Where Should I Plant My Mirliton to Get the Ideal Amount of Sunlight?
The answer: Just about anywhere.
Mirlitons can be initially planted in partial shade or full sun. If planted in a well-shaded area, they will naturally send out shoots to the greatest amount of light. They are “sunseekers” in the sense that they will always grow from shade to full light. You can plant them in partial shade, and as long as the trellis guides them toward more sun, they will follow that.
They can also be planted in full sun. But under the new weather conditions of heat domes and intense heatwaves, we have found that it is absolutely necessary to use a 40% shade cloth,especially when the temperature is excessively high — 95℉ for several successive days. That is why we advise growers to always build a structure along with the trellis where they can quickly and easily mount a shade cloth.
Many growers use shade cloths throughout the growing season. While I don’t think it’s necessary to use them when the temperatures are in the low 90s, it may not hurt. But there are two downsides to using a shade cloth too early in the season. (1) It reduces the amount of light necessary for photosynthesis, which provides the vine with energy and drives new growth–particularly for a young vine. And (2) shade cloths reduce the amount of ultraviolet light, which is a natural fungicide and helps combat fungal diseases.
Bottom Line: You can start your mirliton in almost any available lighting. Just plan to protect it from too much light. Build a structure along with the trellis so they can quickly and easily mount a shade cloth, which can also double as a rain guard during excessive rainfall.
Angela Joan’s shade cloth draped over the vine, supported by poles.
Tedra Erikson Stanley performing the thumbnail test.
Mirlitons are typically ready to harvest when they reach approximately 8 ounces, although size and weight can vary. The most reliable method for testing for harvesting is the thumbnail test.
Start by pushing on the fruit skin with your thumbnail. If the fruit skin dents or even seeps a little moisture, the fruit is still immature and will be too watery. If it is firm and does not dent, you are ready to pick. The old growers used to say, “My mirlitons are hard now and ready to pick.”
See Tedra Stanley’s video on how to do the test here.
At the hard stage, they are also mature enough to sprout and or use as seed. But once they begin to sprout, they’re too tough to cook.
The spring harvest of mirlitons has increased in recent years due to advancements in growing techniques. The question is: How do we plant them?
There are two options: container-grown plants or planting them directly in the soil.
First, in either case, the fruit needs to be spouted. This ensures the seed is viable, and a sprouted mirliton means the roots and shoots are ready for soil and will quickly root and grow. You can expedite sprouting by incubating the fruit. If kept warm, they will sprout within 7 to 14 days. Read how to do it here. (We encourage growers to also incubate their sprouts before selling or gifting them, for the same reasons.)
Once the seed has sprouted:
Container planting: Plant it in a 3-gallon container and keep it outside in the shade for the summer. Use a small tomato cage for a trellis. Mirlitons can be easily pruned back to maintain a compact shape if desired. Transplant them into the ground in September, after the danger of the heatwave has passed. Cut it back and mulch it in November, or tent and heat it for the entire winter. Either way, you’ll get a good spring crop. Use the bamboo stake technique for gauging watering needs.
Mirlitons trellised on tomato cages.
Direct planting: This is a little more tricky. You can plant sprouts in May or June, but they will need to be initially shaded from the heat of direct sunlight. Place a milk crate over the plant, covering it with a 40% shade cloth or a piece of cardboard to protect it from the sun’s rays. After it starts to grow foliage, remove the crate and shade. Read about shading it here. Use the standard methods for bed preparation in the quick guide
Many gardeners attribute plant failure to manure or compost that may have been contaminated with Grazon or other herbicides. A professional laboratory test is too expensive for the average gardener, but there is a simple, inexpensive test you can do at home. You can do it before using the compost or manure, or after you have already planted:
Spider mites and mealybugs tend to plague mirlitons that are planted in containers, especially when kept indoors during overwintering.
You can manage mealybugs by soaking a cotton swab with 70% isopropyl rubbing alcohol and dabbing it directly on the bugs. Alternatively, you can dilute the alcohol with water at a 1:10 ratio (one part alcohol to 10 parts water) and spray it on both the top and bottom of the leaves. (Sevin claims to control mealybugs, but there’s evidence that it is not as effective as alcohol.) If you are spraying the solution on an established plant outside, do a patch test first to ensure that the alcohol won’t harm the leaves (spray only a few leaves and then check the next day). Additionally, spray the plant in the evening.
If the mites are on a seed, sprout, or container plant that you are keeping inside or not in direct sun, you can dust it with “flowable sulfur.” It’s very effective, but it can damage the sprout/plant if applied outside in direct sunlight or heat, so be cautious with it.
Mites can be controlled with the same alcohol spray, neem oil, or insecticidal soap (follow the instructions on the label).
Sprays will only kill the living mites, so you may need to repeat the spraying process weekly for a few weeks.
Red spider mite clusters.
Click here for a short fact sheet on how to identify signs of mites.
Strong winds and hurricanes can shred a mirliton vine and stress it enough to delay or even stop flowering.
Michelle Impastato Glore discovered an ingenious way to inexpensively and quickly protect the vine from winds: netting. It’s the most effective way to protect your vines from wind damage–even in hurricane winds.
With young plants, she sandwiches them between two layers of netting and secures it to the trellis on both sides with clips. She pushes the tips of the clips through both sides so they hold the vine snugly but not so tightly that it breaks the stems.
To protect her large, mature vine, she wraps the entire vine with netting on both sides and secures it with velcro and or plastic tape.
Both vines survived gusts of 20 mph, and the large vine should have sustained gusts up to 70 mph.
The netting comes in many sizes at Tractor Supply and other stores, including this large roll for big vines.
Watch the video here of Michelle’s vine after 70 mph gusts. The vine had grown through the netting, so she had to cut holes in it before removing it.
New plant sandwiched in with netting clipped to trellis.
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