The egg-like fruit that grows on trees, don't mistake it for an egg and eat it
Can you imagine that one day trees could also bear "eggs"? Hua Shaopai tells you, this is true! And this "egg" can be eaten raw!
Here it is!
This is the plant called the "egg tree"~ And the fruit it bears, yellow and white, really looks exactly like an egg!Actually, this plant is called the gold-and-silver eggplant (Solanum texanum), a plant in the Solanaceae family, a relative of the purple eggplants you usually buy, only its fruit is oval-shaped.And it comes in yellow and white, very much like eggs (which is also why it is called gold-and-silver eggplant), so it is called the "egg tree".
The gold-and-silver eggplant is an annual herbaceous plant, with stems about 30cm tall and alternate simple leaves. The flowers are solitary or clustered, with purple corollas about 1.8cm in diameter. The small eggplants borne by the gold-and-silver eggplant are oval (egg-shaped), and the skin is smooth and glossy, really very much like an egg.Its form is similar to ordinary long eggplants; it blooms and fruits in all four seasons, and the fruit can be harvested in autumn and winter. The leaves, flowers and fruit coexist for a long time, giving a very good ornamental effect.
Although the egg tree is currently mainly distributed in some regions of Europe and America, its ancestral home is China. The Spaniards who invaded China brought it to Europe and America, making it settle down abroad. The gold-and-silver eggplant also has another name, white eggplant. Its fruit can be eaten raw, just like eating fruit, and it is much more tender than ordinary purple eggplants~ If you think the gold-and-silver eggplant is beautiful and want to eat it, and want to grow one at home, then Hua Shaopai can tell you some small planting tips:
The planting land is the basic condition for the growth of the egg tree:The temperature for its growth must be kept at around 25 to 30 degrees, so we can use greenhouses for heat preservation. Next, the plot most suitable for planting is one where the soil structure is relatively complete, the soil quality is relatively loose, the soil layer is relatively deep, the soil water-holding capacity is relatively strong, the soil pH is moderate, and the organic matter content is rich.
Since the temperature for the growth of the egg tree must reach above 25 degrees, sowing is generally chosen in March or April, so that the egg tree can take root and sprout more quickly. First we soak the seeds of the egg tree for 12 hours, then take the seeds out and place them in an environment at a temperature of 28 degrees for germination. When most of the seeds have sprouted white shoots, they can be sown.
The growth of the egg tree has relatively high water requirements. Normally, watering once a day is enough, but when the weather is relatively hot in summer, watering twice is generally needed. If the temperature is very high, then watering at least three times a day is needed.There are two ways of watering: one is spraying, and the other is irrigation;When the humidity in the growing environment is relatively low, we can use spraying; at other times, irrigation is used, but the amount of water must also be reasonable and must not be excessive, as excessive amounts will cause the roots of the egg tree to rot and cause the plant to wither.
For fertilizing, we must maintain one principle: apply base fertilizer heavily and apply thin fertilizer frequently, so as to ensure the yield of the egg tree. Throughout the entire growth period of the egg tree, we need to carry out at least three to four topdressings.
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