General distinctive features of the plant, creating conditions for growing bergamot indoors, transplanting and independent reproduction, interesting facts. Bergamot (Citrus bergamia) is a plant with a strong and pleasant smell, belongs to the Rutaceae family and is a hybrid belonging to the genus Citrus. This is a representative of such a vast and beloved genus by people was bred by crossing an orange (Citrus aurantium) and a citron (Citrus madica). The homeland of this ancient exotic is considered to be the regions of Southeast Asia.
Interestingly, the name of the plant was given in honor of the city located in Italy - Bergamo, where the plantings of this fragrant citrus began to be actively cultivated in order to obtain a harvest and, as a result, make essential oil from the fruit. The fruits of the plant were even called "Bergamo orange". Basically, all the plantings that are cultivated for the purpose of selling fruits and obtaining oil are concentrated on the coast of the Ionian Sea, in the small province of Calabria. Today, the countries in which bergamot is successfully grown, only slightly in smaller quantities, are famous for their warm climate and high humidity - these are the territories of India, the provinces of China, countries located on the shores of the Black Sea, the Caucasus.
But there is another version, according to which the progenitor of the name was the word in Turkish “beyarmudu”, which meant “princely pear” or the combination “beg armudy”, translated as “master's pear”. Naturally, the name reflected the shape that corresponds to the type of bergamot fruit - its shape is pear-shaped, painted in a light yellowish color, reminding people of the fruits of the Bergamot pear variety, but naturally it does not belong to the Rosaceae family (these include pears) …
Bergamot has a tree-like form of growth and an evergreen crown, and the height in natural nature can reach from 2 to 10 m. All shoots are dotted with thorns, which can grow up to 10 cm in length and because of them it is quite problematic to harvest. The leaf plates are arranged alternately on the branches, differing in an ovoid shape, slightly elongated or oval-elongated. Their color is saturated dark emerald, the surface is glossy on top, and on the back there are leaves of a lighter color. There is little waviness or jaggedness along the edge.
The flowering process stretches from early to mid-spring days. When the bergamot begins to bloom, large buds are revealed, painted in white or purple tones. Flowers are arranged singly or are collected in inflorescences in small groups. The aroma of flowers is very strong, pleasant and fragrant.
Fruiting begins from the beginning of the autumn days until December. The shape of the bergamot fruit is spherical or pear-shaped, its shell is thick, three-layered. The pulp is a series of segments that can be easily split. There are very few seeds inside. In the context, the fruit is not much different from a lemon or an orange. Its taste is bitter and sour.
Interestingly, bergamot is considered by growers to be the most suitable species for growing in room conditions from the entire citrus family.
Recommendations for farming bergamot at home
- Choosing a location and lighting for citrus. Bergamot loves good lighting, so you can install the pot on the windowsills of rooms, the windows of which face east, west and south. But on the latter it is necessary to hang curtains from 12 to 16 o'clock in the afternoon, in order to avoid sunburn on the leaves. On the northern windows, it is necessary to supplement the plant with phytolamps. The duration of daylight hours should be at least 10 hours.
- Content temperature. Bergamot prefers indoor heat values corresponding to 20-24 degrees in the spring-summer period, but in winter, in order for flowers and fruits to appear later, the temperature should be at least 12 (optimal 15-18 degrees).
- Growing moisture citrus should be high. In the period from spring to late summer, it is necessary to carry out daily spraying of the tree. The water for this procedure should be soft and free of lime impurities, otherwise a whitish bloom will appear on the leaves. He also loves bergamot and showers with warm water, while the soil in the pot must be covered with polyethylene.
- Watering bergamot. On spring and summer days, you will need to abundantly moisten the soil in the pot with soft water, which has settled for at least two days. If this is not done, the leaves will turn yellow due to the chlorine and lime content in the water. It is necessary to pass tap water through a filter or to boil it. You can use distilled or river water, as well as collected after rain or in winter, melt snow, and then warm the liquid to room temperature.
- Fertilizer. During the period of activation of the growth of the tree, it will be necessary to feed the bergamot - this time starts from February to the fall. Liquid mineral complexes for citrus plants are selected, as well as organic additives (mullein solution). Bergamot fruit formation will be stimulated by fertilizers containing phosphorus-potassium components.
- Transplantation and selection of a suitable substrate. It is best to transplant citrus plants by the transshipment method, this method will not injure the root system. Before the start of growth (in early spring), you can carry out this operation, but when the bergamot grows up, only the upper part of the soil in the pot is replaced. In the bottom of the new container, holes must be made for water drainage and a drainage layer is laid, and then you can pour 1–2 cm of sand and only then lay the soil. When transplanting, it is necessary to remove the root processes that are above the root collar, and do not deepen it when planting.
The soil for young bergamots is composed of the following components: sod land, leafy soil, humus from cow dung, river sand (in a ratio of 2: 1: 1: 1). When transplanting adult specimens, the substrate contains: sod soil, river sand, leafy soil, cow humus, low-fat clay (in a ratio of 3: 1: 1: 1: 0, 2).
Tips for breeding the "bergam orange"
Like many citrus fruits, bergamot can be propagated by planting seeds or cuttings.
It should only be remembered that plants that were obtained after planting seed material almost never bloom and do not set fruit. Their development is very slow, and only after a 3-year period does citrus begin to take the shape of a tree. Planting should be done in February or early spring. The seeds do not need to be dried, as their ability to germinate is reduced. The substrate is mixed from equal parts of sand and humus. The grains are deepened 1 cm into the slightly moistened soil. A container with seedlings should be wrapped in a plastic bag or covered with a piece of glass. Subsequently, it is recommended to carry out daily ventilation, and it is necessary to moisten the soil moderately, not allowing it to dry out. In a few weeks, the first shoots of bergamot will appear. Since citrus fruits have the property of containing several embryos in the seed, up to 4 sprouts can appear from one seed. As soon as the plants grow up, the strongest are selected from them, and the others are removed. After a pair of young true leaves has developed on the sprouts, a pick can be carried out in separate containers with a sandy-humus substrate.
For grafting, you need to cut branches in early or mid-spring. The optimal length should be at least 10-15 cm. It is better when cuttings are cut from the tops of the shoots and for this a special garden tool is used so that the cut is even, without chipping.
Then dip the cut site in any root formation stimulator (for example, the drug "Kornevin") and plant in a small container, at the bottom of which there is a drainage layer and a substrate of sand mixed with universal soil in equal proportions is poured on top of it. The twigs are placed in a bright place, but with the obligatory shading from the bright rays of the sun. To accelerate germination, heat indicators must be maintained within 22-25 degrees. Be sure to cover the cuttings with a plastic bag or place them under a glass jar. Experienced growers recommend using a plastic bottle cut in half. The part where the lid is located covers the shoots. This will allow you to subsequently remove the cover and carry out the moistening of the substrate and airing.
After 3-4 weeks, the cuttings usually take root, you can transplant into pots with a large diameter (increase by only 2 cm) so that there is no possibility of filling the soil. After half a month, you can carry out the first feeding of young bergamots from the moment of transplantation.
Difficulties associated with cultivating bergamot
Most of all, this citrus suffers from scale insects and spider mites. These pests, settling on plants, are accepted, piercing the leaf plate with their proboscis to suck life sap. Because of this, the leaves of bergamot first begin to turn yellow and deform, and then fly around. In the presence of a spider mite, soon a thin, barely noticeable cobweb will appear on all shoots and leaf plates, the surface of which will more and more cover the tree. Scabbards (brown dots) secrete a sticky and sugary substrate (a waste product of the parasite), which begins to cover all shoots and leaves, and if you do not take any action, then soon the plant will be affected by a sooty fungus ("black mold").
If the following symptoms are noticed, then it is required to process bergamot with the following drugs:
- soap solution, made on the basis of laundry soap (300 gr.), dissolved and infused in a bucket of water;
- an oil agent that is mixed on the basis of rosemary essential oil (a couple of drops) and a liter of water;
- alcohol solution - you can use a pharmacy tincture of calendula.
Any of these products must be applied to a cotton pad and manually removed by wiping the leaves and branches of the bergamot. You can also spray then the whole tree. In the event that non-chemical agents do not help, then insecticides will need to be applied.
The sooty fungus looks like a black bloom on the fruits, leaves and shoots of the plant. These formations interfere with the processes of photosynthesis, the bergamot begins to weaken and its growth stops. For treatment, a copper-soap solution or preparations of the "Fitover" type are used. If, after winter days, you expose bergamot to the sun or not shade it during the hottest hours of the day, then whitish spots may appear on the leaves. When the air in the room becomes too dry, the tops of the leaf plates dry out. When the substrate is flooded, the leaves turn brown and fly around.
Interesting facts about bergamot
There is an interesting version about the receipt of tea with bergamot, as if the ship on which a batch of Chinese tea was transported, as well as vessels with bergamot oil, fell into a strong storm, and during it oil leaked from one broken container, getting on the bales of tea soaked them through … The merchants, hoping that the tea did not deteriorate and did not lose its qualities, tried to brew it and realized that they had received a magnificent new variety of tea with bergamot flavor. But this version is hard to believe, since the Chinese have used citrus fruit oil for a long time to flavor their teas.
Essential oil is obtained not only from the peel of fruits, but also leafy plates, young shoots and flowers of bergamot are used for it. There are more than 300 elements that make up its composition. In Europe, it is believed that French perfumers were the first to get the idea to use the oil of this fruit with a strong smell. In their opinion, the addition of oil to the composition of those times in perfumes and perfumery compositions revived the scent. But other sources indicate that a cologne was created on the basis of bergamot oil in Italy in the XIV century. And the creator was the Florentine monks, who were often engaged in the study of all kinds of properties of plants. Even the secret of the creation of the so-called Tsar's water "Aqua Regina" could not be learned for a long time, and this continued until the second half of the 17th century. A simple pharmacist from the city of Cologne managed to do this, and unknowingly, people believe that the famous "Cologne Water", the so-called "Eau De Colone" was first created there.
Even in ancient times, Chinese healers used the properties of this plant as an antiseptic, antiviral drug, against all kinds of inflammation, it has the ability to have a bactericidal and antifungal effect, and also act as an antispasmodic.
If you regularly take bergamot, then the human body becomes stronger, the immune system becomes more resistant to various diseases. There is also the possibility of preventing and treating colds and infectious diseases. But not only this, regular use of tinctures and solutions with bergamot will help get rid of problems with bronchopulmonary inflammatory processes, as well as infections that affect the human genitourinary system: cystitis, gonorrhea or vaginal itching.
You can use bergamot oil if necessary to calm the nervous system or relieve vascular spasms, etc. If you drink tea not just flavored with bergamot, but specially soaked in oil, you can appreciate its delicate, unusual and spicy flavor. This drink will help to get rid of fatigue and stress, will put in order the digestion. Due to its effect on the cardiovascular system, blood pressure returns to normal, and the symptoms of vascular dystonia are relieved. If you use water with a few drops of bergamot oil, then stomatitis is eliminated by rinsing.
Naturally, the properties of bergamot have not been overlooked by cosmetologists. Using it as an antiseptic, masks, compresses and other products with exotic oil are created to eliminate skin problems. This includes: fungus, eczema, psoriasis, the consequences of burns, infectious and cold sores that arise, acne problems (since there are trace elements in the oil that help stabilize the sebaceous and sweat glands of a person).
Bergamot is also used in cooking, and this applies not only to drinks. From its peel and pulp, you can make delicate and fragrant marmalade and jam. In Asian regions, with the help of bergamot juice, malaria, pigmentation disorders of the skin were cured. Interestingly, bergamot oil helps fight parasitic insects: fungi, lice, fleas and lice, even on animals. However, there are people with an increased intolerance to the smell and taste of bergamot, if such a person drinks a product or drink with a bergamot perfume, then this can provoke severe allergies.
It is curious that many people confuse bergamot with monarda. It's not just that, as this interesting herb has a very similar smell and even taste to citrus fruits and leaves. But this is only at first glance, since the plants are very different from each other. Monarda has a herbal form of growth and reaches a maximum one and a half meters in height. Blossoming occurs in red-crimson buds, which attract a lot of insects because of their bright color and delicate aroma.
You will learn more informative information about bergamot from this video:
