Pistachio plant: properties and benefits of an ancient plant from the Middle East
The Pistachio plant is a fruit tree that produces the delicious pistachios much loved and appreciated for their versatility in the kitchen, and the thousands of sweet and savory recipes with which they are used. If you love plants surrounded by those that make you feel good: watch the video and discover the plants that purify the air! Many are perfect to keep in the apartment and useful to make your rooms healthier, discover them!
Pistachio plant: the green hazelnut between history and legends
According to fossil studies, the seeds of the fruits of the Pistachio plant were eaten in Turkey since 7000 BC. They are also mentioned in the "Old Testament, where they are mentioned among the gifts Jacob brought to the Pharaoh. The peoples of Mesopotamia and the Greeks also knew pistachios, who attributed them a therapeutic power. It is said that the queen of Sheba, a glutton for pistachios. , demanded all the production of his land for himself and for his courtiers. The cultivation of this rustic plant of Middle Eastern origin was quickly spread also in the Mediterranean by the Greeks and Romans. From Asia Minor it reached Greece with Alexander the Great, in Rome with Lucio Vitellio, in Spain with Crassus. Its cultivation extends with the conquests of the Arabs, who imported it to Sicily, after having stolen the island from the Byzantines.
Pistachio plant: color, leaves, flowers, fruits and seeds
The fruits of pistachios were therefore appreciated even in the most ancient times. The pistachios produced in Bronte in Sicily are the best internationally. Sicily is the largest producer of pistachio seeds, which, however, are also grown in southern and central Italy. Even though it also grows in a rustic way, the plant always needs special care, to give an optimal production, for example with an organic crop. In addition to Pistacia Vera in Italy we also have the cultivation of Pistacia theribinthus and Pistacia lentiscus, known with the name of Lentisk. Some plants have only male inflorescences, others only female. This is taken into account when the implant is carried out. To implant Pistacia Vera plants it is necessary to get a male plant and three female plants that can also be purchased online (add the chosen products to the cart and check if there are shipping costs or free shipping included in the price).
The cultivation of the Pistachio plant bears fruit: discovering pistachios
The Pistachio plant can live up to 300 years and even exceed about 7 meters. Those of the female gender are more robust. The wood of the Pistachios initially yellowish in color becomes red-brown over time. This knotty wood is used by artisans to create particular furnishings of great value. The leaves of the Pistachio tree fall in the cold season, when the vegetative cycle of the plant stops. They have more ovate leaves, with a round tip, a little hairy when they sprout as soon as spring comes and orange-red in autumn. Male trees do not give pistachios, but the flowers of female ones are fertilized by their pollen. The flowers of the Pistachio plant are grouped in the shape of a panicle without real petals. The flowers appear first and then the leaves. Pollination is made possible by the wind; therefore it is anemophilous (from the Greek anemos, wind). The yellow or red cluster fruits containing the seeds are elongated oval in shape. Pistachios are oily seeds present in the fruit, inside two yellowish-white valves; they are composed of two matching parts, green in color, covered with a thin sheath on red or green tending to black. rich in oil, proteins and vitamins.
Pistachio plant: a typical cultivation of the South
In Italy the most cultivated variety is the Bianca or Napoletana (Nostrale) with the living green seed, very popular on the market. Then there is the Cappuccia, the Cerasola, the Insolia, the Silvana, the Femminella. Pistachio is grown mainly in the regions of Southern Italy, not only because the climate is colder elsewhere (the plant resists well even at very cold temperatures, even at minus 20 °), but because of the danger of recurrence of strong and sudden cold and of frosts after flowering (which begins very early in early spring), which could ruin the fragile flowers and even spoil the excellence of seed production. In the central and northern regions it will be necessary for the cultivation of the Pistachio plant to opt for areas very exposed to the sun, but at the same time sheltered from the wind and weather after flowering, providing for methods of covering the plants for sudden frost waves. . The Pistachio tree from a good rustic plant adapts easily and can be grown on any type of soil, even if poorly nourished and calcareous, but obviously if the cultivation can take advantage of a deep soil enriched with nutrients and organic substances, the production it will be able to reach an optimal level, in terms of quality and quantity, as anyone who understands agriculture knows well. This plant grows and bears fruit even in conditions of poor hydration. If you can intervene in particularly critical periods with emergency irrigation, the plant and the production of pistachios will benefit.
Pistachio plant: fertilizer, pruning and harvesting
Growing the Pistachio plant is not difficult, but we must not forget the essential treatments. For example, the plant must be fertilized at the time of implantation, the most important phase of cultivation, with not fresh manure. After the first year you can use garden and home compost or other lighter fertilizers that can also be purchased online on Amazon. Pruning aimed at production must consider that the Pistachio tree bears fruit on branches of at least two years. At the end of winter, a lighter pruning can be carried out, thinning the foliage a little and eliminating the dry and deteriorated branches, to ventilate the plant and guarantee it the necessary light. The fruits are ready for harvest, when they ripen from August until the end of September. After the fruit has been harvested, once the husk is removed, the shells are dried under the sun's rays. The pistachios in their shells are then poured into jute bags and placed in clean, moisture-free environments in the dark. If the seeds have been peeled, they need to be toasted. To eliminate the danger of parasites, natural preparations obtained by maceration of nettle, garlic, horsetail are enough. Pistachios find wide space in Italian cuisine, both in the preparation of certain dishes and for that of ice creams, cakes, creams, as well as being appreciated as a pastime snack together with pumpkin seeds, almonds and hazelnuts.
