Bergamot Is A Healthy Citrus. Care, Cultivation, Reproduction. Properties, Application. Photo

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Bergamot Is A Healthy Citrus. Care, Cultivation, Reproduction. Properties, Application. Photo
Bergamot Is A Healthy Citrus. Care, Cultivation, Reproduction. Properties, Application. Photo

Video: Bergamot Is A Healthy Citrus. Care, Cultivation, Reproduction. Properties, Application. Photo

Video: Bergamot Is A Healthy Citrus. Care, Cultivation, Reproduction. Properties, Application. Photo
Video: 4 KEY TIPS: Citrus Tree Care + Citrus Orchard Tour 2024, March
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Bergamot got its name in honor of the Italian city of Bergamo, where it was first cultivated and sold as oil. According to another version, the name probably comes from the Turkish word 'beyarmudu', which means 'princely pear' or 'beg armudy' - master's pear. Bergamot got this name due to its unusual pear-shaped shape and light yellow color, which made the bergamot fruits look like bergamot pears, but in fact, it has absolutely nothing to do with pears.

Bergamot is a healthy citrus
Bergamot is a healthy citrus

Content:

  • Description of bergamot
  • Growing bergamot
  • Application and properties of bergamot

Description of bergamot

The first bergamot plantations were established in Italy in the mid-twenties of the last century.

Bergamot, or orange-bergamot (Citrus bergamia) is a plant of the Rute family. Southeast Asia is considered the birthplace of bergamot. Bergamot is the closest relative of orange, lemon and grapefruit.

Bergamot is an evergreen tree with a height of 2 to 10 meters. Branches with long, thin, sharp spines up to 10 cm long. Leaves are alternate, petiolate, leathery, ovate-oblong or elliptical, pointed, top - green, shiny, bottom - lighter, slightly toothed, wavy. The flowers are large, very fragrant, single or collected in a few-flowered axillary bundles, bisexual, white or purple, with a strong pleasant smell.

The fruit is spherical or pear-shaped, with a thick three-layer shell. The skin is cleaned of bergamot slices without resistance. The pulp consists, as it were, of a series of easily split segments, inside which are few seeds. Has a pleasant sour taste, less sour than lemon, but bitter than grapefruit. Blooms in March-April. The fruits ripen in November-December.

Almost no bergamot pulp is used. In this fruit, it is the peel that is the source of the essential oil that is valuable. The distinctive aroma of bergamot is best known to us for the taste of tea. The aromas extracted from the skin of this sour fruit are used to flavor Earl Gray teas, Lady Gray teas, and sweets. Italians make fruit jelly. It is also popular in Turkey, Greece and Cyprus.

Bergamot oil is used for ointments and perfumery. Bergamot peel is used in perfumery because of its ability to combine with different scents to form a bouquet of scents that complement each other. Approximately one third of men's and half of women's perfumes contain bergamot essential oil. Currently, it is not used in natural form in perfumery, because causes photoburns of the skin at the site of application of the perfume under the influence of sunlight.

Bergamot peel is also used in aromatherapy to treat depression.

The juice of the fruit is also used in folk medicine as a herbal remedy for fighting malaria and digestive problems.

The origin in different sources is indicated differently. Somewhere it is reported that bergamot is a hybrid of several citrus plants, obtained by crossing an orange and a citron. And other sources consider bergamot to be an independent species.

Bergamot has nothing to do with the Bergamot pear and the Monarda herb, which is also commonly called Bergamot.

Today, there is no wild bergamot. You can get bergamot fruits in indoor conditions. Bergamot is grown in the same way as lemon or orange. But bergamot is less whimsical than its citrus cousins.

Bergamot, or orange bergamot (Citrus bergamia)
Bergamot, or orange bergamot (Citrus bergamia)

Growing bergamot

Sowing is done with fresh seeds just taken out of the fruit. If you let them lie down and dry out, they will lose the ability to germinate. They are planted to a depth of 1 cm in humus mixed with sand. Watering is moderate, without drying out the earth. Seedlings appear in a few weeks.

Up to 4 plants can emerge from one seed - citrus fruits have several embryos in the seed. They need to be transplanted and planted after the appearance of 3-4 leaves.

The best sowing time is late winter or early spring. Then the seedlings will get more natural light. Sow more seeds than you need and gradually select only the strongest and more adapted to the home conditions - dry air and lack of bright light.

Lighting and temperature

It must always be remembered that citrus fruits are southern plants, therefore, they are demanding for heat and light. Do not forget that electric lighting promotes fruit formation, along with the required temperature regime. For flowering and fruit set, the optimum temperature is + 15 … + 18 ºС. However, a prerequisite for fruiting your indoor citrus plants is a cold winter. The temperature in winter should be no higher than +12 ºС.

Watering and fertilizing

From spring to autumn, citrus fruits must be watered abundantly with soft water that has settled for at least a day. Citrus fruits do not tolerate chlorine, hard lime water causes yellowing of the leaves. They are very responsive to frequent spraying of the crown and will even take a soft warm shower with pleasure.

From about February, the intensive growth of plants begins, so they need to be fed a little weekly with liquid mineral or organic fertilizers until autumn. Top dressing and balanced nutrition accelerate plant growth and development. Especially if it receives a sufficient amount of phosphorus-potassium fertilizers that stimulate fruit formation. The quality of the soil is also important - citrus fruits will thank you for the good perennial soil with enhanced development and high-quality fruiting.

Soil and transplant

Choose light soil for young plants and heavier soil for larger plants. It is usually recommended to take a mixture of greenhouse manure, turf and leafy soil, adding coarse sand to it.

For young plants:

  • two parts - sod land
  • one - leaf
  • one part - humus from cow dung
  • one part is sand

For adult plants:

  • three parts - turf land
  • one part - sheet
  • one part - humus from cow dung
  • one part is sand
  • add non-greasy clay (small amount)

Replace the top and side layers of soil when replanting with fresh soil. Remove the roots above the root collar. Keep an eye on the acidity of the soil - for indoor citrus fruits, it should be pH = 6.5-7. After the frost stops, the plants are taken out into fresh air and kept in the shade under a canopy for 2-3 weeks.

Indoor plants in pots are taken out for the summer to fresh air, but they are not digged into the ground in order to avoid hypothermia of the roots. Let it be in the shade of some climbing plants: grapes, loach and other climbing plants.

Citrus fruits are transplanted using the transshipment method. Transfer should be done every 2-3 years and only before the growth of indoor citrus. After the end of growth, it is not recommended to touch it. Also, you should not injure a tree with flowers or fruits, as you risk losing both.

Bergamot, or orange bergamot (Citrus bergamia)
Bergamot, or orange bergamot (Citrus bergamia)

Application and properties of bergamot

Bergamot relaxes blood vessels and smooth muscles, improves the functioning of the organs of the gastrointestinal tract. To improve digestion, bergamot oil is used to rub the stomach area. Bergamot has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the nervous system. Bergamot is used to kill germs and to relieve inflammation. Bergamot has an excellent effect on the epidermis. In cosmetic products, there are components from bergamot that relieve redness, reduce sebum and sweating, reduce the diameter of the sebaceous ducts, and make the epidermis smooth and pleasant in color. With the help of bergamot components, fungi on the skin are destroyed, fleas, lice and lice are expelled.

Bergamot is more suitable for men. He acts not strongly, but confidently, prompting men to "feats in bed." From an astrological point of view, bergamot is suitable for men born under the signs of Aquarius or Libra. Bergamot acts in two ways on representatives of these zodiac signs. On the one hand, bergamot normalizes the flow of sexual energy, and on the other hand, it improves the condition of the reproductive system. Bergamot is especially good for young men, since at this age too active stimulating effect is not yet required. The body is still able to cope with this on its own.

Marmalade recipe:

To do this, you will need five bergamot fruits, a kilogram and two hundred grams of granulated sugar and a liter and two hundred milliliters of water, as well as one lemon

To make scented marmalade, you only need bergamot peel. Remove it from the fruit and cut into medium sized cubes. Then fill with water for two to three days. Drain and refill water periodically. This procedure will help wash out excess bitterness from the bergamot rind. After three days, fill the crusts with drinking water and boil. After boiling, drain the liquid, it is no longer needed. Add all the sugar and some water so that all the crusts are under water. Boil the crusts until a drop of syrup adheres to the saucer without spreading. Squeeze the juice out of the lemon, pour it into the resulting marmalade. The marmalade is ready.

Bergamot fruit juice can be used to make hot and sour sauces. You just need to add it quite a bit. This additive is very popular in Latin American cooking.

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