Watermelon comes from the deserts of southern Africa, which is why it is highly resistant to heat, dry air, and poor soils. Of all the gourds, it is the least whimsical to the quality of the soil. On the contrary, it works best on sandy loamy steppe chernozems, light soils with good water permeability. But its merits are dictated by growing conditions: a lot of sun, light soil, dry air, soil moisture during the period of growth of lashes, flowering, formation of ovaries.
Agricultural technology
The humidity of the environment is perhaps the most difficult thing for melon growers to overcome in order to grow good quality fruits.
Video about growing watermelon
You can hide from the cold, prevent excessive dryness of the earth by proper watering. But if you live in a wet climate, then you will have to work hard to grow a good striped fruit. Not without a greenhouse. Think in advance how you will protect the crop from crows. Get also early and tasty varieties, preferably local selection. Now let's look at everything in more detail to understand how to grow watermelons in the country.
Take care of the quality of the soil in advance, in the fall of the year preceding planting. Especially if your future melon is located where predominantly heavy soils prevail: loam or peat marshy soils. It is necessary to dig the ground well, while simultaneously removing the roots of weeds. Best of all, even for two bayonets of a shovel. We mix heavy soil with sand at the rate of two buckets per square meter. Thus, we bring the lightness, water permeability of the soil in accordance with the requirements of the agricultural technology of melons. It is advisable to take gray river sand, red building sand contains a lot of iron, which can overly oxidize the earth.
Pictured is a watermelon
Speaking of acidity, growing watermelons works best on a substrate with a neutral acidity. You can find out what soil acidity you have either by measuring it with a Ph-indicator or Ph-meter, or by plants growing in your garden plot. The first case, of course, gives more accurate results. To do this, purchase an indicator in a pharmacy or a chemical store (a universal indicator is best). Or buy a Ph-meter there. Take the soil from the place of laying the future melon. Dilute it with water, look at the color of the indicator or the readings of the device.
Indicator plants will roughly tell you about the condition of the soil in your area. So, for example, chamomile, wheat grass, bindweed, cornflowers and clover prefer to grow on soils with neutral acidity. Horsetails, plantains, mosses will tell us that the environment is too acidic. On the contrary, poppy, mustard testify to the alkaline reaction of the earth.
The acidity of the soil is eliminated by liming - adding a lime solution to the soil, it is obtained by mixing lime for whitewashing with water. Alkaline lead to a neutral indicator by the introduction of acidifiers: peat, needles, softwood sawdust. Sowing legumes well restores the normal acidity of the soil.
Photo of a watermelon in the garden
We also remember that it is highly undesirable to plant watermelons on the site of the former growth of cucumbers, other melons: pumpkins or melons. Such precautions are associated with the threat of introducing diseases: fusarium (colloquially wilting leaves), peronosporosis (downy mildew). Also, you can not plant it after nightshade. Crop rotation for these crops should reach 5-6 years. The optimal predecessor would be corn, sunflower, legumes: beans, peas, lupins. Also, watermelon fruits are well poured when sown after perennial cereal crops.
We fertilize the earth at the same time when they dug up, in the fall. Along with deep mixing of the soil layers, we add a standard set of macronutrients: phosphorus, nitrogen, potassium. Superphosphates are added in the amount of thirty grams per square meter. Potassium sulfate is applied at a concentration of twenty grams per meter. Nitrogen fertilizers are added in extremely small doses in autumn.
It is better to make them in the spring and preferably along with organic top dressing. Otherwise, you run the risk of dramatically increasing the nitrate content of your fruits. The presence of magnesium in the soil contributes to high yields. We also introduce microelements together with autumn digging. It is best to use complex liquid mineral supplements containing molybdenum, iron, selenium, and manganese immediately necessary for melons.
To pay attention organic fertilizers, especially those containing humic acids or effective microorganisms. The colonization of the soil with beneficial microflora will lead to a sharp jump in the absorption of mineral fertilizers that you introduce further by plants. This will significantly affect the yield of future melons.
The greatest threat to the northern watermelon industry is late spring frosts. There are several ways to avoid this.
First, you can grow seedlings. The advantage of this method is the savings in time. when the threat of frost has passed, we are already planting young seedlings that have formed a few leaves. The downside is that watermelons have a very delicate root system. they really don't like transplants. It is ideal to grow them in peat pots, then the plant is planted without removing it from the pot, which gradually dissolves with soil, giving additional top dressing.
But even with this type of planting, for some time the seedlings do not grow, being under stress, yielding to the sown ones. In addition, planted watermelons are more tender, painful compared to ground watermelons, and more susceptible to various fungal summer misfortunes.
watermelon photography
Secondly, spring sowing under cover. It can be both a film greenhouse and a full-fledged greenhouse. The greenhouse is most often used only for frost protection. Upon reaching the watermelon lashes of great length, in the summer the shelter is removed. How to grow watermelon in a greenhouse? To save space, the lashes are allowed vertically. Plants cling to vertical supports with tendrils.
It is important to keep greenhouses with flowering plants open to allow access to insects. When the fruits reach the size of an orange, they need to be laid in nets and hung from transverse greenhouse supports. Greenhouses are suitable where there is a humid cloudy summer. The microclimate created inside from a combination of dry air with regular watering would be ideal for minke whales.
If you are worried about spring frosts. And the summer promises to be hot and relatively dry, so there is no reason to build a greenhouse. It is enough to get by with temporary greenhouse shelters.
Or you can combine these two methods. Sow directly into the ground and accelerate maturation, bypassing the threat spring frosts. This is the so-called Korean ridge. We take a wide, very dense transparent film. We make small holes, no more than five centimeters in diameter. Perforation step - half a meter in a row. Leave two meters between rows. We prepare the ground. It is advisable to clean it well from the roots of weeds. Well fertilize, spill. At a distance of two meters from each other, we make small earthen ramparts, about a third of a meter high.
Pictured is a watermelon
To make it even easier summer care, we bury the irrigation system in the shafts. This can be a simple perforated hose or special drip tapes designed to continuously receive moisture for each bush.
We lay the film so that the rows with holes lie along the crests of the earthen ramparts. We dig around the edges. We plant two pre-soaked seeds in the holes. We close each hole with a glass jar with the neck down, pressing it slightly into the soil. She will create greenhouse conditions for seed germination. You can also use large plastic bottles with a cut neck, bottom up. Under the film, the soil will quickly warm up in the spring, without cooling down at night and without losing moisture. Earth shafts provide maximum heating under the film.
The seeds will quickly hatch, from the two we remove the weaker sprout. Soon they will be cramped under the can cover. It is best to time planting dates so that they are one month ahead of the average date of the last spring frost in your area. Then, as soon as the seedling forms a sufficient green mass, it is already possible to remove the can cover without fear of frostbite on the leaves. Most often this last decade April.
Closer to June, not only watermelons begin to grow intensively, but also weeds that remain under the film. To avoid breaking through the film and disturbing the microclimate of the soil, we cover all the aisles with a large layer of mulch: needles, sawdust, straw. Without sunlight, weeds will wither away. And the soil will normally warm up under a large layer of mulching material.
We produce all dressings in liquid form, pouring everything through the holes where our watermelon lashes grow from. By organizing the irrigation system in the spring, we deprive ourselves of even this need, everything is delivered immediately to the roots. Sometimes you can do without a ridge, level the soil. Then care becomes even easier, although spring warming will be less.
Care
Formation is important, especially given the short northern summer. After the formation of the sixth sheet, we pinch the lash. This stimulates flowering. We feed in the spring with an equal amount of phosphate and nitrogen fertilizers. Upon reaching the fruit size of an orange, we exclude nitrogen, increase the proportion of potash fertilizers and trace elements. To enhance the growth of the fruit, we pinch the lash with a few leaves above it.
We protect melons from fungal diseases. Proper watering will suffice for these purposes. That is, pour under the root, do not wet the leaves. It is also desirable to exclude the contact of the lashes with the ground, cover it with mulch. Then the plant will not pick up spores stored on the ground.
We water our melons regularly, plentifully. From the emergence of seedlings, throughout the time that the watermelon grows. When pouring fruits, we reduce watering, otherwise they may crack. We protect future harvest from birds, especially from crows. Often left unattended, melons can lose their entire crop in just a few minutes. Put scarecrows or cover the fruits from birds. You can bury them in the ground. Can be put away in boxes or other containers. When the leg of our striped berry begins to dry out, this will mean that it is ripe. It can be torn down.
Now a few words about apartment melon growing.
Video about watermelons on the windowsill
- We take a container for planting the size of a bucket.
- We prepare the substrate. Three equal parts of meadow humus, manure humus, sand. We deoxidize with a small amount of lime.
- We water with complex fertilizers: organic and inorganic, containing trace elements.
- We sow three or four seeds. Watering, waiting for the emergence of shoots.
- We leave the strongest sprout.
- A support for the future stem is stuck into the bucket, about a meter.
- When the lash of the plant forms the fifth or sixth leaf, pinch it
- With daylight hours shorter than 12 hours, artificial lighting is used
- We pollinate artificially.
- We leave no more than two fruits on each plant.
- When the fruits reach the size of a chicken egg, we put them in nets and tie them to a support.
- Fertilize and water in the same way as in horticultural cultivation.
Photo of growing watermelon on the balcony
Thanks to artificial lighting You can grow striped sweets at home anytime, even in summer, even in winter. Homemade watermelons are small, but thin-skinned.
Watermelon- heat-loving berry of the gourd family. With proper care, you will get tasty, sweet and juicy fruits. Watermelons from the markets can be dangerous for the body, they often contain a lot of nitrates, unsweetened and of poor quality. Most The best way getting healthy and sweet watermelons is to grow them yourself in the garden.
In the article we will analyze in detail right place for cultivation, site preparation, plant care technology from planting seeds to harvesting.
Site selection and preparation
The landing site must be sunny, away from trees and bushes, located on the warm, south side, preferably closed from strong winds.
The soil should not be dense and clay, neutral or alkaline. The best option is sandy soil.
Cabbage, legumes are the best predecessor in the garden. Change the planting sites of watermelons every year - this is good for the soil.
Where the weather allows, watermelons are planted in open ground with seeds, preheated in hot (50 degrees) water for about 10 minutes, then germinated in a humid environment (napkins moistened with water between seeds, etc.) until they hatch. The soil should be 12-14 degrees (mid or late May) at the time of sowing.
In regions with short summers, watermelons are grown from seedlings.
To do this, they buy or select from their own, high-quality seeds suitable for this region. Choose from early hybrids.
It should be noted that the seedlings will be transplanted into open ground 25 days after germination. Germination of seeds will take up to 10 days (usually 3-7). Considering these indicators, plan the sowing of seeds.
If the seeds are planted in mid-April, watermelon seedlings can be transplanted in mid-May.
Watermelon seedlings do not take root well, so each plant is planted separately. Watermelon seeds are sown in individual cups measuring 10 x 10 or 12 x 12 cm. These can be either peat or plastic cups.
You can make your own soil or buy ready mix in a specialized store.
The soil is made independently as follows: humus, soil, peat and river sand in the same proportion mix with each other. You also need to add 0.5 kg to them wood ash for every 20 kg of soil mixture.
Soak watermelon seeds for 12 hours warm water with the addition of potassium permanganate. 2 seeds are planted in each pot, deepening by 2 cm. The soil must be moist.
Cover the pots together with a film, after the emergence of shoots, remove.
Pots with sprouts are placed on the windowsill on the south side. The optimum room temperature is 24°C. A week after germination, remove weak sprouts.
For normal growth, add lighting in the morning and evening hours. Watering is carried out with warm water (25 ° C) every other day.
10 days after germination, plants are fed: dilute 1 part of mullein in 10 parts of water, add 1 tbsp. l. superphosphate and 2 tsp. ammonium nitrate. 10 days after transplanting plants into open ground, a second top dressing is done.
Important: when watering plants with water with fertilizers, it should not get on the leaves, this can cause a burn.
Before planting seedlings in open ground, it is hardened: intensive watering decreases, the temperature gradually decreases, airing is carried out. Three days before transplanting, watering should be stopped.
When 5 main leaves appear on the plants, the seedlings can be transplanted. Remember that the soil should be warmed up to 12-14 degrees, no less.
Seedlings are planted in holes prepared in the ground. The planting scheme is as follows: between the dimples 50-70 cm, between the rows 2-2.5 m. Carefully with the ground, we remove the seedlings from the pot and plant them in the dimples, fill them in a circle with soil and water abundantly. For better rooting, you can cover with spunbond at night.
Planting watermelon seedlings - video
If you are going to grow watermelon under a film, then the seeds can be sown in March. When planting seedlings from pots under the film, the temperature of the soil under the film should be at least 12 degrees. The best time for transplanting under the film is the middle and end of April.
The film should be two-layer, it is first stretched along the pits. The first layer of the film is laid on the ground, holes are made 8-10 cm long for plants. For the second layer, an arc is installed, a film is laid down and fixed on top.
The first layer warms the soil, retains moisture, and prevents the growth of weeds. For growing seedlings under the film, uniform drip irrigation is needed.
During the growth of seedlings, the second layer of the film must be lifted, allowing free growth. With the establishment of warm, sunny days, the film is removed.
7-10 days after planting the seedlings, fertilize it with a solution of 30 g of ammonium sulfate, 20 g of potassium salt, 50 g of superphosphate diluted in 10 liters of water, fertilize no more than 2 liters per plant.
Plants are watered with settled water once a week (depending on weather conditions).
2 weeks before the ripening of the first fruits, feeding is stopped.
When the 5th leaf is formed on the plants, the growth point is removed (pinching is performed). After the appearance of the first ovaries, the largest berry is left, the rest are cut off.
One plant should not have more than 6 fruits. After the place of formation of the berry, 4 leaves are counted, the rest is plucked off.
A high yield of watermelons depends on high-quality and timely pollination of plants, therefore, when grown indoors, at the time of flowering, the film must be opened. Otherwise, you will have to pollinate yourself, applying male flowers to female ones.
Be careful when watering, do not touch the plants, otherwise diseases and pests will appear. Gourds are heavily exposed to pests and diseases.
Powdery mildew, fusarium, olive blotch, bacteriosis, anthracnose processed with colloidal sulfur, Bordeaux liquid.
Pests such as wireworm, melon aphid, spider mite damage and cause death of the plant. Use Karbofos, Keltan, Phosphamide to fight them.
The best prevention for the occurrence of diseases and pests is the removal of weeds from the beds with watermelons.
By mid-August, a massive harvest of watermelons begins. How to identify and choose the right ripe berries?
Main features:
the tendril of the watermelon should dry completely;
watermelon stops growing, the top layer becomes shiny;
a yellow earthen spot is located on the side on which the watermelon lay;
makes a dull sound when tapped;
when squeezed, a slight crackling of the pulp is heard;
A ripe watermelon does not sink in water.
Growing watermelons - video
In conclusion, I will say that every gardener can grow a watermelon, as a result you will get large, tasty berries even when growing in open ground, the main thing is to use the simple tips that you found on the page.
The best watermelons are brought from the southern regions, but you can get a good harvest of this huge striped berry in the conditions of the Moscow region; plant watermelons even in Leningrad region. It turns out that this is not difficult to do, you just need to know the basics of melon growing and make a little work. The basic operations are familiar to every gardener, and only a too cold summer can be an obstacle.
plant description
Watermelon belongs to the gourd family annual plant. Most varieties have a long creeping stem that extends up to two meters. The leaves are dark green in color, large, with a strong dissection. The fruit according to the biological classification is a berry, very large, usually spherical in shape. In some varieties, it is not a ball, but an elongated torpedo-shaped berry. The mass of the fetus is significant: it can range from 500 g to 20 kg. Watermelon bark has various shades Green colour; most often it is covered with dark or light stripes, but it can also be monophonic. The flesh is juicy, in most cases red or dark pink, but there are varieties with an orange or yellow core. There are usually a lot of seeds, they are large, 1–2 cm long, flat, hard, black or brown.
How watermelon grows
The main part of the watermelon harvest is obtained in the subtropical zone, much less in the temperate climate. In Russia, watermelon is grown mainly in the Lower Volga region and the North Caucasus, but amateur gardeners are promoting the culture much further north. Watermelon comes from the African continent. This culture tolerates heat and drought, it needs warmth and bright sunlight. However, watermelon normally tolerates short cold snaps, is undemanding to the composition of the soil. The roots are able to suck water from considerable depths, so watermelon is able to grow even in conditions of moisture deficiency. At the same time, it responds well to artificial irrigation, in which, in combination with planting on the lungs sandy soils produces fruits of very high quality.
Watermelon should be in the sun, and adult plants get water for themselves
Application
Watermelon is good for people of all ages. Its juice is dominated by simple, easily digestible sugars - glucose and fructose, and in terms of the content of the latter, it is one of the champions among cultivated plants. Watermelon contains various organic acids, including folic acid, which is of great importance for the human body. Watermelon contributes to the regulation of fat metabolism, which determines its use in medicine and nutrition, contains iron salts and other trace elements. There is even the concept of a watermelon diet.
Watermelon is consumed mostly fresh, being a wonderful summer dessert. It can be eaten in an almost unlimited amount, although doctors warn against excesses in the presence of certain diseases. At the same time, during the mass harvest, watermelons are also used for various preparations. You can make juice from them, and when the latter is slowly evaporated, you can get honey-nardek. Very tasty candied watermelon is known. There are many lovers of salted and canned watermelons: small fruits, including those that are not quite ripe, are used for such blanks.
Varieties
All known varieties of watermelon are conditionally divided into early, mid-ripening and late. If we talk about our country, then late varieties(for example, Spring, Icarus, Chill) it makes sense to plant only in the southernmost regions; in Central Russia only early varieties, such as Victoria, Skorik, Ogonyok, have time to fully ripen. Varieties of medium maturity (Lezheboka, Ataman, etc.) occupy an intermediate position. Among the "classic" varieties of watermelon, the most popular are the following.
- Ogonyok is an extremely popular early ripe variety, known since the times of the USSR. The fruits are small (about 2 kg), the seeds in them are very small, and the pulp has an excellent delicate taste. The bark is thin, its color is black-green with a blurred pattern. The variety is able to fully mature in the Central Black Earth, East Siberian and Far Eastern regions.
- Cold is one of the most famous varieties late ripening watermelons. The fruits are stored for more than 3 months, the variety is very productive, has an excellent taste. Kholodok appeared in the early 1990s, intended for planting in the North Caucasus and Lower Volga regions. The bush is very powerful, with long (up to 5 meters) lashes, moderately resistant to diseases. The fruit is somewhat elongated, weighing about 4 kg, dark green with almost black stripes. Watermelon cannot be called thin-skinned, but it is well transported and stored. The flesh of the watermelon is bright red, very sweet, tender.
- Shuga baby - a variety included in the State Register not so long ago, is intended for the Central Black Earth region, but can be grown further north, as it easily tolerates cold weather, including in the spring. Variety of ultra-early ripening. The bush and leaves are medium in size, the fruit is round and rather small: the bulk of the specimens reach a mass of 1 kg, and only a few grow up to 4 kg. The fruit is thin-skinned, striped, the outside of the usual dark green color. The pulp is dark red in color, with very small seeds. Taste qualities are characterized as excellent. Since "Suga baby" is translated as "Sugar Baby", you can find a description of the variety under both names on the network, which can cause some confusion. So, describing the "Sugar Baby", they indicate that it is recommended for severe weather conditions, including for cultivation in Siberia, since it is extremely resistant to low temperatures. However, there is no variety under such (Russian) name in the State Register, but at the same time, the main part of the description corresponds to both Russian and English names. Variety of universal purpose: good not only fresh, but also in salting. Easily transfers transportation.
- Crimson suite is one of fashion varieties grown in most European countries, of French origin. Watermelon of ultra-early ripening, but in its segment - one of the most large-fruited. Spherical fruits weigh an average of 10 kg, and can grow even larger. Coloring - classic watermelon, striped (lighter stripes on a dark green background), the flesh is dark red, without veins, very sweet and tasty, crispy. The fruits are transportable, well stored, and the plants themselves are drought and disease resistant.
Photo gallery: popular varieties of watermelons
Ogonyok is a well-deserved early variety that grows in almost all regions. Kholodok enters the shelves in September and can delight with its taste for several months. Sugar baby ripens very quickly, so it is planted in almost all regions.
In addition to those listed in this list, last years various popular exotic varieties, which do not fit into the usual image of a striped berry with a red inside, filled with numerous seeds. So, for example, there is a very expensive and scarce black watermelon. The Densuke variety is grown in Japan. Outside, it is completely black, glossy, without stripes, weighs 5–7 kg, and inside contains the usual-looking bright red flesh. True, gourmets who have tried it describe the taste not just as sweet, but as magnificent. At the same time, in Russia there are also domestic, very inexpensive, varieties that look like Densuke. Such, for example, are the Black Prince or the Black Excellent. They may not be as tasty, but they are not so expensive on the market either.
Densuke black watermelon is very expensive, but is it legal - gourmets decide
In recent years, yellow-fleshed watermelons have come into fashion. it hybrid plants; Outwardly, they are no different from traditional watermelons, but inside - yellow color. There are almost no seeds in them (and sometimes not at all), the taste is very different from the usual. The pulp may contain flavors of mango, lemon, pineapple and other southern fruits. So, for example, about 10 years ago, Lunny watermelon was included in the State Register of the Russian Federation. Like all other yellow watermelons, it is different early ripening. The bush is of medium size, elliptical in shape, the fruit is small: its weight is from 2 to 3 kg. Outside striped, but the flesh is light yellow, tender, excellent taste. Capable of short-term storage (about a month).
Lunar on the outside is an ordinary watermelon, but inside it looks very unusual
Already in the middle of the last century, varieties of watermelons with a complete absence of seeds were bred. As a rule, such watermelons are sweeter, the shape of most varieties is oblong, and the mass is relatively small (about 4 kg).
A reasonable question: how to plant seedless watermelons? To do this, seeds are obtained by special crossing with other varieties, but this procedure leads to the fact that growing a seedless watermelon is somewhat more difficult than a regular one.
Seedless hybrids are, for example, Imbar F1, Regus F1, Boston F1. Thus, watermelon Boston F1 is included in the State Register of the Russian Federation and recommended for cultivation in the North Caucasus region. Refers to early ripe hybrids, forms a long-branched bush. The fruit is spherical, light green, with narrow inconspicuous stripes. The usual weight is up to 4 kg, some representatives grow up to 10 kg, thin-skinned. The pulp is tasty, pink-red color. The fruits are well transported, but are stored for no more than two weeks after harvest.
Reviews of some varieties
Last year I decided to try to grow a watermelon in KALININGRAD for the sake of "pampering"! I chose the early variety "Spark" of the company "Siberian Gardener". Germination was 100%. Left only 2 pieces, the most active. Monthly sprouts landed in a greenhouse. They fit well with the tomatoes in the neighborhood))) Not climbing, I didn’t even have to remove the excess))) Soon 2 Watermelons appeared on each plant. He went on to crawl and bloom, but I pinched the whole thing, they would not have had time to ripen. By the end of August 3 watermelons were ripe. The fourth has not yet matured. Small in size but heavy. The flesh is orange-yellow. Juicy. Few bones! In general, I am completely delighted!!!
"Julia773"
https://otzovik.com/review_5744757.html
I never became friends with Kholodok in two seasons. He waved his hand at it, although, if it worked out, you can save it until the New Year. Even if there is no good cellar-basement, then on the glazed loggia it lies until slight frosts. And what a taste Kholodok has - watermelon for all watermelons.
"German"
http://dacha.wcb.ru/index.php?showtopic=47904&st=1280
And I like Suga Baby or sugar baby, watermelons are not very large, but very sweet and tasty.
Ninyurev
http://forum.prihoz.ru/viewtopic.php?t=1991&start=945
Crimson suite is an early ripening variety, for Siberia it’s the very thing !!!, consistently producing even if not such large watermelons (at the moment the largest is 4 kg), but in past years, it seems to me, there were up to 6–7 kg , - I didn’t weigh it, since I bought the scales only last fall for the daily weighing of my “champion”. It seems that the weight of watermelons could be increased by a small normalization.
Ukolova
http://vinforum.ru/index.php?topic=349.0
Growing watermelon seedlings
In the south and in most areas of the Lower Volga region, watermelons can be grown by direct sowing of seeds in open ground, but in regions that are not warm enough for this crop, preliminary seedling preparation is necessary. Sometimes seedlings have to be grown in the south, if there is a desire to get the fruits of the latest varieties.
Planting seeds for seedlings
If the seeds are purchased in a specialized store and the manufacturer is not in doubt, pre-treatment of the seeds is not required. But if the seeds are taken from a watermelon bought for food, one must be careful. Firstly, it may turn out to be a hybrid, and then nothing good will come of it. Secondly, the seeds can carry hidden signs of diseases, so they must at least be disinfected. There is no need to check the seeds for germination: they are good for at least 6 years in a watermelon, but it is worth choosing the largest ones.
For disinfection, the seeds are soaked for 20–30 minutes in a dark solution of potassium permanganate, and then washed with water. When growing watermelon in central region and in the north, it is advisable to harden the seeds (hold for about 12 hours in a damp cloth in the refrigerator). This stage will help in the prevention against most diseases. If you do nothing, you can just soak the seeds before planting, but soaking will only give a two-day advantage in seedling speed, can be sown dry.
Watermelon seeds are easy to handle: they are quite large
Based on the possible timing of planting 35-day seedlings in open ground or a greenhouse, it turns out that it is necessary to sow seeds for seedlings in the middle or end of April (depending on the region). Since watermelons are painful to transplant, it is better to immediately sow the seeds in separate cups with a capacity of at least 250 ml and a depth of about 10 cm (it is best to use peat pots). In extreme cases, it is possible to pre-sow in a common box, followed by careful seating in pots. Soil - a mixture of equal parts garden soil, sand, humus and peat or store-bought mixture.
Before sowing, the soil is slightly moistened and the seeds are buried to a depth of about 3 cm, pouring a layer of clean sand of 0.5–1 cm on top. cm.
seedling care
Seedlings are easy to care for. Immediately after germination, the "garden" should be placed in the bright sun and lower the temperature to about 18 ° C, and after a few days return it to 22 ° C during the day and 18 ° C at night. In the future, it is necessary to monitor the condition of the soil and lighting: daylight hours should last at least 12 hours, so the seedlings may have to be slightly highlighted. It is necessary to water under the root, but lightly: the soil should be slightly moist.
After 5-7 days after the seedlings have hatched, they must be thinned out: if the sowing was in pots, leave one at a time, if in a box, remove obviously superfluous ones. The next day after thinning, you can give top dressing: a weak solution of complex mineral fertilizer (according to instructions) or infusion of ash.
Watermelon seedlings manage to grow into a rather big bush in a month
A week before planting in the ground, watermelon seedlings are taught to fresh air, periodically taking out to the balcony. By the time of planting in the garden, it should be strong bushes with 4-5 true leaves.
Is it possible to pick watermelon seedlings
In the classical sense, picking a watermelon is unacceptable: the slightest damage to the central root leads to the fact that further work will be meaningless: even if the seedlings do not die, there is no need to wait for a normal harvest. But if the sowing was done in a common box, when the first true leaf appears, you can plant watermelons in pots, taking out each seedling from good ball land and without disturbing the root system. This can only be done if great experience gardening and in case of emergency: so that the seedlings do not even feel that they were doing some kind of manipulation with it.
Care of watermelons in the open field
Watermelon - warm and photophilous plant, therefore, they plant it at the onset of real heat and on a sunny bed. Despite the fact that an adult bush does not seem very large, a watermelon needs a lot of space, plantings should not be thickened: this culture loves space.
Planting watermelons in open ground
Watermelon is placed in a place protected from the north winds; if possible - on a small hill, so that water does not stagnate, from which the roots can rot. The best soils are light loams or sandy loams with an environment close to neutral. It is better to plant them in the place where garlic, onions, peas or cabbage grew last year. Do not plant watermelon after nightshade vegetables. As for any garden inhabitants, the garden bed must be prepared in the fall, digging up the soil with any fertilizer, except for fresh manure. Shortly before planting seedlings, the soil must be loosened by adding a liter jar of ash per square meter. He loves watermelon and magnesium, so it is advisable to apply magnesium-containing fertilizers in a small dose (about 5 g per 1 m 2).
Watermelons are planted when daytime temperatures reach about 15–20 ° C, and at night - not lower than 8 ° C. The distance between plants in a large field is maintained from 1.5 to 3 meters, but in the country, of course, there is not so much space. However, the holes cannot be closer than half a meter from each other, but it is better to use a 100 x 70 cm pattern.
Watermelon seedlings are moved to the garden in the usual way:
- In selected places, holes are made with a scoop somewhat larger than pots with seedlings.
- Half a cup of ash is added to the dug holes, mixed well with the soil and lightly watered.
- Carefully taking out well-watered seedlings (in no case damaging the roots), they plant it, slightly deepening it.
- Water each bush with warm water under the root, then pour clean sand into the bed with a layer of about 1 cm, placing it at least around each plant.
Watering
Watermelon tolerates drought well and does not require heavy watering. It is watered only before the formation of fruits, moisture is especially needed during the period of rapid growth of the leaf apparatus. Until the end of flowering, the soil should be constantly slightly moist, but not waterlogged. It is necessary to water under the root, preferably in the evening, by this time the water is warming in the sun. After watering, shallow loosening is necessary. It is accompanied by weeding, but as the bush grows, the watermelon itself suppresses weeds, and weeding will soon be forgotten.
During the pouring and ripening of watermelon berries, the soil, on the contrary, is dried a little: by this time, powerful roots form at the watermelon, penetrating to a meter depth and extracting a sufficient amount of moisture from there. Intense rains that occur in the second half of summer, rather, harm the quality of the crop, making the fruits less sweet.
top dressing
Watermelons are fed moderately; special care must be taken in the use of nitrogen fertilizers, it is better not to use them unless absolutely necessary: the nitrogen contained in the complex fertilizer will be enough. The first time top dressing is applied a week and a half after transplanting watermelons into the garden, the second time - a month later. It is better to take mullein infusions, adding wood ash to them, and if they are not available, ammophoska or azofoska (according to the instructions for the preparation). As soon as the fruits are tied, feeding should be stopped: the watermelon will find its own food.
It is convenient to carry out fertilizing with special formulations for gourds.
Formation of a bush (pinching shoots, trimming extra lashes and breaking out stepchildren)
In the process of growing a bush, watermelon lashes must be periodically shifted so that they do not intertwine with each other. But this is far from the most difficult: it is important to form a bush correctly, removing extra shoots from time to time. When forming a watermelon plant, the main task is that it does not waste its strength on the growth of unnecessary green mass, but directs the maximum of nutrients to the formation and ripening of the crop. In addition, some of the fruits have to be removed, since all those that are tied up, the bush will not be able to provide nutrition even on the most fertile lands. All pruning operations should be carried out on a fine sunny day so that the cut or pinching places dry quickly.
The formation procedure depends on the area in which the watermelon is grown. This work is most important in northern regions, where the summer is short, and every warm day is important in the matter of crop maturation. In addition, the course of the procedure also depends on the variety of watermelon: the formation of a bush is most important for large-fruited varieties. All work on crop rationing should be carried out when the berries grow from egg. There are several approaches to creating a properly fruiting watermelon plant.
- According to the first option, three to six fruits are left on the main stem (depending on their estimated size), and all ovaries are removed from the side shoots. At the same time, the side shoots are not allowed to grow and are pinched over the fourth leaf. The point of leaving short shoots is that they provide nutrition to the main stem. But as the fruit grows, side shoots are gradually removed, starting from those closest to the roots.
- In the opposite variant, on the contrary, fruits are grown on lateral shoots, leaving one berry on each (for powerful bushes - a maximum of two), and in total - from 4 to 6 copies per bush. Three leaves are left above the fruits, the rest of the side shoots are pinched. The fruits formed on the main stem are removed.
- The toughest option is not to leave side shoots at all. Up to five fruits are left on the main stem, but so that there are 4-5 leaves between them. It is believed that the nutrition from these leaves should be enough for the formation of fruits, especially if the variety does not imply the possibility of obtaining very large berries.
How to figure out which option to choose? It seems that there is no point in thinking about this for an ordinary summer resident, but you just need to remember a few rules:
- do not leave more than six fruits on the bush;
- on each shoot, leave only one berry in the case of large-fruited varieties and a maximum of two in the case of small-fruited ones;
- after the watermelon grows to the size of a fist, leave a maximum of 4–5 leaves above it.
Even when the formation of the bush seems complete and the active growth of the fruits and the increase in their mass begin, stepchildren will periodically appear from the axils of the left leaves - additional side shoots. It is worth making it a rule to inspect the lashes weekly and break out stepchildren, preventing them from increasing in size. True, at this time it is already undesirable to turn the whips over, so this should be done very carefully. As the fruits grow, plywood or boards should be placed under them so that in a rainy summer they do not rot, lying on damp ground.
All available schemes for the formation of watermelon plants provide for pinching most of the stems and leaving only a few fruits on the bush
How to grow a square watermelon ("Japanese" technology)
A square (more precisely, cubic) watermelon is good only because it will take up less space during storage or transportation of the crop. This “miracle” has no other advantages, and there is not much point in trying to grow it on purpose. But lovers of such exotic can get square striped berries from any variety they like. To do this, you need to somehow make cubic containers from transparent plastic appropriate size.
What does appropriate mean? The diagonal of the face of the cube should be slightly larger than the diameter of the proposed watermelon, which will grow in this container. In a too cramped dwelling, a watermelon will not really ripen, and in a too spacious one it will not be completely “square”: only 6 flattened sides will turn out. In order for the cube to be reusable, it must, of course, be collapsible, and in one of the faces you need to make a hole with a diameter of 3-4 cm to escape with the fetus. In addition, numerous smaller holes are needed for ventilation, otherwise the berry in this cube will simply rot.
The future square watermelon spends almost all its life inside a transparent cube.
Further, everything is very simple. As soon as the watermelon grows to the size of an apple, it is placed in a mold and continue routine care watching how he feels. You may have to water a little more, turn the cube over, push the fruit in it while it is small. But as soon as he grows up and starts to rest against the edges, he will begin to take the form of a cube. Obviously, in a similar way, you can grow not only cubic watermelons, but also, for example, pyramidal ones.
Treatment for diseases and pests
Watermelon is a heat-loving plant, but otherwise it is completely unpretentious. With proper care, it rarely gets sick or is attacked by pests. Most often, in amateur melon growing, even no spraying is required; in large farms, of course, preventive treatments are carried out. To prevent possible diseases (rot, spotting, powdery mildew, anthracnose), for example, such well-known drugs as Fundazol or Decis, as well as traditional Bordeaux liquid, are used. Each of them is capable of destroying certain pathogens, and if necessary, you should carefully study the instructions.
Watermelon has few pests. The most common are melon aphids, wireworms, and various mites. To scare away most of them, it is enough to spray watermelons with products based on garden plants or simple household preparations. So, infusions help well against aphids tobacco dust or wood ash (with small additions of laundry soap). Wireworms and leaf-eating caterpillars are collected by attracting them to sweet baits placed in small holes: sweetened infusions of garlic, mustard, wormwood, hot pepper, tops of tomatoes.
Harvest and storage
When the crop approaches the ripening stage, the question arises: when should the watermelons be cut? After all, the fact is that fully ripe berries are very poorly stored, and if you want to eat a delicious watermelon right from the garden, you have to wait until it becomes as tasty as the variety allows. Those watermelons that have not yet reached the so-called first stage of maturity are also poorly stored.
Of course, until you cut a watermelon, you will not know exactly what it is inside: it happens that even the most experienced melon growers make mistakes. On the cut, everything is simple: if the color of the pulp and seeds corresponds varietal features, watermelon is ready. A slightly unripe specimen (the flesh is lighter than normal) could reach full ripeness and gain sugar during storage. But you will not cut berries in the garden!
There are several signs of ripeness:
- when the watermelon ripens, the matte surface of the peel turns into a shiny one;
- the crust should be firm and not pierced by light pressure with a fingernail;
- in a fully ripened watermelon, the stalk becomes dry;
- a good sign is a yellow spot where the watermelon was in contact with the ground or bedding;
- if you knock on a watermelon, then the ripening specimens make a ringing sound. Muted tones - in fully ripe and, conversely, green (well, it's not so difficult to distinguish them from each other).
The lightest are late-ripening watermelons, but they must also be removed correctly. The berry is cut with a pruner or a sharp knife along with a stalk about 5 cm long. When transporting to the storage, watermelons should lie on a soft bedding, and in the storage itself - also on a bedding, preferably straw, and only in one layer. During storage, they must be periodically inspected, discarding specimens that begin to deteriorate. The best temperature in storage is from 6 to 8 °C, air humidity is not higher than 85%. But even the lightest varieties can rarely last more than three months.
Growing watermelon at home (in a bucket)
If the house has a sunny window sill or balcony, you can grow watermelon on them. True, it requires a lot of free space, and it is almost impossible to get a berry weighing more than 1 kg. The whole process consists of the same stages as usual, only from small seedling pots, plants with a clod of earth are transferred to a large pot, with a volume of at least a bucket, and preferably from 15 liters. Of course, you can immediately sow the seeds in a bucket (not forgetting to make drainage holes in the bottom).
On one plant at home, you can leave no more than two fruits, but after they successfully tie. And they will tie only under the condition of artificial pollination.
The owner must know how the female flowers differ from the male ones, and pollen from the male flower (on a thin stalk) must independently pollinate the female one (with a thick stalk).
Otherwise, you need to monitor the temperature, soil moisture and give the watermelon more light.
Greenhouse watermelons, the use of nets
In the cold climate zone watermelons can only be grown in a greenhouse. There, beds are prepared in advance, introducing humus and mineral fertilizers into them. Watermelon seedlings are planted when night temperatures in the greenhouse do not fall below 6 ° C, which happens in the center of Russia around the end of April. Although, of course, in the greenhouse you can sow watermelons and seeds, immediately in the garden.
Since space in the greenhouse has to be saved, watermelons are planted somewhat thicker, and trellises are arranged to guide the lashes. Plants are usually planted according to the scheme of 50 x 70 cm, and early varieties are planted at all, two plants per hole, directing the shoots in different directions. If the windows and doors in the greenhouse are almost always kept closed, at the right time there may not be flying insects in it, there is no wind there, so artificial pollination has to be carried out.
If a watermelon is grown on a trellis, the fruits do not lie on the ground, but are at a certain height, so they may fall as they grow. In this regard, when a berry grows to the size of an apple, it is often placed in spacious nets of any material that are firmly tied to the trellis. At the same time, the fruits do not lie on the ground and, therefore, do not rot. In addition, when in a grid, they are evenly lit from all sides, which leads to earlier ripening.
Nets fixed on the trellis allow watermelons not to fall and ripen better
Barrel growing, film application
Our summer residents are well-known experimenters, and in the pursuit of saving space, they have invented many unique ways to grow vegetables. So, many vegetables, flowers and even strawberries are often grown in old unusable barrels with a volume of about 200 liters. You can do the same with watermelons. Various garbage is placed at the bottom of the barrel, which acts as drainage, and as it rots, fertilizer. Grass is sprinkled on top good humus and then fertile soil. Because the metal barrel warms up well in the sun, this substrate always remains warm.
You can immediately sow seeds in the barrel or plant seedlings (depending on the climate), but in any case, at first the watermelon must be covered with non-woven material. There is enough space in the barrel for two plants. A trellis is not needed here, and the growing lashes will hang down, where flowers will appear near the surface of the earth, and then fruits. Watermelon care is normal, only more abundant watering may be required.
Some gardeners cover planted seedlings instead of non-woven material polyethylene film. As a temporary measure, this approach can be used, but prolonged exposure of watermelons under the film can lead to root rot. The film can be used both in an ordinary garden bed and in a greenhouse, but only for a short time. Its only true use is to cover crops in order to create a greenhouse effect for the emergence of rapid shoots. In the future, you can make holes for seedlings and hold the film for some more time so that the earth does not cool down. But long-term maintenance under polyethylene for watermelons is detrimental.
Features of growing watermelons in different regions
Trouble-free cultivation of watermelons is possible only in the south, other regions have their own rules, but all of them are mainly aimed only at creating warm conditions for this berry.
Watermelons in the south of Russia
In the southern regions (starting from Volgograd), only amateurs who want to get very early harvests are engaged in seedlings. In industrial production, watermelons are sown immediately in open ground, starting from mid-spring. They are watered only at first, before flowering, and then the melon, in fact, grows by itself.
Already starting from the Central Black Earth region, options are possible. Here, cultivation is used both through seedlings and without it, and sowing in a garden bed is possible already in early May. Greenhouses are usually not needed.
For the first time, many summer residents cover crops with a film. Some people sow watermelons immediately after planting potatoes, on free place. Since the second half of June, they have not been watered at all; precipitation is usually sufficient.
Central regions of Russia, Ural region
In the central regions of the country, and even more so in the Urals, it is possible to get a crop in the open field only by seedlings. Seedlings (preferably in peat pots) are planted in the garden at the end of spring, but greenhouse cultivation is also often used, planting seedlings immediately after the May holidays. Only early varieties are used: Ogonyok, Skorik, Sibiryak, and in the event of an unsuccessful summer in the open field, even they may not ripen and be used only for salting.
When planting in greenhouses, many alternate watermelons with cucumbers, although this can hardly be considered reasonable: watermelon is a resident of arid regions, and cucumbers need moist air. But with timely ventilation and proper temperature control, both crops can bring good yields.
Video: growing watermelons in greenhouse conditions
Northwestern region, Leningrad region
Until recently, it was believed that it was unrealistic to grow watermelons in the open field in the north-west of the country, but in recent years there have been more and more reports that enthusiasts manage to do this even in Karelia and the Murmansk region. True, luck is variable and depends on how the summer turned out, and the fruits are not very tasty. But in greenhouses, watermelons in the Leningrad region have been grown for a long time and quite successfully. But even greenhouse cultivation involves the use of only early varieties and requires considerable effort. Among agronomists, it is believed that the unspoken border of growing watermelons, even in greenhouses, runs along the line St. Petersburg - Kirov: in the more northern regions, "the game is not worth the candle."
Watermelons in the Far East
The heat in the Far East region is quite enough for growing watermelons in open ground, there are even zoned varieties, for example, Ogonyok, Early Kuban, Skorik, although it is possible to ripen any other varieties, except for very late ones. Sowing seeds directly into the garden is, of course, risky, so they practice the seedling method.
The only difference between the Far Eastern technology and the traditional one is that in the second half of summer there are often long and heavy rains, as a result of which watermelons can rot. They cope with this simply: they are planted on high ridges from which excess water drains. The size of the ridges is any, convenient for use. In suburban areas, they are made about a meter wide, raising them above the furrows to a height of 20–25 cm.
Ukraine
Ukraine is the second largest country in Europe, so the climate is very dependent on the region. And if in the north of the country it is similar to the one near Moscow, then in the south it is ideal for cultivating gourds. In the south of Ukraine, they do not know the concept of "seedlings", they sow watermelons right in the field or garden in late April - early May, and care for them is minimal. In the north, it is also possible to sow seeds in a garden bed (at the end of spring), and to pre-cultivate seedlings.
Growing watermelons is not always a lottery: with some experience and luck, normal fruits can also be obtained in central Russia. And already at latitudes south of Kursk or Saratov, this striped berry is a traditional resident in the beds of garden enthusiasts. You can enjoy delicious sweet fruits directly from the garden with some effort, but they are small: the technology for growing gourds is available to every summer resident.
Juicy sweet watermelons are always associated with summer and sunshine. The crackle of the striped peel under the knife edge, the characteristic aroma and the melting, refreshing flesh. What could be better than, forgetting about business for a while, enjoy a slice of ripe berries. Today, you can treat yourself to a watermelon at almost any time of the year. Supermarkets always have these giant berries, however, grown on the other side of the world or in a greenhouse.
The most delicious watermelon is the one that was saturated with the power of the sun and grew not under the film, but in the garden.
Many gardeners are wondering how to grow watermelons in the country? Today, there are all conditions for this. Thanks to the appearance of early varieties and hybrids, even residents of the Non-Black Earth Region can break their own melons and get a crop of watermelons. How to grow watermelons outdoors? What kind of care does the culture require, and when can the first fruits be harvested?
Preparing watermelon seeds for sowing
Of all the gourds, watermelons have the most difficult seeds to germinate. In order for the seedlings to be friendly and strong, the seeds are first immersed in salt water. This will make it possible to identify and remove not viable, light specimens, but those that are heavier and sink to the bottom, to be used for sowing.
However, this is not enough. Shortly before planting, the seeds are heated for 3–4 hours at temperatures up to 55 ° C or left in the sun for a week in order to disinfect the seed in this way. The seeds are then soaked overnight in warm water, which will speed up germination and give the sprouts additional strength.
Planting watermelons with seeds
In the Chernozem region and the southern regions, where watermelons are grown in summer cottages and industrial melons, the crop can be planted in open ground with seeds.
The best time for this comes when the soil at a depth of 10 cm warms up to 12-15 ° C. For sandy and other types of light, loose soils, the depth of planting watermelon seeds is 4–8 centimeters, but if the soil is heavy, dense, it is more correct to deepen the seeds by no more than 4–6 cm. And the smaller the seeds, the smaller the grooves for planting them are made .
Melons, especially during the ripening period, require good food, which is provided by the main root system and small roots formed on separate lashes. Therefore, when growing watermelons in open ground, quite a lot is allocated for planting. large area, the size of which depends both on the type of soil and on the variety, as well as on the expected load on the plant.
- If watermelons are sown in rows, gaps from 0.7 to 1.5 meters are left between the bushes. Row spacing in this case should be at least one and a half meters.
- When using a square planting scheme, a distance of 0.7 to 2.1 meters is laid between plants.
The main thing is that as the plantings grow, they do not turn out to be overly thickened, and that all the berries that have started have enough light, moisture and nutrition.
Seedling method of growing watermelon
In the conditions of the middle zone, for example, in non-chernozem regions, as well as during a cold long spring in the southern regions, it is possible to grow watermelons in open ground through seedlings. From the moment of sowing to the transplantation of young plants into the ground, it usually takes from 25 to 35 days. It is most convenient for sowing to use peat pots with a diameter of about 10 cm, which are filled with a mixture of an equal amount:
- humus;
- sod land;
The seeds are buried in moist soil by 3–4 centimeters, after which the pots are left under the film until germination at a temperature of at least 20–25 ° C, only at night the temperature background can drop to 18 ° C.
When sprouts appear above the ground level, the seedlings are transferred to a cooler room. At a temperature of about 17-18 ° C, watermelon seedlings will have to stay from 3 to 4 days, which will allow you to get strong sprouts and prevent them from stretching. In the future, the temperature of about 22-25 ° C is returned to the daytime hours.
Regular watering is carried out with warm water, trying not to get on the leaf plates. A week after the sprouts have hatched, the seedlings under the roots are fed with fertilizer containing nitrogen and phosphorus.
Since gourds are heat- and light-loving crops, well-lit warm rooms or greenhouses are chosen for young watermelon plants, but a week before the seedlings enter the open ground, it must be hardened. For this, seedling boxes are put on open air first for 2-4 hours, then the time is gradually increased. In the first days of June or at the end of May, watermelon seedlings are planted in the beds.
Choosing a site and soil for growing watermelon in the country
To obtain from watermelon grown in the country good harvest it is important that the site intended for planting:
- was well lit;
- closed from cold winds;
- provide plants with adequate nutrition.
The best soil for gourds is light, fertile and loose. It is optimal if the country beds have sandy and sandy loamy soil, enriched with humus or other well-rotted organic matter since autumn.
The best predecessors for watermelons are legumes, cruciferous, including cabbage and radish, as well as potatoes and tomatoes.
Before growing watermelons in open ground, care should be taken to prepare the ridges and fertilize the soil. On a meter of beds in the spring they bring:
- 24-35 grams of ammonium sulfate;
- 40–45 grams;
- 15-25 grams of potash fertilizers.
In pre-moistened holes, located at intervals of 1–1.5 meters, 1–2 plants are planted or immersed in one peat cup in such a way that cotyledon leaves remain above the soil level. After planting, the bed is mulched with sand, and the plants are sheltered from the sun. They do the same when sprouts appear, if watermelons in the open field are grown from seeds.
In the first week, while the acclimatization process is underway, watermelons are poured with warm water.
Features of watering and feeding watermelons
It is impossible to grow a watermelon in the country without providing the plant with proper watering and feeding. Without water, it is difficult to talk about the juiciness of sweet berries, but you don’t need to overdo it here, otherwise you won’t achieve such a beloved sugar pulp. Before the appearance of flowers, watermelons are watered moderately, and when the ovary appears on the lashes, more generously.
At the summer cottage for watermelons, it is convenient to use systems with which you can carry out and regular feeding plants.
Growing watermelons in the country, you need to remember that the culture loves rare, but plentiful watering, which is extremely necessary in the hot season, in conditions of a deficit of natural moisture. A comfortable soil moisture level for watermelons is 85%. On sandy soil that does not retain moisture well, the beds are watered more often, and on chernozem and clay soils- less often. When the berries are poured, and their ripening begins, watering is carried out less often, and then completely stopped.
The fertilizing schedule for watermelons grown in the country includes three procedures, during each of which approximately 2 liters of liquid fertilizer should fall on the plant. A week after planting in the ground, watermelons are watered with a solution of 10 liters of water:
- 40-50 grams of superphosphate;
- 30-35 grams of ammonium sulfate;
- 15-20 grams of potassium salts.
When the active growth of lashes begins on the plants, watermelons should receive a second top dressing with half the concentration of phosphorus and potassium fertilizers. With the beginning of the formation of ovaries, one more top dressing is carried out, introducing a solution based on watermelons growing in the country house:
- 20-25 grams of ammonium sulfate;
- 10 grams of superphosphate;
- 35 grams of potassium salts.
The introduction of the nutrient mixture is carried out in furrows arranged in advance at a distance of 15–20 cm from the bushes.
The decrease in the proportion of nitrogen fertilizers is associated with the possibility of accumulation of nitrates in the pulp of berries. Also, this measure will push the plants not to gain green mass, but to ripen.
Care for watermelons grown in the country
Care for watermelons growing in open ground consists of:
- in regular loosening of soil under plants;
- in watering and feeding gourds;
- in the removal of weeds;
- in the fight against pests and plant diseases;
- in the protection of lashes and ovaries from freezing.
The soil under the plants is loosened to a depth of 7 cm, not only after planting, but also after watering and rain, until the lashes and foliage close the spaces between individual bushes.
To protect the ovaries and shoots from the wind, it is useful to fix the whips on the ground with wire pins or by sprinkling sections of the stem with moist soil.
If there is a risk of moisture stagnation or insufficient light in the area where watermelons grow, trellises are built for plants and, at the beginning of lash growth, shoots are transferred from the ground to strong vertical supports. The same technique is useful if there is not enough space in the country for growing watermelons in the traditional melon method. As they grow, the shoots are distributed along the trellis or laid out on the ground so that one lash does not obscure the other.
If a watermelon is grown on a trellis in the country, it is recommended to leave only one main lash, on which, after flowering, depending on the variety and climate, from 3 to 6 fruits should be tied. The rest of the shoots pinch on early stages growth, and then, when the ovaries reach the size of a five-ruble coin, the top of the fruiting stem is removed.
When growing watermelons on open ground using the gourd method, pinch all the shoots after 3-6 ovaries, remove the stems that appear from the leaf axils and female flowers.
Interestingly, circumcised side lashes you can root and also get from them, albeit a late and small, but high-quality crop.
If there is a threat of frost in the area where watermelons grow, the plants are protected with cardboard or special covering material.
When to harvest watermelons?
The ripening ones are easy to recognize by the changed color. With cucumbers and zucchini - the main thing is not to linger with the collection so that the vegetables do not lose their juiciness and useful properties. And when to collect watermelons, how to distinguish ripe berry from the one that should still warm the sides in the sun?
The most early-ripening varieties of watermelons in the central part of Russia can only produce a crop by mid-August. At the same time, mass harvesting at the summer cottage is not carried out, except when the berries on the melon are threatened with frost. While the warm season lasts, the ripest watermelons are cut from the lashes:
- with glossy dense bark;
- with a deaf, audible sound when tapping;
- with a smooth peduncle without the inherent green ovary hairs;
- with dry bract and mustache at the base of the leaf.
All these signs of ripeness must be considered together and only then should watermelons be collected, otherwise it is possible that the cut berry will turn out to be immature.
However, when watermelons are used for storage or transportation, it is best to take the berries a few days before they are fully ripe. Such watermelons, being in a dry, warm room, can ripen without losing any useful properties, no taste or aroma. But only watermelons collected in a fully ripe state are suitable for obtaining seeds.
Growing watermelons in the middle lane - video
Probably, you rarely meet a person who would not like watermelons. However, not all of us have a plot to grow our favorite fruits and vegetables. This is the main reason why people are wondering how to grow watermelon at home.
Not everyone knows, but you can grow watermelons without using seedlings, but immediately in a permanent place. As a rule, seedlings are used in order to later transplant plants into a greenhouse. Garden How to grow watermelon outdoors
This is done so that the berry has time to ripen. And if we are talking about growing a fetus at home, then this stage can be safely skipped.
Basic steps to grow the most delicious watermelon on the planet
Should start by buying enough large capacity, because the watermelon has a branched root system. For this, a box measuring 50x50x30 cm is perfect. You can make it yourself, for example, from wooden planks. If this is not possible, then you can always take a bowl or bucket. If the selected container is transparent, then it makes sense to wrap it with a dark-colored cloth. Such a measure is necessary so that the roots do not dry out and turn green. The container must be filled with fertile soil with trace elements.
You can buy it at any garden or hardware store. Fortunately, nowadays even in some supermarkets you can find such products, if, of course, there is a garden department there. Thirty days before you plan to plant a watermelon, you will need to lime the soil. This is necessary so that the acidity is about 6 pH.
Before planting the seeds, they must first be soaked for about ten minutes in water with a temperature of more than 100C. You need to keep it until the seeds begin to peck, after which they can be planted. Please note that it is impossible to separate the seeds in any case.
How many seeds to plant?
You don't need much, because they can all ascend. But three seeds will be the most the best option. Planting should be at a depth of about three centimeters. After the sprouts appear, you need to choose the strongest and leave it.
Plant placement
The best place is by the window
Not better places than a window sill. You can, of course, just put it near the window, but at the same time the plant should receive a sufficient amount of light. However, do not forget that the frame cannot be left open, otherwise there is a risk of freezing the heat-loving plant. most the best temperature for maturation is the temperature in the range from +25 to +30 degrees. Until the fruit is formed, the plant will be considered a seedling. At night time optimum temperature will be about +18 degrees. When you notice that the fruits begin to set, do not drastically lower the room temperature. Leave it also at least +25 degrees. In addition, it should be remembered that moisture for watermelons is detrimental. It must be remembered that watering should be moderate, do not pour too much.
In three months you can harvest
As a rule, if watermelons are grown in a greenhouse, then it takes about three months. If we are talking about growing watermelon at home, then most likely it will take a little longer. If we are talking about growing at a time of the year when the daylight hours are less than twelve hours, then fluorescent lamps should be used. This is necessary to highlight the watermelon. Try to keep your lighting clearly directional. Let it illuminate the plant as much as possible. In addition, special reflective surfaces should also be used. Moreover, you should place them around the watermelon.
Vitamins and minerals for the plant
Like any other living creature, watermelon needs feeding. Try to do it in a certain way. The most common method is the primary feeding with phosphorus and nitrogen. Moreover, it is done in the same quantities. After you see that the fruits are tied, you should think about using top dressing, where there is a large amount of potassium. And at this moment it is necessary to ensure that there is not so much nitrogen in the top dressing as at the initial stage.
It makes sense to install a support in the container, with which you can fix the shoots of your watermelon. The main stem, as a rule, is attached at a height of about one hundred centimeters. Lateral shoots are attached a little differently: they are pinned so that a few leaves remain above the flower with the ovary.
After you notice that the fruits have formed, you do not need to leave everything. Two is enough, all the rest need to be pinched off, because there will be no point in them. They will only take all the juices and nutrients. If you leave more than two fruits, then they will all remain small. When you see that the fetus has reached a size of about ten centimeters in diameter, then it must be placed in gauze or mesh, after which it should be tied to a support. This is done to make it more durable.
By the way, when you grow watermelon at home, you should remember that it will not reach such huge sizes as when planting in a greenhouse. However, great advantage the skin becomes thinner. Usually, growing watermelon at home, you can get a fruit weighing about a kilogram.
If you do not know which variety should be preferred, then stop at the seeds of such varieties as "Kaho", "Spark" or "Sibiryak". These varieties are the most unpretentious for growing at home.
If the first time you fail to grow the watermelon that you wanted or does not work at all, then you should not be very upset. Try again, just at the next landing you will need to take into account the mistakes made and not repeat them again. Juicy and sweet watermelons to you!
