You can grow somewhere else, except for the south of our country. However, at the end of March 2017, the State Register of the Russian Federation registered 211 varieties and hybrids adapted for various climatic conditions; including those that can be grown in all regions.
Today we will talk about table watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) - it is this species that pleases us so much with its delicious fruits. Watermelon belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family. The fruit (pumpkin) is a multi-seeded berry.
Watermelon flowers are divided into female, male and bisexual. The bulk of the varieties are bisexual, but there are those in which the flowers on the plant are strictly unisexual. The female flowers are slightly larger than the male ones. Like many plants of this family, watermelon is cross-pollinated.
Watermelon flowers are located on the main shoot in the axils of the leaves according to the ripening period: in early ripening - from 4 to 11 leaves, with an average term - from 15 to 18 leaves, late varieties have flowers in the axils from 20 to 25 leaves.
Growing watermelon after related crops is not recommended. But legumes and cabbage are good predecessors.
Sowing watermelon directly into the ground
You can sow watermelons immediately into the ground, but you need to choose the right variety or hybrid for your region, otherwise you can’t count on a good harvest. Sow watermelon when the soil is warmed up to a depth of about 10 cm and the optimum temperature for seedlings is +15...+16°C.
After germination, they are thinned out for the first time, and in the phase of 3-4 true leaves - again, leaving the strongest seedlings at a distance of about 1 m from each other. In the greenhouse, you can take a smaller distance, somewhere around 70 cm.
Planting watermelon seedlings
The use of seedlings will help solve the problems of a short warm period required for fruit ripening, poor set and excess moisture in early summer. In my climatic conditions, the period when the watermelon fruit grows (summer) is shorter than the growing season, even for varieties and hybrids with early term maturation.sow in the beginning of May, immediately into separate pots with a capacity of at least 0.3 liters, because watermelon does not tolerate transplanting.
The soil mixture is made up of sod land, sand and peat, taken in equal proportions. Add about 50 g per 5 liters of mixture dolomite flour and potassium sulfate, about 100 g of double, about 50 g of ammonium nitrate.
Preferably 30 minutes before sowing. warm the seeds hot water(+50...+55°С). Then germinate them in wet sand at a temperature of about + 25 ° C. When the seeds have the beginnings of a root, plant them in pots, sprinkle with sand, cover with a film and put in a warm place. During the day, the temperature should be around +25°C, and at night it should be reduced to +20°C. Seedlings will appear in about a week.
Light day must be at least 12 hours, otherwise the development of seedlings may stop. With a lack of light, seedlings can stretch out, so on cloudy days or in a poorly lit room, seedlings need to be illuminated.
When the seedlings already have 3 true leaves, they need to be fed with mullein and liquid.
AT mid June you can plant seedlings in the ground, in a permanent sunny place. If you had to move it to the garden earlier, when the threat is still relevant, experienced gardeners will help protect the plants.
watermelon care
Watermelons love to drink and eat)top dressing
When the seedlings begin to form whips, feed the plants with a solution of mullein (1:8) or chicken manure (1:20). At the same time, you need to give the plant and mineral food - it will do just fine.
Next top dressing- potash fertilizers must be given at the time of formation of the ovary.
Watering
The root system of a watermelon is rod, goes to a depth of more than 1 m, lateral adventitious roots can occupy a sufficient area in upper layers soil. After planting, you can water not often, but abundantly: 3 buckets per 1 m², and at the time of flowering, watering is carried out at least 2 times a week. During the period of fruit ripening, watering is stopped.
The subtlety of growing watermelons lies in the fact that with a sharp cold snap, it can get sick and die, for normal development and full fertilization of the ovaries, it needs a temperature of +25 ... +30 ° С.
Already at + 15 ° C, plant growth slows down, therefore, in unpredictable weather conditions of the middle lane, many cover the melon with a film. On the inside, abundant condensation may form on it; to remove it, gauze is pulled under the film or.
Another subtlety of growing watermelons is pollination: if the weather is cloudy, it is more difficult for bees to do their job, so you need to touch two or more pistils on other flowers with stamens from one flower.
In the southern regions of our country, the tops of the shoots are removed: their growth stops, they begin to branch more strongly, the fruits are larger.
Varieties and hybrids of watermelons
In order to somehow streamline the varieties of watermelons related to one common variety, they were divided into 10 conditional groups distributed geographically:- Russian
- Western European
- Transcaucasian
- Asia Minor
- Indian
- Afghan
- Central Asian
- Far East
- East Asian
- American
When choosing a variety or hybrid for your region, pay attention to the growing season. Suitable for cool non-chernozem regions early varieties, and for warmer regions, varieties and hybrids with medium and late deadline maturation. You also need to look at drought and frost resistance. Surely you will be useful to many personal experience our readers who successfully grow watermelons in various regions:, and regions, regions,!
"Spark"
This variety belongs to the early ripe ones, it can be grown in the Non-Black Earth Region: 71-87 days pass from germination to ripening.
Watermelon variety "Spark". Photo from pixabay.com
The shape of the fruit is spherical, weighing an average of about 2.5 kg. The pulp is bright red, sweet; the peel is thin, black-green. Seeds are small. Sow in the ground from April 20 to May 10. Seedlings - from May 25 to June 10. Landing pattern - 1 m x 0.6 m.
"Crimson Sweet"
It can be grown under the condition of a short hot summer. From shoots to harvest from 60 to 70 days.
Watermelon variety "Crimson Sweet"
Anthracnose resistance is good, powdery mildew is also almost not affected. It will weigh about 3 kg, the taste is rich, very sweet.
You can visit our market, where offers of the largest online stores are collected.
Watermelon F1 Black Excellent
25 rub
WATCH
Russian Garden
Watermelon is very healthy, but it is not easy to grow, and seedlings are usually used for this. If it is not possible to grow seedlings or equip a greenhouse, all that remains is to plant the seeds directly in open ground. At the same time, the percentage of seedlings, as a rule, is low, and the yield is poor. How to plant watermelons with seeds, and at the same time get a rich harvest, will be discussed in the article.
What varieties can be planted outdoors?
Varieties are selected depending on climatic conditions, planting site and personal preferences. Each species has its own characteristics: taste, size, color of the crust and pulp. However, the first thing you need to look at before buying is the ripening period.
For warm areas, late varieties or with an average ripening period (Melania F1, Spring, Chill, Icarus) are suitable. For a long time they will be able to grow quietly without the threat of early frosts.
But the northern middle lane it is worth giving preference to early varieties (Crimson Suite, Start, Spark, Sugar Baby, Skorik). They rush into short time- before the first frost. Therefore, summer residents have the opportunity to grow their favorite crop and harvest it before the air temperature drops significantly.
When can you plant watermelons?
Check also these articles
Landing time for all regions is different. But there are several general rules to be observed before planting watermelons with seeds in open ground:
- it should be quite warm, even at night - without frost;
- all belated frosts should already be over, because even small frosts will destroy the plant;
- the earth should dry out from melted snow;
- the ideal temperature of the earth is from 15 degrees and above.
How to prepare the soil?
To begin with, it is worth noting that it is easiest to plant seeds in open ground in the southern regions. There is a much higher chance of getting a crop without seedlings. In the northern and middle latitudes, to grow watermelon from seeds, you will need to thoroughly prepare the land. So, how to plant watermelons with seeds in open ground?
The place for culture is chosen sunny, not shaded. The shadow will not allow to develop - you need an abundance of sun and heat! The best predecessors of culture are onions, cabbage, legumes.
In autumn, the ground for watermelons is dug up well, and then fertilized with manure. You can use fresh manure, during the winter it will have time to overheat and will not harm the culture. In spring, the soil loosens and warms.
For warming, the earth is poured with boiling water, then a film is applied to the site where the watermelon will grow. It can be lifted on spacers - it will be more effective. A similar method will warm the earth much faster, and plant a crop earlier.
How to prepare seeds for planting?
Before planting watermelons with seeds, they need to be harvested. Since February, they have been transferred to a warm place. To know in advance the volume planting material, you need to fill them warm water, leave for 30 minutes, and then throw away all the floating seeds (high-quality, full ones will go to the bottom).
In order to increase resistance to disease, the day before planting they are soaked in a warm solution of potassium permanganate. They should lie down in it for about 15 minutes. Then they are taken out and transferred to another warm water with the addition of ash. One part ash is two parts water. In the morning, the seeds will change a little - they will swell, it is in this form that they need to be planted in the soil.
How to plant and care for watermelon?
The beds are made wide - 0.5-1 meter due to the branched root system. It is desirable to make a landing site with a comb up to 20 cm high and 50 cm wide. Watermelon seeds are planted at a depth of 5-7 cm and at a distance of 80 cm from each other. In one hole, you can throw 3-5 seeds. And if they all germinate, thin them out. Such a large distance allows the plant to develop freely in different sides.
Care is similar to other plants. It is necessary from time to time to loosen the soil, remove weeds. After 2-3 weeks, the first shoots can be observed. If at this time or earlier the temperature still dropped environment, a simple film can help. It is pulled on sticks or spacers over a bed of watermelons, you can put a saucepan under the film with hot water. The principle is like in a small greenhouse, but since watermelons do not like excess moisture, gauze is pulled under the film.
When 3-4 ovaries and at least 5 leaves appear, pinch the lashes. Regular, plentiful watering is carried out before the appearance of flowers. After that, watering is reduced so that the watermelons do not turn out watery.
The issue of growing watermelons in the country is becoming more and more relevant. This berry is a storehouse nutrients. It contains vitamins and trace elements that are useful in diabetes, diseases of the cardiovascular system, liver and kidneys, not to mention the fact that this is just a very tasty fruit. Like everything else, a watermelon grown on your own plot will be much more useful than a store-bought one.
Did you know? Watermelon is not exactly a berry, more precisely, it is the fruit-berry of a watermelon vegetable. An example of such a berry is a tomato. This fruit is the berry of the tomato vegetable.
How to grow watermelon seedlings
As you know, if you plant watermelon seeds in open ground too early, then you will not be able to harvest - the seeds will simply rot due to insufficient soil temperature, and if it is too late, they will not have time to ripen before the end of the warm period. The way out for our climate will be the selection of a suitable variety or hybrid, followed by planting seedlings.
Growing in a greenhouse
Since watermelons love light, there should be no trees and bushes near the greenhouse. Seedlings will stay here for about a month before planting watermelons in open ground. During this time, seedlings should not be affected by cold air, so eliminate this possibility in advance. Work should begin in mid-spring. Prepare a suitable substrate. In the first option, take the ground for seedlings and humus (1: 3) and add fertilizers with nitrogen and potassium (one spoon each) and three tablespoons of fertilizers with phosphorus. In the second option, add about a spoonful of potassium sulfate and a glass of wood ash to a bucket of earth.
In order to properly grow watermelon seedlings, first select suitable seeds. To do this, drop them into brine. Sunken seeds are ideal for sprouting. Rinse them with water, then soak for half an hour in a solution of manganese and dip in water again. Now leave the seeds in hot water for 10-30 minutes (temperature is about + 50-55 ° C), and then germinate to the “peeping” stage.
The next step is to plant them in separate, half-filled containers (about 10 cm across) to a depth of 2 to 4 cm. Before germination, maintain the desired temperature:during the day at the level of +23-+25°C, and at night - +18°C. After the sprouts appear, for 4-6 days it is necessary to reduce the temperature to a constant value of + 18 ° C. In the future, support temperature indicators at +20-+25°С during the day and +16-+18°С at night.
Make sure that there is enough space between the containers and that the plants do not touch the leaves. Provide adequate lighting: use lamps for 12-14 hours daily. Water the seedlings only with warm water, not often, but in large quantities. Try not to hit the leaves.
When 10-12 days remain before planting, start hardening the seedlings and open the greenhouse for 1.5-2 hours, gradually increasing the number of hours. Before planting, you need to leave the greenhouse open for a day.
Important! When planting in soil, lay the seeds on their side. This will make it easier for the sprout to come out of the shell, but you do not need to cut the seeds. Do not pinch seedlings.
Growing at home
Growing seedlings at home is almost no different from growing in a greenhouse. You need the same substrate and the same seed preparation. Only, after planting in pots, they should be closed with polyethylene film, and after germination, it is better to put the sprouts on the southern windows, where there is more light. There is also no difference in the required thermal and light conditions.
Before planting in open ground (for 7-10 days), seedlings should also be hardened, for this you need to ventilate the plants and lower the temperature to + 15- + 17 ° C during the day and + 12- + 15 ° C at night.
Choosing a place for planting watermelons
It is very important that the place for planting watermelons is well lit. Light, sandy or sandy soil is more suitable for the plant, neutral or alkaline is better. The south, southwest of the plot will do. Due to the characteristics of the root system, ground water should go pretty deep. Also take care of protection from cold winds.
Important! Well, if in front of watermelons, legumes, winter wheat, cabbage or corn grew on the territory. It is not advisable to plant them after melons, tomatoes or cucumbers.
How to transplant seedlings in open ground
The technology of growing watermelons in open ground provides for soil fertilization since autumn, for which humus or other organic fertilizer(well rotted). In the spring, it remains only to dig the site well (at least 30 cm deep). You can also create beds with a slope to the south, 15 cm high. Place the holes, a meter in diameter, at a distance of about one and a half meters from each other.
When the time comes without night frosts (usually this is the end of spring), and the plants have already formed 3-4 leaves, you can transplant seedlings into open ground. Pre-moisten each hole and only after that place a plant with an earthen clod there, dig in, but the cotyledon leaves should remain on the surface. For some time, before recovery, the seedlings should be shaded.
watermelon care rules
After transplantation, follow simple rules to care for the plant, then it will delight you with a rich harvest.
Temperature and lighting
Watermelon is a thermophilic plant. For active life, fertilization of ovaries, the temperature should not be lower than + 25 ° C. Already at + 15 ° C, development slows down, and with a sharp cold snap, the plant can get sick and even die. In such cases, the previously mentioned melon protection film is also used. Not less than an important factor is lighting - don't shade the plants. Cloudy weather can make pollination more difficult. In this case, just touch some flowers to the stamens of others.
Humidity and watering
To properly care for watermelons, you should not water them often, but watering should be plentiful. During flowering, the application of liquid should occur approximately once every 3-4 days, and with the beginning of the ripening of berries, in order to obtain juicy fruits, soil moisture should be reduced to 70-75% and watering should be stopped (except for the absence of precipitation More than a month). Watering is carried out along the grooves, the water should be warm.
soil fertilization
After planting, wait two weeks, and then feed the plants with ammonium nitrate, liquid mullein or chicken droppings. The next time fertilizers are applied during the formation of buds. Take calcium chloride, ammonium nitrate, superphosphate in a ratio of 1:1:1.5.
When to Harvest
Usually, watermelon ripens 30 days after the formation of the ovaries. The drying of the bract, the fall of the hairs of the peduncle, the glossiness of the bark will tell you about its maturity. Also pay attention to the color of the pulp and seeds. It is characteristic for each variety and will help determine the state of the first maturity.
Watermelons are harvested selectively, as they ripen, but they complete the harvest before the onset of frost.
Plant watermelon (lat. Citrullus lanatus)- herbaceous annual, species of the genus Watermelon of the Pumpkin family. Watermelon is a gourd crop, whose homeland is southern Africa - Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa. The colocynth species, related to watermelon, is still found here, which is considered the ancestor of the cultivated watermelon. This crop has been cultivated since Ancient Egypt, in the XX century BC: watermelon seeds were discovered in the tomb of Tutankhamun. Evidence that the watermelon was known to the ancient Romans, who ate it fresh and salty and also made honey from it, can be found in the verses of Virgil. The watermelon fruit was also grown in China, where it was called the "melon of the West", and the Arabs, who used it before meals to cleanse the body. Crusaders brought watermelon to Europe, and on the territory modern Russia it appeared in the XIII-XIV centuries AD. Today, China is the champion in watermelon cultivation, closely followed by Turkey, Iran, Egypt, the American states, as well as Uzbekistan and Russia. Watermelons grow best in climates with long, hot, dry summers and short, cold winters.
Watermelon berry - description
The watermelon has thin branched stems, curly or creeping, most often smoothed-five-sided, reaching a length of 4 m. At a young age, the stems are covered with dense pubescence. Watermelon leaves are petiolate, alternate, pubescent, harsh, rough on both sides, triangular-ovate, heart-shaped at the base, 8 to 22 cm long, 5 to 18 cm wide. Watermelon flowers that bloom in summer are female, male and hermaphroditic, with boat-shaped bracts. The fruit is a watermelon berry, a multi-seeded juicy pumpkin with a smooth surface and juicy, sweet pink or red flesh, although there are varieties with yellowish flesh and a rough rind.
Sowing seeds of watermelon.
Growing watermelons in open ground is carried out by seed method, seedlings and seedlings. In warm areas, seeds can be sown directly into the ground, prepared in advance and warmed up to 12-14 ºC. Before sowing, the seeds are kept in a thermos with water at a temperature of 50 ºC until the sprouts hatch. In holes about 8 cm deep, located at a distance of 1 meter from each other, place a tablespoon of ash, a teaspoon of ammofoska, a kilogram of humus and thoroughly mix the additives with the soil. Then they pour 2 liters of water into the hole, wait for it to be absorbed, put two or three seeds flat in the hole at a distance from each other, cover them with soil and trample it down. After sowing, the bed is not watered.
The first shoots may appear in a week or so. If you sow seeds in cold earth, the emergence of seedlings will have to wait longer, they may even die. To prevent this from happening, sow the seeds in the ground no earlier than the third decade of May. The shoots that appeared in the development phase of 3-4 true leaves are thinned out, that is, weak shoots are removed by cutting them off just above the surface of the bed.
Growing seedlings of watermelon.
In areas with a short summer, watermelons are best grown. seedling way. The cultivation of watermelon seedlings begins in May with the sowing of seeds in separate containers of at least 0.3 liters in order to avoid intermediate transplantation or picking, which is so poorly tolerated by pumpkin. Planting watermelons for seedlings is carried out in the ground, which should consist of peat, sod land and sand in equal parts. For five liters of this soil mixture, add 50 g of potassium sulfate, ammonium nitrate and dolomite flour, as well as 100 g of double superphosphate. A few days before planting a watermelon, the seeds are heated for half an hour in water at a temperature of 55 ºC, and then germinated in wet sand at a temperature of 25 ºC. Only after the seeds have tiny shoots, they are sown 2-3 pieces in separate pots on the surface of the previously described soil mixture, sprinkled with sand on top, cover the cups with film or glass and transfer to a warm place where the temperature is not lower than 30 ºC. When shoots appear in a week, the film is removed, and the temperature is lowered to 16-18 ºC for nine days.
Caring for watermelon seedlings provides for feeding, watering and, if necessary, organizing additional artificial lighting because watermelon needs a twelve hour light day. Water the seedlings in several stages, allowing the water to soak in, but make sure that water does not get on the leaves of the seedlings. In the development phase of 3 true leaves, seedlings are fed with a solution of complex mineral fertilizers or liquid mullein. 10 days before planting the seedlings in the garden, the seedlings begin to harden: they are taken out to the balcony or terrace for an hour or two, daily increasing the time spent in the fresh air until they bring it to 24 hours.
Watermelon pick.
How to dive watermelons? As already mentioned, gourd seedlings do not dive for fear of damaging their root system. They don't even get pinched.
Planting watermelon in open ground
When to plant watermelon in the ground.
When to plant watermelon seedlings in the garden? Planting watermelons in the ground is carried out four weeks after sowing the seeds in the development phase of the fifth or sixth true leaf - at the end of May or the first decade of June. Choose for watermelons a wind-sheltered, well-heated and well-lit area on the south or southeast side, where watermelons were grown before perennial herbs(alfalfa, sweet clover, sainfoin), winter wheat, cabbage, onion or annual legumes. It is not recommended to grow watermelons after plants such as nightshade (potato, tomato, eggplant, pepper) and pumpkin (melon, zucchini, squash, and watermelon). After you harvest watermelons, it will be possible to grow pumpkins in this area only after 6-8 years.
Ground for watermelon.
The soil for watermelon is preferably sandy or sandy with pH indicator 6.5-7 units. The preparation of the site is carried out in the fall: for digging, 4-5 kg of rotted manure are applied per m², as well as 40-45 g of superphosphate, 15-25 g of potassium salt and 24-35 g of ammonium sulfate per unit area. In heavy soils, one or two buckets of sand per m² are added. Fresh manure is not used to fertilize the soil.
How to plant watermelons in open ground.
Make holes in the garden at a distance of 1-1.5 m from each other in a checkerboard pattern, leaving row spacings 2 meters wide, and pour 1.5-2 liters of water into each hole. Seedlings are buried in the holes along the cotyledon leaves, the soil is tamped after planting, and then the surface of the area around the seedlings is sprinkled with sand within a radius of 10 cm in order to prevent root rot. Pour the seedlings with warm water and protect them from sun rays until the seedling leaves restore turgor.
Growing watermelon in a greenhouse.
In areas with cold and short summers, watermelons are grown in greenhouses, since the vegetative period of the crop sometimes lasts about 150 days, and there are much fewer truly warm days in the northern area. To speed up the process, first, watermelon seedlings are grown at home, and then they are planted in a garden bed in a greenhouse under a double film coating. You already know how to grow watermelon seedlings. It is necessary to start growing it in the third decade of April, and planting watermelons in a greenhouse is carried out when the soil in it warms up to 12-14 ºC. The soil on the beds is prepared in advance: a week before planting the seedlings, a layer of soil is removed from the beds with a depth of a shovel bayonet, hay with humus is laid in the resulting trench, which is sprinkled on top nitrogen fertilizer and sprinkled with hot water. The removed layer of soil is laid on the hay pillow and the bed is covered with black covering material, which can be removed just before planting.
Seedlings are planted to a depth of 10 cm in holes arranged in one row at a distance of 70 cm from one another. As the lashes develop, they are tied to a trellis installed in advance. For normal fruiting, you need to let a few bees into the greenhouse. But since the male flowers only live for a few hours, don't risk the future harvest, take care of pollination yourself: pick a few male flowers, carefully remove the petals from them and apply their anthers to the stigmas of the female flowers. It is desirable that each female flower was pollinated by several male flowers. It is necessary to engage in artificial pollination in the morning, when the air temperature in the greenhouse is 18-20 ºC. It is very important that the night temperature on the eve of this important event is not lower than 12 ºC.
In order to accelerate the growth of lashes, pinch them in such a way that there are no more than 3-5 leaves above the fruit, and remove weak shoots altogether. From the ovaries, leave no more than 5 pieces on each bush, remove the rest. For the first time, watermelon fertilizer is applied to the grooves dug at a distance of 20 cm from the bush, when the lashes reach a length of 25-50 cm, and it would be best at this time to feed the plant with a solution of mullein (1:10) or liquid fermented chicken manure (1: 20 ). The second top dressing is applied before the start of the budding process, and the third - after the formation of the ovaries, but both times the grooves are already made at a distance of 40 cm from the bush. Like the first time, watermelons are fed with mullein or liquid chicken manure, since organic matter is the best fertilizer for watermelon.
When the fruits start to increase in size, turn them over from time to time so that they ripen evenly. Don't forget to ventilate the greenhouse.
watermelon care
How to grow watermelon.
Watermelons in open ground importunate care do not need, but there are agrotechnical measures that cannot be neglected. These include thinning seedlings, watering, weeding, loosening the soil, pinching lashes. In the development phase of 3-4 true leaves, thin out the seedlings, leave one or two in the hole, and cut the rest just above the soil surface. Although some gardeners successfully plant extra seedlings, they take root well and bear fruit.
When the ovaries appear, leave no more than 6 fruits on the bush, and under those that lie on the ground, place some non-rotting material - roofing material, a piece of plastic or foil.
Watermelon watering.
Watermelons are watered once a week, but plentifully, at the rate of 3 buckets per m² of land. When the heat comes or it's time for flowering, it is necessary to carry out 2 such abundant waterings per week, moistening not only the soil around the bushes, but also the aisles - the entire area of \u200b\u200bthe plot. When fruits are formed, watering is gradually reduced to a complete cessation two weeks before harvest. In total, watermelons are watered 3-4 times during the summer: with the development of 5-7 leaves, during the flowering period and at the beginning of fruit formation.
A day or two after watering at the beginning of the growing season, loosen the soil in the area to a depth of 6 cm and at the same time remove weed grass from it. When the watermelons close the rows, the weeds will no longer harm them, so loosening and weeding can be stopped, especially since the root system of the plant extending in different directions is very easy to damage with a chopper.
Watermelon nutrition.
Two weeks after planting, the seedlings need to be fed. How to fertilize watermelons in open ground? The first time it is best to apply ammonium nitrate by dissolving 20 g of fertilizer in a bucket of water, using 2 liters of solution for each bush. You can replace saltpeter with a solution of mullein (1:10) or chicken manure (1:20), adding 30 g of superphosphate and 15 g of calcium chloride to a bucket of solution. The next dressing is applied during the budding period, and it consists of 4 g of calcium chloride, 4 g of ammonium nitrate and 6 g of superphosphate per plant. If you will be applying dry fertilizer, then water the area before and after applying it.
Pests and diseases of watermelon
What's wrong with watermelons? Most often they are affected by white, gray, black and root rot, powdery mildew- real and false, anthracnose, angular and olive spotting and mosaic. With careful preparation of seed and soil for planting and proper care of melons, watermelons, as a rule, are not affected by either diseases or pests. But year after year is not necessary, and anything can happen, so The best way to protect your melons is to be able to quickly identify the disease and know how to treat watermelons from a particular disease.
Powdery mildew is caused by a fungus. The leaves of plants are covered with a grayish-white coating, under which the leaves die off, and the fruits become tasteless, unsweetened, deformed and rot.
Downy mildew, or peronosporosis, is also excited by the fungus, but only old leaves are affected at first and only then young ones. They appear angular light yellow spots, and a grayish-violet coating forms on the underside. The fruits become ugly and stop developing.
Olive blotch looks like irregular shape spots covering all the ground parts of the plant, causing the leaves to become corrugated, and ulcers appear on the stems and petioles of the leaves olive color. The ties dry and fall off.
Angular spotting, or bacteriosis, is carried by insects and looks like whitish oily spots on the ground parts of the plant, as a result of which holes appear in the leaves and they fall off, the stems wither, the fruits become soft, transparent and stop growing.
Anthracnose, or copperhead - too fungal disease, from which brown or yellow spots appear on the leaves of watermelon with yellowish-pink pads, and in wet weather the spots become covered with a pink bloom. If the defeat is severe, the watermelon dries up and dies.
White, gray, black and root rot are also fungal diseases, each of which can destroy both a single bush and the crop as a whole. White, black and gray rot destroy the leaves, stems and fruits of watermelon, and root rot destroys the roots of the plant.
Cucumber mosaic, unlike all the diseases described above, is viral disease which is impossible to deal with. It manifests itself by the appearance on the leaves of a mosaic pattern in green and light green tones. The plant lags behind in growth, swellings, tubercles and dots appear on the fruits.
Of the pests, watermelons are most harmed by melon aphids, gnawing scoops and wireworms.
Wireworms are larvae of click beetles that resemble hard pieces of wire and feed on watermelon seeds and seedlings.
The melon aphid is dangerous in itself, because it feeds on the cell sap of the ground parts of the watermelon, and as a carrier of such a dangerous disease as mosaic, because there is no cure for it.
Gnawing and winter scoops lay their eggs on the plant, and the caterpillars that have emerged from them feed on watermelon, gnawing its roots, which is why the watermelon turns yellow and dies.
Watermelon processing.
The fight against watermelon diseases is carried out by treating with fungicides - Fundazol, Bordeaux mixture, Skor, Decis and others. What kind of fungicide you need, it is better to find out in a specialized store where you can buy chemicals to destroy any fungus and learn how to treat watermelons with this drug. However, it will be better for your melons and for your health, instead of using fungicides, observe crop rotation, comply with the agrotechnical conditions for growing crops and implement proper care for ripening watermelons. If you follow all the rules, the plants will not get sick with a fungal disease.
Concerning harmful insects, then the aphids are destroyed by dusting the plants sprinkled with water with a mixture of ash and tobacco dust in equal proportions, and 20 minutes after treatment, the soil is loosened on the site, thereby destroying the fallen insects. Scoop caterpillars are lured into pieces of cake or plant residues of a sweetish taste and are collected, just like wireworms. To do this, deepenings of 50 cm are made in the soil, cake is thrown there, pieces of sweet root crops are thrown in and these traps are covered with shields, which are removed in a day or two, and the insects that have gathered there are destroyed. We remind you that usually, like diseases, pests infect weakened and neglected plants.
Collection and storage of watermelons
Before picking watermelons, you need to make sure that they have reached the first stage of removable maturity - it usually occurs 5 days before full maturity. If you skip this step and remove the watermelon later, it will not last long, and if you store an unripe watermelon, it is unlikely to ripen in storage. You can determine the state of the first maturity by the color of the pulp and seeds, characteristic of each variety of watermelons. If you remove the watermelons on time, when the flesh in them is pink, then during storage it will gradually turn red - the watermelon will ripen already in the mat, without losing sweetness.
Watermelons keep the longest late varieties, which have a denser and thicker peel, and the flesh has a rough texture. Early-ripening and mid-ripening watermelons are removed as they ripen and eaten or processed - they are made into jam, salted or pickled, and the fruits of late-ripening varieties intended for storage are cut with secateurs or sharp knife together with a pedicel 5 cm long just before frost. Do not tear the berry from the stem, as it often begins to rot at the place of separation.
For storage, choose medium-sized watermelons with a thick rind, shiny and intact - it should not have any dents, cracks, soft spots, or scratches. When transporting, do not drop or place watermelons on a hard surface, do all work with gloves. When laying watermelons, make sure that they do not touch each other - this measure will help to avoid infection of the fruit with rot.
Optimal conditions for laying watermelons: temperature 1-4 ºC at an air humidity of 75-85%, as well as good ventilation. We offer you the following storage options:
- - collect dry moss in the forest in sunny weather, lay it in a thick layer on the bottom wooden box, put a watermelon on top and cover it with moss on all sides, then put other watermelons, wrapping each of them with moss;
- - instead of moss, you can use wood ash. Watermelons sprinkled with ashes in a box or barrel are lowered into the cellar and stored in it under a tightly closed lid;
- - dip each watermelon in a clay or alabaster mash of the consistency of thick sour cream, let the coating dry and lower the fruit into the cellar;
- - instead of clay or alabaster, you can use wax or paraffin: melt them in a water bath, cover each fruit with a layer about five millimeters thick and lower the processed watermelons into the cellar;
- - wrap each watermelon with a dense natural cloth, put it in a net and hang it in the cellar to the ceiling;
- - make racks in the cellar, put a thick layer of straw on their shelves and lay watermelons on top so that they are wrapped in straw;
- - find a dark, cool place in the apartment where no light penetrates, place watermelons there and turn them over daily.
No matter how and wherever you store watermelons, make it a rule to check in what condition they are, at least once a week, in order to notice the spoiled fruit in time and not allow it to infect other watermelons with rot. With the right variety, place and storage method, you can enjoy watermelons until spring.
Types and varieties of watermelons
Actually, an ordinary watermelon, which we grow and buy in markets and stores, is a species of the genus Watermelon, in which there are two varieties:
– African melon tsamma (Citrullus lanatus var. citroides) , growing in Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho and South Africa, and familiar to all of us woolly watermelon (Citrullus lanatus var. lanatus) , which is found only in a cultural form. Moreover, Asian, European and American breeders had a hand in creating many varieties of this variety that exist today. Here we will introduce you to the varieties of this watermelon.
Varieties of watermelons for open ground are divided into early, mid-ripening and late, suitable only for areas with long warm summers. When choosing a variety, it is necessary to take into account its resistance not only to cold, but also to drought, diseases and pests, as well as the need for fertilizers and the ability to grow. So, the early varieties of watermelons:
- - American hybrid Victoria, ripening for 62 days or a little more, with a rounded fruit weighing up to 10 kg;
- - variety Skorik with small light green fruits weighing up to 4 kg with scalloped, blurry stripes along the edges with delicate, sweet red pulp of high palatability and thick skin;
- – Jenny is an ultra-early American hybrid, ripening from 54 days and forming 4-6 on each bush standard size white-green fruits weighing up to one and a half kilograms, with thin dark stripes, very thin peel, seeds no larger than grape seeds and bright, very tasty pulp;
- – Stabolite is the best of the seedless hybrids, ripening from 62 days, with powerful and large elongated fruits with very tasty pulp. It is pollinated with the help of varieties Lady, Trophy from the Nunems variety series;
- - Ogonyok - a variety of Russian selection with small fruits up to 2 kg in weight with a thin peel and tasty pulp;
- – Dolby is an American large-fruited, stress-resistant hybrid that matures after 60 days.
Mid-season varieties:
- - Couch potato - the ripening period of this variety is from 75 to 90 days. It is drought-resistant, rarely affected by diseases and pests. medium size light green with prickly stripes, fruits up to 5 kg in weight with a thin peel have a red-pink, pleasant-tasting pulp of medium density;
- - Top Gan is one of the most popular high-yielding American varieties, ripening in 70-75 days with large rounded fruits weighing up to 10 kg and crispy dark red flesh with small seeds. Watermelons of this variety are perfectly stored and resistant to anthracnose;
- – Dumara is a productive hybrid, ripening from 75 days, with oval-cubic fruits with sweet, tender pulp and very tender seeds;
- - Antey is a hybrid with tender and record-breaking sweet pulp of oval-cubic fruits. From fertilizers prefers organic;
- – Ataman is a disease-resistant variety of domestic selection, ripening in 66-86 days, with rounded prickly fruits weighing up to 10 kg with red tasty pulp of medium density.
Watermelons for open ground late varieties:
- - Spring - this variety can be grown not only on melons, but also in a greenhouse. Elongated-spherical smooth fruits weighing up to 3 kg with a dense, barely noticeable green mesh on an olive-colored background contain grainy, tender and sweet dark red flesh. This variety ripens in 105 days;
- - Icarus is a productive, drought-resistant variety that ripens in 88-110 days. Fruits weighing from 3 to 16 kg are dark green in color with weakly pronounced stripes and very strong bark. The pulp is red-raspberry, very sweet. The variety is perfectly stored, it can lie until March;
- - Kholodok - the most common late-ripening variety, ripening in 100 days, with large, from 15 to 25 kg in weight, ellipsoid, slightly segmented fruits with a strong green bark in an almost black stripe, hiding a very sweet, bright red with pink tint pulp. Fruit shelf life - 3 months;
- - Melania - a hybrid of the Early variety, ripening after 80 days, with oval fruits weighing up to 12 kg. The bark is green with wide dark green stripes, the flesh is crisp, dark red, with small seeds.
lovers outlandish plants we offer you to try your luck in growing rare in our area Japanese variety watermelon from Hokkaido Densuke with almost black bark or American hybrid giant size California Cross. The smallest watermelons are Pepkinos, which can be thrown into the mouth entirely. And for those who are irritated by the bones in the watermelon berry, we offer the seedless variety Red King. Seekers of new gastronomic sensations will certainly like the nutmeg-flavored watermelon of the Vector variety, bred by a breeder from Astrakhan, who also boasts the creation of the Lunny variety - a watermelon with pulp yellow color and lemon flavor.
Many believe that watermelons require very painstaking care and special conditions for cultivation. This is not entirely correct. Let's consider in detail how to grow a watermelon on your own. suburban area.
How to plant watermelons: choose a place and prepare the soil
The place for planting watermelon should be on the south side, away from shrubs, trees and fences - this crop will not bear fruit growing in the shade.
sandy soil- most suitable option. It is very good if in the previous year tomatoes, cereals, corn or potatoes grew in this place.
As for the soil, it should be remembered here that root system watermelon goes quite deep into the ground, respectively, you need to make a large number of fertilizers of organic origin into the soil before planting watermelon, namely:
- Humus (about 2-3 kg per plant),
- Neutral peat (about 7 kg per 1 sq.m).
Mineral fertilizers can also be used, the most commonly used are the following:
- Urea (30-40 gr per 1m2);
- Superphosphate (30 g per 1 m2);
- potash fertilizers(20 gr per 1m2).
Exceeding the dosage of these substances will provoke an abundant growth of greenery to the detriment of the growth of the fetus, so the recommended amount should be strictly adhered to.
Choosing watermelon seeds
Watermelons are sorted into three types depending on the time of their ripening.
- Early ripe varieties like Atlant, Au - Producer, Borchansky, Borisfen, Gloria F1, Darunok, Crimson, Knyazhich, Spark, Sugar Baby, Royal, Tulip, Orbiy f1 (usually in the form of seedlings).
- Mid-season varieties: Astrakhan, Melitopol 60, New Year's, Ryasny, Snezhok, Sichelav, Tavriysky, Whole-leaved.
- Mid-late variety - Chill.
Before planting, the seeds are strongly recommended to warm up well. This can be done under artificial conditions: watermelon seeds are poured onto dry gauze and placed on a warm heating battery, for 4 hours the temperature should gradually rise from plus 15 to 50 degrees. Celsius. It is very important to constantly stir the seeds so that they warm up evenly.
AT vivo you can warm the seeds by laying them out in the open sun for 7-10 days.
Next, soak the watermelon seeds in a slightly warm solution of potassium permanganate for 20 minutes and rinse 3-4 times running water. Then the seeds are placed in cheesecloth and left in a warm place where temperature regime reaches plus 20-30 degrees. Celsius. We are waiting for the first seeds to hatch.
How to plant a watermelon
Growing watermelon in open ground.
It is worth sowing watermelon seeds in open ground when 10% of total number seeds will hatch.
Do not rush too much, it is very important that the soil on the site also warms up to plus 12-14 degrees. Celsius at a depth of 10 cm (usually, this is mid-April - May).
If the seeds still fall into the soil, which has not yet been warmed up properly, they easily lose their germination.
Growing, watermelons form whip-stems from one to 2 meters long, so they should be planted at an appropriate distance from each other. And in the rows, indent 60-80 cm, respectively.
If the soil is very dry, before planting, pour 2 liters of water into each hole (10-12 cm), then lightly sprinkle the hole with earth so that its depth reaches only 4 cm.
So we planted watermelons. It is very important to put up "beacons" in the form of sticks that mark the rows, so that long before the first shoots appear, you can cultivate the land and weed.
During the period abundant growth foliage, it is necessary to feed the watermelons. For 10 sq m you will need the following solution:
- 10 liters of water
- Ammonium nitrate or carbamide - 150 gr,
- Superphosphate granulated - 60 gr,
- Potassium salt - 50 gr.
Top dressing should be done immediately after the rains.
- Refuse fertilizers during the ripening period of fruits to protect them from cracking and deterioration in transportability.
- If you want to speed up the ripening process and increase the yield, try covering the planted watermelons with agrofibre, and then making holes for the germinated seeds. The agrofibre is left on the surface of the earth until the end of the growing season of the plant, then it is carefully removed.
- Watermelons should be watered strictly 1 time in 7 days, so as not to provoke the formation of rot.
- Yellowed parts of the plant should be removed in a timely manner.
An alternative way to grow watermelons
It also happens that climatic conditions and area country beds do not give us the opportunity to grow watermelon without prior preparation.
When to plant watermelon seedlings?
You can plant watermelons for seedlings, and after 20 days plant them in a greenhouse or open ground.
It is worth remembering that all pumpkin plants do not tolerate transplanting well, so they should be planted in fairly large containers so that they can be transplanted along with large quantity earth.
So, pots of 8 * 8 * 8 cm in size and other containers at hand are quite suitable for seedlings.
We are preparing a universal mixture for planting. We mix humus, peat and sod land. Further, in the resulting mixture, based on 10 kg of the mixture, add 300 g of superphosphate and 100 g wood ash. We divide the mixture into pots and water it 3 days before planting the seeds.
Watermelons should be planted for seedlings at the end of April, in which case after 20-25 days they will be ready for transplanting into a greenhouse or open ground.
We try to keep the soil temperature in pots at least 15 degrees, it also requires good lighting, about 15 hours a day.
Watering is done at the request of the plant - when the soil is almost dry, otherwise there is a possibility that the seedlings will deteriorate due to high humidity and the development of a black leg.
Feeding seedlings in pots
For 10 liters of water you will need:
- Ammonium nitrate - 20 gr,
- Superphosphate - 35 gr,
- Sulfate or potassium chloride - 30 gr.
Top dressing is done 3-4 days before planting watermelons in the ground, we spend 1 glass of fertilizer (250 ml) for each pot.
When the average daily air temperature has reached 11-12 degrees, we transplant watermelons into a greenhouse or open ground.
- Carefully loosen the soil before planting.
- Distance between seedlings in rows - 30-40cm, between rows - 60-70cm.
- It is advisable to plant watermelons in the evening so that they do not dry out.
- The wells are pre-watered.
- After planting, it is recommended to tightly close the greenhouse, thereby increasing the chance of a good survival of seedlings.
- If you planted watermelons in open ground, you can create a greenhouse effect using improvised means - cut in half plastic bottle and cover each of the parts with 1 seedling.
- During the first week, you have to water the seedlings every other day, pouring 0.5 liters of water under each plant. If it is very hot outside, try to water the watermelons daily.
- After 7-10 days, watermelons begin to grow rapidly, it's time to feed and reduce the amount of watering - 1-2 times a week is enough.
- Try to get rid of the yellowed parts of the plant in a timely manner.
Care of the ripe crop
Harvest begins to ripen in August. It is very important to turn watermelons once a week. bottom side towards the sun - so they will ripen evenly.
If the weather is wet, try to put small boards under the watermelons so that the crop does not start to rot.
Stop watering the plants only 3-4 days before the expected harvest. The opinion that watermelons will be tasteless from excess moisture is a fiction. For a watermelon to be truly tasty and ripe, it needs a lot of sun and water!
Outcome
Perhaps we have considered all the main points that you should be aware of when growing watermelons in your country house. Your work will certainly be rewarded, and you will certainly receive good harvest watermelons!
