An exotic plant called the breadfruit has unusual fruits. They are very large in size and sweet, but at the same time, when cooking, they completely change their taste. The plant is also called monkey breadfruit. Perhaps the monkeys also enjoyed these fruits, but it is known that the Polynesian aborigines were the first to use them instead of bread.
Breadfruit or jackfruit
Bread tree in another way can also be called jackfruit. The tree belongs to the mulberry family and grows in the tropics. We learned to use it for a long time, and now there is an active spread of exot around the world.
Breadfruit
Why is it called
As far back as the 17th century, tribes in Polynesia used jackfruit instead of bread. After severe famine began in Jamaica, the country's authorities decided to grow breadfruit throughout the country.
The famous ship "Bounty" was sent with this task to the island of Tahiti, from where the team was supposed to load the seedlings of the plant. However, the project failed, a riot rose on board, and the ship never arrived at its destination.
It was after these events that an unusual exotic plant was first called "bread".
Breadfruit
Ripe yellow-brown fruits are very large, weighing 3 kilograms each, look like large pears and reach up to 30 centimeters in length.
Jackfruit fruit
Inside the fruit is soft white flesh, the bones are also white. One tree can produce almost 200 fruits for the entire season. Fruits are eaten in different forms.
The benefits of the fruits are great: they can be baked, boiled or dried in the form of crackers. Pancakes, pancakes and pastries are prepared from their pulp.
Attention! The tree can bear fruit without interruption for 9 consecutive months.
Description of the taste of breadfruit
The taste of raw breadfruit is very sweet, reminiscent of a ripe very sweet melon and banana.
But fried fruits taste like ordinary baked potatoes.
Where does breadfruit grow
Jackfruit grows in the tropics of East Africa, East Asia, and the Philippines. Rarely found in India, where it is a very popular and valuable fruit. However, scientists consider New Guinea to be the birthplace of jackfruit.
What does breadfruit look like?
Bread tree is an exotic plant with large oval and pear-shaped fruits.
The tree is very tall, in natural nature grows up to 25 meters in height. Its appearance resembles an oak, with a smooth bark of gray color. Branches can be either thick or thin, at the ends of which there is a bundle-like foliage. The leaves have different shapes: the old leaf plates are solid, and the young ones are dissected.
Note! Depending on the area of growth, the plant may be evergreen or lose foliage during fall in the fall.
How to grow a breadfruit from a stone at home
To grow jackfruit at home, it is important to maintain regular watering and maintain a high level of humidity. A tropical plant does not like high temperatures and arid climatic conditions. Lowering temperatures and frosts are also detrimental to healthy growth. In the northern regions of Russia and Siberia, the plant will not take root and will not grow.
It is better to grow jackfruit in a special cabinet called "Growbox". The unusual-named design is a small greenhouse, with ideal conditions for the growth of exotic plants. It will save a lot of time and facilitate care.
Growing breadfruit from seeds
The description of how to grow jackfruit at home from seeds cannot be called complicated, as is the process of growing.
Attention! First you need to extract the seeds from the fruit and place them in water for one day. Sow one seed to a depth of not more than 3 centimeters in a small pot. After that, the soil in all pots is slightly watered and placed in a room with a temperature of no more than 26 degrees.
It is necessary to constantly moisten the soil in pots. As soon as 4 leaves appear on the ascended trunk, seedlings are transplanted into more spacious containers.
Potted seedlings
Planting and caring for a seedling in a pot
When transplanting seedlings into new containers, it is important to proceed carefully so as not to damage the root system. Dig a hole based on the diameter of the roots. Carefully place the bush in the hole and fill it with earth.
The substrate for planting is better to buy in specialized stores. You can cook it yourself by mixing fertile soil with a small amount of compost and sand. In order for the bush to grow and develop quickly, it must be regularly watered and aired.
Important! Do not overdo it with airing and allow strong drafts.
During flowering, pollination must be done manually. The reason is that the origin of the tree is not local. In the natural environment, the plant is pollinated by insects, which are called bats and they are not found in mid-latitudes. A small wide brush collects pollen and distributes it on the flowers collected in the brush.
After six months of its active growth, the bush will need pruning to form a crown. It is required in order to stop the growth of shoots, otherwise the tree will not form normally and will not be able to bloom and bear fruit.
The conditions necessary for the successful growth of breadfruit at home
It is not difficult to grow breadfruit, the main thing is to create and maintain the necessary conditions:
- fertile and loose soil;
- temperature not lower than 5 degrees and not higher than 35 degrees;
- high humidity;
- constant soil moisture.
Ideal conditions will accelerate jackfruit growth
As soon as the bush grows in size, it is necessary to transplant into more spacious pots. If you don’t transplant it in time, growth stops, the ground part dims and fades.
Such signs are often puzzling gardeners and florists, they do not understand why the plant does not develop. The roots begin to press on the ground, and it hardens, the plant has nowhere else to take nutrients.
Named a bread tree plant is able to grow in northern latitudes. Despite the fact that its harvest will not be as rich as at home, it is able to delight juicy and healthy fruits almost all year round.
