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Pumpkin Guitar, the name of which is sometimes given the definition of Honey or Spanish, was bred by the specialists of the well-known agrofirm "Aelita". The variety has been included in the State Register since 2013. A heat-loving plant in the middle lane is grown through seedlings. Caring for the culture is uncomplicated. Delicious fruits are stable.
Description of Pumpkin Guitar
The Honey variety, or Spanish guitar, is a typical thermophilic representative of the Pumpkin family. A plant with a one-year development cycle with a widespread root system capable of nourishing several large fruits: the length of the taproot reaches 2.4 m.Even in a young seedling 12-18 cm high, the root system penetrates into the depth of 30-40 cm. Herbaceous creeping stem of the pumpkin variety Guitar blunt-cut , rough due to the many characteristic soft spines-hairs, grows rapidly, reaching a length of 3-4.5 m. There are tendrils on the branching liana, with the help of which the plant clings to the supports.
Pumpkin leaves Guitar on long thorny petioles of the same type as the stems - five-lobed, wide, intense green color with whitish spots, up to 25-28 cm in diameter.Large, up to 10 cm in diameter, yellow-orange flowers of male and female type are created in the axils of the leaves. Female buds have short flower stalks, male ones - long. Corollas open early in the morning, at sunrise, and close in the evening. Fruit buds bloom longer than male buds. Pumpkin plants are pollinated by insects, so in the greenhouse they practice manual pollination or leave the vents constantly open. The largest amount of pollen is produced in the first half of the day.
Description of fruits
The variety got its name "Spanish" by its external shape, vaguely reminiscent of the silhouette of a guitar. The length of the ripe fruit of the Guitar pumpkin is from 30 to 70 cm. The diameter is 12-15 cm in the thin elongated part, up to 19-26 cm in the thickened one, where the sections with seeds are located. Weight from 2 to 6 kg, on average 3.5-4.5 kg. The dull orange smooth rind is quite thin and soft compared to other varieties and is easy to cut and peel. The bright pulp of the variety is orange-colored, firm, dense, with droplets of protruding juice on the cut. According to reviews, the pumpkin Spanish guitar is sweet, crispy when fresh, the density of the texture does not interfere with cutting.
The taste of fruits of the Guitar variety is not cloying when fresh, sweetish, with a special light aroma, semi-vegetable-semi-fruit, for which the variety is called Honey. The pulp becomes sweeter and more fragrant after heat treatment. The tasters rated the dishes from this variety 4.9 points. The fruits are mature, stored for 6 months without loss of taste in living quarters. The variety is economically viable because the pulp makes up 85-90% of the total fruit. Small, compared to other varieties, flat cream-colored seeds are found in the thickened tip of the vegetable. There are many recipes for Guitar pumpkin dishes:
- an element of fruit and vegetable salads for consumption without heat treatment;
- boiled;
- stewed;
- baked;
- component of porridge from different cereals;
- pie filling.
Variety characteristics
According to the description, the Spanish Guitar pumpkin is a light-loving plant that develops at temperatures above 20 ° C.Scourges and leaves die after the slightest frost. Fruits that have fallen even under the initial subzero temperatures may freeze, soft spots appear on them, where a variety of putrefactive organisms settle. The Guitar variety is drought-resistant: due to the branched root system, it gets moisture from the depths of the soil. Cloudy, cool weather can lead to stunted growth and disease. In good conditions from 1 sq. m, an average of 2.7-3.6 kg of Guitar pumpkin is harvested. 2-3 vegetables are left on one root for a good, full-fledged filling and ripening.
Pest and disease resistance
The pumpkin plant Spanish guitar can get sick during unfavorable summer weather - a sudden prolonged cold snap and frequent rains. In such weather, sharp drops between night and day temperatures cause the spread of fungal and bacterial diseases. Diseases of the table variety can be prevented by regularly thinning out overgrown lashes and cutting off too densely spaced leaves. Sweet pumpkin is damaged by melon aphids and spider mites. Acaricides and insecticides are used against their invasion.
Advantages and disadvantages
Choosing among different varieties, gardeners often settle for the Honey Guitar pumpkin because of the clear advantages in its characteristics:
- consistently sweet pulp;
- large-fruited;
- long keeping quality;
- unpretentiousness to soil;
- drought resistance;
- disease resistance in favorable weather for the species.
As such, the variety has no disadvantages. When growing, it should be borne in mind that a heat-loving culture is not genetically adapted to development in a cool climatic zone.
Growing Pumpkin Guitar
In the southern regions, the seeds of the species are planted directly into the ground. In the regions of the middle lane, spring is protracted, so it is better to grow a sweet table variety by seedling. For pumpkin seedlings, special disposable containers are selected, not less than 8x8x10 cm:
- peat pots;
- containers made of plastic bottles cut from the top, the walls of which are cut during transshipment;
- homemade paper cups, which are planted with the plant in the ground, where the paper decomposes.
The selection of disposable containers is due to the fact that the delicate root system of the pumpkin, at the slightest destruction of the earthen coma, can suffer, and the plant will die. Sowing of the Honey Guitar variety is carried out in April or early May, guided by the peculiarities of the local climate, a month before transplanting into a greenhouse or garden. The timing is calculated so that after transshipment the heat will be stable, above 18-20 ° C. 2-3 seeds are placed in each container, which can be soaked before planting for 12-20 hours in warm water for better germination. Then weaker shoots are removed.
Pumpkin seedlings Spanish guitar are developing rapidly. Water only with warm water at room temperature. For future cultivation in the garden, plants with 3-4 true leaves are taken out into fresh air for hardening. After 21-27 days after germination, the seedlings are transferred into spacious, plentifully watered holes in advance. Pumpkins are placed at a distance of 90-95x130 cm so that the stems do not intertwine and the plantings do not thicken. In greenhouses, they arrange supports and tie up whips. Pumpkins are pollinated by insects. The ovaries are placed in special spacious hanging bags or on improvised shelves.
When growing pumpkin Guitar, watering is carried out only on the soil, without moistening the leaves in order to avoid fungal diseases. The water is heated in the sun or in a greenhouse, watered in the evening, 1-2 times a week. In the open field, natural precipitation is usually sufficient for pumpkins. For the Guitar variety, soil moisture is provided in 2 phases of development:
- before flowering;
- during the growth of the ovaries.
The next day, the soil is shallowly loosened, be sure to remove all weeds, on which aphids and whiteflies can initially be bred.
Sweet pumpkin is fed 16-22 days after transplantation and during the period of ovary formation.For fertilizers, they dig shallow grooves, stepping back 30 cm from the root. Top dressing is done:
- from mullein;
- bird droppings;
- green herbal infusions;
- complex fertilizers for vegetables.
Wood ash is sprinkled on the soil around the root.
In warm weather during the summer, pumpkins practically do not get sick. In greenhouses, they also grow without problems if the basic rules of agricultural technology are followed. After the appearance of several ovaries, the tip is pinched, and the extra side shoots are cut off so that the fruits have time to ripen. According to the description of the pumpkin variety Guitar, reviews and photos of gardeners, the fruits ripen in 110-120 days, by the end of August. Pumpkins are harvested earlier if the whips are dry.
Conclusion
Pumpkin Guitar grows well and matures on light soils at daytime temperatures up to 30 ° C. In order for the fruits to ripen before frost, in the regions of the middle lane, seeds are planted in seedling cups. Fertile soil, timely formation will contribute to a good yield.
