The cucumber is the size of a donkey. This is the translation of the Persian word xarbuza. It was this that became the basis for the Russian name for watermelon. The Russians borrowed not only the word, but also the wisdom of growing berries.
The first domestic samples were obtained in the 17th century. The Astrakhan Territory became the springboard for selection. We have developed our own variety. The selection criteria for berries are their size, sweetness and drought resistance.
Astrakhan watermelons are famous to this day. But, there were others. Right now in middle lane Dozens of varieties are grown in Russia. Among them: Ogonyok, Leader, Chill, Yarilo, Sweet Krinson. So, there is a reason to find out ...
How to properly plant watermelons
Planting watermelons starts with seeds. Given the Russian climate, it is better to use seedlings. In a short season, the plant should not only grow, but also bear fruit.
So that they have time to ripen, with the onset of heat, not seeds are placed in the ground, but already grown bushes. They creep like cucumbers and pumpkins. By the way, the family to which the watermelon belongs is called - Pumpkin.
To a question, how to plant watermelons for seedlings, it is worth approaching with gauze and cotton wool. They are needed for germinating seeds. First, they are placed in a weak solution of potassium permanganate. Its color should be yellowish rather than pink.
Manganese will act as a disinfectant in case of seed contamination. 20-30 minutes and you can spread the seeds on a "pillow" of damp cotton wool covered with a bandage.
Above is the same "blanket". After abundant watering of the workpiece, it is left for 3-4 days. During them, the gauze should not dry out. The result will be the appearance of roots. The seeds are ready to be planted in the ground.
Small containers are filled with soil. It is convenient to use plastic cups. It is important to make holes in their bottom for the outflow of water. As for the substrate, it is made up of 50% of the purchased land, 50% of the garden. Both need to be disinfected. A couple of minutes in the microwave is enough. As a top dressing, wood ash is added to the mixture.
The soil substrate is laid almost to the edges of the cups. The earth will be compacted after abundant watering. Excess will flow out through the drain holes.
One common tray is enough for all cups. A 2 cm depression is made in the middle of each. The seed is lowered into the hole with the root down, sprinkled with a substrate, watered. It remains to put the cups in a warm, sunny place and wait for the shoots.
Saplings with 4-6 leaves are considered suitable for planting in the ground. The greens of neighboring plants should not touch. As the watermelons grow, the cups are pushed apart.
When the leaves come into contact, the development of seedlings slows down. Watering with cool water also has a negative effect. Use only warm. Subject to the conditions, the seedlings will have 4-6 leaves a month after planting.
When to plant watermelons
Based on the monthly development cycle of watermelon seedlings, you can calculate the time of both planting and the movement of plants in open ground... Focus on the climate of the region.
If the possibility of frosts, low temperatures is excluded only by June, the seeds are planted in early May. If the positive indicators are stable already in April, the process will start in March.
When to plant watermelons for seedlings the lunar calendar also suggests. It was drawn up taking into account the dependence of plants, their development, on the phases of the night luminary. It is recommended to sow melons and gourds from the Pumpkin family in 2016 from May 16 to May 20. Conditionally auspicious days named 5th, 6th. 8th, 9th and 10th numbers. In March, the "segment" from the 24th to the 29th is suitable.
Question, when to plant watermelons in the ground, abandoning seedlings, depends only on weather conditions. Suitable, for example, the same days from the 16th to the 20th of May. In the southern regions, there is no longer a risk of low temperatures by this time.
Taking into account the warm autumn, melons have time to grow and yield crops even in the open air. Seedlings are rejected, sometimes, in Siberia. But, there seeds are grown in greenhouses, picking early ripening varieties watermelons.
How to choose a watermelon variety for planting
In question, like the greenhouse, there is important nuance- only one berry variety should be used. This eliminates cross-pollination of plants. If it happens, the crop will come out of poor quality.
In cold regions, early ripening varieties with small fruits are chosen. Large berries do not have time to ripen. "Suga baby" is considered the earliest. From the name it is clear that the plant produces baby fruits. Their weight is no more than 4.5 kilograms. The skin of the berries is dark green and the stripes are almost black.
The early ripening varieties include Ogonyok, Skorik and Leader. From the first shoots to harvest, 70-80 days pass. The "Gift of the Sun" ripens even faster. But, this watermelon has a yellow rind. The pulp remains red. It is soft-grained, sweet. The size of the berries is 3-4 kilograms.
How long do watermelons ripen mid-season group? From 90 to 110 days. Late-ripening varieties are not suitable for any of the regions of Russia. Mid-season includes, for example, "Sugar baby". The crop is harvested 13 weeks after planting.
The berries are good for pickling. This is another nuance in choosing a variety. Some watermelons are intended to be consumed fresh, others are used for marinades. By the way, historically Russians prefer the latter option. Watermelons were brought to the country in salty form.
In the 17th century, transportation took months. Fresh berries did not ripen to the tsar's table, spoiled. Here the merchants brought pickles. Having learned to grow watermelons themselves, our ancestors did not take them fresh for a long time.
How to care for watermelon plantings
Deciding how to plant watermelons in open ground, or a greenhouse, it is important to consider the area of the site. Plants are creeping. The berries must be on the ground, so no garter is done. For free development, one bush needs a large area.
At least half a meter is left between the rows of watermelons. Ideal is 70 centimeters. Between the bushes, a meter-long reserve is needed. But, there are varieties with compact, not too long stems. When planting them, 50 centimeters are enough.
At what distance to plant watermelons from each other found out. Now, let's study the question of the formation of bushes. Saplings have several creeping shoots.
You need to leave only one, the most powerful, with side branches. Cutting off the rest of the shoots will allow the plant not to waste energy on them. All the energy will be spent on the development of the main trunk and the berries on it.
Watermelons are demanding on the soil. Needed fertile land... Fertilizers will help make them so. Melons need both mineral mixtures and organic matter. From the latter, mullein and chicken droppings come up.
Superphosphate is first taken from mineral mixtures. It is applied immediately after transplanting sprouts into open ground. By the time the ovaries are formed, the watermelons are already given phosphorus-potassium fertilizers.
They work with melons carefully. It is not recommended, for example, to walk between the rows once again. Watermelons have a vulnerable root system. Its weak point is branching. The roots are underfoot, damaged, plantings suffer.
They also suffer from a lack of moisture. In the heat, abundant watering is required 3-4 times a week. Berries are 95% water. Even the bodies of jellyfish are only 92% aquatic. There will not be enough moisture, and there will be no tasty, sweet fruits.
Watermelon with own site not only residents of the southern regions dream of eating, but also residents of areas with a cool climate. In a short summer, the seed will not be able to develop into a full-fledged bush with huge striped berries... If you plant seeds directly on the garden bed, then in the fall you will admire the large carved leaves and yellow flowers, and you will not wait for juicy fruits. Gardeners have found a way out: you can grow seedlings at home, and then transfer them to greenhouses or into open ground.
Seed sowing dates
To correctly determine when to sow seeds, you need to know when you will plant seedlings in a greenhouse or outdoors. You can use the lunar calendar for hints, but if favorable days fall too early or late, it is better to be guided by common sense and the weather forecast. If you are going to grow watermelons in a greenhouse, use the observations of past years: at what time the soil and air in the shelter usually reach the right temperature, at which you can plant plants. General recommendations they will not work here, it all depends on the material, volume and design of your building.
So that watermelons take root well and begin to develop on outdoors, seedlings should not be frozen. Roots also need warmth, at soil temperatures below + 15⁰ they will not take root well, diseases will arise, plants will weaken and may even die. Planting too late is also undesirable, the harvest can be ruined by the autumn cold. In open ground, seedlings can be planted about a month after germination. Count from the estimated date of transplanting 30-35 days ago, add about 10-15 days for germination - this will determine the day of sowing seeds. For example, if you plant grains in the soil in mid-April, you can transplant them outdoors in early June.
In greenhouses, conditions are more benign; plants can be planted there 20-25 days after germination. Calculate as for open field planting and determine the sowing date. For example, if the soil and air in your greenhouse reach the desired values around May 10, seedlings should appear on April 20, which means that you need to plant the seeds in early April.
We start sowing
It is already difficult for heat-loving watermelons to live in a cool climate, and if you also injure their roots during transplantation, the plants will become very bad. If the root system is damaged, there is a high probability that the plants will develop diseases caused by fungi or other infections that have penetrated through the wounds. Do not be stingy and purchase, this will facilitate both your work and the rooting of seedlings. The optimal diameter of the container for melons and gourds is 10 cm: the roots will not be cramped, and the planting will not take up much space on the windowsill.
It is advisable to purchase watermelons, but you can prepare the soil yourself. Pour a quarter of a bucket of garden soil, fill the remaining volume with humus, add 3 tbsp. spoons of phosphates and 1 tbsp. a spoonful of potash and nitrogen fertilizers. Mix the composition thoroughly, moisten and fill the containers where you will plant the seeds. There is another recipe for preparing soil in which healthy seedlings can be grown. Fill a 10 liter container with equal parts of humus, sand and garden soil and add a 1 liter can of ash.
If you just bury the seeds in damp ground, it will take a very long time for them to germinate. Watermelon seeds should be kept in a damp cloth at a temperature of about 30⁰, and it is better to use a growth stimulant. There are many drugs, read the instructions on how to use the tool. When the seeds hatch, place them in the refrigerator on a shelf with a temperature of about + 6⁰. After 12 hours, remove and keep the seeds in a warm place for the same amount of time. This procedure is called stratification, repeat it 3 times, and abrupt changes in the thermal regime will force the embryos to wake up faster and begin to develop.
Place the seeds sideways on the ground and press down lightly to keep them in this position. Fill the crops with 2-3 cm of soil and moisten. Cover the containers with plastic wrap and keep at a temperature of about 25⁰ until shoots appear. Do not forget to open containers for a few minutes every day to remove evaporated moisture from under the film.
Consider your local climate when buying seeds. For areas where summer does not pamper residents with warmth, there are cold-resistant varieties of watermelons, give preference to them. The shorter the ripening time, the more harvest you will get in the short northern summer.
Seedling care
As soon as the cotyledon leaves appear from the ground, remove the film and transfer the pots to a cooler place (21-23 ° C). Watermelon seedlings need to be provided with good lighting for at least half a day. If the windows face north or stands overcast, turn on a fluorescent lamp above the plantings, otherwise the sprouts will be elongated and weak.
Make sure that the plants are not crowded on the windowsill. When they begin to touch the leaves, move the pots apart so that the seedlings do not interfere with each other.
It is possible to grow well-developed watermelon seedlings only when proper watering so that the plants have enough moisture. The soil does not need to be overdried, but it does not need to be constantly damp. From living in conditions close to marsh, the roots are affected by rot and other diseases. Only warm water is suitable for irrigation; splashes should not fall on the leaves. Watch out for the drain holes: when they work well, all excess liquid will drain onto the sump.
10 days after the emergence of seedlings, feed the planting with a complex fertilizer, dissolved in water, or a liquid preparation; repeat this procedure every decade. When 3 true leaves appear on the seedlings, it can be planted in a greenhouse, and after the fourth leaf - in open ground. Seedlings at this age are already ready to move, but is the soil ready? If its temperature has not reached 15⁰, it is too early to plant. Warming up the earth can be accelerated if you cover it with a black film in advance.
Problems when growing seedlings
Often gardeners cannot understand why the seedlings wither and die. There can be many reasons. If the seedlings are watered too hard or if the seeds are planted in contaminated soil, fusarium can occur - fungal disease, in which the vessels of the stem are affected. The plant withers and dies. In adult watermelons, the disease can arise from transplanting into cold ground or from damage to the roots. Destroy the affected specimens, and treat the rest of the seedlings with a disinfectant and make sure that moisture does not stagnate in the soil.
Root rot also occurs from fungus. On the seedlings, the leaves turn yellow and wither, then the seedlings die. Examine the shoots carefully, and if you notice brown spots at the bottom of the stem, immediately isolate or destroy the diseased plant. Better prevention this disease - the use of reliable soil, moderate timely watering and a sufficiently high air temperature.
To avoid the disease of watermelon seedlings, several conditions must be met.
- Use reliable seeds and disinfected tools.
- Feed in time so that the seedlings do not weaken.
- Avoid sudden temperature fluctuations.
- Avoid excessive moisture.
Weak seedlings sometimes begin to gradually turn yellow. The plant wants to tell you that it has little light or needs nitrogen fertilization. Watermelons love warmth, but not the scorching rays of the sun. If you want to grow seedlings on a south-facing window, shade the seedlings during the day. Plants may develop poorly due to the fact that they are cold.
Output
In most regions of our country, it is impossible to feast on watermelon from your garden if you sow seeds directly into the garden. Gardeners, even in northern areas, are trying to grow seedlings at home, so that in a short summer the plants have time to develop and bear fruit. Pay attention to the ripening times indicated on the seed package, do not chase large-fruited varieties: how smaller size watermelon, the faster it ripens.
Calculate the most suitable sowing time for your area. Use disinfected soil and quality seeds, stratify, and the grains will sprout quickly. All that remains is to properly care for the seedlings, to feed and water them in time, to make sure that they are not struck by diseases. If you can grow a good strong seedlings, adult plants will thank you with delicious fruits. Let inept gardeners say that watermelons do not grow in the north, and you were not lazy, you grew melons in a cold climate, and now you are eating juicy sweet pulp.
Plant watermelon (lat.Citrullus lanatus)- a herbaceous annual, a species of the genus Watermelon of the Pumpkin family. Watermelon is a melon culture, the homeland of which is southern Africa - Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa. The colocynth species, related to the watermelon, is still found here, which is considered the ancestor of the cultivated watermelon. This culture was cultivated back in Ancient egypt, in the XX century BC: Watermelon seeds were discovered in the tomb of Tutankhamun. Proof that watermelon was known to the ancient Romans, who ate it fresh and salted, and also boiled honey from it, can be found in the verses of Virgil. The watermelon fruit was also grown in China, where it was called the "melon of the West", and the Arabs, who used it before meals to cleanse the body. The crusaders brought watermelon to Europe, and on the territory modern Russia it appeared in the XIII-XIV centuries A.D. Today, China is the champion in watermelon cultivation, followed closely by Turkey, Iran, Egypt, the American states, as well as Uzbekistan and Russia. Watermelons grow best in climates with long, hot, dry summers and short, cold winters.
Watermelon berry - description
A watermelon has thin branched stems, curly or creeping, most often smoothed-pentahedral, reaching a length of 4 m. At a young age, the stems are covered with dense pubescence. The leaves of the watermelon are petioled, alternate, pubescent, harsh, rough on both sides, triangular-ovate, cordate at the base, 8 to 22 cm long, 5 to 18 cm wide. Watermelon flowers blooming in summer are female, male and hermaphrodite, with boat-shaped bracts. The fruit is a watermelon berry, a multi-seeded juicy pumpkin with a smooth surface and juicy, sweet pulp of pink or red color, although there are varieties with a yellowish pulp and a rough crust.
Sowing watermelon seeds.
Cultivation of watermelons in the open field is carried out by seed method, seedling and seedling. In warm areas, seeds can be sown directly into the soil, prepared in advance and warmed up to 12-14 ºC. Before sowing, the seeds are kept in a thermos with water at a temperature of 50 ºC until the sprouts hatch. A tablespoon of ash, a teaspoon of ammophoska, a kilogram of humus are placed in holes about 8 cm deep, located at a distance of 1 meter from each other, and the additives are thoroughly mixed with the soil. Then they pour 2 liters of water into the hole, wait for it to be absorbed, put two or three seeds flat in the hole at a distance from each other, cover them with soil and trample it. After sowing, the garden is not watered.
The first shoots may appear in a little over a week. If you sow seeds in cold soil, the seedlings will have to wait longer, they may die altogether. To prevent this from happening, sow seeds in the ground no earlier than the third decade of May. The emerging seedlings in the development phase of 3-4 true leaves are thinned out, that is, weak seedlings are removed by cutting them off above the very surface of the garden.
Growing watermelon seedlings.
In areas with short summers, watermelons are best grown seedling method... The cultivation of watermelon seedlings begins in May with sowing seeds in separate containers of at least 0.3 liters in order to avoid an intermediate transplant or a pick, which is so poorly tolerated by pumpkin seeds. Planting watermelons for seedlings is carried out in the soil, which should consist of peat, turf and sand in equal parts. For five liters of this soil mixture, you need to add 50 g of potassium sulfate, ammonium nitrate and dolomite flour, as well as 100 g of double superphosphate. A few days before planting the watermelon, the seeds are heated for half an hour in water at a temperature of 55 ºC, and then germinated in wet sand at a temperature of 25 ºC. Only after the seeds have tiny shoots, they are sown 2-3 pieces in separate pots on the surface of the previously described soil mixture, sprinkle with sand on top, cover the cups with film or glass and transfer them to a warm place where the temperature is not lower than 30 ºC. When shoots appear in a week, the film is removed, and the temperature is lowered for nine days to 16-18 ºC.
Caring for watermelon seedlings involves feeding, watering and, if necessary, the organization of additional artificial lighting, since the watermelon needs a twelve-hour daylight hours. Water the seedlings in several steps, allowing the water to be absorbed, but make sure that the water does not get on the leaves of the seedlings. In the development phase of 3 true leaves, seedlings are fed with a solution of complex mineral fertilizers or liquid mullein. 10 days before the seedlings are planted on the garden bed, the seedlings begin to harden: they are taken out on the balcony or on the terrace for an hour or two, daily increasing the time spent on fresh air until they bring it to 24 hours.
Watermelon pick.
How to dive watermelons? As already mentioned, pumpkin seedlings do not dive for fear of damaging them. root system... They don't even pinch them.
Planting a watermelon in open ground
When to plant a watermelon in the ground.
When to plant watermelon seedlings in the garden? Planting watermelons in the ground is carried out four weeks after sowing seeds in the development phase of the fifth or sixth true leaf - at the end of May or the first decade of June. Choose for watermelons a protected from the wind, well-heated and illuminated area from the south or southeast, on which perennial herbs (alfalfa, sweet clover, sainfoin), winter wheat, cabbage, onions or annuals were grown up to watermelons legumes... It is not recommended to grow watermelons after plants such as nightshade (potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers) and pumpkin (melon, squash, squash, and watermelon). After you harvest watermelons, it will be possible to grow pumpkin seeds on this site only after 6-8 years.
Soil for watermelon.
The soil for watermelon is preferably sandy or sandy loam with a pH of 6.5-7 units. The preparation of the site is carried out in the fall: for digging, 4-5 kg of rotted manure are introduced for each m², as well as 40-45 g of superphosphate, 15-25 g of potassium salt and 24-35 g of ammonium sulfate for the same unit of area. In heavy soils, add one or two buckets of sand per m². Fresh manure is not used to fertilize the soil.
How to plant watermelons in open ground.
Make holes on the garden bed at a distance of 1-1.5 m from each other in a checkerboard pattern, leaving row spacings 2 meters wide, and pour 1.5-2 liters of water into each hole. The seedlings are buried in the holes by cotyledon leaves, the soil is tamped after planting, and then the surface of the area around the seedlings is sprinkled with sand within a radius of 10 cm in order to prevent root rot disease. Water the seedlings with warm water and protect them from sunlight until the leaves of the seedlings restore turgor.
Growing a watermelon in a greenhouse.
In areas with cold and short summers, watermelons are grown in greenhouses, since the growing season of the culture sometimes lasts about 150 days, and there are much fewer really warm days in the northern area. To speed up the process, watermelon seedlings are first grown at home, and then they are planted on a garden bed in a greenhouse under a double film coating. You already know how to grow watermelon seedlings. You need to start growing it in the third decade of April, and planting watermelons in a greenhouse is carried out when the soil in it warms up to 12-14 ºC. The soil in the beds is prepared in advance: a week before planting the seedlings, a layer of soil is removed from the beds with a depth of a shovel's bayonet, hay with humus is laid in the formed trench, which is sprinkled with nitrogen fertilizer on top and watered hot water... The removed layer of soil is laid on the hay pillow and the bed is covered with black covering material, which can be removed just before planting.
Seedlings are planted to a depth of 10 cm in holes located in one row at a distance of 70 cm from one another. As the lashes develop, they are tied to a trellis set in advance. For normal fruiting, you need to let several bees into the greenhouse. But since male flowers only live for a few hours, do not risk the future harvest, do the pollination yourself: pick a few male flowers, carefully remove the petals from them and apply their anthers to the stigmas of the female flowers. It is desirable that everyone female flower was pollinated by several male flowers. Artificial pollination should be done in the morning, when the air temperature in the greenhouse will be 18-20 ºC. It is very important that the night temperature on the eve of this important event is at least 12 ºC.
In order to accelerate the growth of the lashes, pinch them so that there are no more than 3-5 leaves above the fruit, and remove weak shoots altogether. From the ovaries, leave no more than 5 pieces on each bush, remove the rest. For the first time, watermelon fertilization is applied to the grooves dug at a distance of 20 cm from the bush, when the lashes reach a length of 25-50 cm, and it will be best at this time to feed the plant with a mullein solution (1:10) or liquid fermented chicken droppings(1: 20). The second dressing is applied before the budding process begins, and the third - after the formation of ovaries, but both times the grooves are made already at a distance of 40 cm from the bush. Like the first time, watermelons are fed with mullein or liquid chicken droppings, since organics are best fertilizer for a watermelon.
When the fruits begin to grow in size, turn them over from time to time to ripen evenly. Remember to ventilate the greenhouse.
Watermelon care
How to grow a watermelon.
Watermelons in the open field do not need annoying care, but there are agrotechnical measures that cannot be neglected. These include thinning seedlings, watering, weeding, loosening the soil, pinching the whips. In the phase of development of 3-4 true leaves, thin out the seedlings, leave one or two in the hole, and cut off the rest just above the surface of the soil. Although some gardeners successfully plant extra seedlings, they do well and bear fruit.
When the ovaries appear, leave no more than 6 fruits on the bush, and under those that lie on the ground, put some rotting material - roofing material, a piece of plastic or foil.
Watering the watermelon.
Watermelons are watered once a week, but abundantly, at the rate of 3 buckets per m² of land. When the heat comes or the time of flowering, it is necessary to carry out 2 such abundant watering per week, moistening not only the soil around the bushes, but also the aisles - the entire area of the site. When fruits are formed, watering is gradually reduced to a complete cessation two weeks before harvest. In total, watermelons are watered 3-4 times over the summer: during the development of 5-7 leaves, during the flowering period and at the beginning of fruit formation.
A day or two after watering at the beginning of the growing season, the soil is loosened on the site to a depth of 6 cm and at the same time weeds are removed from it. When the watermelons close the rows, the weeds will no longer harm them, so loosening and weeding can be stopped, especially since stretching into different sides the root system of the plant is very easy to damage with a hoe.
Feeding watermelon.
Two weeks after planting the seedlings, they need to be fed. How to fertilize watermelons outdoors? For the first time, it is best to apply ammonium nitrate by dissolving 20 g of fertilizer in a bucket of water, using 2 liters of solution for each bush. You can replace nitrate with a solution of mullein (1:10) or chicken manure (1:20) by adding 30 g of superphosphate and 15 g of calcium chloride to the bucket of the solution. Next top dressing introduced during the budding period, and it consists of 4 g of calcium chloride, 4 g of ammonium nitrate and 6 g of superphosphate per plant. If you apply dry fertilizers, water the area before and after applying them.
Watermelon pests and diseases
What are watermelons sick with? Most often they are affected by white, gray, black and root rot, powdery mildew - real and false, anthracnose, angular and olive spots and mosaics. With careful preparation of the seed and soil for planting and proper care of melons, watermelons, as a rule, are not affected by diseases or pests. But year after year does not happen, and anything can happen, so the best way to protect your melon is to be able to quickly identify the disease and know how to treat watermelons from this or that disease.
Powdery mildew is caused by a fungus. The leaves of plants are covered with a grayish-white bloom, under which the leaves die off, and the fruits become tasteless, unsweetened, deformed and rotted.
Downy mildew, or peronosporosis, is also excited by a fungus, but first only old leaves are affected, and only after that young ones. Angular light yellow spots appear on them, and a grayish-purple bloom forms on the underside. The fruits take on an ugly shape and stop developing.
Olive spot looks like irregular shape spots covering all terrestrial parts of the plant, why leaves become corrugated, and ulcers appear on the stems and leaf stalks olive color... The ovaries dry and fall off.
Angular spot, or bacteriosis, is carried by insects and looks like whitish oily spots on the ground parts of the plant, as a result of which holes appear on the leaves and they fall off, the stems wither, the fruits become soft, transparent and stop growing.
Anthracnose, or copperhead, is also a fungal disease, from which brown or yellow spots with yellowish-pink pads appear on the leaves of the watermelon, and in wet weather the spots become covered with a pink bloom. If the lesion is severe, the watermelon dries up and dies.
White, gray, black and root rot are also fungal diseases, each of which can destroy both an individual bush and the crop as a whole. White, black and gray rot destroys the leaves, stems and fruits of the watermelon, and root rot destroys the roots of the plant.
Cucumber mosaic, unlike all the diseases described above, is viral disease which is impossible to cope with. It is manifested by the appearance on the leaves of a mosaic pattern in green and light green tones. The plant lags behind in growth, swellings, bumps and dots appear on the fruits.
Of the pests, watermelons are most damaged by melon aphids, gnawing scoops and wireworms.
Wireworms are click beetle larvae that resemble tough pieces of wire and feed on the seeds and shoots of watermelon.
The melon aphid is dangerous in itself, because it feeds on the cellular juice of the ground parts of the watermelon, and as a carrier of such dangerous disease like a mosaic, because there is no cure for it.
Gnawing and winter moths lay eggs on the plant, and the caterpillars that emerged from them feed on the watermelon, gnawing at its roots, which makes the watermelon turn yellow and die.
Watermelon processing.
The fight against diseases of watermelon is carried out by treatment with fungicides - Fundazol, Bordeaux mixture, Skor, Decis and others. What kind of fungicide you need, it is better to find out in a specialized store, where you can purchase chemical agents for the destruction of any fungus and find out how to process watermelons with this drug. However, it will be better for your melons and for your health, instead of using fungicides, to observe crop rotation, comply with the agrotechnical conditions for growing crops and take proper care of ripening watermelons. If you follow all the rules, the plants will not get sick with fungal disease.
As for harmful insects, aphids are destroyed by dusting the plants sprinkled with water with a mixture of ash and tobacco dust in equal proportions, and 20 minutes after processing, the soil is loosened on the site, thereby destroying the fallen insects. The caterpillars of the scoop are lured into pieces of cake or plant residues of a sweetish taste and collected, in the same way as wireworms. For this, depressions of 50 cm are made in the soil, cake, pieces of sweet root vegetables are thrown there and these traps are covered with shields, which are removed after a day or two, and the insects gathered there are destroyed. We remind you that usually, like diseases, pests affect weakened and unkempt plants.
Collection and storage of watermelons
Before picking watermelons, you need to make sure that they have reached the first stage of removable maturity - this usually occurs 5 days before full ripeness. If you skip this point and remove the watermelon later, it will not last long, and if you put an unripe watermelon in storage, it is unlikely to ripen in storage. The state of first maturity can be determined by the color of the pulp and seeds, which is characteristic of each type of watermelon. If you remove the watermelons in time, when the pulp in them is pink, then during storage it will gradually acquire a red color - the watermelon will ripen already in maturation, without losing its sweetness.
Watermelons are stored the longest. late varieties, which have a denser and thicker rind, and the flesh has a rough structure. Early and mid-ripening watermelons are removed as they ripen and eaten or processed - they are cooked into jam, salted or pickled, and the fruits of late-ripening varieties intended for storage are cut with shears or sharp knife together with a 5 cm long pedicel just before frost. Do not tear the berry off the stem, as it often begins to rot at the point of separation.
For storage, choose medium-sized watermelons with a thick crust, shiny and intact - there should be no dents, no cracks, no soft areas, no scratches on it. When transporting, do not throw or place watermelons on a hard surface; carry out all work with gloves. When stacking watermelons, make sure that they do not come into contact with each other - this measure will help to avoid infection of the fruit with rot.
Optimal conditions for watermelon laying: temperature 1-4 ºC with air humidity 75-85%, as well as the presence of good ventilation. We offer you the following storage methods:
- - collect dry moss in the forest in sunny weather, spread it with a thick layer on the bottom wooden box, put a watermelon on top and cover it with moss on all sides, then put other watermelons, covering each of them with moss;
- - wood ash can be used instead of moss. Watermelons sprinkled with ash in a box or barrel are lowered into the cellar and stored in it under a tightly closed lid;
- - dip each watermelon in a clay or alabaster mash with the consistency of thick sour cream, let the coating dry and lower the fruits into the cellar;
- - instead of clay or alabaster, you can use wax or paraffin: melt them in a water bath, cover each fruit with a layer about five millimeters thick and lower the processed watermelons into the cellar;
- - wrap each watermelon tight natural fabric, put in a net and hang in the cellar from the ceiling;
- - make racks in the cellar, put a thick layer of straw on their shelves and put watermelons on top so that they are wrapped in straw;
- - Find a dark, cool place in the apartment where no light penetrates, place watermelons there and turn them over daily.
No matter where you store watermelons, make it a rule to check what condition they are in at least once a week in order to notice the spoiled fruit in time and not allow it to infect other watermelons with rot. With the right variety, location and storage method, you can enjoy watermelons until spring.
Types and varieties of watermelons
Actually, ordinary watermelon, which we grow and buy in markets and in stores, is a species of the genus Watermelon, in which there are two varieties:
- African melon tsamma (Citrullus lanatus var.citroides) that grows in Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho and South Africa, and is familiar to all of us woolly watermelon (Citrullus lanatus var.lanatus) , which is found only in cultural form. Moreover, Asian, European and American breeders had a hand in the creation of many varieties of this variety that exist today. Here we will introduce you to the varieties of this watermelon.
Watermelon varieties for open ground are divided into early, mid-season and late, suitable only for areas with long warm summers. When choosing a variety, it is necessary to take into account its resistance not only to cold, but also to drought, diseases and pests, as well as the need for fertilizers and the ability to grow. So, early varieties of watermelons:
- - American hybrid Victoria, ripening 62 days or a little more, with a rounded fruit weighing up to 10 kg;
- - Skorik variety with small light green fruits weighing up to 4 kg with scalloped stripes blurred along the edges with delicate, sweet red pulp of high taste and thick skin;
- - Jenny is an ultra-early American hybrid that ripens from 54 days and forms 4-6 standard size white-green fruits weighing up to one and a half kilograms on each bush, with thin dark stripes, very thin skin, seeds no larger than grape seeds and bright, very tasty pulp;
- - Stabolite is the best of the seedless hybrids, ripening from 62 days, with powerful and large elongated fruits with very tasty pulp. Pollinated using varieties Lady, Trophy from the Nunems variety series;
- - Ogonyok - a variety of Russian selection with small fruits up to 2 kg in weight with a thin skin and tasty pulp;
- - Dolby is an American large-fruited, high-yielding and stress-resistant hybrid that matures after 60 days.
Mid-season varieties:
- - Lazybok - the ripening period of this variety is from 75 to 90 days. It is drought-resistant, rarely affected by diseases and pests. Medium light green fruits with prickly stripes up to 5 kg weighing with a thin peel have a red-pink pulp of medium density, pleasant to the taste;
- - Top Gun is one of the most popular yields American varieties, ripening in 70-75 days with large rounded fruits weighing up to 10 kg and crunchy dark red pulp with small seeds. Watermelons of this variety have excellent storage properties and are resistant to anthracnose;
- - Dumara is a fruitful hybrid, ripening from day 75, with oval-cuboid fruits with sweet, tender pulp and very tender seeds;
- - Antey is a hybrid with tender and record sweet pulp of oval-cuboid fruits. He prefers organic fertilizers;
- - Ataman is a disease-resistant variety of domestic selection, ripening in 66-86 days, with rounded prickly fruits weighing up to 10 kg with tasty red pulp of medium density.
Late varieties of watermelons for open ground:
- - Spring - this variety can be grown not only in melons, but also in a greenhouse. Elongated globular smooth fruits weighing up to 3 kg with a dense, barely noticeable green net on an olive background, contain grainy, tender and sweet dark red pulp. This variety ripens in 105 days;
- - Icarus is a fruitful, drought-resistant variety that ripens in 88-110 days. Fruits weighing from 3 to 16 kg are dark green in color with weakly expressed stripes and a very strong bark. The pulp is red-raspberry, very sweet. The variety is perfectly stored, it can lie until March;
- - Chill is the most common late-ripening variety, ripening in 100 days, with large, from 15 to 25 kg in weight, elliptical, weakly segmented fruits with a strong green bark in an almost black stripe, hiding a very sweet, bright red with a pink tinge of flesh. The shelf life of fruits is 3 months;
- - Melania - a hybrid of the Early variety, ripening after 80 days, with oval fruits weighing up to 12 kg. The bark is green with wide dark green stripes, the flesh is crispy, dark red, with small seeds.
For lovers of outlandish plants, we suggest trying their luck in growing a Japanese variety of watermelon from the island of Hokkaido Densuke with an almost black bark or an American hybrid of giant sizes California Cross, which is rare in our area. The smallest are the Pepkinos watermelons, which can be thrown whole into your mouth. And for those who are irritated by the bones in the watermelon berry, we offer the seedless variety King of Hearts. Seekers of new gastronomic sensations will certainly like the Muscat-flavored watermelon of the Vector variety, bred by a breeder from Astrakhan, who also boasts the creation of the Lunny variety - a watermelon with pulp yellow color and lemon flavor.
If we talk about the middle lane, then watermelons here (as well as some other crops - for example, melon) are preferable to grow through seedlings. In reality, there is nothing complicated in this process, the main thing is to know when to plant watermelons for seedlings and how to do it correctly. Today we will consider two methods at once, as well as provide detailed step-by-step instructions. But let's start with the preparatory activities.
In most cases, watermelons are planted in open ground at the age of 30 days. And in view of the fact that the seeds of this culture germinate for a long time, sowing must be carried out in mid or late April.
What will be required in the work?
For correct sowing of watermelon seeds and cultivation quality seedlings be sure to prepare:
- seed material;
- cling film;
- soil mixture;
- plastic containers with a diameter of 10 cm (peat pots will be used in the second method);
- gauze;
- salt;
- potassium permanganate;
- a glass of water.
Note! The seeding techniques described below are great for melon as well as watermelon.
How to choose the right seeds
Due to the fact that watermelon is an atypical crop for the middle lane, it is necessary to choose seeds with extreme caution.
Remember that for such conditions, only suitable early maturing varieties, the growing season of which ranges from 70-90 days.
And if we take into account that the seeds are sown for seedlings quite late (in the middle or end of April, as we have already found out), then it is quite obvious that watermelons should ripen before the cold weather sets in. In addition, you can purchase seeds of hybrids that are more adapted to unfavorable climatic conditions.
When choosing seeds, give preference to those that were harvested 2 or 3 years ago. The fact is that crops with male flowers will grow from fresher seeds, while the fruits are formed from female flowers.
First, you need to determine which of the seeds are suitable for sowing seedlings. To do this, prepare a solution of sodium chloride (4-5 g for every 100 ml of water) and immerse the seed in it for a few minutes.
Seeds that have settled to the bottom as a result of the procedure, rinse thoroughly with water and dry. It is convenient to use a small gauze bag and a glass of clean water for washing.
To stimulate the appearance of female flowers, it is recommended to warm the seed at a temperature of about + 60 ° C for 2-3 hours. After that, dress the seeds in a 1% potassium permanganate solution for about half an hour.
Now you can proceed to the last stage of preparation - soak the seed before hatching in order to speed up the emergence of seedlings. To do this, wrap the seeds in a wet cloth and place them in a warm place (the air temperature should be within + 25-30 ° С). As a rule, germination takes no more than 5-6 days.
Note! Rinse the seeds regularly throughout this time. running water, otherwise they may turn sour. And when pecking begins, you can also quench.
How to harden germinated seeds? Place them in the refrigerator for 12 hours, then - for the same time - in a warm place. The cycle must be repeated 2 or 3 times. After the length of the root reaches 1-1.5 cm, you can proceed directly to sowing in one of the two ways described below.
Marigolds, black shaves, lights - this is what the people call tagetes. The culture is distinguished by its rapid growth and unpretentious care, and therefore enjoys considerable popularity. Read about when to sow marigolds for seedlings and how to do it correctly.
Method one. Traditional cultivation of watermelon seedlings
The process consists of several simple steps, we will consider the features of each of them in more detail.
First, prepare the soil mixture for sowing. It is important that it is prepared correctly! For melons, which include watermelon, the following recipe is preferable: 1 part of sod soil and 3 parts of humus (the components must be mixed well). Although there is another option for preparing the substrate - 0.5 part of humus, 1 part sawdust and 3 parts of lowland peat.
Also, don't forget about suitable containers. It is advisable to use separate pots for this - this will not damage the roots of plants during a dive or transplant into the ground. The optimum diameter of the pots is about 10 cm. Each will grow 1-2 plants.
Now you can start sowing pre-prepared seeds. Fill suitable pots with the soil mixture halfway, then place the seeds (1-2 in each) there to a depth of about 4-5 cm. Later, as you grow, you will add fresh substrate.
Note! Do not forget to pre-moisten the soil before sowing (it is convenient to do this with a spray gun). Also, for sowing seeds in a moistened substrate, you need to make holes using a pencil or stick.
Full-fledged watermelon seedlings will appear in about 30-40 days. To help the seeds germinate, cover the containers with the crops with cling film and place in a warm place (the air temperature should be about + 23-25 ° C).
Video - How to sow watermelons for seedlings
Method two. Using peat pots
This method is good because such pots, as well as, already themselves contain the nutrients necessary for plants. As for the timing of sowing and preparation of seed, they in this case are the same as in the previous method.
For the convenience of users, instructions for sowing watermelon seeds are given in the form of a table.
Table. Sowing watermelon seeds for seedlings in peat pots.
| Steps, photo | Description of actions |
|---|---|
| First, prepare the soil mixture according to one of the recipes described above. Mix all ingredients thoroughly. |
| Prepare and germinate watermelon seeds (here, too, everything is unchanged). When the root is long enough, that is, it grows to 1-1.5 cm, proceed directly to sowing. |
| Take peat pots of the above diameter, fill them with the pre-prepared substrate about 3⁄4. Then place the sprouted seeds in the pots. |
| Sprinkle the crops with a layer of soil mixture about 2-3 cm thick. Compact slightly, otherwise the seeds may become bare during watering. |
| Water the crops carefully. We advise you to place the peat pots in plastic containers of suitable size - this way the walls will not dry too quickly, remaining permanently damp. |
Post-seedling care
Due to the fact that sowing is carried out in the middle of spring, additional illumination of the plants is not required in this case. But crops still need to be placed in the brightest place in your home. The ideal option is the southern window sill. It will be even better if you transfer the seedlings to a glazed loggia (but in this case, you need to especially carefully monitor the temperature regime).
What should be the temperature when growing seedlings? At first - even before the formation of the first shoots - the temperature should be within + 25-27 ° С. Later, when shoots have already appeared, it should be somewhere between + 18-20 ° С (at night) and + 20-25 ° С (during the day). As for watering crops, it is recommended to use exclusively warm water for this.
10 days after the first shoots appear, top dressing should be applied in the form of a solution of mineral seedlings (such as "Sotka", "Solution", others). After the same time, top dressing is repeated.
Note! Watering and fertilizing should be done exclusively at the root! If moisture does get on the leaves, wipe everything off immediately using a paper towel. When at least 4 true leaves appear, seedlings - if allowed weather- can be transplanted to the site.
It should also be noted that when growing seedlings of this culture, the pots should be placed in such a way that the leaves of neighboring plants do not touch each other.
Features of transplanting into open soil
First you need to decide on the timing of planting seedlings in the ground. For watermelons, this is the second decade of June, that is, the time when the threat of frost has already passed completely. By the way, if you want to plant seedlings earlier, after about 3 weeks after germination, you can use shelters.
First of all, check if the ground has warmed up enough. For transplanting watermelon seedlings, the optimum temperature is considered to be between + 15-18 ° C. If you need to warm up the bed faster, you can cover it with black plastic wrap.
Note! The watermelon is characterized by a fairly deep root system, and therefore the site chosen for planting seedlings must be dug into the bayonet of a shovel. Also add compost or humus (10 l), wood ash(200 g) and complex mineral fertilizer (about 40-50 g) for each square meter area. Then re-dig.
Transplanting seedlings in peat pots
Prepare holes - about 2 for each square meter. Carefully remove the top peat pot and then place the plant in the hole.
Consider when to sow watermelons for seedlings in detail. In the South federal district it is practiced to plant watermelons in open ground, but this option is not suitable for areas with a temperate climate, but it is still possible to grow melons. The seedling method solves the problem.
To answer the question of when to plant watermelons for seedlings in a field, for example, in the Moscow region, as an example, consider the agricultural technology of growing crops in the climate of the Moscow region. Here, sowing in pots should be carried out in early April. Gardeners living north or south should take into account that the planting of watermelons for seedlings in each climatic zone is shifted in one direction or another. It is better to coordinate the exact sowing dates with the lunar calendar. For each year and climatic zone, favorable days are painted there, when it is best to plant melons and watermelons for seedlings. As for the choice of the variety, it is better to use early-maturing varieties, for example, Ultraranny, or mid-season ones, for example, Astrakhansky.
Many are worried about the technology and the scheme of how to plant watermelons for seedlings, they are afraid of the upcoming difficulties. But below it will be seen that watermelon seedlings at home are quite real. In specialized literature there is a lot of information on the topic "how to plant watermelons", we will consider the most important aspects... You can read the article:
Soil preparation
Preparing seedlings at home is quite simple. First, you should mix the earth with personal plot with peat and humus, add a little sand. Then add mineral fertilizers to the mixture: potassium sulfate and urea. To do this, it is enough to pour them into the soil in a dry form: 1 g of fertilizer per 1 kg of soil and mix. Then prepare a superphosphate solution: dissolve 6-7 tablespoons of dry fertilizer in 1 boiling water, the next day dilute 1 glass of the resulting concentrate in a bucket of cool water and pour the soil prepared for seedlings with this solution.
Seed selection
In order for the seedlings of watermelons to turn out to be of high quality, the seeds must be purchased at an agronomic store or from friends of summer residents who have successful experience in growing melons and gourds. The age of the seeds is from 1 to 5 years. To check the quality of the seeds, they should be immersed in water, while the living seeds will drown, and the dead ones will float to the surface.
Seed preparation
Proper preparation of melons and gourds seeds plays a huge role, since without it, the germination rate will be very low.
This even applies to high-quality seed.
Sowing and caring for seedlings
Usually, sowing watermelons and melons for seedlings is carried out in pots with a volume of about 1 liter. It is better to use peat pots, but you can also use ordinary ones. First, the prepared soil is poured into each pot, leaving 3-4 cm on top, and then 3.4.5 seeds are sown to a depth of about 4 cm. 
The pots are placed under a film that protects the soil from drying out quickly, and are placed in a cool (with a temperature of about 17-20 degrees), periodically watered with warm, settled water.
How long does it take from planting to germination of watermelon seeds at home? With proper care - within 1 week. If the seeds are not soaked or are planted too deeply, their germination time will increase. After the emergence of shoots, the pots should be placed in a place well-lit by the sun, while continuing to monitor the air temperature, the permissible range of which is from 16 to 24 degrees. To accustom seedlings to low temperatures, it is sometimes advisable to take them out into the yard for a short time.
At the age of 10-12 days, root feeding of seedlings is carried out with a mullein solution or some ready-made organic fertilizer, according to his instructions.
Agricultural technology for planting in open ground
There is nothing difficult here either. With a little hard work, you can get an excellent harvest.
Preparation. Consider the topic "watermelon: planting and care in the open field, preparing melons". So that the planting of watermelons does not disappoint, you need to choose a sunny place with a slope towards the south with light, sandy loam soil and prepare it. To do this, at the beginning of spring, a small amount of ash should be added to the soil, as well as humus or compost in the amount of 1 bucket per square meter of area. Experienced gardeners usually remember to add compost back in the fall. Then water the garden bed, cover with a covering material, which can be used as a plastic wrap, but the best option there will be the use of special agrofibre. Thus, simultaneously with the cultivation of seedlings, the future melons are warmed up. Before planting, dig holes, put in each humus and some mineral fertilizers.- Landing. Spring has come, the seedlings have grown, and the gardeners were faced with the question of how to plant a watermelon directly in the ground. Seedlings are planted in open ground in the second decade of May, again after reading the lunar calendar. V different years weather conditions vary, so make sure there is no frost. Thus, the age of the seedlings sown in April will be slightly more than 1 month. For planting in the ground, it is necessary very carefully, without disturbing the earthen coma, to remove the seedlings from the pot and, together with this clod, transplant into a prepared hole.
From peat pots you do not need to remove the seedlings, it is placed in the hole along with the pot. Then you should carefully water the sprouts with warm water. Watermelon is a plant with large fruits, so it loves not only the sun, but also space. Therefore, the planting density should not exceed 2 bushes per 1 square meter. The disembarkation must be carried out in even rows, observing a distance of 1.5-1.8 meters between them. If used high bed, then the watermelons are planted under a film, which is recommended to be removed only after the onset of stable warm weather. On ordinary melons, covering material is also used, if the temperature the environment less than 15 degrees. - Watermelon care. If there is no rainfall, young plants will need regular watering. They should be watered with lukewarm water at the rate of 1 bucket per 1 sq. m landings. Watering frequency is 1 time in 3-4 days. They stop watering the watermelons about 1.5 - 2 weeks before the fruits ripen. If watering continues, it will lead to cracking of the fruit, a decrease in their shelf life and a deterioration in taste.
Pinching watermelons. To make the fruits large and tasty, you need to regulate their quantity. To do this, in regions where there is not a lot of sun, it is imperative to pinch watermelons: only the main shoot is left and all the side ones are removed. In addition, it is advisable to count the number of flowers and ovaries on each bush and leave only 4-5 pieces. Otherwise, you can get many small, underdeveloped, unsweetened fruits.- Loosening the soil. During the season, the soil on the watermelon melon should be loosened several times. This is necessary for optimal gas exchange and plant nutrition.
So that the fruits do not rot, under each of them, when it reaches several cm in diameter, you need to put a piece of plastic, glass or other material, or tie it over the ground in a net