Sikana Aromatic Organic Seeds (Sicana odorifera)

A very powerful vine, growing up to 15 meters in favorable conditions. The leaves are green with a bright light pattern along the veins. The flowers are large, five-petaled, from bright yellow to pale cream in color. Fruits weighing 2 to 4 kg, elliptical, slightly curved, 30-60 cm long and 7-12 cm wide.

The bark of the fruit is smooth, glossy, orange-red, maroon, dark purple or almost black in color. Inside contains orange-yellow or yellow juicy aromatic pulp. At room temperature, the fruits can be stored for several months, like the fruits of ordinary pumpkins. Young ovaries are used as vegetables, they taste like zucchini.

Location: sunny or light partial shade.
Watering: before fruiting - moderate, after the beginning of flowering - plentiful, but without waterlogging.
Fertilization: with organic fertilizers during the growing season.
Soil: any loose, nutritious, well-drained soil.
Temperature regime: it is very sensitive to nighttime temperature drops, stops growth, therefore, plant it in the ground when nighttime temperatures are above 12-15 ° С.
Reproduction: seeds. Soak the seeds for 6-12 hours in warm water, plant them to a depth of 1-2 cm, germinate in a bright warm (23 ° C and higher) place. The soil should remain moist at all times, but not wet.

Interesting Facts:
Sikana has been cultivated since ancient times, using its large, tasty fruits. Unripe fruits are used as zucchini, in ripe ones - for dessert: they are juicy, sweet and aromatic, no worse than melons. True, during our short summer, this perennial liana does not have time to give many fruits of full maturity, but they are perfectly stored until next year and ripen during storage.

The name can be pronounced Kassabana, a fragrant pumpkin.