Turmush — Batken city resident Sultanmurat Latipov has been growing lemons for 8 years. A correspondent talked to him Turmush.
There are 8 lemon trees growing in the yard of 76-year-old Batken city resident Sultanmurat Latipov. Every year, depending on the harvest, the price is assessed and the locals buy it. Last year the harvest was small, so it was not put up for sale. This year, according to the farmer, the harvest is good compared to last year.
“Our yard itself is small, so we made a greenhouse out of it. There are lemon seedlings growing inside, which are already 7–8 years old. Every year they produce a different harvest: one year a good one, sometimes less. This year is good compared to last year. Last year there was little harvest, so we didn’t sell. When we put it up for sale, we sell it in our local markets. We don’t collect tons, it’s always different.
In general, a lemon tree requires a lot of work. I trim it from time to time. It also grows wild branches. They are thorny and do not bear fruit. It also bears fruit twice a year. Since it’s warm here, there are fruits that started last year, and only now they are ripening. More precisely, they were green and only now turned yellow. Now you are surprised by its aroma, but in general there is a wonderful smell during the flowering period. It blooms and buds together with our apricot trees, and ripens in October-November. During the flowering period, the aroma is just like lilac. We have a hotel next to the garden, and guests who come there are sure to stop by.
This year the crop is sick – sticky sap (scale insects/honeydew) has appeared. I think that if they had grown outside and not in a greenhouse, perhaps this would not have happened. In addition to lemons, I tried to plant 3 orange trees in the greenhouse. Two of them have dried up, and one is growing. It blooms every year, but drops its flowers. I think it will also grow and produce a harvest. In addition, there are my wife’s flowers. As you can see for yourself, the aloe in the soil has grown very large. And the flowers in the pots bloom at the same time. Now they have not yet opened their buds,” says S. Latipov.
