Grow crisp and crunchy kakri in Karachi

Armenian cucumber is preferred by kitchen gardeners because its plant grows rapidly and produces quick yields

Commonly known as Kakri in Urdu and as Tar in Punjabi, Armenian cucumber is part of salad eaten in the subcontinent and is usually consumed as a whole without peeling or de-seeding the cucumber. Mostly consumed raw after dicing or slicing, Armenian cucumber has low nutritional value. Since the heat-tolerant vegetable is also low in calories and high in fibres and vitamins, it is a good choice for weight and health conscious individuals.

Type of plant

Like most other gourds, Armenian cucumber grows on a well-branched vine with tendrils to help it spread and climb within reasonable reach up to 15 to 20 feet. Armenian Cucumber vine has yellow, male and female flowers, which after being pollinated with the pollen of the male flowers, are likely to develop into a fruit within two and a half weeks. Despite its less commercial value, this vegetable is preferred by kitchen gardeners because the plant grows rapidly and produces quick yields, compared to the cucumber.

How to sow and grow

The fruit of Armenian cucumber generally takes a bend and is more curved than the cucumber. It is, therefore, recommended to grow the Armenian cucumber on a trellis to help its growing fruit hang in the air and not touch the ground. This will also keep the fruit long and much straighter than anticipated.

Whether grown in crates, fruit baskets, pots or ground, the soil space should be about 8 to 12 inches and must be grown in spacious areas to provide for aeration of the vines and help deflect pest attacks.

The seeds, like all other melons seeds, are similar in shape and are developed initially and then segregated and transplanted individually in later stages. To grow the seedling, take a cup, place nursery soil in it and then place 2 to 3 seeds and cover it with the soil. After germination , the strongest of the seedling is continued to grow while the rest of the seedlings are thinned out. When two to three true leaves come out, only after that the plant is transplanted. The best months to sow in a tropical climate like of Karachi is from February to August.

Pollination

Since Armenian cucumber has both male and female flowers on the same plant, pollination is critical, considering the depreciation of pollinators (e.g. bees and honey bees) due to increased commercialisation of cities and rising pollution level.

To account for the lack of bees, the other option is to hand pollinate the flowers by yourself, for which you first need to distinguish male flowers from the female ones by presence of a swollen small fruit just behind the flower in the female ones as all others without such swollen fruits are male. After identification, pluck the male flower and carefully remove its petals and then rub this onto the centre of the female flowers so that the pollens of the male flowers get transferred onto the female flowers.

Watering and sunlight requirements

In a growing season, as a rule, if Armenian cucumber vines are stressed for water than the chances of a bitter fruit production increases. Same unwanted flavour variation can also occur in case of severe fluctuations in temperature from very hot to very cold.

Through the Armenian cucumber thrives in moist soil, it should not be over-watered. Avoid showering the plant and do not water directly on the base of the plant, which should be exposed to sunlight for at least 4 to 6 hours daily.

Fertilisers for plant nourishment

Once the true leaves starts to grow, there is ample requirement of nitrogen provided through nitrogen-rich fertilizer till the beginning of the flowering stage of the vine. The organic options of decomposed cow and chicken manure and compost tea can be used while commercially available organic fish or bone meal can be purchased. As flowering begins, nitrogen provision must be stopped as plant has already struck its maturity and potassium fertiliser is now added as the plant’s food source. For potassium, banana peel liquid can be added with normal watering.

Pest attack

Normally, from February to the monsoon season, there is hardly any pest attack. The pest attacks begin during and after the monsoon onset, for which it is better to weekly spray the Armenian cucumber vine with organic pesticides like organic neem oil pesticide after the monsoon season.

Fruiting and harvest

After sowing seeds, it takes just less than two months before you might be harvesting your first Armenian cucumber. The fruit of the Armenian Cucumber is generally crisp and crunchy, and thus is preferred to be eaten raw. -Ends

The writer is a physician by profession and hosts ‘DocTree Gardening,’ a YouTube channel promoting organic farming and kitchen gardening. He tweets @Ali_Shahid82 and can be reached at [email protected]