. The seeds germinate within a fairly quick time and almost all together. The seedlings look quite large and have thick roots.

Successful germination is only possible if the air temperature does not drop below twenty-five degrees. After you see that the seed has hatched, build a small greenhouse over it. If daylight hours at this time of year last less than twelve hours, then the plants need additional lighting. In addition to frequent and abundant watering, regular spraying is also required. A week after germination, the plants should be planted in different containers.

Fruiting can occur three to five years after planting. The fruits form clusters that look like grapes. If you grow longan at home, do not forget to carry out regular formative pruning. In certain cases, the plant may suffer from attack different types scale insects, spider mite, and mealybug.

Conclusion

We talked about the benefits of longan and how to grow this fruit at home. Although longan is rare and exotic plant in our country, everyone can grow it in their own home. To do this, you just need a fairly fresh seed of this tasty and very healthy fruit.