Content
Pumpkin Marble is an old, well-known variety that is grown throughout Russia. The variety gained its popularity for its good taste and stable, high yield. Due to its juicy, sweet pulp, Marble Gourd is widely used in cooking. But in order to achieve the expected result when growing a variety, it is necessary to follow agrotechnical rules.
Description of the pumpkin Marble
Marble pumpkin is a late-ripening variety presented by the Biotekhnika agricultural company. Fruiting occurs 140 days after planting the seeds. The culture is large-fruited, rapidly growing. The plant forms powerful, long lashes, covered with large unbroken dark emerald leaves. In early summer, large bright yellow flowers appear on the plant, attracting pollinating insects.
Description of fruits
Fruits of large-fruited marble gourd, flattened, with wrinkled, dark emerald, soft skin. Sometimes light gray streaks and spots appear on the surface, thanks to which the variety got its name.
The fruits are large, reaching from 6 to 10 kg. The pulp is bright orange, dense, aromatic, with a delicate texture. Seeds 3 cm long are cream colored. The fruit has a balanced healthy composition. The pulp contains 13% sugar, carotene, potassium, magnesium, vitamins A, B and E.
Due to the light nutmeg aroma, soups, snacks, sauces, casseroles, juices are prepared from the fruits. Marble gourd is suitable for freezing and winter preservation. The dense peel allows you to preserve freshness and aroma for a long time, but, as gardeners note, the taste decreases after long-term storage.
Variety characteristics
Pumpkin of the Marble variety, according to reviews and descriptions, is frost and drought resistant. But it is recommended to grow it in the southern regions, since in cold climates the taste characteristics of the fruits decrease, sugar content disappears, and the pulp acquires a loose consistency. Pumpkin Marble high-yielding variety, subject to agrotechnical rules from 1 sq. m you can collect about 20 kg of fruit.
Pest and disease resistance
According to the description, reviews and photos, the marble pumpkin is not a capricious and pampered culture. But if the rules of care are not followed, the fruits can be seriously affected by many diseases and pests. Most often, marble gourd suffers from powdery mildew, white and root rot, bacteriosis. Of the pests for the Marble pumpkin are dangerous: spider mites, melon aphids, slugs. In order not to lose the long-awaited harvest, it is necessary to start treatment in a timely manner, view photos of common diseases and pests of the Marble pumpkin variety and take preventive measures.
- Bacteriosis... The disease can be recognized by the dark emerald spots of irregular shape, which are located between the veins on the leaf plate. Without treatment, the spots turn brown-brown, dry out, forming holes of irregular shape. Treatment consists in removing the affected areas and spraying the plant with copper-containing preparations.
- Powdery mildew... The leaves are covered with snow-white spots, which over time occupy the entire area of the leaf plate. You can help the Marble Pumpkin by treating it with Topaz or a solution based on colloidal sulfur.
- White rot... The fungus affects the entire aerial part, covering it with a flocculent coating. The infected areas soften and become slimy.The disease spreads quickly in high humidity and low air temperatures. When the first signs appear, the Marble Gourd is treated with 0.5% copper sulfate.
- Spider mite... The pest can be recognized by the thin web on the leaf. The insect sucks out the juice from the plant, as a result of which, yellow spots appear on the leaf, it dries up and falls off. To kill the tick, use onion or garlic alkaline infusion or broad-spectrum insecticides.
- Melon aphid... The pest colony settles on the inside of the leaf, ovaries and buds. Aphids feed on plant sap. When infected, the leaf plate curls up, the flowers fall off, the pumpkin stops growing and developing. Aphids not only reduce yields, but are also a carrier of many diseases. To get rid of aphids, Marble gourd is sprayed with insecticides, onion infusion or a decoction of phytoncidal herbs.
- Slugs... Gluttonous insects eat foliage, flowers and ovaries in a short time. To destroy slugs, folk remedies are used: they arrange traps from cabbage leaves and wet rags, sprinkle the soil with ash, pepper or tobacco, spray the plant with an infusion of tomato tops, garlic or wormwood.
In order not to face serious problems, not to lose the Marble Pumpkin and to reap a decent harvest, it is necessary to carry out preventive measures:
- observe crop rotation;
- remove weeds in a timely manner;
- carry out seed treatment;
- do not thicken the planting;
- promptly remove infected foliage and fruits;
- in order to increase immunity, do regular fertilizing with complex mineral fertilizers.
Advantages and disadvantages
Reviews and photos of the Marble pumpkin variety indicate the positive characteristics of the variety. The pluses include:
- large-fruited;
- good taste;
- long keeping quality;
- unusual marble color;
- no tendency to cracking even under unfavorable climatic conditions;
- long-term transportability.
Despite the large number of positive qualities, the Marble Pumpkin also has disadvantages:
- develops poorly in a shaded area;
- regular feeding is necessary;
- does not tolerate drought and low temperatures.
Cultivation technology
Marble gourd is a late ripening variety, when grown in regions with short, cool summers, the harvest does not have time to ripen, so it is suitable for southern cities with a warm climate.
Seeds of Marble Gourd are planted in well-heated, nutritious soil. The planting bed is prepared in the fall. The earth is dug up and filled with rotted compost or manure.
A sunny, draft-protected area is chosen for planting. In the spring, the garden bed is dug up and fed with phosphorus-potassium fertilizers. If the soil is alkaline and with high acidity, lime or wood ash is added during digging.
Seeds are prepared 2 days before sowing:
- Warm up for 12 hours at a temperature of + 40 ° C;
- overnight soaked in an ash solution (2 tablespoons ash per 1 liter of warm water);
- before planting, the seeds are dried.
The seeds of the Marble Pumpkin have a high germination rate, so they are planted without prior germination. Planting stages:
- On the prepared bed, holes are made 5-6 cm deep, at a distance of 0.5-1 m.
- The planting pit is spilled with 2 liters of hot water.
- After absorbing moisture, 2-3 seeds are spread into each hole.
- The seeds are covered with fertile soil, the earth is mulched.
After 2 weeks, under favorable climatic conditions, seedlings appear.When the Marble Pumpkin is 1 month old, the weak shoots are removed, leaving the healthiest and strongest. To avoid damage to the root system, excess seedlings are not pulled out, but cut off with a sterile pruner.
To grow a rich harvest of pumpkin of the Marble variety, it is necessary to carry out timely care, which consists in watering, feeding and weeding.
For good growth of stems and fruits, Marble Gourd needs regular and abundant watering. After the emergence of seedlings, irrigation is carried out 3-4 times a week. The grown pumpkin is watered after the top layer of the earth has dried, spending at least 5 liters of warm, settled water under each bush. To prevent fungal diseases from joining, irrigation is carried out strictly at the root, trying not to get on the leaves.
After watering, shallow loosening, weeding and mulching are carried out. Mulch will save you from weeds, retain moisture and feed the plant with microelements. Weeding saturates the soil with oxygen, which favorably affects the growth of the pumpkin and is a prophylaxis against many diseases.
Pumpkin Marble will bear fruit well only on fertile soil. The first feeding is applied 1.5 months after planting the seeds. As a top dressing, poultry droppings or slurry diluted in a ratio of 1:10 are used. During flowering and fruiting, phosphorus-potassium fertilizers are used. They can be applied throughout the growing season with an interval of 10-15 days.
After 140 days, after planting the seeds, they start harvesting. The degree of maturity is determined by the following factors:
- foliage withers;
- the stalk dries up and stiffens;
- the peel acquires a varietal color.
It is impossible to delay the collection of the Marble pumpkin variety, since the slightest frost can reduce the taste and shorten the shelf life. A warm, sunny day is chosen for fruit picking. For storage, choose whole, undamaged vegetables, cut along with the stalk.
Before harvesting for storage in a dark, cool room, the pumpkin is not washed or cleaned. Since any damage leads to rapid rotting of the pulp. Subject to the storage conditions, the pumpkin of the Marble variety can lie for up to 1 year.
Conclusion
Pumpkin Marble refers to late-ripening nutmeg varieties. Observing agrotechnical rules, you can collect a good harvest, sweet, aromatic fruits. A versatile variety, it is used for making soups, vegetable stews, juices and preserves.
