Content
- Cultivate Physalis in the garden
- Better to prefer physalis
- Plant young plants in the garden
- What to do in winter?
- To properly cultivate planted physalis
- Tips & Tricks
Cultivate Physalis in the garden
Until a few years ago, the Physalis - also known as Andean berry or Cape Gooseberry - was almost unknown in our latitudes. The plant, originally from South America, not only bears delicious and very healthy fruits, but is also easy to cultivate. Only frost does not tolerate the physalis accustomed to the subtropical climate of their homeland.
Better to prefer physalis
In their homeland, it is warm almost all year round, which is why it is difficult in some summers for the Physalis to bring their many fruits to maturity. In addition, since the sensitive seeds may only be sown mid-to late May and it takes from then on an average of three to four months to fruit ripeness, a preference is appropriate. For this purpose, the seeds should be grown in small growing pots on the window sill in the living room from January, but no later than March.
Plant young plants in the garden
The seedlings can be planted outdoors as soon as night frosts are no longer to be expected - otherwise the plants, which are quite sensitive in this respect, quickly freeze to death. Therefore, planting is possible at the earliest from the Eisheiligen mid to late May. Before planting, prepare the soil with a little compost or manure, which you burrow into the soil. Further fertilizer will not be needed by the planted physalis. Keep at least a meter of decorum to neighboring plants, as the plant proliferates heavily. Physalis goes well with bluebells, chrysanthemums and asters. The location should be as full sun as possible.
What to do in winter?
With the exception of the tolerably winterhard Lanternflower you must not leave the Physalis in winter, otherwise it freezes. Already from the middle of October it gets too cold for the frost sensitive plant. You can grow the soybean at one-year-old and in the fall, you can finally throw it on the compost, but since it is a perennial, wintering is easily possible. However, you should cut back, dig up and plant the physalis in a pot.
To properly cultivate planted physalis
Otherwise, your planted physalis hardly needs attention. You do not have to fertilize it and occasionally water it only in extreme dry periods. The fruits are from mid to late August, but usually only in September ripe. Stabilize the fast-growing plant by means of a trellis or a plant rod.
Tips & Tricks
In their countries of origin, the physalis often proliferates like weeds. In order to curb the strong growth, you can use root barriers, for example in the form of curbs buried in the ground.
IJA