Is it possible to propagate tamarind shoots. Growing tamarind from seed. Home greenhouse - it's not scary

When meeting tamarind in a store, not every buyer knows what it is. Many of them bypass exotic fruit, thereby making a huge mistake: this product has a high energy value and is rich in vitamins and trace elements. You can use tamarind to make sauces, use it as a seasoning for meat, and even add it to tea! The main thing is to observe the golden mean and not overload your body with an exotic product for it.

Exotic tamarind: growing at home

It will not be difficult to grow tamarind seeds from seeds, because the germination rate of seeds is up to 95%. Remarkably, they do not lose their properties over the years.

In order for tamarind to rise quickly at home, you must:

1. Build mini greenhouses. Not required to highlight land plot, a fairly small vessel with high sides. It is enough to cover it with a thick film or glass and the greenhouse can be considered complete.
2. Germinate seeds. About a day before planting, the seeds must be wrapped in a damp cloth and left to swell. In such a short period of time, they will not germinate, however, the corresponding processes inside are already taking place.
3. Plant seeds wisely. In order for the sprouts to quickly spike above the ground, they must be planted to a depth of no more than 1 cm. Otherwise, they may not sprout at all.
4. Ventilate greenhouses. Every day, for about half an hour, it is necessary to remove polyethylene or glass. In this case, the temperature in the room should be at least 20 degrees Celsius! Otherwise, the soil runs the risk of overcooling and the germination process will slow down significantly.

After most of the seeds germinate, the greenhouse can be dismantled. Fragile sprouts will reach for the light, so to keep them upright, the pot needs to be rotated 180 degrees daily.

Scientific facts: what is tamarind

At its core, tamarind is an exotic fruit belonging to the legume family. In addition to the classical scientific name, it also has a popular, more familiar to every person - Indian date. It is under this “name” that an exotic fruit can often be seen in stores.

The salient features of this product are:

• Tamarind grows on a tree, the only one of its kind;
• Not only the pulp is eaten, but the seeds and leaves of the plant;
• The tamarind tree bears fruit all year round;
• Tamarind is a tree whose height reaches up to 20 meters;
• Externally, the plant (in its shape and cut of leaves) is very similar to domestic acacia;
• Homeland tamarind - Thailand and the coast of Egypt;
• Tamarind tea turns out to be unusually tasty, with a light spicy note, and even children can eat it.

Growing tamarind is a simple process that can be done at home.

The only rule is to choose the right seeds. It is best to "get" them yourself, from a ripe and well-aged in the sun (until the peel softens) fruit. So the likelihood that after 5-7 days sprouts will sprout above the ground increases significantly.

Who benefits from tamarind fruit

Meanwhile, there are obvious problems that Indian dates will help fight:

1. Excess weight. Both tamarind and preparations based on it block the process of accumulation of useful substances “in reserve”. In addition, with regular use, appetite and blood sugar levels decrease. The latter factor is especially valuable for diabetics.
2. Problems of the gastrointestinal tract. Diarrhea, chronic bloating will surely pass quickly with regular use of tamarind. With its help, it is impossible to cure ulcers or chronic inflammation of the walls of the stomach. However, it is more than realistic to delay the appearance of these problems.
3. Cosmetic flaws. Improving the condition of the skin with the help of creams and lotions based on tamarind is more than real. Previously, they could only be tried in expensive spas. Today they are within walking distance for everyone.
4. High cholesterol. The antioxidants contained in tamarind effectively cleanse the walls of blood vessels and prevent the formation of cholesterol plaques. The regular use of this product is important here.

You can also consult with your doctor about whether to use sweet tamarind or not. And it is possible that he will change tactics, recommending not the fruit itself, but its seeds. They are sometimes much more efficient.

This is a large, majestic, evergreen tree grows in tropical regions of East Africa. AT natural conditions tamarind reaches 30 m, although it grows very slowly. Its crown is rounded, very compact, and the branches can hang down to the ground. Tamarind is valued for its fruits - curved beans Brown color. They are useful, have a pleasant taste, therefore they are used in the confectionery industry. On their basis, sweets, juices, drinks and many other sweets are made.

Tamarind can be cultivated. Of course, this tree is very large for growing it in a pot. Therefore, in order to save small size, but natural appearance, use the well-known bonsai technique.

In any case, the plant is quite demanding on the conditions of detention. He needs to create conditions close to the natural tropical climate so that the tree develops well. It is quite possible to provide it with the necessary humidity, lighting, top dressing, although you will have to try. What does tamarind love, growing and caring for how to produce at home - that's what we'll talk about today.

How to grow tamarind at home?

Landing

At home, tamarind is propagated by seeds. The seed from the fruit of the plant is hard, rather large. Before planting, rub it a little on all sides sandpaper(for scarification). Now plant the seed in a small pot filled with a mixture of peat and perlite. Just press the seed deep into the mixture with your finger, then sprinkle with sand. Cover the pot plastic wrap, clean in a warm place with diffused lighting.

The seed will germinate in 2-4 weeks, provided that the soil mixture (substrate) is regularly moistened. When the first feathery leaves appear on the sprout, it is transplanted into another pot with real soil. The main condition is its breathability. For these purposes, ready-made, universal soil is excellent. Or you can take quality loose soil by mixing it with a small amount of river sand. Be sure to place drainage at the bottom of the pot. The pot itself should have a hole at the bottom so that the water does not stagnate. It is very important!

When you plant in prepared soil young plant, re-cover the pot with polyethylene or trimmed plastic bottle. Also keep the soil regularly moist. When the plant grows a little more, the film can be removed.

plant care

Watering

You need to water the tamarind with plenty of settled, soft (not cold!) Water. But the main thing is to prevent stagnation of water in a pot or pan. To keep the plant healthy, avoid drought. Ideally, watering should be every three days. Even in winter, do not allow the soil to dry out, although at this time watering should be significantly reduced.

In addition to watering, be sure to spray your tropical plant. Do this at least twice a day. And also by any means increase the humidity of the air. Tamarind can adapt to relatively dry indoor air, but it needs to be humidified.

Lighting

As we have already said, you can grow tamarind at home, but you need to try to carefully care for it. We have already found out that he loves moisture very much. The same goes for lighting. He needs sunlight. Therefore, place your plant in the brightest spot in the room, such as a south facing window sill. With a lack of sunlight, tamarind does not grow well, does not give new leaves, and in general, can get sick.

To prevent this from happening, and the crown of your plant was lush, turn it periodically to the sun in different directions.

Temperature regime

The plant tolerates summer heat well. Under natural conditions, a hot, humid climate is its natural environment. However, you need to understand that an indoor tree and growing in nature are not at all the same thing. A wild tree obtains cool moisture from its roots deep in the soil. In nature, there is also a night and day temperature difference, when dew appears on the leaves. Indoor tamarind is deprived of this opportunity. Therefore, to make your pet comfortable, do not leave it in strong sunshine when the temperature outside the window rises to 40 degrees and above.

In winter, the plant does not need too much heat, calmly tolerates an average, slightly cool temperature. You just need to keep the soil moist. But we already talked about this at the very beginning.

top dressing

From spring to autumn, the plant needs to be fed. Any liquid is suitable for this. organic fertilizer. Apply it to the soil 1 time in 2-3 weeks.

Features of care, illness

Half the spring tamarind should be cut off, forming its crown. If you remember, this tree is grown at home as a bonsai.

Sick rarely. May be affected by the shield mealybug, or spider mites. When too frequent watering, with stagnant water, lack of drainage, as well as at cool temperatures in summer, its roots can rot. With very dry air, or with a lack of watering, spraying, tamarind can shed its leaves.

If your pet looks “sad”, his branches are drooping, he is growing too slowly, he may be cold or lacking nutrients, sunlight.

We have found out in some detail how to grow tamarind at home. Hope everything works out for you now. If you can, share your experience of growing this exotic plant at home. Your story will help other amateur gardeners, visitors to our site. Thanks in advance!

Growing tamarind from seed at home is quite simple. The germination of seeds is 95%, for example, all 100% of the seeds in my case sprouted in a week. In addition, after reading a lot of information on Russian-speaking and English-speaking forums, I came to the conclusion that tamarind seeds (seeds) do not lose their germination capacity very much. long time. One woman germinated tamarind seeds 8 years after taking the seed from the fruit.
Tamarind is an evergreen, slow growing plant. In nature, the tamarind tree reaches a height of 20-30 meters, at home, the tamarind reaches a height of more than 2 meters, but, as a rule, everyone pinches it at a height of 1 meter and forms a bonsai from it.

Location: light, preferably a south window.
Earth: slightly acidic fertile soil.
Air humidity: normal, likes spraying, but it is impossible to spray during the ripening period of the fetus.
Watering: temperate from spring to autumn, limited in winter.
Reproduction: seeds.

Description of Tamarind: leaves alternate, pinnate. The leaves are oval, very delicate, light green in color. Surprisingly, every evening the tamarind leaves roll up for the night. At home, tamarind blooms in 6-7 years. Tamarind flowers are pink or yellow with red stripes. The flowers have five petals, which are collected in racemose inflorescences. Whether tamarind bears fruit at home is not exactly known. Some authors write that they bear fruit, but no one has seen it and does not know for sure. Tamarind fruits are brown non-expanding beans.

Location: bright light. Tamarinds love south-facing windows. Naturally, this applies to an already sufficiently mature plant, for direct sun rays. For the first months after your tamarinds sprout from seed, it is best to shade them.

Optimal temperature: For indoor tamarind, a moderate temperature or slightly above moderate is most favorable. In winter, the temperature should not fall below 16-18 C.

Watering: For irrigation, you need to use soft settled water, at room temperature. Watering, moderate from spring to autumn, limited in winter, only as the topsoil dries up. Experienced owners of indoor tamarinds are advised to let the top layer of soil dry by 2-3 cm. Since tamarind is a tropical plant, such small shakes only benefit it. In winter, it is especially important not to overmoisten the tamarind, as this can lead to root rot.

Earth (soil): tamarind is not demanding on the soil, but it is better to use slightly acidic fertile soil. From ready-made mixtures, soil is suitable for citrus plants. Well, in general, tamarind tolerates even the salinization of the substrate. root system tamarind is superficial, so it is better to use shallow and wide pots.

Maintaining appearance: Tamarind does not require special care. He just needs to get a haircut. The formation of the crown in young plants is carried out before the formation of 3-5 skeletal branches. After that, the tamarind is trimmed, as anyone wants. Those. carry out sanitary pruning.

Top dressing: tamarind practically does not need top dressing. Fertilizer is applied every 3 months. In autumn and winter, the plant is not fertilized.

Transfer: transplant in the spring as needed. Don't forget about good layer drainage.

Pests and diseases: As a rule, tamarind is affected by thrips and whiteflies.

How to grow tamarind from seeds:

Tamarind seeds

Bones (seeds) of tamarind fell into my hands thanks to my parents, they brought from Thailand a wonderful and tasty fruit of this tree. There were a lot of seeds, and without hesitation I decided to germinate them. There is not much information on the Internet, so I read both Russian-language and English-language sites and forums on the topic of growing this tree.
Seed preparation: Stratification is not required for seeds. From the pulp, the bones are cleaned quite easily. It is advisable to pre-soak them in water for 2 hours. But I did not soak them. Just stuck them in the ground.

Soil (soil) for seeds: As I said, experts advise using slightly acidic soil. I used universal earth for flower plants because it was the only one available. Seeds sprinkled with earth, literally 1 centimeter.

Mini greenhouse for seeds: in order for the tamarind seeds to sprout quickly and amicably, it is advisable to use a mini greenhouse. To do this, cover the container with seeds with glass or a bag and put in a warm place. I covered the glass with a bag, tied everything with an elastic band. The ideal temperature for seed germination is 20-25 C. Daily airing for 10-15 minutes is a must, and don't forget to moisten the soil with a water sprayer. Moisturizing the soil is necessary, since seedlings require high humidity. My tamarinds raised their heads already 5 days after planting. As I wrote at the beginning of the article, the germination of my tamarind seeds turned out to be 100%. Seedlings appeared within 3 weeks. While the first tamarinds were already strong and tall, greenhouse conditions for seeds in one container, it was difficult to create. Therefore, it is better to plant 1 tamarind in a separate pot. Exactly 1 month after landing, we look like this:

Origin . East Africa.

What does tamarind look like . In its natural environment, tamarind is a very large and sprawling tree up to 25 m high. The crown is lush and dense. The leaves are compound, arranged alternately, consist of several pairs of oblong-oval, green leaflets. During the flowering period, the plant forms red buds, collected in inflorescences - brushes on the tops of the branches. The flowers are yellowish, with red veins on the petals. After flowering, the tree bears fruit with beans collected in long and often curved green pods. As the seeds mature, the pods dry out and turn brown.

Height. Tamarind at home grows slowly; in room culture, its height is regulated by pruning.

1.Tamarind - home care

To maintain a compact form, side shoots can be shortened to 20 - 40 cm in mid-summer.

1.1. Growing tamarind from the stone

Tamarind is propagated by cuttings or seeds. The germination period is only a few days. However, plants grown from seed will take a long time to flower. For this reason, flower growers prefer plants obtained from cuttings or by grafting - they bloom at the age of 4 - 5 years.

1.2. Flowering time

Spring.

1.3. Tamarind transplant

Annually in the spring as it grows into larger pots. Large tub plants need an annual replacement of the topsoil with a fresh one.

1.4.Ground

Tamarind adapts well to most soil types. It can grow in fairly poor soils, but prefers fertile, moist, well-drained substrates with a slightly acidic pH.

1.5 Temperature

Suitable regular room temperature during the whole year. When the temperature drops, the plant may shed its leaves.

1.6 Lighting

Bright lighting helps abundant flowering plants look stronger and healthier.

1.7. Fertilizer

Monthly during the growing season with fertilizers low in nitrogen and high in potassium and phosphorus. In autumn and winter, the frequency of top dressing can be reduced to 1 time per month or stopped altogether until spring.

1.8 Spraying

Spray the plants periodically or place them on a tray of wet pebbles.

1.9. Watering

Needs to in large numbers water during growth - keep the soil evenly moist. AT winter period dormant watering is reduced.

1.10. Diseases and pests

Excessive nitrogen content in top dressing causes tamarind to abundantly increase green mass to the detriment of flowering Leaf spots, viral diseases, aphids, mealybugs.

Growing tamarind at home is enough not an easy task. This evergreen tropical plant can be cultivated but requires special conditions similar to tropical climates. Good lighting, sufficient watering and periodic top dressing are important.

Appearance

Tamarind - evergreen legume family, which reaches a height of 20-30 meters. The homeland of the majestic tree is the eastern part of the African continent and the forests of Madagascar. Right now in wild nature it can be found in America, Sudan, the Caribbean, Asian countries. In other countries with a tropical climate, the tree has been cultivated for many millennia.

Another common name for the evergreen exotic is the Indian date. It belongs to slow growing long-lived plants. Tamarind wood is red, dense, the crown is round, dense, sprawling. The leaves are pinnate, oval, light green, curl up at night. The flowers are pale pink or yellowish with red stripes. The fruits are long brown beans, slightly curved, with a brittle peel that does not open on its own. The flesh inside is reddish-brown, sweet-sour in taste, with a sweet smell, edible, has smooth, dense reddish-brown seeds. The number of seeds directly depends on the length of the fruit.

Fruit exotic is a large tree, therefore, to breed it at home, it is necessary to use the bonsai technique. So the Indian date will retain its natural appearance, but will get a miniature size. Usually in indoor pots it reaches a height of 1 meter, then the crown begins to be cut.

In any case, an exotic plant is quite whimsical, requiring conditions similar to natural ones. For its good development, sufficient humidity, a lot of light and top dressing with fertilizers are needed.

Landing

Growing tamarind from seed. The landing process should be carried out as follows.

1. Prepare the substrate: a mixture of peat and perlite. The soil should be light and loose, the pot should be shallow.
2. Prepare the bone: remove the pulp, wash. Soak in a container of water for a couple of hours, then dry and rub a little on all sides with sandpaper.
3. Stick the seeds into the prepared soil, sprinkle with earth (sand) by about 1 cm.
4. Cover the pot with plastic wrap, put in a place where the air temperature is in the range of 20-25 ° C and good diffused lighting.
5. The room must be ventilated every day, moisten the soil using a sprayer.

With proper regular moistening of the soil, after 3 weeks the first shoots of tamarind will appear. After pinnate leaves began to grow on the seedlings, they need to be transplanted into flower pots or separate containers with real soil. You can use ready-made soil or purchase loose soil, mixed with a small amount of sand. It is important to ensure that the sprouts have good breathability.

Be sure to place drainage at the bottom of the pot. At the bottom, so that the water does not stagnate during irrigation, it is necessary to provide holes.

After transplanting the plant into the prepared soil, it is worth carefully covering it with a plastic bottle (cut off) or polyethylene. After some time at good growth trees film can be removed. Do not forget about the regular moistening of the soil.

The success of growing Indian dates depends entirely on following the recommendations for cultivating the plant.

• illumination

The evergreen tree loves sunlight, so the pot on the windowsill is best placed on south side. But at midday, during a strong sun, leaving the plant on the windowsill is not recommended.

In order for the crown of an African tree to develop symmetrically, it is necessary to periodically rotate the pot around its axis by 1/3.

With a lack of lighting, the exotic practically does not develop, its leaves become smaller or stop growing, the shoots grow up, then the tree gets sick.

• Temperature regime

Tamarind is a tropical tree, so it is thermophilic and tolerates high temperature. AT summer period indoors it is better to maintain a temperature of 20-25 ° C. With the onset of autumn, it should be gradually reduced, but not to reach the mark of 10 ° C. It is desirable to keep the air within 16-18°C. When airing, you need to hide the plant from drafts.

• Humidity

The Indian date comes from tropical forests, so it does not tolerate dry air. Room humidity should not fall below 60%. You can increase it by placing a pot of tamarind in a container of water and expanded clay, spraying the tree with a spray bottle, or buying an air humidifier. A slight deviation from the norm and pronounced dryness of the air are possible during the ripening of the fruits of the plant.

Care

With proper care at home, the plant blooms in 6-7 years.

• Watering

The soil in the pot should not be waterlogged, but always wet. In the warm season, the plant must be watered abundantly every 3 days, the earth should only dry slightly. In winter, the amount of moisture should be reduced. You also need to remember about the obligatory spraying of the Indian date crown: at least twice a day.

Water the tamarind with warm, settled water. Waterlogging the soil can lead to root rot, so you should not water more often. Moisturizing cold water fraught with damage to the root system.

• fertilizers

From spring to autumn, you need to fertilize once every 2-3 weeks. For these purposes, any organic top dressing in liquid form.

• crown pruning

In the spring months, it is important to prune the crown of the tree. So it will be symmetrical and thick.

Tamarind is a majestic evergreen rainforest tree. Lovers of the Unusual indoor plants can cultivate it at home. You just need to master the bonsai technique, which is translated from Japanese as "a tree in a tray."

Growing an Indian date is not difficult. It is important to ensure exotic plant comfortable and familiar conditions for him. Compliance with the above recommendations will help indoor plant lovers to cultivate a tropical tree that will decorate any room with its unusual look.