Momordica, or bitter melon, goya, belongs to the pumpkin family. It is cultivated in Asian and South American countries as a food and medicinal plant. It grows well in the steppe and forest-steppe zones, but in hot summer conditions you can also get ripe fruits and seeds in Polesie.
This is a plant with a long period of fruit ripening, preferring warm areas with good lighting. Momordica develops a strong root system and forms a large above-ground mass – the length of the liana sometimes reaches 3,5 m. Therefore, the soil for the plant should be rich in nutrients, well-drained.
Cultivation of Momordica
The plant, clinging with its tendrils, is grown on supports, nets, and planted near fences and gazebos. Momordica leaves are unusually decorative, up to 12 cm in length. It grows quickly in favorable conditions. In closed soil, in a room, momordica blooms even in winter, but needs cross-pollination. During the growing season, the plant is regularly fed with organic and mineral fertilizers, watered, preventing the earthen lump from drying out or becoming over-moist. Momordica can also be grown in protected soil and on a balcony.
Momordica seeds are quite large and mustard-colored. They can be sown first in pots or cassettes measuring 8×8, 10×10 or 12×12 cm. For growing in closed soil, this can be done as early as late January — February, and for open soil — in March — April.
First, you need to disinfect the momordica seeds in a pink solution of potassium permanganate (20-30 min.), then spread them between layers of damp cloth and leave for 1-3 days. To make the seeds sprout, they are scarified, that is, the shell is damaged. This is best done with sandpaper or a file, but carefully so as not to damage the contents of the seed. Then the seeds are again laid out between layers of damp cloth and placed in a warm place to germinate (about two weeks). When the momordica seeds give roots and are released from the outer shell, they are carefully planted in prepared pots with the following soil mixture: lowland peat and humus or humus and turf soil (3:1).
Sow to a depth of 2-3 cm. Sprinkle with moistened soil or sand on top and cover with film. Maintain at a temperature of 25 degrees until shoots appear, then transfer to the light, gradually lowering the temperature to 18-20 during the day, and at night to 14-18 degrees, then maintain the temperature at 18-22, and at night – 12-14 degrees. When feeding momordica seedlings, you can use fertilizers for indoor plants. Seedlings are grown in hotbeds, small greenhouses, on a warm windowsill.
In the south, you can sow momordica seeds directly into the soil after May 15. The sowing depth is 5 cm. Then cover with lutrasil, polyethylene film or put plastic bottles. Remove the cover after the first true leaves have formed.
Momordica seedlings are grown until they are 30 days old, so that they do not outgrow or stretch. They are hardened off in the last week. When the soil temperature at a depth of 6-10 cm reaches 16-18 degrees, they can be planted in open soil. This is usually done after May 23-25, when the threat of frost has passed. Momordica is planted in a sunny place, the distance between plants should be 100 cm. On the balcony, it is enough to plant one plant, having prepared a large container for it, for example, a tank from an old washing machine. In the first days, the plants are covered from direct sunlight.
Momordica requires loamy, fertile soil. In the fall, 1-5 kg of fresh manure or 10 kg of humus per 5 sq. m are added for planting, and dug up. When the plant begins to grow intensively, supports should be installed. At the first stages, it needs help to cling to the support with tendrils.
Momordica loves moisture, so at first it is watered daily, and then periodically with water heated in the sun – about a bucket of water per plant. For fertilization, it is better to use fermented mullein diluted with water in a ratio of 1:10 or chicken manure in a ratio of 1:20. Feed once a week, one plant needs 1 liter of solution.
Medicinal properties of momordica
Momordica is popular among long-livers of Japan. The bitterness in its fruits is due to alkaloids of the cucurbitacin group. But this bitterness is medicinal. It promotes digestion, and is also a good preventative for liver diseases, diabetes, cancer, gout, rheumatism, and spleen.
Green momordica fruits are used like cucumbers, soaking them in salt water. Young fruits are also salted and pickled. When ripe, they become less bitter than at first, and the red seed coats are very pleasant, sweetish. They are also medicinal – they improve digestion, strengthen the heart. The peel of the fruit is used to treat hemorrhoids.
However, momordica is not recommended for pregnant women, and diabetics should monitor their sugar levels. The leaves can also be consumed, they are used to prevent kidney disease, stomach ulcers and inflammatory processes.
