Although the kumquat plant appeared on our marketmost recently, it immediately fell in love with its beauty, healthy and tasty fruits. His homeland is Southeast China, although it was not found there in the wild. It is only known that there are growing cultivars of kumquat, that this plant was mentioned by the ancient Chinese in the second century BC.
Ботаник из Алжира Трабю сделал в начале ХХ века first botanical description of kumquat. That this evergreen, branched dwarf tree has been known in Europe for a long time. Its egg-shaped fruits ripen from February to mid-March and have golden yellow, fiery orange or orange. Their flesh is juicy and sour. The peel is smooth, with a sweet-spicy taste. Usually in the fruit from 4 to 7 cloves and a few seeds.
Different countries have their own names forKumquat: golden orange or kinkan - in Japan, golden mandarin or Japanese quince - in Europe. It is also called Fortunella, or Golden Bean. The plant is interesting not only by its appearance, but also by its contents. It's just a storehouse of nutrients!
They eat it together with the peel.Special connoisseurs of this fruit consume only its skin. In addition, it is used as an additive to sauces, salads and appetizers. It is baked with meat or fish. It is popular in dried form. And it is dried not only with slices, but also entirely, in the form of candied fruits. Europeans are happy to use this fruit as a martini snack, replacing olives with it. It is worth knowing another useful feature of Kumquat - that it is an excellent remedy for a hangover. After a good feast, it is enough to eat a few fruits, and in the morning you will not have to think about the amount of alcohol consumed.
If you decide to have such a plant,then you need to know the following. First, the kumquat does not need particularly thorough care. He likes hot summers and cold winters. This evergreen tree is best grown outside. On hot days, its roots must be protected from overheating. To do this, it should be planted in the soil with sand, sawdust, peat or moss. If you still decide to grow it indoors, then first of all provide the plant with moist air. Otherwise, it loses its foliage, especially in winter. It is necessary to spray it with settled warm water and put dishes with water on the battery.
In the cool season, the plant is watered throughday, in the winter at least twice a week, and in the summer every day. Kumquat responds well to top dressing. And you need to know that the smaller the pot in which it grows, and the larger the plant, the more often it should be fertilized. From the first days of spring and until the fall, he is fed several times a month, and the rest of the time once every 30 days is enough.
In any case, it is worth trying to grow this exotic beautiful and useful plant. After all, it was not for nothing that since ancient times it was called the little pleasure of the Chinese sages.
