How to plant watermelons in open ground. Growing watermelons in open ground - from seed to ripe berry! Planting watermelon seeds for seedlings
Donkey-sized cucumber. This is how the Persian word xarbuza is translated. It was it 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 springboard for selection was the Astrakhan region. They bred their own variety. The criteria for selecting berries for him are their size, sweetness and drought tolerance.
Astrakhan watermelons famous to this day. But, there were others. Now dozens of varieties are grown in central Russia. Among them: Spark, Leader, Chill, Yarilo, Sweet Krinson. So, there is a reason to know ...
How to plant watermelons
Planting watermelons begins 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 are creeping, like cucumbers, pumpkins. By the way, the family to which the watermelon belongs is called Pumpkin.
To a question, how to plant watermelon seedlings, it is worth approaching with gauze and cotton wool. They are needed for seed germination. First, they are placed in a weak solution of potassium permanganate. Its color should be yellowish rather than pink.
Manganese will act as disinfectant in case of infection seed. 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. Convenient to use plastic glasses. It is important to make holes in their bottom for the outflow of water. As for the substrate, it is made up of 50% purchased land, 50% garden. Both need to be disinfected. A couple of minutes in the microwave is enough. Wood ash is added as a top dressing to the mixture.
The soil substrate is laid almost to the edges of the cups. The earth will be compacted after heavy watering. The excess will flow out through the drain holes.
One common tray is enough for all cups. A 2-centimeter deepening is made in the middle of each. The seed is lowered into the hole with the spine down, sprinkled with a substrate, watered. It remains to put the cups in a warm, sunny place and wait for shoots.
Seedlings with 4-6 leaves are considered suitable for planting in the ground. The greenery of neighboring plants should not touch. As the watermelons grow, the cups are moved 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, it is possible to calculate the time of its planting and the movement of plants in open ground. Focus on the climate of the region.
If the possibility of frost, low temperatures is excluded only by June, the seeds are planted in early May. If positive indicators are stable already in April, the process starts in March.
When to plant watermelons for seedlings suggests the lunar calendar. It is compiled taking into account the dependence of plants, their development, on the phases of the night star. It is recommended to sow gourds from the Pumpkin family in 2016 from May 16 to May 20. Conditionally auspicious days 5th, 6th are named. 8th, 9th and 10th numbers. In March, the “segment” is suitable from the 24th to the 29th.
Question, when to plant watermelons in the ground, abandoning seedlings, depends only on weather conditions. Suitable, for example, the same days from the 16th half of 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 give a harvest even in the open air. From seedlings refuse, sometimes, and in Siberia. But, there, the seeds are grown in greenhouses, picking up early varieties of watermelons.
How to choose a variety of watermelon for planting
In question, like a greenhouse, there is important nuance- Use only one variety of berries. This eliminates cross-pollination of plants. If it happens, the harvest will be of poor quality.
In cold regions, early ripening varieties with small fruits are chosen. Large berries do not have time to ripen. The most precocious is considered "Suga baby". From the name it is clear that the plant produces fruits-babies. Their weight is not more than 4.5 kilograms. The peel of the berries is dark green, and the stripes are almost black.
The varieties “Spark”, “Skorik” and “Leader” also belong to the early ripening ones. 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 flesh remains red. She is gentle, sweet. The size of the berries is 3-4 kilograms.
How long do watermelons ripen middle 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.
Berries are good for pickling. This is another nuance of the choice of variety. Some watermelons are meant to be eaten fresh, while others go for marinades. By the way, historically, Russians prefer the latter option. Watermelons were brought into the country in a salty form.
In the 17th century, transportation took long months. Fresh berries did not keep up with the royal table, they deteriorated. So the merchants brought pickles. Having learned to grow watermelons themselves, our ancestors did not perceive them fresh for a long time.
How to care for planting watermelons
Deciding how to plant watermelons outdoors, or a greenhouse, it is important to consider the area of \u200b\u200bthe site. Creeping plants. The berries should lie on the ground, so the garter is not done. For free development, one bush needs a large area.
Between the rows of watermelons leave at least half a meter. 70 centimeters are ideal. Between the bushes you need a meter backlog. But, there are varieties with compact, not too long stems. When they land, 50 centimeters is enough.
How far apart should watermelons be planted? found out. Now, let's study the issue of the formation of bushes. Seedlings have several creeping shoots.
You need to leave only one, the most powerful, with side branches. Docking the remaining shoots will allow the plant not to waste energy on them. All energy will be spent on the development of the main trunk and berries on it.
Watermelons are demanding on soils. Need fertile lands. Fertilizers will help make them so. Melons need both mineral mixtures and organic matter. From the latter, mullein and chicken droppings are suitable.
From mineral mixtures first take superphosphate. It is applied immediately after transplanting sprouts into open ground. By the time the ovaries are formed, watermelons are already given phosphorus-potassium fertilizers.
They work with melons carefully. It is not recommended, for example, to once again walk between the rows. Watermelons are vulnerable root system. Its weak point is branching. The roots are underfoot, damaged, landings suffer.
They also suffer from 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, there will not be tasty, sweet fruits.
Juicy, sweet, red watermelon from my garden. This is not a dream, but a reality, even if the garden is not in southern climate and does not resemble melon. There is a way to get real tasty watermelons in the middle lane and even in the northern regions. Secrets of success - right choice varieties and cultivation of seedlings.
It's no secret that in the South, watermelons are sown directly into the ground of melons. There they grow and ripen on the hot earth, under the hot sun, pour sweet juice. To ripen, watermelon needs a lot of sun during long period. Therefore, in our climate, the plant does not have enough sunny warm days. But this is if you choose the wrong variety, intended for the southern regions. Today, everywhere you can find on sale seeds of zoned varieties designed specifically for your region. These are the ones that need to be sown.
Advice! Watermelons should not be sown in the ground, but on seedlings. By growing seedlings in a room, you will give your plants a head start and provide them with more heat and sun for successful maturation.
When choosing a variety, you should also give preference hybrid varieties. Their advantage is that they are characterized by precocity, are immune to diseases, and are resistant to various climatic conditions. This means that even if the summer turns out to be cold and rainy, the hybrid will have enough time to grow to the desired size, ripen and acquire the sugar content required for the variety.
Growing seedlings of watermelons
Watermelon seedlings are what you need for a summer cottage. With the seedling method of growing, you can get a crop of fully mature watermelons 15-20 days earlier. This method works even in the northern regions, where it is not possible to grow watermelon in a seedless way.
Advice! Don't chase size. It is better to grow in our climate varieties with medium-sized fruits, but characterized by increased sugar content. Choose also thin-skinned species - they will ripen faster.
How to cook watermelon seeds
To prepare for sowing watermelon seeds with them it is necessary to make several manipulations. They must first be calibrated. After calibration, scarification is carried out. Then warming up and disinfection.
Stages of preparing seeds for sowing
| Stage | Description |
|---|---|
| Calibration | To do this, all available seeds are poured onto horizontal surface and laid out in piles, depending on the size - large, medium, small. Do not rush to reject small specimens - everything will go to work. Calibrated seeds will be planted in different seedling containers. This will increase their germination - the larger ones will not clog the small ones, the seedlings will begin to grow together and evenly. Seedlings from small seeds will begin fruiting a little later |
| Scarification | The procedure is optional but recommended. It is enough to rub the "nose" of each seed with fine sandpaper to facilitate the sprout's exit to the surface. |
| warming up | Next, the seeds are heated in hot clean water(+50° С) half an hour. For watermelon, this procedure is required. |
| Disinfection | After warming up, it will be useful to carry out a twenty-minute disinfection in a one percent solution of potassium permanganate |
| Drying | Then the seeds are dried in natural conditions (not on a battery and not with a hair dryer) and sown |
To increase germination and reduce the time, seeds can be germinated. To do this, after warming up and disinfection, they are wrapped in a moistened cloth and placed on a saucer or tray closer to the heat source (battery, heater). The temperature can be up to + 35 ... + 40 ° C. Just make sure that the cloth does not dry out and the seeds remain wet.
What should be the soil and container for watermelon seedlings
You can grow the best watermelon seedlings on humus or peat-humus soil. The soil is mixed from these two components in equal proportions. If there is no peat, you can make a mixture of the following composition: three parts of humus and one part of soddy land. Let's say another option for a fertile soil mixture: 3 parts of peat, 1 part of small sawdust, ½ part of mullein diluted with water 1 to 4. At the end of the preparation of any soil, superphosphate must be added to it - 1 tsp. and wood ash - 2 tbsp. per 1 kg of mixture.
A container for growing watermelon seedlings is taken 12 cm high and 10 cm in diameter. The culture is grown in individual pots, since it is not subject to picking.
Seedling containers are filled 4/5, leaving about three centimeters to the edge of the pot. The soil is well moistened.
Sowing watermelon seeds
Since 30-35-day-old seedlings with four leaves are already ready for planting, it makes no sense to sow watermelon seeds before the end of March. Let's sow seedlings during the whole April And in the first half of May.
Properly prepared seeds are sown two in one pot. Of the pair, one will definitely be stronger, and the second will be weaker (if both ascend). A weak sprout must be removed, and a strong one should be left.
Sowing depth - 3 cm. Cover the seeds with peat, water. Pots with crops are placed tightly in a row on the southern windowsill, making sure that cold from the glass does not penetrate to them.
Seedling Care
Future watermelons, in order to hatch from a seed, need real heat - up to + 30 ° C. Shoots may appear as early as the sixth day.
- The temperature immediately needs to be reduced to + 18 ° C. The sprouts are given 3-4 days to finally look out of the soil, then the weak ones are removed and the temperature is raised again to + 20 ... + 25 ° C. At night, the room should not be higher than + 18 ... + 20 ° C. This mode is maintained for three weeks before the start of hardening.
- Watermelons need intense light, otherwise the seedlings will stretch and deform. Additional lighting will be required, even in March - April, especially if the seedlings do not grow on the south window. fit conventional lamps daylight.
- Watering watermelon seedlings can only be done with water room temperature. Water moderately, only the soil, without falling on the leaves. Watermelons, like all seedlings, with excessive zeal with moisture, are prone to a black leg, from which the plants will not be saved.
- Seedlings need Fresh air, so you should regularly arrange ventilation of the room, avoiding drafts.
- 10-12 days after germination - the first top dressing. It is best to use fermented mullein in a ratio of 1:10 with water.
- The next top dressing is in two weeks. In it, to the mullein, 15 g of ammonium sulfate, 30 g of potassium sulfate and 50 g of superphosphate per liter are added.
Hardening must be done a week before disembarkation. Gradually, day after day, reduce the temperature in the room by 2-3 degrees, gradually reducing watering. Before planting in the ground for two days, watermelon seedlings must be taken out to the balcony or to the street (to the greenhouse). On the evening before planting, the seedlings must be well watered and sprayed with a one percent solution of Bordeaux mixture. Landing should be done in the morning, carefully removing each plant along with a lump from the pot and placing it in a separate hole. Holes are formed at a distance of 40-60 cm from each other. Seedlings are planted with four leaves and developed roots, deepening to cotyledon leaves. The holes are covered with peat, watered. They don't like watermelons frequent watering, moisten the soil should be deep and plentiful, but not more often than once a week. Around the plants it is necessary to weed the weeds and loosen the soil.
Growing watermelon in our climate is no more difficult than zucchini, pumpkin, cucumber. Agricultural practices are similar. The problem of lack of sunny days can be easily solved by seedling cultivation. If there is no melon on your site yet, start growing gourds from watermelons.
Video - Growing watermelon seedlings
It has become commonplace for gardeners to grow watermelon. The process is simple, but it has certain difficulties that must be taken into account when growing (the plant may die before flowering, the fruits do not always grow tasty, and so on). Read more about how to grow a watermelon with your own hands, and will be discussed in this article.
The issue of choosing a variety should be approached with special responsibility. For middle lane It is desirable for the Russian Federation to choose only early-ripening varieties, and there is no need to chase huge fruits in this matter - such watermelons realize their potential by 100% only when grown in the south of the country. Be sure to read the description of the variety on the package - it contains information about the duration of ripening (plant ovaries should ripen as quickly as possible).
On a note! You can neglect some qualities when choosing a variety. First of all, it is large-fruitedness and transportability. Do not pay attention also to the color and shape of the fruit - this is only necessary in cases where you grow watermelons not for yourself, but for sale.
The most common varieties of watermelon:
- "Kai";
- "Sugar Baby";
- "Ataman F1";
- "Ultraearly";
- "Stokes";
- "Spark";
- "Moscow Region Charleston F1";
- "Yarilo";
- Crimstar F1;
- "Leader";
- "Pink Champagne F1";
- "Gift to the North F1".
This is only a small part of the varieties that can be grown not only in the south of the country, but most often people choose them. Having decided on the variety of watermelon, you can start growing.
How to grow watermelon outdoors
Not everyone knows, but watermelons can be grown without seedlings, but with seeds, already in a permanent place. Often, seedlings are used only for further transplanting into greenhouses so that the watermelon ripens. But if you are growing watermelon in a garden plot, then you can safely skip the stage with seedlings and sow seeds.
The landing process is divided into several preparatory stages to get a good harvest. Let's consider each of them separately.
Seed preparation
By choosing suitable grade, wrap the seeds in a cloth bandage and put on a shallow plate, pouring a pre-prepared solution of potassium permanganate. The solution should be light pink and warm. After that, the saucer with the seeds should be placed in a plastic bag and tied with a little air. Move the plate with the seed to a warm room (at least +20°C). Change the solution daily and ventilate the bag. After 2-3 days, the seeds should hatch, after which they will be ready for planting in the ground.
Soil preparation
It is very important to prepare land plot before planting watermelon. This is an integral part of growing, without which you can hardly get good harvest. Prepared soil should provide plants nutrients throughout the growth period, it must be protected from strong winds and well lit.
For watermelon, as well as for other gourds, loose, fertile and light soil is needed. It’s great if your suburban area has sandy or sandy soil, which you enriched with rotted humus back in autumn period. If we talk about suitable predecessors of watermelons, then these are, of course, cruciferous vegetables, as well as legumes.
For best results, it is advisable to prepare the beds in advance and fertilize the soil. For this, 1 sq. m plot you need to make 20 g potash fertilizers, 40 g and 30 g of ammonium sulfate. This combination of mineral fertilizers will significantly accelerate the growth of watermelon, as a result of which you can enjoy juicy and sweet fruits a little earlier.
Sowing watermelon seeds
The process of planting watermelon seeds is simple and practically does not differ from planting any other crop.
Table. Step-by-step instruction for sowing watermelon seeds.
| Steps, photo | Description of actions |
|---|---|
| Start sowing watermelon seeds in early May as it is a very thermophilic plant. Otherwise, if you do this earlier, the plant will greatly slow down in development. Take out the pre-prepared seed material that has already germinated. |
| You should also have a planting mixture ready, consisting of rotted humus, ash, mineral fertilizers and peat (the composition may vary, since there are many different recipes for preparing the mixture). |
| Dig a large watermelon hole and fill it with some water. |
| Pour the prepared mixture of fertilizers and humus into the hole. Carefully level with a hoe and water. |
| Place at least 5 seeds in the hole (to a depth of 5 cm) and sprinkle it all with earth. The soil layer should be about 4 cm thick. Gently tamp the ground so that the seeds are not blown away by the wind or they are not injured. Repeat the procedure for each well. |
Important! At first, 5-6 seeds should be sown in each hole, but over time, when they begin to develop, leave one plant in the hole.
Aftercare
Without providing full-fledged care, including top dressing and watering, it is impossible to grow a watermelon in the garden. The juiciness of the fruit directly depends on the level of humidity, but you should not overdo it with this matter, because you will not be able to enjoy the sugary pulp of sweet berries that everyone loves so much later. Conventionally, subsequent care can be divided into 4 stages: watering, top dressing, trimming lashes and pest control. Let's consider each of them separately.
Watering
When growing watermelons in a summer cottage, it is advisable to use. This will allow for regular feeding of crops.
The best option is drip irrigation.
Watermelons need abundant but rare watering, especially during the hot period with a lack of natural moisture - remember this! For comfortable growth of watermelons, the soil moisture level should be at least 80%. If the site is located on sandy soil, then the beds need to be watered more often due to poor moisture retention. Water clay soils and black soil less often. After the berries begin to ripen and they become poured, reduce the amount of watering, and after a few weeks stop them altogether.
top dressing
Feeding watermelons grown in a summer cottage consists of three procedures, each of which must be performed subject to certain conditions: at least 2 liters of liquid fertilizer should fall on one plant. After 7 days from the moment of planting the seeds, it is necessary to regularly water the plants with a special solution prepared by oneself (all ingredients and their proportions were described above).
After the lashes on the plants begin to grow actively, you need to make a second feeding of watermelons, but this time the amount of potash and phosphorus fertilizers should be half as much. When the formation of the ovaries begins, you need to carry out another top dressing, only with a different composition. Mix 10 liters of water, 35 g of potassium salts, 10 g of superphosphate and 20 g of ammonium sulfate.
Introduce the prepared nutrient mixture into the previously prepared furrows, which should be at a distance of 15 cm from the plant bushes. Quantity nitrogen fertilizers should be reduced due to the likelihood of their accumulation in the pulp of watermelons. In addition, such measures can provoke the maturation of the plant, and not a set of green mass.
Whip trimming
During a short and insufficiently warm summer, some watermelon fruits do not have time to ripen, although the bush still spends energy on them, which could be distributed to other berries that really ripen. Therefore, each plant should have no more than 5 watermelons. Delete everything superfluous.
Important! When growing watermelons, you need to remember that female flowers form on the main lash of the plant - you can’t touch them, but remove the side lashes. Compliance with all recommendations will allow you to get a harvest in the second half of August.
Pest control
The melon aphid that appears in June can create many problems for watermelons. Dwelling on the underside of the leaves, it sucks all the vital juices from the plant, causing the leaves to shrivel and dry. During the summer, aphids can give 2-3 generations. At first, pests live only on weeds, but with the onset of June, the females move to watermelons, remaining there until the beginning of autumn. The melon aphid lays its eggs on the weeds, which overwinter there.
To protect watermelons from aphids, it is advisable to regularly weed the beds from various weeds, as well as mow the areas located next to the grown watermelons. If you notice pests, immediately treat the plants with a special decoction or infusion prepared from celandine, garlic or onion peel. If these remedies do not help and the deciduous system of plants is badly damaged, then strong chemicals- for example, INTA-VIR, Karbofos, Iskra.
In addition to aphids, watermelons can be subject to various diseases such as sclerotinia, bacteriosis, verdigris, different kinds rot and so on. For treatment, you need to prepare a decoction horsetail. To do this, pour 1 liter of water 1 tbsp. l. plants and cook over low heat for 15 minutes. Alternatively, you can use another remedy - milk mixed with iodine. If the plants were severely affected, use Kuprosat or Oxychloride. The development of Fusarium wilt can cause the plant to die within a few days. The spread of the infection occurs through the remains of plants, seeds or soil.
As a prevention of watermelon from the occurrence of diseases, it is advisable to treat the seeds with a solution of "Bactofit" for 3 hours before planting. If some plants were nevertheless damaged by the disease, then they must be destroyed in order to protect healthy ones from infection, which, in turn, must be fed with potassium-phosphorus fertilizers.
Harvesting
Fruit picking is the final stage in the process of growing watermelons. It is not recommended to rush with this matter, because many fruits that have reached large sizes are still immature. Ripe tomatoes can be identified by a change in the color of the fruit; when growing zucchini and cucumbers, it is important not to be late with the collection, otherwise the vegetables may lose their beneficial features. But when should watermelons be harvested? When planting early-ripening varieties, you can get a harvest no earlier than mid-August. Mass collection during this period is not carried out, it is necessary to determine the ripeness of the berry by external signs. First of all, look at the bract and tendrils - if they are dry, then the watermelon can be harvested. Also, with a light tapping of the fingers on the berry, dull sounds should be heard. The combination of these signs indicates the ripeness of the fruit.
If you are growing watermelons for further transportation and storage, then it is better to pick the berries a couple of days before ripening. They will then ripen, being in a warm and dry room. At the same time, watermelons will not lose their qualities.
Video - Growing watermelon seedlings
In recent decades, it is possible to grow watermelons in almost any region of our country thanks to the efforts of breeders - they have created many new varieties and hybrids of this sweet berry, which can grow even in Siberia and the Urals, while giving good yields of tasty and sweet fruits.
Few people do not like these sweet juicy fruits, and so I want to collect these very large berries in my garden. Therefore, many vegetable growers are experimenting and can sow on their plot different varieties this melon culture, because they know well how to plant watermelons correctly.
Planting watermelons in open ground is a fairly simple procedure, but if it is not carried out on time or late with planting seeds, then these delicious berries may not ripen. Many gardeners have seen how a watermelon grows, so they know that a fairly large area is required for this climbing melon culture. How to plant a watermelon in a garden or in a polycarbonate greenhouse, what are the nuances of planting this large berry will be described below.
How to plant watermelons in open ground
How to plant watermelons and where to start are simple questions. And you should start with the choice of a variety that will be zoned to a specific region. In the conditions of the Moscow region, the Urals or Far East it is better to choose varieties that are distinguished by precocity so that they have time to ripen in the conditions of a short cold summer. Also, you should not plant watermelons with large fruits in such conditions - they will have time to grow up to right size only in the south of our country.
The result of proper cultivation
Therefore, before buying bags of watermelon seeds, you need to carefully read the annotation printed on the package - it will definitely tell you about the timing of its ripening.
Important! Some qualities of this melon crop are important only in the case of cultivation for sale: the size of ripe fruits, the color of the peel, how the crop endures transportation over long distances.
How to plant watermelons - in a seedling or seedless way - depends on the climatic conditions of the area and the desire of the melon grower himself. In the southern regions, the seed material is immediately placed on the beds, in the middle lane and similar regions, seedlings are often grown first, which are transplanted to permanent place after the spring chill has passed.
In any case, you need to start by soaking the seed. Since the outer shell of the seeds is quite hard, without soaking, this gourd will take too long to germinate, and in the conditions of a short summer, vegetable growers usually count every day. Therefore, the purchased seeds should be wrapped in cotton cloth and placed in a container filled with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. The container is then placed in polyethylene film and put in a warm place. The film must be opened every day for ventilation and the solution must be changed before the seed is hatched.
Time and temperature when you can plant watermelons
The time when watermelons should be planted in the beds is usually chosen according to the lunar calendar. In 2018 auspicious days for planting watermelon seeds in open ground - from May 5 to 11, as well as June 6, 11, 12.
In open ground, planting watermelons and melons should be done only in warm soil. The soil should warm up to a temperature of 13-14 ° C to a depth of 9-11 cm. The hatched seed material is buried in shallow trenches (up to 5-6 cm deep).
On a note. Landing at different regions depending on weather conditions. Since watermelon is a very thermophilic melon crop, even in the southern regions it is not sown before the first decade of May. If planting is done at an earlier date, then the first shoots will not appear soon, and the plants themselves will grow more slowly.
Landing Rules
Knowing how to plant watermelons in the ground, you need to remember that the quantity and quality of the future harvest directly depends on the fertility and looseness of the soil.
Therefore, the next step preparatory work begins with the selection and preparation of a site for this melon plant. The place for planting melons and gourds should be well lit by the sun's rays, protected from gusts of cold wind from all sides and be fertile.
Sufficient illumination
Advice! The best soil for growing gourds - sandy or sandy loam, in which high-quality humus was introduced before autumn digging (at least 1-1.5 buckets per m2).
When growing watermelons, you need to remember the rules of crop rotation- in the same place, watermelons (like other melons) can be grown once every 5 seasons. The best predecessors for them will be: tomatoes, potatoes, any vegetables and green manure from the cruciferous family, as well as all representatives of the legume family.
- IN spring period when preparing the beds, mineral fertilizers are applied to the soil: 1.5 tsp per 1 m². potassium salt, 1.5 tbsp. l. superphosphate and 1 tbsp. l. ammonium sulfate. Properly selected composition of the mineral supplement activates the growth and development of the vegetative mass of watermelons, promotes better formation of ovaries.
- Under the planting of the seed, planting holes are dug, into which 1.5-2 liters of water are poured. After the water is absorbed, a nutrient substrate consisting of humus is laid at the bottom of the pits, wood ash, complex mineral fertilizer and peat, leveled and watered again. When the moisture is absorbed, 4-5 hatched watermelon seeds are placed in each hole, they are covered with a layer of earth 3.5-4.5 cm thick on top.
- After the young plants have 2-3 true leaves, of all the plants that have grown in the hole, one of the strongest is left, and the rest are removed.
- When growing this plant using the gourd method, the seeds are planted in separate peat cups, together with which they will subsequently be transplanted to a permanent place. The cups are filled with a nutrient substrate, the soil is moistened and the seed material is planted. It is necessary to deepen the seeds by 2.5-3.5 cm. From above, the containers are covered with polyethylene and placed in a warm place (where the temperature is about 22-24 ° C). At night, the temperature can be reduced to 19-20°C.
- After the appearance of the first shoots, the film can be removed, and the temperature in the room can be reduced to 17 ° C for 3-4 days. This is done so that the seedlings do not begin to stretch strongly upwards. Then the temperature is raised again.
- The earth in the cups must be constantly moistened so that the watermelon shoots do not begin to dry. These plants need good light and warmth to grow. 7-10 days after the sprouts appear, they should be fed with nitrogen-phosphorus fertilizer.
- 7-9 days before transplanting to a permanent place, watermelon seedlings begin to be hardened, first they are taken out into fresh air for half an hour, gradually lengthening the time spent on the street.
Landing pattern
When planting watermelons in rows, the scheme will be as follows: the average distance between the holes is 0.8-1.4 m, between the rows is 1.4-1.6 m. When planting this crop in a square-nested way, the holes should be at a distance of 0.9 -2.0 m apart.
Important! You should not thicken the planting of this melon crop - all the bushes should have enough space for the growth of lashes and the ripening of fruits. These plants are especially sensitive to watering and sunlight, so they should not interfere with each other's development.
Planting cups with seedlings in open ground should be in dug holes so that the cotyledon leaves are above ground level. The distance between planted seedlings is at least 1.3-1.4 m.
Landing pattern
The first 7-9 days, while the plants are acclimatizing in a new place, they need to be watered with filtered heated water.
Care, agricultural cultivation
What care should be provided to growing watermelons? In a nutshell, we can say that this melon culture needs abundant watering and top dressing. Without moisture, the fruits will not be able to gain the desired sweetness and juiciness. But excess moisture is also detrimental to this giant berry - it will be watery.
Vegetable growers who grow gourds from season to season know well how watermelons grow. This culture requires abundant, but not frequent watering during the period of growth of the vegetative mass, and after the appearance of the ovaries, the amount and volume of water increases.
Interesting! On summer cottages many gardeners carry out the system drip irrigation, which perfectly provides watering of gourds, and can also be used for fertilizing.
If the summer is hot and dry, then the volume of watering watermelons is increased. Usually in such weather it is necessary to water this crop once every 6-7 days abundantly. During the period of growth and ripening of fruits, soil moisture should be 80-85%.
Sandy and sandy beds need to be watered more often, as they practically do not retain water. A clay soil watered less often.
13-15 days before the full ripening of the crop, watering is completely stopped so that the berries have time to gain the desired level of sugar content.
During the period of growth and ripening of fruits, watermelons are fed at least 3 times, and at least a couple of liters of liquid fertilizers should be applied under each plant.
7-10 days after transplanting watermelon seedlings to a permanent place, the plants are fertilized with the following nutrient mixture:
- 2 tbsp. l. superphosphate fertilizer;
- 1-1.5 st. l. ammonium sulfate;
- 1-1.5 tsp potassium salt.
During the period of active growth of the lashes, you need to feed the watermelons again. As part of this top dressing - the same fertilizers as for the first time, only the rate of phosphorus and potassium elements is reduced by half. When the fruits begin to ripen, the last top dressing is carried out, which includes 20 g of ammonium sulfate, 10 g phosphate fertilizer and 35 g of potassium salt.
On a note. Nitrogen is applied under watermelon bushes only during the period of active growth of the vegetative mass. Then the proportion of this element is significantly reduced in order to prevent its accumulation in ripening fruits.
To apply liquid top dressing, circular grooves are dug around the bushes at a distance of 35-40 cm, into which nutrient mixtures are poured. The furrows are then carefully buried.
If you follow all the rules for growing melons, then at the end of the season it will be possible to collect large and sweet watermelons.
On hot summer days, sometimes you really want something refreshing, cool and healthy. At this time, stores are already starting to sell watermelons, but they are far from ideal in taste. It is known that the producer often feeds the berry on the site with nitrates, a high concentration of which is potentially dangerous for the body, but you can also grow a watermelon with your own hands in your country house. You should start with proper care of seedlings.
Varieties of watermelons are as follows:
The color of watermelon seeds, depending on the variety, varies from light brown to black.
Seeds must be selected suitable for the climate of the region where the watermelon is supposed to be cultivated. Someone is afraid of climatic conditions - in vain, unless, of course, they live in areas of the Far North - there the berry simply does not grow in the ground due to lack of light and heat. If in the south of Russia the seeds of watermelons are planted directly into the soil (seedless method), then in other regions one cannot do without home seedlings.
When to sow seeds
Watermelon seeds must be prepared in advance so that the seedlings are strong and disease resistant. If you plan to plant sprouts in open ground, then you need to sow in late April or early May; if in a greenhouse, then a week earlier. Properly prepared seed is one of the keys to a successful harvest:
Tank and soil selection
It should be remembered that watermelon seedling tender and does not like root transshipment, so it is best to choose individual peat pots: this way the earthen lump will be preserved, and the roots will not be damaged during transplantation.
Peat pots are very convenient to use, seedlings are planted in the ground directly in them, while delicate roots are not damaged.
The soil should be humus-peat. If there is none, then you can make it yourself. For this you need:
Pots should not be large, ideally 10 cm high, 8 cm wide. It is not necessary to fill the container completely with soil, 3 cm recede from the edge.
Prepare the soil for seeds in advance, because correct soil- a pledge of strong and healthy seedlings Other conditions
In addition to all of the above, you need to provide future seedlings of watermelons with good lighting. Choose the southern or southeastern sides of the house - there is the most life-giving sunlight and warmth. Make sure that there are no drafts, otherwise the seedlings may die. Access of pets to them should also be excluded. Do not smoke near the seedlings or put it next to an open fire, a source of heat. Provide all these conditions, and watermelon seeds will thank you with friendly shoots.
Step-by-step instructions for disembarkation
The soil in peat pots is watered with very warm water.
Seed containers must be exposed to light.
The first shoots are very tender and demanding of sunlight and regular watering.Video: how to sow a watermelon for seedlings
Features of seedling care:
The problem of elongated seedlings
Due to the lack of light, seedlings can stretch even at the phase of cotyledon leaves. To avoid stretching, you need to take care of the seedlings in advance, for example, highlight them with a fluorescent lamp in the evening and early in the morning.
Illumination of seedlings is necessary so that the seedlings do not stretch
If they are already stretched out, this is quite fixable:
Containers should be larger than pots
IN larger capacity Seedlings should be sprinkled with earth to the middle of the sproutVideo: what to do if watermelon seedlings stretched out
Planting seedlings in open ground
By the time of transplanting into open ground, watermelon seedlings should have 5–6 developed leaves, with a strong stem and strong root.
Seedlings of watermelons, ready for sowing in open ground, must be healthy, with intact leaves
The procedure is carried out in the morning:
Young shoots of watermelon are very tender, therefore, so that they do not wilt in the open sun, it is worth covering them with a small canopy or makeshift caps. When planting seedlings in a greenhouse, they are guided in the same way. But in view of the fact that there is an order less space than in the garden, they first make supports so that the lashes of watermelons, clinging to them, crawl up.
Video: features of growing watermelons in a greenhouse
You can grow a juicy sweet watermelon even in the conditions of central Russia. Need to provide comfortable conditions when growing seedlings, properly care for seedlings, be patient - then everything will definitely work out!
