PEPINO MELON SEEDLINGS NOW IN KENYA

Native to Peru and Chile in South America, it was apparently reported by the Spanish Conquistadors as being cultivated on the coast in the Moche Valley of Peru. It has been cultivated in the warmer parts of the USA for over a century, and more recently it is being cultivated commercially in New Zealand, Chile and now KENYA!

Facts about pepino plant.-After the plant is fully mature (takes 3 months) it can give you a minimum of 10 fruits every month.-Pepino grows 100% naturally, no pestsides spraying required.-Pepino will do good in all types of soil.-It only takes 3 months for a pepino plant to start giving you fruits.-Pepino doesn't attract any pests.-Pepino fruit can go for upto 3 months without going bad.-A ripe pepino fruit should be sweet and tasty (Avoid eating unripe pepino fruit)- Pepino farming doesn't require a big piece of land.

PEPINO MELON (solanum muricatum or “melon pear”) MIRACLE FRUIT IS NOW IN KENYA

It is a perennial evergreen shrub growing to a metre outdoors or up to 2 metres in a greenhouse.Growing from seed is surprisingly easy. Treat the seed just as you would with peppers or tomatoes. Sow the seed in pots of free-draining compost, just covering the seed.The seedlings will grow slowly for 2 months, until they are ready to be repotted into their final pots or growbag in a cool or heated greenhouse. The seedlings available in Kenya produces plants with different types of fruit.

PEPINO MELON (solanum muricatum or “melon pear”) MIRACLE FRUIT IS NOW IN KENYA

Pruning and “pinching out” the growing tips, will be necessary to keep the plants under control in a greenhouse. The main stem will require to be well tied and supported to a cord or cane as the stems are very lax. The growth habit is “indeterminate,” and pinching out any side shoots but leaving any flower buds, as you would do for a tomato plant, would be a good method of pruning and training the plant. Keep trying slightly different systems of pruning where you can pinch out each side shoot, two leaves beyond any fruit buds.

The plants are self-fertile but require pollination by insects in the wild. In the Greenhouse, hand pollinate with your finger or a fine artist’s brush. High temperatures above 30 C, can also apparently prevent fruit forming.

The pepino has similar requirements to those of tomatoes. There are two methods of propagation used; cuttings and seeds but is usually propagated from cuttings. Germinating seeds require a minimum soil temperature of 120c and unlike some species of tomatoes can survive mild cold snaps. The foliage is likely to be affected by excessive heat and moderate frost. The plant requires well drained loam soils with a pH of 6.5-7.5. The plants should be well watered and weeded.

How to grow

Always buy potted Pepino Melon seedlings for planting.Given that the plant is herbaceous, it may require support to keep fruits above the ground. In an acre, one can grow about 4000 sticks at a spacing of 3 feet by 3 feet. That means that with a 50x100 plot, one can grow 500 plants.With proper crop management and rains or irrigation when it is a bit dry, every plant can yield at least four mature fruits per month at a time. With the farm gate price ranging from Kshs 30 upwards, one can make at least Kshs 60,000 - per month from a 50X100 plot (OR Kshs 480,000 in an Acre per month) . You can enjoy high harvests during rainy seasons, although the season-less crop does not disappoint at all. Ensure you regularly apply mulch, manure and fertilizer to retain water moisture, and soils fertility.

Health benefits

Pepino melon has large deposits of vitamin A, C, K and B. It is also rich in minerals such as copper and iron which are essential in blood formation and boosting immunity. Potassium in the fruit helps in lowering blood pressure and improving blood flow and central nervous system coordination. Pepino is also diuretic- it accelerates passage of urine, therefore, appropriate for diabetic patients. Most customers who buy are normally following doctors recommendations to eat the melon to boost recovery from a host of chronic infections such as diabetes, cancer, among others.

Order Now to Get seedlings @ Kshs 200 each...Minimum 100 Seedlings,,,We also sell potted seedlings @ Kshs 2500/= (Minimum 5 containers) including Free delivery within Nairobi. Also get the fruits @ Kshs 100 each, minimum 20 fruits. Call/Text/WhatsApp 0722 281679 to place your order via Mpesa...