The physalis plant belongs to the Solanaceae family. Its name is translated from Greek as “bubble” - this is what the red-orange cup of the plant resembles in its shape. More popular among gardeners is the comparison of these cups with orange lanterns. Among gardeners, such names of this plant as “earthen cranberry”, “emerald berry”, “dog cherry”, “blisterberry”, “marunka” are also popular.

Beginning gardeners often ask the question: is this plant edible or not? There are two large groups of Physalis species:

• Physalis edible;
• decorative physalis.

Varieties of edible physalis are divided into vegetable (Large-fruited, Confectionery) and berry (Strawberry, Peruvian). Vegetable is an annual cold-resistant plant, unpretentious and fast-growing. Its fruits can be prepared in a variety of ways: dried, prepared in winter salads, pickled, and used to make spicy seasonings. Vegetable physalis germinates well and gives excellent harvest, perfectly stored. Physalis berry is more thermophilic, this species can be eaten fresh. The fruits resemble small berries. In dried form, strawberry physalis resembles dried apricots; marmalade, jams, and preserves are made from it.

Decorative species include varieties Franchet and Longifolia. This perennials, which bloom with bright red lanterns in autumn. Decorative types often added to winter bouquets.

Growing from seeds

The first thing you need to decide on when growing physalis is the place where you will plant it. It is better to choose a sunny area or partial shade. This plant does not favor lowlands and shade. If you plan to grow it in beds, it is better to do it where legumes, cabbage, and cucumbers grew. Physalis should not be planted after potatoes, tomatoes, eggplants and peppers, because these plants have the same diseases. Plant no more than four to five plants per square meter.

Growing physalis from seeds includes the following steps:

• soil preparation;
• seed preparation;
• sowing;
• growing seedlings;
• planting seedlings in open ground and further care for plants;
• ripening of plants and harvesting.

Physalis seeds lose their viability after 4 years, so before planting you must first select good seeds so that your work is not wasted. To do this, dilute a five percent salt solution in a glass and pour the seeds into it. Those that have surfaced are no longer worth planting. The seeds that have settled to the bottom are good; they need to be washed, dried and prepared for sowing. Immediately before sowing, it is better to keep them a little in a pink solution of potassium permanganate.

Choose a site for seedlings with light, fertile soil. Two weeks before planting the seedlings, it must be dug up, adding ash and humus. There is no need to add manure to this area.

Sowing Physalis

It must be said that physalis reproduces quite well by self-sowing. Therefore, you can sow it in open ground in early spring or before winter. Seedlings obtained in this way will be more hardened, stronger and healthier than homemade ones, but they will begin to bear fruit later. If you want to get the harvest earlier, you should not use this method.

If you sow seeds in open ground, it is best to do this in early May or April. Seeds are sown in furrows, the interval between rows should be approximately 30 centimeters. Subsequently, the seedlings will need to be thinned out; the actual distance between the seedlings should be about 25 cm. It is not necessary to throw away the seedlings that you have pulled out: you can plant them in another place and they will take root there just fine, except that they will begin to bear fruit a little later.

Physalis seedlings sprout quite quickly; they can be planted in the ground after 30 days. Therefore, it is better to plan sowing seeds for seedlings at the beginning of April, so that in May you can plant physalis on the site. These temporary recommendations are relevant for the climate zone Middle zone Russia and the Southern Urals, but if you live further south or north, adjust the planting time depending on the weather. Another guideline is that vegetable physalis can be planted in the ground two weeks earlier than tomatoes. And the more heat-loving strawberry - at the same time as tomatoes.

The process of growing physalis seedlings is somewhat similar to growing tomatoes. Seeds are sown in a small container or immediately in separate cups, with the second option root system less damage. If you sow the seeds in a seedling box quite densely, then when the seedlings have two leaves, they will need to be pruned. At this stage they need abundant but infrequent watering. Seedlings must be gradually accustomed to the sun, hardened, and periodically taken outside. When the air temperature reaches thirteen degrees, you can begin to leave the seedlings outside overnight.

Physalis seedlings are susceptible to a fungal infection - black leg, due to which it can wither and disappear. For prevention, it is better to grow plants in separate containers.

To feed plants, use a solution of mullein in a ratio of 1/10 or bird droppings - 1/20. Fertilizers diluted in water must be poured directly under the roots so as not to burn the leaves.

In about a month, when the plants have five or six leaves, they will be ready to be planted in open ground. The distance between plants depends on how the physalis grows. The fact is that during the process of growth it grows greatly and branches, so the seedlings need to be planted in a checkerboard pattern, the distance between plants should be at least 50 centimeters. For tall varieties It is also necessary to organize a support to which the plants will then need to be tied.

Physalis is watered abundantly when planting and then in dry weather. If you mulch the plantings, then in the future you will be much less likely to perform such routine work as weeding, watering, and loosening. After pouring the fruits, it is better to stop watering, otherwise they may crack.

Growing and caring for physalis necessarily include the application of fertilizers. Fertilizing should be done three times: during flowering, during fruit formation and then again, after 15-20 days. It's better to choose mineral fertilizers. Optimal composition: potassium salt, ammonium nitrate and superphosphate. 10-15 grams per liter of water is sufficient for each of these components. It is better not to use manure as a top dressing, but instead use ash, bird droppings, humus or compost.

The fruits of this plant are usually formed in the axils of the branches, so there is no need to shoot it. The more the plant branches, the more harvest you can collect from it. At the end of June you can pinch the crown.

Pests and diseases

Most often, physalis suffers from the following diseases:

• Mosaic - when the leaves of the plant are deformed, yellow and green spots appear on them. In this case, the affected plants are destroyed, after which it is necessary to disinfect garden tools and hands.
• With late blight, brown spots appear on plants. This fungus is fought with chemicals. If the plant already has fruits, then damaged fruits and leaves are removed and disinfected. Late blight is most often carried by potatoes, so after it, neither physalis nor other nightshades should be planted in the same place.
• With fusarium, plants begin to wither even before fruit appears. This infection can live in the soil long time. In this case, the affected plant must be destroyed along with the earthen clod, the tops must be collected and disposed of, and the soil must be disinfected.
• With white or gray rot, plants become covered with a whitish or smoky coating, respectively, and the fruits may dry out or crack and rot. To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to treat Physalis with the following agents: copper oxychloride, Ridomil, Bordeaux mixture. Affected leaves and plant debris must be removed regularly.

In addition, physalis is susceptible to attacks from such garden pests, like aphids, wireworms, mole crickets. You need to know the basics of dealing with them. The wireworm will be repelled by ash added to the soil when digging, and wheatgrass, which this pest feeds on, should not be allowed to appear in the area. Treatment of plants with insecticides helps against aphids. You can fight the mole cricket by digging deep into the soil in spring and autumn to destroy its nests. You can also plant marigolds on the site, the scent of which she does not like, or water the plants with bird droppings diluted in water.

The lower fruits ripen first and may fall to the ground. There is no need to be afraid of this, they can be easily collected and recycled. You can also put them away for long-term storage - for up to 4-5 months. To do this, they are placed in the cellar, laid out in two or three layers in boxes. The temperature there should be no higher than +2 - +3 degrees.

For storage, fruits are collected before frost, in dry weather, without removing the cover (“flashlight”). In this case, an intact wax coating will remain on the fruits, which will help them to be stored for a long time. Sing different varieties differently. They can change color to yellow or lilac; in some, the sheath breaks when growing. If it becomes lighter and drier, it means the fruit is ripe.

As a rule, in September there are still many fruits on the bush of the plant that are not ripe enough. To prevent them from being damaged by frost, the bush can be dug up by the roots, cleared of soil and hung in a barn to ripen.

Attention, TODAY only!

Many garden plants can not only please the owner with their attractive appearance, but also be used for food. Some of them appeared in our country not so long ago, and are only gaining popularity. This also applies to physalis, which is familiar to many of us, but not in its garden variety. For a long time we have been familiar with the common physalis, which also bears the name “ Chinese lanterns" Decorative physalis is used in bouquets. But its edible varieties can be vegetable and berry. To be more precise, berry physalis is the same vegetable physalis, just its type, separated into a separate subspecies based on the size of the fruit. So today we will look at such a crop as the vegetable strawberry physalis, care and growing it from seeds at home.

Strawberry physalis - aka annual frost, aka Cape dwarf gooseberry, aka strawberry tomato, aka Barbados physalis. This is how many names there are for an annual self-pollinating plant whose height is thirty-five to forty-five centimeters. It has creeping or semi-raised stems. Berry of this plant reaches a size of six to twelve millimeters, and its weight ranges from three to five grams. The fruit is colored amber-yellow, has a sweet taste and strawberry aroma. Unripe berries are characterized by a nightshade flavor. Jam with an unusual taste or “raisins” is prepared from ripe fruits.

Strawberry physalis – growing begins!

Growing physalis from seeds is not particularly difficult; this crop is unpretentious and quicker than the Peruvian physalis. In our climate, it is most often cultivated by seedlings, since its growing season is up to 100 days. And as you know, summer is 3 months - 90 days... If you plant seeds in the ground, then with possible spring frosts, the plants will die.

How to grow physalis from seeds? First of all, purchase seeds of the Strawberry variety. Next, prepare the soil for peppers or tomatoes. For 20 minutes, soak the seeds, wrapped in a gauze bag, in a deep pink solution of potassium permanganate. Then, to stimulate growth, another 12 hours in Epin solution. Dilute 2 drops of it in 100 g of cool boiled water. Dry the seeds naturally until they separate well.

Growing physalis at home

When to plant physalis seedlings? It is recommended to sow physalis seeds not too deep, in sufficiently moist and somewhat compacted soil. How to achieve this? Distribute the seeds evenly over the surface of the soil. Cover the top with a 1 cm layer of the same soil and compact it slightly. Best time for this purpose – the month of March. First, the seeds are sown in cassettes and covered with glass until germination. It is best to place such a structure in a warm place. After the seeds sprout, the glass can be removed and the seedlings can be ventilated. Further cultivation of physalis is carried out in the light; the plant needs to be watered with warm water from time to time, observing moderation.
Physalis from seeds is grown as seedlings at an optimal temperature of twenty to twenty-two degrees Celsius.

Physalis strawberry - seedling care:

After three to five leaves appear on the seedlings, it is worth planting them in special peat-humus pots, deepening the seedlings to approximately the first leaves. At the same time, ungerminated and very weak plants, of which there may be many, are culled. Please note that if too high temperature indoors, seedlings will stretch out, as well as with a lack of light.

After picking, the plants should be fed using complex fertilizer for vegetable plants. Young seedlings require intensive watering two to three times a week.

Starting in April, after warm weather sets in, it is recommended to take physalis seedlings outside for so-called hardening. At night, the plants should be moved back indoors. Somewhere in early to mid-May, seedlings are planted under film covers. Average age plants for planting in the ground is forty to fifty-five days. Elongated crops should be placed at an angle.

Keep in mind that nightshades react quite negatively to excessive humidity, so you should not over-moisten the top layer of soil under the film.

Growing strawberry physalis in open ground

Prepare a place for planting physalis in advance by adding humus, compost, as well as stale manure or peat; ash can also be used. Instead of organic fertilizers It is allowed to use complex mineral ones. Severely acidic soil (pH below 4.5) should be limed.

As for choosing a place for planting, strawberry physalis should be placed in partial shade or in the sun; cucumbers, cabbage, legumes and root vegetables are considered the best predecessors for it.

The first feeding of physalis is carried out at the stage of mass flowering, the second - during fruit formation, and the third - two to three weeks after the second. For this purpose, experts advise using solutions of mineral fertilizers. So you can connect ten grams ammonium nitrate with ten to twenty grams of superphosphate, as well as ten to fifteen grams of potassium salt, dissolving them in ten liters of water. For every square meter of area you need to use ten liters of this solution. Physalis can also be fed with slurry (1:10), bird droppings (1:15), using half a liter of solution for each bush. To increase the yield, somewhere in mid-July, the growth zone is pinched.

Until about mid-August, plants need systematic watering. Over time, such moisture is stopped, which helps to speed up the process of fruit formation by an order of magnitude. In dry summers, physalis is usually watered twice a week; with average precipitation and moderate temperatures, watering is carried out once a week. In addition, caring for this crop involves fertilizing and loosening, and hilling can also be carried out.

The fruits of strawberry physalis ripen gradually and can be collected until the first frost. Even if the berries fall off, this will not affect their quality in any way. If part of the crop does not have time to ripen, it should be collected before the onset of frost. Such fruits will ripen successfully in a relatively warm room. In addition, you can dig up physalis shortly before the cold weather and hang it by its roots in the barn, this will allow the crop to gradually ripen.

We talked to you about cultivating a plant such as strawberry physalis. Growing it is not difficult, since it is a fairly unpretentious crop, and you can easily grow it at home.

Physalis is a plant from the nightshade family. His homeland is America. In Russia, the cultivation of this crop began in the second half of the last century. About one hundred species of physalis are known. Among them there are decorative and vegetable ones. Ornamental physalis is a perennial plant with red-orange lantern-shaped cups. Used for making dry bouquets.

U vegetable physalis The fruits are eaten as fleshy berries. They are rich in sugar (8 - 9 percent), vitamin C (28-44 mg%), and contain pectin substances.

Fresh physalis fruits are used to prepare caviar, puree, jam, marmalade, jam, candied fruits, and pie filling. Physalis has gelling properties and can be used to make marmalade, jelly, and sweets. It can also be pickled and salted.

The fruits of physalis are located inside the cap - an overgrown calyx and are covered with a sticky substance that has a specific taste. When harvesting, the wrappers must be removed immediately so that the bitterness from them does not transfer to the fruit. Before eating fresh or before processing, fruits must be doused with boiling water (blanch) to remove sticky substances from their surface.

IN folk medicine fresh fruits, juice, and decoctions of physalis are used as a diuretic for rheumatism, gout, and some diseases of the intestines, kidneys, and bladder.

Which physalis should I plant?

The most popular among vegetable growers are Mexican and strawberry physalis. Mexican physalis has erect bushes 80-100 cm high. The fruits are large (30-60 g) green, yellow or purple color, depending on the variety. The most common varieties of Mexican physalis: Moscow early, Gruntovy Gribovsky and Confectionery. All of them were bred by Academician A.V. Alpatyev and are well adapted to northern conditions.

Moscow early - early ripening variety with large fruits (60 - 80 g), which are yellow in color when ripe. The cup fits tightly to the berry. Ripe berries are sweet. They are not only salted and pickled, but also processed into sauces, purees, caviar and jam.

Gribovsky soil ripens somewhat later. The fruits are large, greenish, and have tight-fitting calyxes. Ripe fruits are sweet and sour. Edible fresh, baked and salted, can be used in soups.

Confectionery physalis has fruits that are smaller and more sour than previous varieties, but have great gelling ability.

Strawberry physalis is sweeter than Mexican physalis. Plants are low (60-70 cm), creeping. The fruits are small, amber-yellow or orange, sour-sweet with a pleasant strawberry aroma. Common varieties of strawberry physalis are Strawberry and Raisin early ripening. Strawberry physalis is used to prepare filling for pies, candied fruits, and is added to compotes instead of raisins.

Growing physalis correctly

Not every amateur gardener knows how to grow physalis. In the Urals, physalis works well, especially with seedling method growing. Physalis seeds are prepared in the same way as tomato seeds, and then sown in peat-humus pots or cubes to a depth of 0.5 cm. For Mexican physalis, planting seeds for seedlings usually begins in the second half of April, strawberry physalis should be sown a little earlier - in the first half half of April. Seedlings are prepared without picking for 30-40 days in greenhouses, greenhouses or insulated beds, and sometimes in a room in boxes mounted on a window. Seedlings require moderate but frequent watering. Caring for seedlings also involves feeding with bird droppings diluted up to 20 times with water or mineral fertilizers (per 1 liter of water 0.5-1 g of ammonium nitrate, 1-2 g of superphosphate and 1-1.5 g of potassium salt) . 7-10 days before disembarkation permanent place In the garden, seedlings must begin to be acclimated to the outside temperature.

An area in the garden with fertile, non-acidic soil is allocated for physalis. Low, overly humid places are unsuitable. Physalis is more resistant to low temperatures than tomato. Therefore, seedlings can be planted as early as mid-May, using shelters during severe frosts.

The distances between rows are 50-60 cm, in a row - 30-40 cm, ensuring convenience during care and optimal conditions for plants. When planting, plants are buried to the level of the first true leaf. Unlike tomatoes, physalis plants do not form. The fruits begin to ripen 45 - 60 days after planting the seedlings. In ripened fruits, the wrapper becomes lighter and dries, and the fruits acquire a color corresponding to the varietal characteristics.

Before frost, the fruits are often harvested along with the stems. Under the canopy, small and unripe fruits gradually ripen. The ripening process goes faster in a warm, dry room. At a temperature of 25-30 degrees, the fruits acquire quality corresponding to the variety within one to two weeks.

Reproduction by seeds is perhaps the only way to propagate physalis. Since it is not difficult to grow physalis from your own seeds, let’s figure out how to collect physalis seeds. For propagation, healthy fruits typical of the variety are selected from early ripening plants. Ripe fruits washed with water are crushed, the mass with seeds and juice is left for easy fermentation for one or two days at a temperature of 25-27 degrees. However, you should not fill them with water, otherwise they will quickly germinate. Then the seeds are washed several times in clean water and dried immediately, since moistened seeds quickly lose quality.

Physalis - annual plant from the nightshade family. Over 70 species of physalis are known. Among them there are edible and decorative.

The fruits eaten are fleshy berries. They are covered with an overgrown calyx-wrapper. Jam, puree, molasses, jelly, marmalade, jam, marmalade, candied fruits, pie filling and other confectionery products are prepared from fresh fruits, and compotes are made from dried fruits. Fresh fruits are edible after some processing, since there is a sticky substance on their surface that has the flavor of plants of the nightshade family. To remove it, the fruits are poured with boiling water and boiled for 3-5 minutes. Processed fruits are used for making caviar, sauces, pickling and pickling. Add them to vegetable soups, salads.

In folk medicine, fresh fruits, juice, and decoctions of physalis are used as a diuretic for rheumatism, gout, and some diseases of the intestines, kidneys, and bladder.

The fruits are rich in sugar (up to 8-9%), pectin substances (0.27%) and vitamin C (28-44 mg). They contain 2 times more sugar than raspberries and wild strawberries. They contain carotene and organic acids.

Of the edible physalises, the American berry, strawberry and Mexican vegetable physalis are currently cultivated. The American berry physalis produces aromatic, sweet but small fruits (1-3 g), while the strawberry and Mexican vegetable physalis produces large (30-60 g) but less sweet fruits.

In Russia, the most common are cold-resistant, tall (up to 1 m) varieties of the Mexican group: Moskovsky Ranniy-2045, Gruntovy Gribovsky-2046, Kinditersky-2047. Less commonly grown is the more heat-loving American berry: Strawberry-573, or Early-Ripe Raisin.

Physalis varieties

Physalis variety Moscow early-2045 early ripening, with large (40-70 g) fruits (tomatoes), which when ripe are light yellow and sweet. Their calyx-wrapper is dense and adjacent. They keep well for a long time.

Variety Ground Gribovsky-2046 mid-season, large-fruited (30-50 g). It is grown in open ground through seedlings. Ripe fruits are yellow-green, sweet and sour, with a tight-fitting wrapper.

Variety Confectionery-2047 mid-ripening, produces green, sweet-sour, large (30-50 g) fruits with a multifaceted, tightly fitting calyx. They keep well in winter. They are usually used to make jelly.

Variety Strawberry-573, or Early ripening raisin. Its plants are low (60-80 cm), the leaves are covered with hairs. The flowers are pale yellow, with purple-red spots inside the corolla. The wrapper is pentagonal, grayish-yellow, loosely fitting. The fruits are small (3-10 g), amber-yellow or orange, sour-sweet, with a pleasant strawberry aroma. Sometimes a lot of them form on a bush (up to 350), but they fall off when ripe. When planted in the ground as seedlings, the variety ripens well on the root.

For decorative purposes, perennial physalis is grown, which has small, bright red fruits.

Timing of planting and soil fertilization

Physalis works well when grown in seedlings. The rate of sowing seeds for seedlings: Mexican physalis 0.3-0.4 g, strawberry - 0.15-0.20 g per 10 m².

The seeds are prepared in the same way as tomatoes. Some gardeners place the bent ones in the cold (up to 0°, minus 1-3°) for three days, and then sow them in peat-humus pots or cubes to a depth of 0.5 cm. The best sowing time for seedlings - second half of April. Strawberry physalis is sown a little earlier - in early April. Seedlings are prepared without picking for 30-40 days in greenhouses, greenhouses or insulated beds, and sometimes in a room in boxes installed on the window. It is watered moderately and the room is often ventilated.

In case of slow development, feed with bird droppings diluted 10-20 times with water or mineral fertilizers (per liter of water 0.5-1 g of ammonium nitrate, 1-2 g of superphosphate and 1-1.5 g of potassium salt). 7-10 days before planting in a permanent place, it is hardened: it is taken out into the open air in warm weather (at a temperature of 12-15°C), and when grown under shelters, the latter are removed.

In open ground, a fertile area with non-acidic soil is allocated for physalis. Low, overly humid places are unsuitable. When planting seedlings in the ground, infertile soil is fertilized, as for a tomato. In mid-April - early May (a week earlier than tomato seedlings), plants are placed on ridges no deeper than the first true leaves, with simultaneous watering (1-1.5 liters of water per plant). There are from 2 to 4 plants per m² with a distance between rows and in a row of 50-70 cm for large-fruited varieties and 30 cm for early-ripening varieties.

For better development, they are first fed with slurry diluted with water in a ratio of 1:8, or with bird droppings, mullein (1:10), and then with phosphorus and potash fertilizers(20-30 g of superphosphate and 15-20 g of potassium salt per 10 liters of water). Plants do not shoot. The more fruits are produced, the higher the yield. In low areas, bushes spud up. At the end of June, the tops of the shoots are pinched.

Physalis harvest

The harvest, depending on the variety, ripens 40-60 days after planting the seedlings, usually in late June-early August. From one m² you get up to 1-1.5 kg of strawberry fruits and up to 3-4 kg of Mexican physalis fruits.

In some regions, physalis is planted in a seedless way. The hatched seeds are sown in beds, 5-6 per nest. The nests are located at the same distance as the holes for seedlings. 0.5-1 g of seeds are required per 10 m². When the second true leaf appears, the seedlings should be thinned out, leaving no more than one or two plants in the nest. To prevent their lodging, the bushes are tied to a wire stretched on stakes along the rows.

When grown without seedlings, physalis fruits are ready for harvesting 80-90 days after emergence. They are collected as they ripen, without allowing them to fall off. When ripe, the wrapper becomes lighter and dries, and the fruits acquire a color corresponding to the varietal characteristics. Healthy, undamaged ones are harvested in dry weather. During harvesting, the wrappers are removed so that the bitter glucosoids do not pass into the pulp.

Before frost, the fruits are often harvested along with the stems. They are first stacked under weight and then assembled large fruits. Small and unripe ones gradually ripen during such storage. The ripening process goes faster in a warm, dry room. At a temperature of 25-30°, within one to two weeks the fruits acquire quality corresponding to the variety, and at +1-4° they can be preserved until spring if they are placed in small lattice boxes in a layer of no more than 15 cm.

Procurement of seeds

You can prepare your own physalis seeds. When growing seed plants, avoid excess nitrogen fertilizer. The harvest is harvested in several stages, as the fruits ripen, selecting the best from healthy, early-ripening plants typical of the variety.

Ripe fruits washed with water are thoroughly crushed. The mass with seeds and juice is left to ferment lightly for one to two days at a temperature of 20°. However, you should not fill them with water, otherwise they will quickly germinate. Then the seeds are washed several times in clean water and dried immediately, since moistened ones quickly deteriorate and lose their viability.

Physalis is a very attractive plant that gardeners love for its unpretentiousness and resistance to various kinds pests. Some of its varieties are capable of producing useful fruits, which doubles the importance of the plant, and therefore below we will talk about how to grow physalis on your own plot.

Physalis: plant description

Even if you don’t fully understand what physalis is, when you see it in the picture, you probably recognize it beautiful plant. Physalis has about 100 species, of which only two are cultivated - Mexican vegetable and sweet strawberry. There is also an ornamental physalis, which, however, brings poisonous fruits, although it differs in external attractiveness.

Did you know? In our country, physalis has many other names. Among them are “emerald berry”, “earth cranberry”, “dog cherry”, “Chinese lanterns”.

Although even on the territory of Ukraine you can very often find wild physalis, it is not recommended to transplant it to your summer cottage. Firstly, it is not as attractive as the varietal one, but Secondly, its fruits are very toxic. Therefore, for your summer cottage It is better to purchase strawberry physalis seeds, which are imported to us from South America. The fruits of such a plant can be consumed both raw and dried, and you can even prepare various preserves and sweets from it. Often Physalis fruits are added to salads or used to decorate cakes.

If you choose the Mexican physalis, then its fruits can be used in the same way as tomatoes. In their raw form, they can be added to salads or hot dishes, pickled or prepared into sauces and jams.

Choosing a place to plant physalis

But to get delicious fruits physalis, the plant must be provided proper cultivation and care. The most important thing for him is the choice of landing site, the main requirements for which are the following points:

• the flower bed for physalis should be well cultivated, that is, if other crops or flowers have been grown on it for many years, this is very good;
• physalis loves well-lit areas that receive sunlight throughout the day;
• In no case should melt and rain water accumulate in this area;
• It is imperative to regularly remove all weeds from the site;
• physalis practically does not take root on acidic soils, and also gets sick often; therefore, if you do not have another place to plant the plant, take care of liming the soil in advance.

Important! Physalis takes root well in areas after any crops, but not after its nightshade relatives - potatoes, tomatoes and peppers. Before planting physalis, you need to plant the area with other crops for at least 2-3 years so that all nightshade pests disappear from the soil.

In the same case, if you do not have an ideal place for planting physalis on your site, then it can be artificially created. For example, in overly moist or constantly flooded areas for planting plant seedlings, it is worth preparing ridges of soil up to 40 cm high.

Features of growing physalis from seeds

Before purchasing physalis, it is important to learn how to plant and grow this shrub. The only way to propagate it is by sowing seeds and obtaining seedlings from them., which can then be planted in a previously prepared place.

Physalis involves growing from seeds, but they can be sown in cups and seedlings can be propagated at home or greenhouse conditions, and planted directly in open ground. To grow physalis for seedlings, you need to prepare film greenhouse heated, well-covered greenhouse or light-proof film, under which you can sow seeds. Before sowing, the soil must be loosened, weeds removed and fertilized if there is an urgent need for this.

When sowing, seeds must be buried 1-1.5 cm into the soil. At the same time, there is no need to try to sow as much as possible in a small area. more plants, since excessive density will certainly lead to stretching and weakening of seedlings. Optimal temperature for the first shoots - from 15 to 17˚С, so during the day you can remove the film from them.

If sowing seeds for seedlings is carried out at the end of March - beginning of April, then they are planted in open ground no earlier than the last weeks of May, or even at the beginning of June. You can sow physalis seeds in open ground only when the soil has already begun to warm up to 4 - 6˚C at a depth of 10 cm. In this case, it is also important to thoroughly loosen the soil for the seeds, remove weeds and fertilize them. During sowing, only 0.1 g of seeds should be consumed per 1 square meter. A space of 50-60 cm should be made between the rows of physalis.

Important! Physalis seeds are very small, so to sow them as evenly as possible, first mix them with sand. You can also mix physalis seeds with lettuce or radish seeds, which will act as a lighthouse crop and are removed before the physalis turns into powerful seedlings.

Usually, the seedlings still have to be thinned out, leaving a distance of 50 cm between the bushes. Thus, by the time of flowering, no more than 5 plants should remain per 1 square meter.

Rules for planting physalis seedlings

You have already learned how physalis grows; all that remains is to familiarize yourself with the rules for transplanting its seedlings, so that they not only take root in a new place, but also begin to grow rapidly as quickly as possible.

What should the soil be like?

Physalis, although it easily takes root on soils different types, however, the soil for it should always be loose. Therefore, before planting seedlings, the area must be thoroughly dug up to a depth of 20 cm in order to fill the soil with air. This should be done in early spring, not forgetting to also fertilize the soil with well-rotted manure or compost. For 1 square meter of plot area you will need about 30 kg of fertilizer.

Important! Under no circumstances should you fertilize the soil under physalis with fresh manure, as this may negatively affect the growth of the plant.

How to plant seedlings correctly

At the end of May - beginning of June, seedlings grown in a greenhouse or under film should be transplanted. On the day of transplantation, the seedlings should be watered abundantly in the morning, which will make it easier to disconnect them from other plants without causing damage to the roots. When planting physalis, there should be no more than 4 plants per 1 sq.m. (if we are talking about strawberry physalis, 6 plants can be planted in the same area). The space between the bushes can be freely sown with radishes or lettuce, the harvest of which will be harvested even before the physalis fruits begin to ripen.

To make the plant take root more easily, it is recommended to transplant in the afternoon, when the sun becomes less scorching.

You should not water the plant after replanting, so that a hard crust does not form on the surface of the soil that does not allow air to pass through.

Caring for physalis seedlings

Physalis, when planted and cared for in open ground, manifests itself as an undemanding plant that only needs periodic watering. Unlike the relatives of the tomato physalis, this plant does not require pinching or tying at all.

How to care for an adult physalis

An adult physalis needs to be given even less attention. The only thing worth taking care of regularly is preparing it for winter. Before the onset of cold weather, the plant is completely cut off to the very base, and the leaves are removed from its branches, while the fruits are left and hung to dry. Very often they are used to decorate bouquets. If the plant is annual, its roots are also removed from the soil, which is dug up and mulched with peat.

Did you know? Physalis fruits are very beneficial for health, so they are often used as an antiseptic and analgesic. Regular consumption of them in food can have a diuretic and choleretic effect.

Despite its unpretentiousness, during the growing season physalis will be very grateful to you for adding additional mineral fertilizers, especially if it grows in depleted soil. In this case, for 10 sq.m. it will be necessary to apply:

But mineral fertilizers can be successfully replaced with wood ash, which is important to apply only in the spring, when digging the soil. For 1 sq.m. you will need approximately 2-3 cups of this fertilizer.

Physalis: harvesting and storage

For many summer residents, growing and caring for physalis is aimed only at obtaining its tasty fruits, which ripen very unevenly. The fruits that are closest to the ground are the first to become edible. It will tell you that the fruits are ready for picking. appearance:the sheaths of the plant will become dry and faded. Also, the fruits will spread very pleasant aroma, their color will change. If the fruits are not picked in time, they will begin to fall to the ground.