How to plant watermelons in open ground correctly. Watermelon: growing seedlings from seeds, planting in open ground and care. Further care for watermelon shoots
Growing watermelons in open ground with seeds and seedlings
You can grow watermelons using seeds and seedlings. Of course, in order for good and tasty fruits to grow in the end, the planting technology must be performed correctly.
In addition, subsequent care of the plant largely affects the quality of ripened fruits. Therefore, it is best to familiarize yourself in advance with all the secrets of growing watermelons using seeds and seedlings.
Landing place
To grow watermelon, choose sandy or sandy loam soil. Its acidity should be 6-7 units.
Because watermelons heat-loving plant, the place for planting should be chosen warm, sunny, so that it constantly warms up. Planted in warm soil up to +12 +15 degrees.
Watermelons will grow well after the following crops:
- potato;
- cabbage;
- carrot;
- legumes.
Under no circumstances should you plant the plant in places where nightshade or melon crops previously grew, since these plants have common pests.
It is important to know: It is recommended to prepare a site for watermelons in the fall; it needs to be dug and loosened. Then the berries will grow well on the dug up soil and give an excellent harvest.
Digging up the soil should be done together with rotted manure or humus. On 1 square meter apply the following amount of fertilizer - 5-6 kg of humus or rotted manure, superphosphate 50 grams, potassium salt 35 grams and ammonium sulfate 40 grams.
Sand is poured into the weighted soil - 2 buckets per 1 m2. It is not advisable to use fresh manure for fertilizer. When digging, all weeds and roots are removed, because watermelon does not like these unpleasant “neighbors”.
If further planting will be done under the film, then you should also purchase required material and cover the soil with them.
Planting a watermelon
There are two ways to plant watermelons:
1. Without seedling method.
For planting watermelons in open ground You should choose cold-resistant seeds with a ripening period of 90 days. The varieties “Ogonyok”, “Gift to the North”, “Kholodok” are perfect.
Before planting, seeds should be soaked in water. The water temperature must be at least 50 degrees. It is necessary to soak until the seeds sprout.
Then they are planted in the soil. The soil should be warmed to +12 +15 degrees. They are usually planted in early May; by the time the seeds germinate, it will become warmer and the soil will be warmed by the sun.
After 8-10 days, the first shoots should appear. If the soil is cold, germination will take a long time, and eventually the seeds may die.
It is worth noting: be sure to pay attention to weather conditions before landing. If it is cool at the beginning of May, then planting should be postponed to the end of the month.
In order to grow a good harvest, the following planting technology should be followed:
- each hole is filled with a mixture of ash, earth, humus and nitroammophos (1 teaspoon). Pour 1 tablespoon of the mixture onto the hole. This will help increase productivity in the future;
- then we plant the seeds in the soil to a depth of 6-9 cm;
- Sprinkle with humus to prevent a crust from forming on top. This crust can harm the sprouts when they reach the surface, and they will die.
Below, we invite you to watch a video on how to transplant watermelon seedlings into open ground:
2. Growing seedlings.
Seeds are planted for seedlings in late April - early May. It is advisable that the temperature in the room be maintained at +25 +30 degrees.
Seed germination begins at temperature conditions from + 17 degrees, but in order for them to grow and develop fruitfully, it is recommended to maintain at least 25 degrees during the daytime, and at night from +18 degrees. There is no need to pick seedlings.
Fertilizers should be added to the soil in which the seedlings grow. This will ensure rapid growth of sprouts. Over the entire period, the soil needs to be fertilized twice; mineral fertilizers are used as top dressing.
Important to remember: When planting, seedlings cannot be completely covered with soil. Sprouts should be left 3-4 cm on the surface.
The sprouts should not touch each other, otherwise they can be seriously damaged when planting. Therefore, you should watch the sprouts, and as they grow, the cups should be moved away. Sprouts ready for planting must have at least 3 leaves.
Seedlings are planted in the soil at the end of May or early June. Be sure to follow the planting technology. Germinated seedlings are planted in prepared beds to a depth of 9-11 cm.
One or two shoots are planted in the hole. If 2 shoots are planted in a hole, then they are separated on different sides so that their lashes do not intertwine.
Before planting, up to two kilograms of compost or humus are poured into the hole and filled with water. It should be planted in a mixture of soil and fertilizer, sprinkled with dry soil.
Care
In addition to planting, you need to follow the rules of care. The future harvest depends on proper care.
Care consists of the following actions:
1. Shelter. In order to accelerate the growth of the plant, you can use covering materials. Preserved under film elevated temperature and due to this, the plant begins to grow faster.
In addition, the fruits will appear 2-3 weeks earlier. The covering material will also provide protection from various pests. To cover with film, you can make low racks on the sides and put covering material on them. It should be removed in early June and preferably on a cloudy day, otherwise the plants may burn under the scorching sun.
2. Irrigation procedures. Since watermelon has a very powerful root system, which can go to a depth of more than 1 meter, it should not be watered very often. Once a week is enough. He gets the missing moisture from the ground himself.
3. Fertilizing the soil. The first feeding is done 7 days after planting seedlings or seeds. The next two are done at intervals of 2-3 weeks. For the first fertilizing, you can use the following fertilizers - a solution of ammonium nitrate, 20 grams per 10 liters of water. For subsequent fertilizing, it is best to use mineral fertilizers.
4. Work on the formation of bushes. The fruits are formed on the main stem. In order for them to ripen quickly, it is best to leave no more than 6 ovaries on the plant stem; it is recommended to remove the rest.
Also, do not forget about loosening the soil. Beds with watermelons should be loosened periodically. It is advisable to do this after rain or watering.
Overgrown lashes can be tied to special stands or lightly sprinkled with earth. This will protect them from the wind and speed up the growth of the fruit.
Harvesting
Around August, fruit harvesting begins. Before cutting a watermelon, check it for ripeness. Typically, a ripe fruit has a glossy skin and a dried tail.
There are no hairs on the stalks. Usually, when you knock on the fruit, a dull sound is heard. All these signs are conditional, so it is recommended to use them together.
Growing watermelons is enough labor-intensive process, so it should be approached responsibly. Be sure to properly prepare the place for planting, first dig the soil and fertilize it with fertilizer.
Don’t forget about further care of the plant. Exactly from all the right technology cultivation depends on the future harvest.
We invite you to watch a video on how to properly plant watermelon seeds for seedlings:
Watermelon is a favorite melon crop of many gardeners, which gives the taste of summer. Even a novice gardener can easily grow it. However, for this it is not enough to prepare the site and provide appropriate care for the plants after planting: it is also necessary to correctly select and prepare the seeds for sowing.
Selection and preparation of site and soil for planting watermelon
For growing watermelon in open ground and obtaining good harvest care must be taken to select a location that must meet the following requirements:
- be well lit;
- protect from winds;
- provide plants with the necessary nutrition.
Based on the listed factors, you need to take into account that the area for the watermelon should receive a sufficient amount of light during the day, be well warmed up and ventilated. It is best if you start preparing the soil in advance: sow the future bed with green manure and add the necessary fertilizers.
The area for the future watermelon bed should be well lit, ventilated, and well fertilized.
Green manures are plants that are grown for the purpose of their subsequent incorporation into the soil, which improves its structure, enriches it with nitrogen and prevents the growth of weeds.
An important point is the previous crops, i.e. those that were grown on the site before the watermelon. The most preferred are onions, garlic, carrots and early cabbage, as well as potatoes and tomatoes. Melon crops (watermelon, zucchini, pumpkin, melon) should not be constantly planted in the same place, since pathogens accumulate in the soil.
It should be noted that watermelons and other melons require light, loose and fertile soil. Most suitable option, if the plot of land consists of sandy or sandy loam soil, and the necessary organic fertilizers (humus, compost) will be added for digging in the fall. Organic matter is added at the rate of 2.5 buckets per 1 m² of land. In addition, attention should be paid to the acidity of the soil: for watermelons it should be within pH 6–7.
Humus is an excellent organic fertilizer for preparing a site for planting watermelon.
In the spring, the watermelon bed should also be fertilized. mineral fertilizers under digging. For 1 m² you will need:
- 24–35 g ammonium sulfate;
- 40–45 g superphosphate;
- 15–25 g of potash fertilizers.
Combining mineral and organic substances can increase the productivity of watermelon.
Preparing watermelon seeds for sowing
It is no secret for experienced gardeners that quality training seeds for sowing. This process is quite important and consists of several stages that must be performed in a certain sequence.
Variety selection
Watermelon variety for growing on your own garden plot you need to choose very carefully. If you do not have sufficient experience in cultivating this type of melon, then it is best to give preference hybrid varieties. This is due to the fact that they are characterized by better quality characteristics compared to varietal watermelons. Hybrids are characterized by faster maturation, resistance to a number of diseases and unfavorable environmental conditions.
When planning to grow watermelon on your plot, you need to carefully choose the variety.
Seed calibration
At first glance, seed calibration may not seem like such a significant procedure. If we look at it in more detail, the germination of seeds and the subsequent development of young plants will directly depend on it. Everything is actually simple: stronger and healthier seedlings develop better, thereby suppressing weaker seedlings. When separating (calibrating) seeds by size, seedlings will be more friendly and abundant.
Seed calibration involves separating them by size, which allows for more uniform and abundant seedlings
Warming up the seeds
A procedure such as warming the seeds before planting allows you to activate biochemical processes in planting material. To do this, the seeds are placed in a container of suitable size and filled with water at a temperature of about +50˚C. After half an hour, the water can be drained.
Pre-sowing treatment
Preparing watermelon seeds involves their disinfection, i.e. disinfection. In most cases, gardeners and gardeners use manganese for these purposes, from which they prepare potassium permanganate (a solution of low concentration). In order to prepare the substance, a very small amount of manganese is added to a small container filled with water. After stirring the solution, the seeds are soaked for 15–20 minutes and then washed with water.
Disinfection allows you to minimize the likelihood of young plants becoming infected with diseases or damaged by pests.
Treating watermelon seeds in potassium permanganate allows disinfection, thereby protecting planting material from the adverse effects of microorganisms
After all the previous procedures have been completed, you can begin to germinate the seed material. To begin with, it is recommended to soak watermelon seeds for 12 hours in a nutrient solution: this is done to saturate the seeds with microelements, which will ensure active growth and accelerate germination.
Today, many drugs of this kind are offered, for example, Kornevin, Zircon, Heteroauxin.
After the seeds are soaked in a growth stimulator, you should not wash them with water under any circumstances: just dry them in the sun.
Germinating watermelon seeds accelerates the process of germination, and treatment with growth stimulants saturates the seed with microelements Before soaking watermelon seeds to soften the thick rind, pour them hot water
for 10 minutes. Then you need to make a gauze bag, folding the material in several layers, and place the seeds in it at some distance from each other. The bag with planting material is placed in a saucer or shallow plate, after moistening the gauze; however, there is no need to fill the seeds with water - they must “breathe”. After this, the container is placed in a warm place (about +25˚C) and the humidity of the gauze is periodically monitored: it is moistened as necessary. To create more comfortable conditions for the seeds, the container can be covered with a cut plastic bottle, film or glass, thus retaining moisture for more long time . Please note that watermelon seeds do not germinate very quickly. Therefore, the first sprouts can be seen in at least a week (depending on the seeds of a particular variety, their quality and the conditions created). By ensuring an optimal microclimate, it will be possible to accelerate the germination of seed material and bring the moment of planting it into the soil closer. If the seeds are not soaked before planting, then you can’t count on rapid emergence of seedlings.
For the Middle Zone and northern regions, the soaking and germination procedure is necessary.
Video: germinating watermelon seeds
Timing for sowing watermelon seeds in open ground Planting watermelon is quite common by seed method
. The timing of sowing crops depends on the weather and the time when the harvest is planned to be obtained. If spring has come early and the weather is warm, you can start sowing seeds from the end of April to mid-June. If the approach of warmth is delayed, then the sowing dates are shifted to the end of May. When landing in You can start working from mid-April, taking into account weather conditions. For middle latitudes, watermelon seeds are sown in open ground only after stable warm weather has established. To determine the time of planting seeds, attention should be paid to the air temperature. The minimum temperature for the emergence of seedlings is considered to be +15˚С. In regions with an unpredictable climate, gardeners prefer growing watermelons using seedlings. In this case, the seeds are sown in the second half of April, and the mature seedlings are planted in open ground in May-early June.
Seed germination - timing and testing
High-quality planting material is the key to a good harvest. An indicator of the quality of watermelon seeds is their germination rate. In most cases, when preparing for the next season, gardeners carry out an audit seed material various cultures, while discovering that some of them are already more than one year old. What to do in this case, throw it away and buy new ones, or can it still be used for planting? It is enough to know that the germination of watermelon seeds lasts for 6–8 years.
In addition, there is a way to test watermelon seeds for germination, which is also suitable for other melons. For this you will need sawdust, which are first doused with boiling water several times (every half an hour). You will need to prepare a container, such as a tray or box. small sizes, which is filled with raw sawdust. The seeds are laid out in rows with a distance of 2–3 cm. A gap of 1–1.5 cm is made between the seeds. Then the seed is sprinkled with sawdust and compacted, and the container is placed in a warm place with a temperature of +23–27˚С and wait for the sprouts to appear. To determine the percentage of germination, a simple calculation is performed: if 6 out of 10 seeds germinate, it means the germination rate is 60%.
Proper planting of watermelon seeds
When the weather is favorable and the watermelon seeds have undergone preparatory procedures, you can begin sowing them in open ground.
At what distance to plant
Since watermelon is a very spreading plant, it requires sufficient space to grow it. Thus, the bush will feel comfortable and develop normally. Watermelons are planted in open ground in a certain way, namely according to the scheme. IN standard scheme, which is called row row, the row spacing is 2 m, and 5–10 seeds per hole are sown in a 1 m row.
After emergence, only the strongest shoots are left, 1 seedling per meter.
The row scheme for planting watermelon involves planting seeds at a distance of 1 m in a row and 2 m between rows
In addition to the ordinary scheme, there is also a square-nested scheme. In this case, the distance between the holes with planted seeds should be 70–280 cm. The difference in distance depends on the variety of watermelon being grown. When planting compact varieties, the gap between the holes is made smaller.
When planting a watermelon in a square nest, a distance of 70–280 cm is made between the holes, depending on the variety.
Large distances between watermelon plantings are necessary to obtain sufficient sunlight. If placed closely, the crop will not receive the required amount of nutrients.
Seed placement depth When planting watermelon seeds in open ground, it is important to observe the planting depth. The optimal planting depth for small-seeded varieties is considered to be 4–6 cm, for large-seeded varieties - 6–8 cm. If the planting material is buried deeper, it will be more difficult for it to hatch, which will affect the timing of germination. In addition to the variety, the soil also influences the planting depth. On sandy soils, seeds are buried 7–8 cm, on sandy soils - 5–7 cm, on loams - 4–5 cm. IN northern regions
with heavy soils, seed should not be planted deeper than 4 cm.
The depth of planting watermelon seeds depends on the type of soil and the specific variety.
Fitting under film
It is also possible to grow watermelons under film. This method allows you to sow in March and thereby get the harvest earlier. Film cover makes it possible to maintain high humidity, which eliminates the lack of moisture and promotes the rapid development of plants. When using film, a greenhouse effect is created, which ensures rapid seed germination. In the area prepared in the fall, ridges are cut at a distance of 70 cm from each other, for which a hiller is used. The covering film should cover 2 ridges at once, i.e. standard width
1.5 m should be enough. There is a 2.5 m space between the rows, which is necessary for the normal development of plants. In the formed ridges, holes are prepared at a distance of 1 m from each other and seeds are sown.
Growing watermelons with film allows you to plant seeds in March and get an earlier harvest.
The number of seeds sown in one hole may vary and depend on the varieties used. Seeds of inexpensive varieties can be placed 2-3 grains per hole. When shoots appear, weaker plants are pinched, leaving one most developed seedling. If expensive varieties are used, then one seed is placed in each hole.
After sowing, the soil is moistened and covered with film. To do this, the material is unrolled along the length of the beds, pressing it with earth so that it does not blow away by the wind. If the weather is cloudy, then seedlings should appear a week after planting. Since the seedlings will soon begin to rest against the film, it will be necessary to make cross-shaped slits for the plants to grow freely.
A week after germination, the watermelon will adapt to the environment. During this period, the holes in the film are covered with earth to prevent the appearance of weeds. To avoid damage to young seedlings, the sprout is carefully pulled out of the film and a piece of plastic pipe(you can use a jar), sprinkle it with earth, compacting it slightly, after which the protection is removed. After this procedure, watermelons are considered ready for further development.
Video: growing watermelons under film
What to do if watermelon seeds have not sprouted
Sometimes gardeners are faced with such an unpleasant situation when the watermelon seeds do not germinate. What could be the reason and how to correct the situation? One of the main problems can be low quality seeds. If seed material is purchased in a store, be sure to check the expiration date on the packaging. In addition, you can focus on price, but it is not always an indicator of quality: good germination can be both cheap and expensive seeds.
When purchasing watermelon seeds, attention should be paid to the date of manufacture, and when long-term storage your planting material, check it for germination
If you still have watermelon seeds from previous years without packaging or you collected planting material yourself, you need to identify the seeds that are unsuitable for sowing.
To do this, pour grains into a container with water and those that end up on the surface do not make sense to plant.
- Many factors influence seed germination:
- degree of maturation;
- harvesting and drying conditions;
- storage conditions;
The listed factors usually depend on the seed manufacturer. However, the success of the entire event directly depends on the conditions that will be created for their germination. This suggests that if the seeds are obviously of good quality, but the humidity or temperature does not meet the required parameters, then the material may simply not germinate. In addition, when planting sprouted seeds in open ground with cold soil, they may slow down in growth or even die.
Further care for watermelon shoots
When growing watermelon in open ground important conditions are periodic loosening of the soil and watering. It is recommended to mark the holes when planting seeds, for example, with pegs, so that the rows are visible when loosening. During the period of growth of leaf mass and vines, fertilizing is carried out. To do this, you can use urea (150 g) and the same amount of superphosphate, as well as potassium salt (50 g) per 10 m². Fertilizer application should be accompanied by watering or precipitation.
For the normal development of young watermelon seedlings, timely watering and loosening of the soil is necessary.
Particular attention should be paid to irrigation during the growth of leaves and stems, flowering and the appearance of ovaries. During fruit ripening, on the contrary, watering is extremely undesirable, since excessive moisture leads to cracks in the fruit and deterioration in taste. Watermelon beds are irrigated with warm water once a week, but generously. Caring for watermelons also involves the formation of a bush, as a result of which it is possible to obtain larger and sweeter berries. In this case, no more than four fruits are left on one plant. In addition, the shoots are pinched and the mustache is removed.
Video: forming a watermelon in open ground
Prevention and control of watermelon diseases and pests is also important. Common pests include sprout fly, melon aphid, and wireworm. If an insect is detected before it damages the plant, it is treated with biological preparations, for example, Fitoverm. When infested by pests, they resort to using chemicals, such as Decis, Aktara, Fufanon. The most common melon and melon diseases include anthracnose, powdery mildew, peronosporosis. Colloidal sulfur, Ordan, Khom are used as prophylaxis.
One of the common pests of watermelons is the sprout fly, the larvae of which damage the roots, seeds and stem of the plant.
High-quality planting material combined with proper preparation for sowing is the key to a good harvest. It is in this case that it will be possible to avoid wasting time, increase seed germination and ensure active growth and development of plants.
Bakhcha is given an honorable warm place on the dacha plot. Sunny melons and round-sided watermelons bring indescribable pleasure to adult eaters and gourmet little ones. The kids are ready to enjoy the juicy pulp of watermelons from morning to evening, to the envy of the intrusive wasps and hardworking bees. If previously it was believed that watermelon was an exclusively southern berry, now more than 200 varieties and hybrids are adapted for cultivation in various climatic regions of our country. A fruit grown in a spacious open field has a better chance of gaining the required weight and the required taste than its country relative. The plant is held by its tendrils by the stable stems of weeds, which, in turn, protects the watermelon vines from tangling. When planting watermelons on personal plot take into account the availability of the necessary free space and do not overdo it with weeding.
Sow watermelon seeds in open ground
Much to the chagrin of amateur melon growers, growing a wonderful harvest of ripe watermelons is quite difficult. Especially when it comes to areas with unsuitable climatic conditions. Even the most careful care will not be able to ensure the berries have juicy, ripe pulp if the summer is not hot and long enough. Of course, a good owner will not let such a harvest go to waste - lightly salted watermelons are still a delicacy. But a well-ripened, aromatic fruit picked from its garden can be endlessly crushed by both cheeks from morning to evening.
The watermelons are ripe - the family is delighted
Preparing seeds for sowing in open ground
It is advisable to choose a place for sowing watermelon seeds in the fall. Excellent predecessors for them are onions and potatoes. It’s not bad if there were cabbage or legumes in the garden before. Young sprouts do not like fresh organic fertilizers, so beds with half-rotted manure or compost are prepared in the fall. Minerals(ash, dolomite flour) are also introduced at this time of year.
Watermelon seeds are difficult to germinate, especially if germination energy is low. I bubble mine with an aquarium compressor; you can scarify it to break the seed coat, that is, file the end of the seed with a file or nail file. And t should be 23o - 27oC.
Fech Evgeniy
Choose seeds for sowing that are hardy and early ripening. Two different varieties They should not be placed nearby to avoid cross-pollination.
Before planting, you need to properly prepare the seed:
Sowing seeds in the ground
Immediately before sowing watermelon seeds, the land prepared for melons is cultivated with a cultivator. Holes with a meter diameter are formed, the distance between the holes is from 1 to 2 meters. From 5 to 10 seeds are placed in each hole to a depth of 4–5 cm. At the time of sowing, the soil should be warmed to 13–15 o C. Each hole is watered with warm, settled water and mulched with peat.
Watermelons do not tolerate crowding
After the seeds sprout and get a little stronger, 2 plants are left in the hole. The rest are removed or transplanted to free space suitable for ripening watermelons.
After germination, leave two plants per hole
Don’t be lazy to re-sow the seeds in a week. If for some reason the first seedlings die, the second approach will certainly be more successful.
Watermelon seeds are sown in farmers' fields different ways: tape, square, rectangular or square-nested.
Video: how to sow watermelon seeds in open ground
Photo gallery: watermelon varieties for cold regions
The variety is unpretentious and disease resistant 
Watermelons of the Ogonyok variety ripen in 60–70 days 
Variety Kholodok is well resistant to low temperatures, suitable for Siberia
Scheme of planting watermelon seedlings in open ground
Seeds for seedlings are prepared in the same way as for planting in the ground. They can be sown in plastic trays or cups, but it is best to use peat pots. Land for seedlings is mixed in equal proportions with sand and peat. Place 2 seeds in a pot (glass or tray) on moist soil and sprinkle with dry soil. In this state, the pots are placed in a well-lit, warm place. It takes 40–45 days from sowing the seeds to planting the seedlings.
Before planting in the ground, seedlings need to be hardened off in the open air.
Seedlings are planted in the ground at the end of May or the first ten days of June, depending on climatic conditions And geographical location region. Some recommendations for planting watermelon seedlings in open ground:
After planting, the seedlings are watered daily with settled warm water for a week and slightly covered from direct sun rays. Fortified seedlings are watered abundantly, but not too often. During the period of ripening of berries, watering is stopped completely so that the fruits gain sugar content and do not have a watery taste.
It is necessary to water infrequently, but a lot (10 liters per root). The most important thing is to ensure complete drying at least 2 weeks before removal. Only then will the watermelons be sweet. No watering of the watermelons themselves or the plants growing nearby.
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A rich harvest of sugar watermelons will delight summer residents and their children
Video: planting watermelons in open ground
Little tricks for planting watermelons
Weather conditions are not always helpful in such a painstaking task as growing melons. Cold and short summers in some regions mean that the harvest rarely pleases even the diligent vegetable grower. Watermelons simply do not have time to gain sufficient weight and reach a state of absolute maturity. And even in this case, do not despair. There are little tricks with which the fruits will become a real pride even on 5-6 acres of personal land.
Choosing the right landing site
Lungs sandy soils are an ideal springboard for growing a hefty watermelon. But the main thing in cool summer conditions is choosing a sunny place.
Watermelons prefer a sunny place
The selection of such a site initially provides for the complete absence of spreading bushes and shade-forming trees. But if there is excess solar radiation at the time of ripening, take care of covering the fat bellies in order to avoid significant overheating. Old newspapers or large leaves burdock.
Shelter in two stages
For successful ripening, seeds are sown in open ground a little earlier than expected - not at the end of May, but in its first ten days. But in a cold climate zone, tender sprouts risk dying from frost. This is where a little trick comes in handy - double cover. The bottom of a liter plastic bottle is cut off and placed on the plant.
A one and a half liter bottle can be cut in half
On top liter bottle In the same way, install a 5-liter container with the bottom cut off.
Cut the bottom of a large bottle and place a liter bottle on top
In such a nesting doll, the delicate stem has enough air and warmth, and is also well protected from cold and winds. Securely fix the transparent mini-greenhouse with earth or sand.
Magic tablet
Watermelon is a finicky berry; it does not like excessive dampness. In cool climates, dampness leads to rotting of fruits and even stems. To improve ripening conditions, pour 3-4 handfuls of sand onto the root part of the main stem, and place protective wooden or plastic boards under the fruits. Thus, your green couch potatoes will not come into contact with wet soil, and the percentage of crop damage from rot will be significantly reduced.
A wooden board will protect the watermelon from rot.
Thoughtful watering
In arid areas, the root system of watermelons tends to depth to saturate the plant with moisture. However, in the northern regions, groundwater often flows close to ground level and causes a lot of trouble for the roots: as soon as the roots reach an excess amount of moisture, they rot, and the plant may die entirely. In this case, force root system develop not in breadth, but in depth. To do this, water the plant not at the root, but between the rows. Water only when necessary and do not forget about timely loosening and mulching of the soil.
Try to water watermelons not at the root
Side vine trimming
The carrier of female flowers in watermelons is the main central vine. To prevent the plant from wasting energy on side branches, it is preferable to remove them. At the same time, leave no more than 5 fruit ovaries on each central branch.
Remove the side branches of the plant, and the forces will be transferred to the ripening of the fruits
Listening to these simple tips, you can surprise your dacha neighbors and your loved ones even in conditions that are not very favorable for growing melons.
We can talk endlessly about the benefits of ripened watermelon: thiamine and riboflavin, niacin and other elements of B-group vitamins, ascorbic acid and carotene protect the body from age-related metamorphoses and resist cancer. But the presence of folic acid is invaluable - a fighter of the invisible front and a tireless builder of DNA and ribonucleic acid cells. Dietary fiber and microelements normalize metabolism, cleanse the kidneys, liver, blood vessels, and normalize cholesterol in the blood. At the same time, one should not forget about the ability to accumulate nitrates and cause allergic reactions. However, growing your own watermelon will allow you to avoid such troubles and will bring you a sea of positive emotions from enjoying the magical taste of the juicy fruit.
If you have long dreamed of growing watermelons yourself in your country house or garden in the open ground, but did not know where to start, then this article should definitely help you! A minimum of rules and a little patience - and your hard work will be rewarded!
The content of the article:
Much has been said about: sweet juicy fruits are indicated for diseases of the heart and blood vessels, kidneys, liver, salt metabolism disorders, obesity and many other ailments. It is the richest source of potassium, magnesium, iron, folic acid, vitamins, acids and pectin substances. However, many are simply afraid to buy watermelons for fear of being poisoned by them. It's no secret that unscrupulous entrepreneurs growers increase the dose of pesticides and fertilizers in order to obtain more high yield. Naturally, natural is much healthier and safer for our health.
Watermelons are very demanding of heat and light; it is not without reason that they are considered one of the most heat-loving crops. Seeds will germinate at a temperature of at least 15 degrees, and temperature norm for flowering, a value from plus 18 to 20 ° C (in the morning) and up to 25 degrees in the daytime will be considered. As soon as daytime temperatures drop below 20 °C, plant growth will slow down. Choose seeds of varieties that are not early ripening, but also do not take a long time to ripen. Many summer residents praise the watermelon varieties Ogonyok and Sugar Baby. They differ from other varieties of watermelons with an average size of 4–6 kg and a dark green color without clearly defined lines, the flesh is dark red, and the seeds are black.
Watermelon is drought-resistant due to its well-developed, powerful root system, but at the same time does not tolerate shade.
Growing watermelons: what soils are suitable
Suitable for growing watermelon sandy loam soils, warming up in the sun and protected from strong winds. Absolutely unsuitable is soil that is too moist, has a heavy mechanical composition and is characterized by being close to groundwater. The best option is neutral or alkaline soil, but not acidic, where very small fruits will grow, which will have time to crack while still green. Change planting locations every year - this is good for the soil: on next year Instead of watermelons, it is better to plant corn or wheat.
Before planting, the seeds should be soaked in water at a temperature of 50 ° C until they sprout. After this, they are sown in open ground at a soil temperature of 12 to 14 ° C (end of the first ten days of May). By the time of germination it will already warm up to 18 °C.
The first shoots will appear after 8–10 days, which will be considered the norm. If the ground is still cold, the germination time increases and the seedlings may simply die. This can also lead to the development of pathogenic flora in seedlings, which will subsequently negatively affect their development during the growing season.
Hence the conclusion: under unsuitable natural conditions, the seed sowing date is postponed to the third decade of May.
Each hole should be filled with ash (1 tbsp), mixed with soil, humus and nitroammophos (1 tsp). In the future, this will increase yields by about 20%. The seed placement depth is 5–8 centimeters. After sowing, mulch the soil surface with humus to prevent a crust from appearing, which can harm the seedlings when they reach the surface.
To accelerate the growth of watermelon, various shelters are used: from simple individual ones to group film ones. At the same time, even simple coverings with film increase the temperature, thereby accelerating ripening by two to three weeks. In addition, with the help of such devices you will protect plants from pests such as beetles.
You can make tunnel shelters with frames made of wicker or rolled wire. They are usually removed in early June, on a cloudy day, so that the plants cannot “burn” under the scorching sun. Otherwise, they will weaken or become a source of infection for the mass melon crop.
As for pollination, when grown under a film, it is done manually. To attract bees, you can plant honey plants next to the watermelons or spray the melon with a weak solution of honey or sugar.
When growing watermelons under film, they are watered as they dry out. After removing the covers, watering should be stopped. In open ground, watering stops when fruit begins to set.
In the future, care comes down to breaking through seedlings, loosening, weeding the soil, destroying weeds and fertilizing. Do not allow thickening! Melons are very light-loving, so if you want to grow a large and sweet watermelon in open ground - remember that only one plant should remain in the hole - try to keep it per 1 sq. meter there were no more than three landings.
Watermelon comes from the deserts of southern Africa, which is why it is highly resistant to heat, dry air, and poor soils. Of all the melons, it is the least picky about soil quality. On the contrary, it works best on sandy loam steppe chernozems, light soils with good water permeability. But its advantages are dictated by the growing conditions: a lot of sun, light soil, dry air, soil moisture during the period of cane growth, flowering, and ovary formation.
Agricultural technology
Environmental humidity is perhaps the most difficult thing for a melon grower to overcome in order to grow fruits of the proper quality.
Video about growing watermelon
You can protect from cold weather and prevent excessive dryness of the soil by proper watering. But if you live in a wet climate, then you will have to work hard to grow a good striped fruit. You can't do without a greenhouse. Think in advance about how you will protect your crops from crows. Get also early and delicious varieties, preferably local selection. Now let’s look at everything in more detail to understand how to grow watermelons in the country.
Take care of the quality of the soil in advance, in the fall of the year preceding planting. Especially if your future melon plant is located where predominantly heavy soils predominate: loam or peat swampy soils. It is necessary to dig up the ground well, while simultaneously removing the roots of the weeds. It’s best even for two bayonets of a shovel. Mix heavy soil with sand at the rate of two buckets per square meter. Thus, we bring the lightness and water permeability of the soil into line with the requirements of melon and melon farming technology. It is advisable to take gray river sand; red construction sand contains a lot of iron, which can excessively oxidize the earth.
In the photo there is a watermelon
Speaking of acidity: growing watermelons works best on a substrate with a neutral acidity reaction. You can find out what soil acidity you have either by measuring it with a Ph indicator or Ph meter, or by looking at the plants growing in your garden plot. The first case, of course, gives more accurate results. To do this, purchase it at a pharmacy or store. chemical reagents indicator (a universal indicator is best suited). Or buy a Ph-meter device there. Take soil from the site where the future melon plant will be planted. Dilute it with water, look at the color of the indicator or the readings of the device.
Indicator plants will tell you approximately the condition of the soil in your area. For example, chamomile, wheatgrass, bindweed, cornflowers and clover prefer to grow in soils with neutral acidity. Horsetails, plantains, and mosses will tell us that the environment is too acidic. On the contrary, poppy seeds and mustard indicate an alkaline reaction of the earth.
Soil acidity is eliminated by liming - adding it to the soil. lime mortar, it is obtained by mixing whitewash lime with water. Alkaline ones lead to a neutral indicator by introducing acidifying agents: peat, pine needles, sawdust coniferous species. Sowing legumes well restores normal soil acidity.
Photo of a watermelon in the garden
We also remember that it is extremely undesirable to plant watermelons on the site of the former growth of cucumbers and other melons: pumpkins or melons. Such precautions are associated with the threat of introducing diseases: fusarium (colloquially wilting of leaves), peronospora (downy mildew). Also, you can’t plant it after nightshades. Crop rotation for these crops should reach 5-6 years. The optimal predecessor would be corn, sunflower, legumes: beans, peas, lupine. Also, watermelon fruits fill well when sown after perennial cereal crops.
We fertilize the soil at the same time we dug it, in the fall. Along with deep mixing of the soil layers, we add a standard set of macroelements: phosphorus, nitrogen, potassium. Superphosphates are added in an amount of thirty grams per square meter. Potassium sulfate is applied at a concentration of twenty grams per meter. Nitrogen fertilizers are added in extremely small doses in the fall.
It is better to apply them in the spring and preferably together with organic fertilizers. Otherwise, you risk a sharp increase in the nitrate content in your fruits. High yields are promoted by the presence of magnesium in the soil. We also add microelements along with autumn digging. It is best to use complex liquid mineral supplements containing molybdenum, iron, selenium, and manganese that are immediately necessary for melons.
To pay attention organic fertilizers, especially those containing humic acids or effective microorganisms. Populating the soil with beneficial microflora will lead to a sharp jump in the plants’ absorption of the mineral fertilizers you add. This will significantly affect the yield of future melons.
The greatest threat to northern watermelon growing is late spring frosts. There are several ways to avoid this.
Firstly, you can grow seedlings. The advantage of this method is that it saves time. When the threat of frost has passed, we already plant young seedlings that have formed several leaves. The downside is that watermelons have a very delicate root system. They really don’t like transplantation. It is ideal to grow them in peat pots, then the plant is planted without removing it from the pot, which is gradually dissolved by the soil, providing additional feeding.
But even with this type of planting, the seedlings do not grow for some time, being under stress, inferior to the sown ones. In addition, planted watermelons are more tender and painful compared to ground watermelons, and are more susceptible to various fungal summer attacks.
Photo of watermelon
Secondly, spring sowing under cover. This can be either a film greenhouse or a full-fledged greenhouse. A greenhouse is most often used only for frost protection. When the watermelon vines reach a large length, the cover is removed in the summer. How to grow watermelon in a greenhouse? To save space, the lashes are launched vertically. Plants cling to vertical supports with their tendrils.
It is important to keep greenhouses with flowering plants open to allow insects access. When the fruits reach the size of an orange, they need to be placed in nets and suspended from transverse greenhouse supports. Greenhouses are advisable where there are humid, cloudy summers. The microclimate created inside by combining dry air with regular watering will be ideal for minke whales.
If you are worried about spring frosts. And the summer promises to be hot and relatively dry, then there is no reason to build a greenhouse. It is enough to make do with temporary greenhouse shelters.
Or you can combine these two methods. Sow directly into the ground and speed up ripening, avoiding the threat of spring frosts. This is the so-called Korean ridge. Take a wide, very dense transparent film. We make small holes, no more than five centimeters in diameter. The perforation step is half a meter in a row. Leave a distance between rows of two meters. We prepare the ground. It is advisable to clean it well of weed roots. Fertilize well and water. At a distance of two meters from each other we make small earthen ramparts, about a third of a meter high.
The photo shows a watermelon
To make it even easier for yourself summer care, we dig an irrigation system into the shafts. This can be a simple perforated hose or special drip tapes designed to continuously receive moisture from each bush.
We lay the film so that the rows with holes lie along the ridges of the earthen ramparts. Add some drops around the edges. We plant two pre-soaked seeds in the holes. We close each hole with a glass jar with the neck down, pressing it lightly into the soil. It will create greenhouse conditions for seed germination. You can also use large plastic bottles with the neck cut off, bottom up. Under the film, the soil will quickly warm up in the spring, without cooling down at night and without losing moisture. Earthen ramparts provide maximum heating under the film.
The seeds will sprout quickly; we remove the weaker sprout from the two. Soon they will be cramped under the can shelter. It is best to calculate the sowing time so that it is one month ahead of the average date of the last spring frost in your area. Then, as soon as the seedling has formed a sufficient green mass, you can already remove the jar cover without fear of the threat of frostbite on the leaves. Most often this is the last ten days of April.
Closer to June, not only watermelons begin to grow vigorously, but also the weeds that remained under the film. To avoid breaking through the film and disturbing the soil microclimate, we fill all row spaces with a large layer of mulch: pine needles, sawdust, straw. Without sunlight, the weeds will wither away. And the soil will warm up normally even under a large layer of mulching material.
We produce all fertilizers in liquid form, pouring everything into the holes from which our watermelon vines grow. By organizing an irrigation system in the spring, we deprive ourselves of even this need; everything is delivered directly to the roots. Sometimes you can do without a ridge and level the soil. Then care becomes even easier, although spring warming will be less.
Care
Formation is important, especially given the short northern summer. After forming the sixth leaf, pinch the lash. This stimulates flowering. In the spring we feed with equal amounts of phosphate and nitrogen fertilizers. Once the fruit reaches the size of an orange, we exclude nitrogen fertilizers and increase the proportion of potassium fertilizers and microelements. To enhance fruit growth, we pinch the vine with several leaves above it.
We protect melons from fungal diseases. Proper watering for these purposes will be quite sufficient. That is, pour at the root, do not wet the leaves. It is also advisable to exclude contact of the lashes with the ground and cover it with mulch. Then the plant will not pick up spores stored on the ground.
We water our melons regularly and generously. From the emergence of seedlings, throughout the entire time the watermelon grows. When pouring fruits, reduce watering, otherwise they may crack. We protect the future harvest from birds, especially from crows. Often left unattended, melons can lose their entire harvest in just a few minutes. Place scarecrows or hide fruits from birds. You can bury them with earth. Can be stored in boxes or other containers. When our leg begins to dry out striped berry, this will mean that it is ripe. It can be torn off.
Now a few words about apartment melon growing.
Video about watermelons on the windowsill
- Take a planting container the size of a bucket.
- We prepare the substrate. Three equal parts of meadow humus, manure humus, sand. Deoxidize with a small amount of lime.
- We water with complex fertilizers: organic and inorganic, containing microelements.
- Sow three or four seeds. We water and wait for the shoots to appear.
- We leave the strongest sprout.
- A support for the future stem, about a meter, is stuck into the bucket.
- When the plant's lash forms the fifth or sixth leaf, pinch it off
- When daylight hours are shorter than 12 hours, artificial lighting is used
- We pollinate artificially.
- We leave no more than two fruits on each plant.
- When the fruits reach the size of a chicken egg, we put them in nets and tie them to a support.
- We fertilize and water the same as for garden growing.
Photo of growing watermelon on the balcony
Thanks to artificial lighting, you can grow striped sweets at home any time, be it in summer or winter. Homemade watermelons are small but thin-skinned.
