What are the benefits and effects of fingered citron fruit? A detailed guide to eating and growing it

Fingered citron is usually used as a traditional Chinese medicine, or grown as an ornamental plant because of its unusual fruit shape. Sowhat are the benefits and effects of fingered citron fruit? How do you eat it? How do you grow it?

1. Benefits and effects of fingered citron fruit

1. Boosts immunity.Fingered citron fruit is comprehensive and rich in nutrients, and eating it regularly helps strengthen the body's resistance.

2. Lowers blood pressure.The protein and calcium content of fingered citron fruit is 2-3 times that of cucumber, and its vitamin and mineral content is also noticeably higher than that of other melons. It is also very low in calories and is a low-sodium food, making it a healthful vegetable for patients with heart disease and high blood pressure. Eating fingered citron fruit regularly can promote urination and sodium excretion, and has the function of dilating blood vessels and lowering blood pressure.

3. Relieves cough and phlegm, boosts qi and nourishes blood.In traditional Chinese medicine, fingered citron fruit is used as a medicinal material to regulate qi and harmonize the middle, soothe the liver and relieve cough. It is suitable for people with indigestion, chest tightness and abdominal bloating, vomiting, liver-stomach qi pain, and bronchitis with cough and copious phlegm.

2. How to eat fingered citron fruit

1. Fingered citron fruit infusion.The method is to first wash the fingered citron fruit and cut it into thin slices, then place it in a clean colander. Spread the fingered citron slices out in the colander and put it in a sunny place to dry. Store the dried fingered citron slices, and when you want to drink them, put 1 to 2 slices into a cup, then pour in an appropriate amount of boiling water; you can add an appropriate amount of honey to the hot water.

2. Fingered citron fruit steeped in honey.Fingered citron fruit steeped in honey has a certain effect on treating cough with copious phlegm. The method is: take a few finger-like fruits from a fresh fingered citron, put them in a windy place to air-dry off some of the moisture. Then wash and slice them. Take a clean glass jar, put an appropriate amount of honey into it, put the prepared fingered citron slices into the glass jar, let the honey cover the fingered citron slices, then seal it up and place it in a cool place; after about 3 months it is ready to eat.

When symptoms of cough with copious phlegm appear, in addition to receiving regular treatment at the hospital, during the recovery period you can take an appropriate amount of fingered citron fruit slices soaked in honey, then add an appropriate amount of boiling water to dilute it before drinking; it has a certain phlegm-resolving effect. However, it is best not to drink it while taking medication.

3. Fingered citron and rose drink.The method is: cut the fingered citron into shreds or slices, put it in a windy place to air-dry, then take about 10 g. Buy an appropriate amount of rose flowers from a supermarket or online shop, take about 5 g each time, put the fingered citron and rose flowers into a teacup, pour in boiling water, and drink.

4. Fingered citron, sugar and ginger drink.Take 10 g of fingered citron slices and 10 g of sliced fresh ginger, put them together, then add an appropriate amount of brown sugar and stir well. When you have a cold with distension and discomfort in the rib-side area, you can soak it in boiling water and drink it, or you can boil it in a pot and drink the liquid.

3. Fingered citron fruit growing techniques

1. After fingered citron has been planted and survived, watering should be little but frequent. In summer, besides watering once in the morning and once in the evening, also spray water on the leaves 2-3 times to increase the surrounding air humidity and benefit growth and development. After the beginning of autumn, appropriately reduce watering to prevent excessive shoot growth and fruit drop.

2. After moving indoors in winter, water once every 3-5 days, generally at around 11 a.m., and keep the potting soil “slightly moist, mostly at half moisture”; the potting soil is better kept a little dry. When dust accumulates on the leaves, spray water to wash it off, but never spray water too frequently. Fingered citron has a relatively high fertilizer requirement during the growing period, and a lack of nutrients easily causes flower and fruit drop.

3. Fertilization is divided into 4 stages: the spring shoot growth and development period (late March to early June), when the temperature is 25-35°C, is most suitable for fingered citron growth and development. As buds sprout and a large number of shoots emerge, apply dilute cake fertilizer water once every 7 days (dilute cake fertilizer water is 500 g of cake fertilizer added to 20 kg of water, then diluted with more water after decomposition) to promote growth and flower bud formation.

During the vigorous growth period (mid-June to mid-July), which coincides with the flowering and fruit-setting period, apply alum fertilizer water once every 3-5 days (250 g of ferrous sulfate, 2500 g of cake fertilizer, added to 20 kg of water, then diluted with water after decomposition). If there is rainy and continuously overcast weather, liquid fertilizer should not be used; instead, an appropriate amount of decomposed cake fertilizer residue can be buried in the pot, with the burial site in the middle and lower soil near the edge of the pot. To promote fruit development and strong branches, spray a 0.3% potassium dihydrogen phosphate foliar fertilizer once every 7-10 days; do not use urea or other nitrogen fertilizers during this period.

During the fruit growth period (late July to late September), apply a compound fertilizer mainly of phosphorus and potassium and containing calcium and nitrogen about once every 10 days, to promote full coloring of the fruit.

During the fruit ripening period (October), in order to keep the fruit hanging on the branches for a long time without dropping and to restore tree vigor, after the fruit ripens, fertilizer can be applied in small amounts many times, in layers and in different directions, which to a certain extent promotes even distribution of fruit branches, short and thick branches, and dark green, thick leaves.

4. Growth and propagation of fingered citron

1. Cutting propagation

Preparation of cuttings: before cutting, select 7-8-year-old robust mother trees, cut off vigorous, old healthy branches free of pests and diseases, remove the leaves and tender shoot tips, and cut them into cuttings 17-20 cm long. The survival rate of cuttings is over 90%, and the seedlings grow very robustly. Young tree branches or leggy branches must not be used. This is because such branches often do not easily bear fruit after planting. Fingered citron

Land preparation and cutting: the seedbed should preferably use sandy soil with a relatively thick soil layer, so that the seedlings can be taken out later. After the land is selected, plow deeply and harrow finely, apply human and livestock manure water, and make high beds 1.3 m wide, with bed furrows about 30 cm wide and about 20 cm deep.

Cutting can be done in spring from February to March and in autumn from August to September, with autumn cutting being best. With autumn cutting, roots can grow the same year, and after sprouting the following spring the plants grow rapidly. When cutting, open horizontal trenches on the bed with a trench spacing of 23-27 cm; insert the cuttings into the trenches at a plant spacing of 15-17 cm, and never insert them upside down. Usually about 12000-15000 cuttings are needed per mu. After cutting, cover with soil and press firmly so that one bud at the tip is exposed above the soil surface; if the soil is dry, water it.

Seedling stage management: after cutting, water and irrigate at any time; also set up a shed for shade, and do a good job of drainage when there is a lot of rain. When the seedlings are 7-10 cm tall, remove the weak clustered seedlings, leaving only one strong seedling per plant. Weed in time, and apply light human and livestock manure water or ammonium sulfate 3-4 times as a top dressing; after one year of cultivation, they can be transplanted.

2. Grafting propagation

Carry it out in spring and autumn. It is better to use citron or lemon as the rootstock. The rootstock is generally propagated by cutting or sowing. Grafting methods include:

(1) Approach grafting: carried out in early to mid-August to September. Select a 4-5-year-old plant with a stem diameter of 2-3 cm, a well-developed root system, and robust growth as the rootstock. Cut off the branches below the branching point on the lower part of the stem, leaving only one branch, then shave off some cortex downward on one side of the cut branch position. Then select a branch produced in the previous spring or autumn as the scion, similar in thickness to the rootstock, 5-7 cm long. Also shave off part of the lower cortex on one side of the lower part of the scion, then place the cut surface of the rootstock against the cut surface of the scion so that the two surfaces fit closely, bind the middle tightly with plastic film, and after about one week they can heal. After healing, cut off the rootstock portion above the joint.

(2) Cleft side grafting: in early to mid-March, cut the rootstock flat at 5-7 cm above the ground, smooth it with a grafting knife, and choose a smooth part slightly into the wood as the slanting cut surface, 1-1.5 cm deep. The scion should retain 2-3 buds, and its lower end should be cut into a wedge shape 1-1.5 cm long. Then align one side of the rootstock cut with the scion's cut bark and insert it tightly into the rootstock cut, bind it with plastic film, and generally after half a month it heals and sprouts and grows. At this time, loosen the soil and weed. After 45-60 days, shoots begin to emerge; at this point the binding material must be removed, otherwise the new shoots are easily bent.