Balsam-apple

Balsam-apple Care

Momordica Balsamina

What is the plant

Balsam apple is a perennial climbing plant producing annual stems that can grow up to 5 metres long from a tuberous perennial rootstock. The stems sometimes sprawl over the ground, but can also support themselves on other plants by means of tendrils.The plant is cultivated on a small scale in almost all tropical areas as a vegetable and medicinal plant

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Lighting

Full Sun

Hardiness zone

9a - 11

Difficulty

Medium

Invasive

Weed

How to Care for the Plant

Water
Keep the bitter melons' soil consistently moist, but not soggy, to a depth of about 20 inches during the plants' growing period.
Fertilizer
Fertilize each bitter melon plant when it has six leaves and every two weeks thereafter during the growing season. Use a fertilizer designed for fruiting vines, and follow the fertilizer package's directions on how much fertilizer to use for your planting bed's size.
Sunlight
Select a warm, sunny planting location with soil that drains well.

Disease diagnosis

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Soil
Bitter melon grows best in rich, sandy or loamy soil with an average pH level of about 6.5 but adapts to soil with a pH level as high as 8.
Temperature
The plant seems to be at least somewhat frost hardy
Additional
Although reported to be edible, the ripe fruits have also been reported to cause vomiting and diarrhoea, and can be poisonous
Traditional medicinal use of this plant is widespread and diverse. The more common and widespread uses are as follows: The fruits, seeds and leaves are anthelmintic.The leaves are used as a treatment against fever and excessive uterine bleeding, and to treat syphilis, rheumatism, hepatitis and skin disorders.The plant is emetic, purgative and vermifuge.