Technology of growing watermelons in open ground, soil selection, formation and care. How to grow watermelons outdoors? How to plant watermelons in open ground

In order to grow sweet, juicy watermelons, it is necessary to provide them with a warm climate, low humidity and good lighting. How to grow watermelon at home? Read Tips experienced gardeners!

Perhaps it is difficult to find a person who does not like watermelons. Delicious, sweet and juicy watermelons are loved by both adults and children.

Grow this exotic striped berry almost every gardener dreams. True, not everyone decides on this, because the harsh climate leaves its mark. But in fact, watermelons, although they are a heat-loving melon crop, can be grown not only in the south, but also in the middle lane. To do this, you just need to create favorable conditions for them.

In order to grow sweet, juicy watermelons, it is necessary to provide them with a warm climate, low humidity and good lighting. In the middle lane, they are grown in greenhouses or under a film, and in the south of Russia, watermelons will easily grow without greenhouses. Optimum temperature for normal growth - 25-30 degrees during the day and 18 - at night. The bed or greenhouse should be in a sunny place, away from bushes and trees.

The main secret successful cultivation watermelon is choosing the right variety. For central Russia, early-ripening varieties should be chosen, the ovaries of which grow and ripen quickly. You should not try to grow unusual large varieties of watermelons, as they can realize themselves only in warm countries.

The best varieties of watermelons for growing

The most suitable seeds: Sugar Baby, Pink Champagne, Gift to the North, Charleston near Moscow, Spark, Crimstar.

In the middle lane, you can grow a watermelon only with the help of seedlings, which should be sown around April 20th. Then, after 30-35 days, the seedlings can be transplanted into the ground.

To grow seedlings, you will need small pots with a diameter of 10 cm. Each of them is filled with a mixture of peat, humus and woody soil in a ratio of 1:2:1 with a small addition of ash and 2 seeds are planted in one pot.

To speed up germination, you can pre-soak and germinate the seeds. Until shoots appear, the pots are covered with a film and the temperature is maintained at + 20-25 degrees. After that, you need to lower the temperature to + 18-20 degrees so that the seedlings do not stretch too much. For seedlings, you need to select the sunniest window and feed it 2 times with complex mineral fertilizer.

Growing watermelons in a greenhouse

The preparation of the greenhouse or beds must be carried out in advance. In early April, it is cleared of snow and the soil is dug up. Watermelons love sandy and sandy soil rich in organic matter.

Heavy clay soils- will be unusable. A few days before planting seedlings, you need to dig a trench 30 cm wide and deep, on the bottom of which manure is laid and completely covered with soil. The earth can be covered with a film so that it warms up as much as possible. Then arcs are installed on the garden bed and a transparent film is pulled.

How to grow watermelons - step by step

How to grow a square watermelon?

If you are growing watermelons on your site, why not grow a berry square shape for special occasions to surprise your loved ones and guests? Such a miracle was invented by the Japanese in the late 80s of the 20th century.

Growing Features

Suitable for growing cubic watermelon different varieties berries, and the main shaping tool is a 20x20x20 cube. It must be made of a transparent material such as plastic. On the top side of the container, it is necessary to make a hole with a diameter of about 3 cm, and one of the adjacent sides must be removable. In the corners of the cube, you also need to make holes with a diameter of 5-8 mm.

When the watermelon is about the size of a small ball, it must be placed in the cube by passing the stem through the hole on the top wall. As the size increases, the berry will fill the cube and take its shape.

Sometimes it happens that the watermelon ripens earlier before taking on a clear cube shape, but in any case, it will be unusual. And experience comes with time, and you will learn how to grow square watermelons no worse than Japanese craftsmen.

His beneficial features, amazing taste, that's why both adults and children love it so much!

Don't be discouraged if you can't grow sweet watermelon, take into account your mistakes, then on next year, your watermelons will be much more delicious!

Watermelon is a thermophilic plant. However, they are grown not only in southern countries. In mid-latitudes, in order to get big harvest it is necessary to provide the berry with practically ideal conditions, but it is quite feasible. Growing watermelons in open ground, the subtleties of choosing a variety and planting will be described later in the article.

How to choose a variety?

The variety is selected depending on the climate and local conditions. Very good in different climatic zones hybrids are developing: "Honey Giant", "Skorik", "Gift of the Sun", "Suga Baby", "Prince Albert F1", "Sugar Baby", "Williams F1", "Spark". They ripen quickly and are not afraid of minor frosts.

In southern latitudes, you can use for planting varieties: "Ataman F1", "Spring Bush 334", "Volzhanin", "Astrakhansky", "Gift Kholodov", "Jubilee", "Delight", "Chill", "Black Prince".

Where can you plant watermelons?

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Growing watermelons in open ground is possible only in certain areas of the site.

• The main rule is the sun. Culture needs solar heat, light. Watermelon will not grow in the shade.
• Groundwater should be located at a considerable depth. Excess moisture will harm the roots, they will rot, and the plant will disappear.
• Type of soil - light sandy or sandy loam. But this is ideal. If there is no such one on the site, you can choose a less picky variety in this regard or provide frequent feeding, loosening.
• Soil acidity - 6.7-7.0 pH. In this regard, there will be fewer problems, since the acidity can be "adjusted".
• The best predecessors are wheat or alfalfa. If those have not previously grown on the site, then you can choose any place where melons and nightshade did not grow last year.

How to prepare seeds and seedlings for planting in open ground?

Depending on the area in which the cultivation of watermelons is carried out in open ground, they are planted with seeds or seedlings. The second option is used in the northern and southern lanes. Such a plant will take root much earlier, grow and bear fruit, so already before the first frost it will be possible to harvest and even have time to process it.

If seeds are used for planting, it is necessary to warm them in the sun in a bag for 10 days before planting. Ideally, the temperature inside the bag (if it is dry) should reach +55 degrees Celsius, and if it is humid, then +30 degrees. After 10 days, it is necessary to fill the seeds with water for 30 minutes, the floating ones are thrown away, and the settled ones are poured warm water(+50 degrees). When the water has cooled, it must be drained, and the seeds soaked until spitting.

2 days before sowing seeds, an ash solution is made at the rate of 1 part of ash and 2 parts of water. While the solution is infused, the seeds are disinfected in a dark solution of potassium permanganate for 15 minutes. After that, they are soaked for one night in the prepared ash solution. The next morning, the water is drained, the seeds are washed and dried.

Seedlings are recommended to grow in peat pots. At the end of April, a mixture of peat, humus and earth is poured into them in a ratio of 2: 1: 1. The seeds are soaked for 10 minutes in water (+50 degrees), then they are deepened by 1 cm per grain into a glass and sprinkled with earth. In a room with seedlings, it should be at least +25 degrees, otherwise the seeds will not hatch. Top dressings are applied to enhance growth as needed.

How to plant watermelons?

Growing watermelons in open ground begins with soil preparation. Land for watermelons has been prepared since autumn, it is fertilized with manure (4 kg per 1 sq. M.). Watermelons do not tolerate fresh manure, and besides, it can lead to the formation of fungal diseases. And if the land is cultivated in November, then during the winter the manure will overheat and will not harm the culture.

Seeds are sown when the soil temperature reaches +16 degrees. They are planted to a depth of 6 cm, density - 10 seeds per 1 running meter. It may seem that it is dense, but not all seeds will sprout, and if all, they can be planted. After planting, they are sprinkled with earth and watered with warm water. The first shoots can be expected in 1 week.

seedlings in open ground planted 30 days after its growth in peat pots. By this time, the seedlings should have about 5 leaves. To reduce stress during transplantation, hardening is carried out a week before planting. During the day, temperatures are reduced to +17 degrees, and at night to +15.

Seedlings are planted in separate holes - 8-10 cm deep. Compost is first added to them, watered. When planting, the root neck should peek out of the ground by 1 cm, so that hilling can be carried out later. The hole is filled with dry earth.

How to care for watermelons?

Growing watermelons in open ground involves regular care from the moment of sowing seeds or planting seedlings.

Growing watermelons in the open field begins with the most important and crucial stage - the selection and preparation of material for sowing. Growers should initially pick right sort.

Seed preparation

The right technology for growing watermelons in the open field begins with the selection of seeds suitable for the climate. For example, Skorik watermelon is an early ripe variety that requires a warm climate, so it is preferred to be grown outdoors in Ukraine, namely in the south. In the Kuban, such hybrids are suitable for sowing: Orange King, Volcano, Bomba, Champagne Splashes. Caring for watermelons in the open field of these varieties is not difficult, and the fruits reach large sizes. At right choice watermelon seeds in open ground can be grown even in Bashkiria, where cultivation even without the use of chemistry will give good harvest. They even grow watermelons for business. Based on this, it is clear that the secrets of growing watermelons lie in proper preparation seeds.

Varietal plants must be prepared before planting as follows:

1. Initially, hold the seeds in salt water. This way you can identify bad seeds (they will float to the top).
2. Then, a couple of hours before planting, warm the seeds - the temperature should be 55 degrees. Or just leave them in the sun a week before sowing.

Prepare in another way:

1. Seeds for sowing are placed in a gauze bag and immersed in a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
2. Then all this is left in a plastic bag or under a film (covering material) and placed on a windowsill for 3 days, changing the water every day. After the first sprouts have appeared, the film is no longer needed. Thus, the seeds will germinate quickly.

Planting seeds

The technology of growing watermelons with seeds in open ground is not complicated, it is similar to growing other crops in open ground. Therefore, to the question "how to grow watermelons, the cultivation of which takes place without seedling way' is very easy to answer. How to grow watermelon in this way? It is necessary to start sowing the prepared material in May, when the temperature of the earth at a depth of 10 cm warms up to 12–14 degrees.

Top dressing is added to the wells for better development: ash, peat and humus are mixed in a bucket. How much to take top dressing depends on the area of ​​​​your site. Level and water the soil. Then place 5 seeds in each hole, so that later one of the strongest seedlings is selected. Firm the soil gently and water the plants generously.

seedling method

Agricultural technology for growing watermelons in the open field includes planting not only seeds, but also seedlings. This method of cultivation is actively used in areas with short and cold summers. How to grow berries in this way? 25–30 days we grow sprouts in peat pots or plastic containers. They are filled in equal proportions with ash, a mixture of peat soil and humus. Among huge selection land in specialized stores can already be selected ready mix for growing watermelons through seedlings.

Plant the seeds in moist soil a few centimeters. Then put all the pots under the film. The temperature there should be at least 20 degrees Celsius. When the first leaves begin to appear, the seedlings should move to a cooler place.

Seedlings need regular watering with warm water. Once you can feed everything with nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers. A couple of days before planting watermelons in open ground, take the seedlings to Fresh air. Seedlings thus acclimatize and easily take root in open ground.

Soil selection

An important question for this topic is what should be the soil for watermelons in the garden or on suburban area? After all, planting and caring for watermelons will be meaningless if you place them in the wrong place. Watermelons grow well on sandy or sandy soil. But in any case, sowing will be successful if the soil is light. The place should be well lit and warm. Growing watermelons is not possible in areas where there is ground water. Also acidic and highly moist soil is not suitable.

In the previous year, onions, alfalfa or legumes should grow in the garden.

Watering and feeding

How to care for watermelons after planting them in open ground? Outdoor care primarily includes watering and fertilizing. Grown seedlings need to be watered regularly. In the country, you can even install drip irrigation.

It is also not necessary to overdo it in this matter, because the watermelon crop may lose sugar content. Berries do not like frequent, but plentiful watering. Average level humidity should be 85 percent. When the ovary appears, care intensifies, and when berries are imposed, it is better to reduce the amount of water.

Caring for these berries in the open field necessarily includes top dressing. A week after planting in the ground, the berries need to be fed with a solution of superphosphate, ammonium sulfate and potassium salts in proportions of 40:30:15 g, respectively. The second feeding occurs at the stage active growth whips. Here it is worth taking ammonium sulfate, superphosphate, potassium salts, but already in proportions of 20:10:35. If you do not reduce the dose of superphosphate during the second feeding, the fruits grow nitrate. How to make the plant even more resistant? On one plant, no more than 2-3 fruits should be left.

Pest control

Growing and caring for watermelons becomes difficult during the pest control phase. You can grow healthy watermelons if you carry out prevention in time. It consists in weeding the site.

The main harmful insect for melons is melon aphid. What does a watermelon affected by aphids look like? The first sign of her activity is the drying and curling of the leaves. If you don't keep an eye on the plant, the female may lay her eggs on the plant.

If you notice these pests, immediately treat the grown watermelon with a solution of onion peel. Another unpleasant guest is spider mite. To combat it, you can take an infusion of dope.

Video "Growing watermelons in the open field"

In this video you will hear helpful tips for growing watermelons.

Today it has become popular to grow in the country or personal plot enough exotic species plants, even if you live in Central Russia. This opportunity is provided by numerous varieties of watermelons and melons, adapted to the conditions of capricious weather, sharp drops temperature, in a word to all the surprises of the zone risk farming.

Growing watermelons is quite an exciting activity, acquiring in recent times more and more fans. Getting a full-fledged watermelon in the Moscow region or in the Vologda region is not a problem today, you just need to know some rules of agricultural technology and adhere to them strictly. Let's take a step-by-step look at the entire simple watermelon planting scheme and find out what can prevent you from getting full harvest this melon culture.

The watermelon varieties offered in stores do not always meet the necessary standards for planting them in conditions Middle lane. Here you need to be guided early ripening berries, and watermelon is considered a berry, you should choose varieties that give small fruits and are resistant to various diseases.

Numerous hybrids meet these criteria. Pay attention to ultra-early varieties, they can ripen long before the onset of the first autumn frosts, and you will get the degree of sugar content of the fruit that you dreamed of. You can also advise the variety "Spark" known among avid gardeners, which is considered early. It gives very small fruits, but they are different high content sugar, can be stored for a while and are very productive.

Preparing seeds for sowing

In order for the seeds to sprout quickly and amicably, it is necessary to spend several preparatory activities: calibrate the seed material, then carry out scarification, warm the seeds and disinfect them in a special biostimulator or weak solution potassium permanganate. Despite the apparent difficulties, the processes are not complicated and even inexperienced gardeners can do it. Let's analyze each of their stages separately.

• What is calibration? This is sorting seed material in terms of size, and therefore in terms of germination. Why sort seeds? The secret is that if in one bowl there is a strong and large seed next to a small one, the first will not allow the second to develop normally, taking the lion's share of the nutrition for itself. Therefore, strong watermelon grains are planted separately from weaker or smaller seeds. In this case, the seedlings will be even and friendly.
• Scarification is a procedure that not all gardeners do. It involves damage to the seed shell, sawing it or opening it. These actions are explained by faster germination of seedlings. Scarification can be done in this way: take a grain and rub it with a “nose” on sandpaper, so the hard layer of the peel will be erased and the sprout will be able to “jump out” faster.
• Warming up is for watermelon seeds an obligatory step, it not only accelerates the biochemical reactions inside the grain, but also helps the fastest germination of seedlings. In order for the procedure to be performed correctly, water with a temperature of about + 50 degrees is required. It is desirable that this mode be kept for half an hour. Seeds are immersed in water and kept in it for the allotted time.
• Disinfection is a mandatory item, it is necessary for the disinfection of seeds. They should be placed in a container with water in which not diluted a large number of potassium permanganate. It takes 20 minutes for the harmful bacteria on the surface of the seeds to die. After this procedure, watermelon seeds are dried on a radiator and can be sown in separate pots or boxes.

Note! You can germinate the seeds before planting by wrapping them in gauze or cloth, moistening it with water. It is desirable that the temperature during germination be quite high, above room temperature. Batteries are used for this, but you definitely need to make sure that the fabric does not dry out. After the appearance of small white sprouts from the peel, you can safely plant the seeds in the soil.

Selection of soil and containers

It is advisable to place each future watermelon in a separate pot, the size of which should not be less than 10-12 cm in volume and height. It is advisable to fill the containers not to the very edge, but leave 3 cm each, this is necessary in order to be able to subsequently add soil.

For watermelons, it is desirable to make soil from humus or peat with humus in equal amounts. Sod land (1 part) with humus (3 parts) is also suitable. One small spoonful of superphosphate or two large spoons should be added to any of the compositions. wood ash. This amount is applied per 1 kilogram of soil mixture.

How to sow watermelon seeds

Planting watermelons on open areas possible only at the end of May, not earlier. By this time, the seedlings are already 30-35 days old from the moment of sowing, and, as a rule, they have 4 leaves. From these dates, and guided by these indicators, it is worth approximately calculating the moment of landing, that is, these days fall in the middle or end of April.

Plant two seeds in each container, planting depth of about 3 cm. After germination, the weakest is removed. Make sure that the place is not blown by a draft; a south window is suitable for this.

Seedling Care

For the germination of watermelons, a temperature of 25-30 degrees is required, if it is observed, then you can wait for the appearance of "loops" in six days. After the seedlings appear, you can limit temperature regime+18 degrees, this is necessary for the adaptation of young seedlings. Further, it is desirable to put each container in a place where again the heat of the air will be at least +22 degrees. This mode is necessary for three weeks, until the planting of seedlings on permanent place to open gardens.

Highly important points in the care of seedlings is lighting. Young growth is very susceptible to light, and if it is not enough, then the shoots will stretch and become long and weak. Additional lighting with special lamps will help to avoid this. watermelons extremely light-loving plants so make sure there is enough light.

After about two weeks, seedlings can be fed with fertilizer, which is prepared from mullein and water in proportions of 1:10. Manure should be fermented, you should not take fresh, you can burn young plants. Second portion nutrients due in a couple of weeks. This time, the nutrient mixture is prepared from mullein, to which 50 g of superphosphate, 30 g of potassium sulfate, 15 g of ammonium sulfate are added. These components are added to 1 liter of the finished solution of water with manure.

This is all that watermelons need as additional nutrition before planting in open ground.

Landing in open ground

It is impossible to do without hardening the plants, until the moment of planting, the seedlings are taken out to a cool room, starting for an hour, then for a longer period. What you need to know about the rules for growing melons and gourds on a personal plot for each gardener:

• Landing is done in the morning, along with pea soil, watermelons are planted in a permanent place with a distance of about 80 cm from each other. Plants are deepened to the level of cotyledon leaves. Then you need to water them and cover with a film.
• The film can be removed only at the end of June, when the difference between night and day temperatures will noticeably decrease.
• Watering watermelons should be plentiful and often, when the plants appear female flowers, watering is reduced, and when ovaries appear, it practically stops.
• Pollination is an important link for the usefulness of the crop. It is possible, without waiting for the appearance of bees and other pollinating insects, to independently produce pollination. To do this, you need to touch the rest with one flower. The ripening period of fruits after pollination will come in 40-45 days.
• Whip formation - necessary measure. If you are growing watermelons on special supports or trellises, you should leave one stem to form 4-5 fruits. After it is formed required amount ovaries, pinch the stem, limiting its growth.
• Watermelons need protection from diseases, especially if the weather is not pampered in the summer. Preparations: Hom, Ordan, Abiga - Peak will help prevent the development of peronosporosis, powdery mildew, aschotitis, anthracnose. But from harmful insects it is worth stocking up with such means as: Fufanol, Fitoverm, Decis, Tantrek. They will reliably protect plants from the attack of aphids, scoops, wireworms, meadow moths.

Sowing watermelons with seeds in open ground is carried out exclusively under a film or a greenhouse, in ridges prepared in advance. In this case, the harvest can be expected much later, and the film cover is removed depending on weather conditions.

Growing watermelon is exciting activity, because not everyone succeeds in achieving the desired result, especially when it comes to the zone of risky farming. But, to satisfy their own ambitions, sometimes gardeners take on the most daring project. Just imagine that on your table at the end of the season suddenly appears grown with my own hands ripe, juicy watermelon, which, with its aroma, gathers a whole crowd of curious people around it. And, of course, it turns out to be ripe, red, sweet!

The fruits of watermelon are known and loved by everyone, they remind many of the "taste of summer", so some summer residents try to grow this crop in their summer cottage. The watermelon plant is an annual and belongs to the gourd family, the genus Watermelon. Africa is considered the birthplace of this famous culture. The first mention of the fruits of this plant are found in the annals of the ancient Egyptians and Romans. Various sweets were prepared from it, including honey drinks. In addition, watermelons, given their diuretic properties, were also used for medical purposes for the natural cleansing of the body. Today, this crop is grown on other continents. The plant thrives best in warm climates with long summers and short winters. Next, we will tell you more about how to properly plant watermelons in their summer cottage.