≡× MENU

• Interior
• Window
• Walls
• Projects
• The buildings

Properly plant watermelons in the ground. How to plant and care for watermelons in open ground. Choosing the right landing site

AND open ground is not associated with great difficulties. Some summer residents refuse to plant melons, considering it inappropriate to occupy large area plot. Meanwhile, these crops get along well together and give an excellent harvest if certain rules are followed. In a compact garden plot there is no need to allocate separate place for melons and watermelons, you can plant them side by side and enjoy the juicy sweet fruits.

Seed treatment before planting

Seed material is planted in peat forms at the end of April. Before sowing, it is advisable to warm the seeds well indoors or near a heating device. It is also recommended to soak them in warm water and disinfect them in one of the following solutions:

• a hydrogen peroxide solution is prepared at the rate of 10 tablets per liter of water;
• a weak solution of manganese or boron 0.05% concentration;
• “Epin extra”, the stimulant is diluted as follows: 6 drops of dietary supplement per 100 ml of water;
• “Zircon” solution is prepared at the rate of 2-4 drops of liquid per liter of water.

Treatment with biostimulants will not only destroy pathogens, but also allow plants to adapt to temperature disasters, and also increases crop yields. Soaking is done in a cotton bag, which is immersed in heated (about 60°) water, the liquid is allowed to drain and left for a day. During this time, the seeds should swell and crack slightly. If this does not happen, there is no point in planting them in the ground: the crop will be weak. When planting, place 2 seeds in each mold; in the future, this will allow you to remove the weaker branch.

Simultaneous soaking and heating of seeds is better preparation to the seedlings. Water melons only with water room temperature, at the same time you need to make sure that it does not irrigate the leaves. Seedlings of melon crops are quite capricious and require good lighting, warmth and careful watering.

Special soil is sold in stores, but you can prepare it yourself. To do this, add to suitable soil mineral fertilizer"Kemira universal." For each pot, 1 teaspoon is enough, then mix the soil well. The seeds are buried to a depth of 2-3 cm and watered. At favorable conditions the first shoots appear on the 5–6th day, and after a week you can see the first leaf.

Planting of melons in covered ground is carried out at the end of May. By this time, the soil will have already warmed up enough, and frosts will not harm root system. It is recommended to harden off young plants first; to do this, they are taken outside at a temperature of 13-15 degrees or the air in the room is cooled to these numbers. Best age seedlings for planting is approximately 25-30 days.

The soil is tightened before planting plastic film, in which holes are cut for peat containers. This allows not only to protect heat-loving crops from low temperatures, but also increases productivity. Additional fertilizers are added to the holes: humus, ash or mineral additives. The nutritional components are covered with a layer of earth on top.

The greenhouse should maintain optimal temperature and light conditions. The temperature during the day should be 20-25°, and at night – 15-18°. Water moderately and infrequently with warm water. To prevent condensation from occurring, the greenhouse must be ventilated periodically. Watermelons and melons are quite sensitive to excess moisture, their seedlings can rot, and the fruits themselves grow watery and tasteless. If it gets cold outside, you should cover the soil and young shoots with film, cotton cloth or paper.

At the time of planting melons in the greenhouse, you can have time to harvest young cabbage, early radishes and greens. This will not only additionally warm the soil, but will also save space.

Boarding order

The open ground planting scheme is as follows. The distance between plants should be 40-50 cm for watermelons and 50-60 cm for melons. When grown together in a greenhouse, watermelons and melons are planted in a checkerboard pattern. Peat containers are buried shallowly in the ground; there should be a gap of about 3 cm between the leaves and the ground. This trick will further protect the plant from disease and rotting.

When planting, the pattern and distance between rows are taken into account. Usually it is recommended to plant in 2 rows, between which a 50 cm wide piece of land is left. The next planting of melons in the ground is carried out at a distance of 80 cm from the first rows.

Caring for melons in a greenhouse

Caring for watermelons and melons is not particularly difficult and is not too labor-intensive. Young shoots can be covered with cut plastic bottles; this protective frame allows you to increase the yield. As the plant grows, the bottle is removed or replaced with a higher shelter. When the stem has grown sufficiently in length, it is attached to a special support - a trellis; you can tie the top with a thread to the ceiling of the greenhouse. Heavy fruits are placed in nets, carton boxes. The main thing is that they do not come into contact with the ground.

7-10 days after planting, you can feed with nitrogen fertilizer - urea or saltpeter; for this, 20 grams of the substance are diluted in 10 liters of water.

Caring for melons consists of loosening the soil, watering and fertilizing. It is necessary to ensure that after planting, no weeds appear between the sprouts. Water young plants once a week, then it is allowed to do this twice a month.

Watermelons and melons are drought-resistant crops; they germinate in southern regions where there is no rain long time considered normal. When the first fruits appear, watering is stopped. You should irrigate melons carefully, making sure that water does not get on the root part of the stem. Otherwise, the crop may be damaged by rot.

Every 2-3 weeks the soil should be fertilized with mullein infusion and minerals. During feeding, you can add a small handful of ash into each hole.

Artificial pollination in a greenhouse is carried out with a male flower, which is determined by its impressive size. The flower is picked and applied to the female flowers. Before pollination, you should not water the crop so that excess moisture does not affect the quality of the pollen. Many gardeners attract bees to pollinate: they open the doors of the greenhouse and place saucers with sugar syrup.

Plant Formation

As they grow, the stems are spread in different directions. Later they are tied to wooden or metal trellises.

To teach good harvest, you must follow the rules.

• On melons, the apical part of the stem is docked. This procedure will be sufficient for early ripening varieties. Late-ripening melon varieties are cropped differently. In addition to removing the top, the side parts are also inspected, their thickness and thickness are assessed. Young lashes are removed, leaving 3-4 strong branches.
• You'll have to tinker with watermelons. This crop is grown in one stem; it is selected based on the presence of shoots in the leaf axils. The stems on which the ovary is missing are removed, the rest are pinched. When the crop grows beyond the size of the trellis, the apical vine is pinched again at the level of the 4th–5th leaf.

Features of growing in open ground

Before planting plants in open ground, you should decide on the location. Watermelons and melons prefer to grow on slightly elevated, flat areas that are well warmed up and illuminated by sunlight. Here they grow better, bear fruit abundantly and ripen early.

Care is carried out by loosening the soil, removing weeds and excess lashes. During the growth process, several inter-row soil treatments are carried out. The first - when young leaves appear, to a depth of 6-8 cm, the second - when 5-6 true leaves appear; loosening can be combined with fertilizing.

Watermelons and melons are harvested as they ripen. The ripeness of watermelons is determined by the drying of the tendrils in the axils of the leaves, the disappearance of dullness and the appearance of shine, and the lightening of the skin of the fruit. When you tap a watermelon, it makes a dull sound, but to distinguish it you need to have practical skills.

The ripeness of a melon is determined by the dried stalk.

Are melons compatible?

Is it possible to plant watermelons and melons side by side? These crops consume similar chemical substances and require approximately the same processing methods. If you plant them side by side, this will greatly simplify the care procedures: watering, gartering, feeding. However, melons greatly deplete the soil, and they can only be planted in the same place after several years. To prevent this, watermelons and melons should be regularly fed with mineral fertilizers.

Collect seeds from watermelons and melons when they are joint landing not recommended because cross-pollination occurs. The result of such a hybrid may not be entirely pleasant to the taste.

If you own a large plot of land, it is better to plant these crops in open ground in different places in the garden. If the plot is small, then they can be planted side by side, nothing bad will happen. The proximity of melons to each other will not affect the yield.

If you follow certain rules, you can get a good harvest of watermelons in your garden or dacha. This crop requires long and warm summers. You can plant watermelons in open ground in all regions of Russia, with the exception of Siberia.

Care striped berries should include watering, thinning, fertilizing, loosening the soil and pruning. Watermelons are susceptible to diseases such as powdery mildew, olive spot, and rot. In case of infection, watermelons are treated with fungicidal preparations.

Features of growing different varieties

The plant is native to Africa. The culture belongs to the Pumpkin family. The stems of watermelon are thin and highly branched. They can be curly or creeping. They can reach 4 m in length. Young leaves have thick pile. Then they become rough, hard, and have an egg-triangular shape. In length from 7 to 23 cm. Inflorescences are female, male and hermaphroditic. They have a boat shape. The fruit is a berry with big amount seeds The flesh is usually pink or red, and the outer shell is green (usually with light stripes).

There are many varieties of watermelon, but they are all conditionally divided into 2 types - woolly watermelon and African tsamma melon (wild species).

All varieties are divided into 3 groups.

Early ripening ones include:

• Skorik.
• Victoria.
• Ogonyok.
• Dolby.
• Stabolite.
• Jenny.

The following are considered mid-season:

• Ataman.
• Couch potato.
• Top gun.
• Atey.
• Dumara.

The later ones include:

• Spring.
• Icarus.

Currently, even varieties have been bred in which the fruits have a lemon taste and the flesh is yellow. There are also hybrids with black skin.

The following varieties can be grown in the Moscow region:

1. 1. Skorik. The fruit is in the form of a ball weighing no more than 3 kg.
2. 2. Light. The harvest is stable, but small. Typically the weight is up to 2 kg.
3. 3. Crimson Sweet. Translated as “raspberry sugar”. Among the early ripening varieties, the fruits are the largest - up to 8 kg.
4. 4. Lazy. Fruits up to 4 kg. They have a fairly long shelf life - up to 3 months. Thanks to this, you can enjoy this watermelon even on New Year’s Day.

In Siberia, watermelons can only be grown in greenhouses. They must be strong. Polycarbonate or glass are suitable. In addition, another feature of growing watermelons in Siberia is that only seedling method, but seeds cannot be placed in open ground.

The most suitable varieties of watermelon for Siberia are the following:

1. 1. Chill. Withstands low temperatures well. The variety is early ripening. The growing season takes no more than 100 days. Fruits weigh up to 7 kg. The pulp is juicy and sweet. Another advantage is the long shelf life of the berries - up to 1 year. It has good transportability.
2. 2. Ultra early. This variety is considered quite early ripening. Its growing season lasts up to 2.5 months. The pulp of the berries is sugary. They weigh 4-5 kg.
3. 3. Photon. This mid-early variety. It takes 80-100 days to ripen. The plant is not demanding on the soil, is resistant to diseases, the number of seeds in the berry is small, and the pulp is tender. The weight of the fetus is 3-6 kg.
4. 4. Charleston Gray. The variety is recognizable by the elongated shape of its large fruits. They weigh up to 10 kg. The culture is unpretentious in care.
5. 5. Siberian Lights. This variety was bred specifically for areas with harsh climatic conditions. The plant is resistant to low temperatures, lack of lighting and drought. The crop almost never suffers from fusarium. The bark of the berry is dark, without stripes. There are few seeds. Fruit weight - up to 4 kg.
6. 6. Siberian Giant. This is another variety that is bred for northern latitudes. Differs in frost resistance, large sizes(the fruit weighs up to 7 kg), long periods storage
7. 7. Ultra early ripening. The fruits are stored for a long time. The plant is resistant to powdery mildew and anthracnose. The culture is unpretentious in care.

Landing rules

Watermelons can be propagated through seeds and seedlings. The first option is suitable for regions with warm climatic conditions.

Sowing seeds should be done in the spring as follows:

1. 1. Select a site. The soil on it should have time to warm up to 13 0 C.
2. 2. Soak the seeds in clean water until the sprouts hatch.
3. 3. Make holes in the area. They should be 10 cm deep. The distance between the holes should be 1 m.
4. 4. Place fertilizer in the hole. It is recommended to mix humus with 1 tsp. ammophoska and 1 tbsp. l. wood ash.
5. 5. Place the seeds there and sprinkle with substrate.

The first shoots usually appear within 1.5-2 weeks. If you plant watermelon seeds in open ground in regions with a cold climate, you must wait until the end of May or the beginning of June. You can also plant under film - a kind of greenhouse. In this case, the harvest is obtained much earlier. Some people prefer to cover the space between the holes with black film. It attracts Sun rays, prevents the rapid evaporation of moisture from the soil.

Another method is seedling. It is suitable for northern regions.

Landing is carried out as follows:

1. 1. Prepare the substrate correctly. It is recommended to mix peat, fine sand and turf soil.
2. 2. Select pots. They should be large and wide. You need to make holes at the bottom to drain excess water.
3. 3. Place watermelon seeds in special containers. This is recommended to be done in late spring. Keep containers in a warm place with a temperature of about 30 0 C.
4. 4. Care for sprouts. Water the seedlings periodically. It is necessary to ensure that water does not get on the seedlings. If necessary, you need to turn on additional lamps to improve lighting.
5. 5. Carry out hardening. This should be done 2 weeks before planting the sprouts in open ground. It is necessary that they get used to such conditions. For this purpose, a container with planting material should be taken outside or onto the balcony for 1-2 hours. Gradually you need to increase the interval - add an hour every day.

Mandatory preliminary preparation area before moving the seedlings into open ground. The soil should be well heated and loosened. The place should be chosen with protection from strong winds and drafts. Watermelon seedlings feel best in areas where legumes, alfalfa, and cabbage were previously grown. You should not choose a place where eggplants, potatoes, tomatoes, bell pepper. Ideal option is sandy loam or sandy soil. It is necessary to add potassium compounds and superphosphate to it. If the soil is too heavy, then fine river sand is added to it.

Planting watermelon sprouts in open ground is as follows:

1. 1. Dig holes. The distance between them should be 1-1.3 m. 1.5-2 m should be left between the rows. It is recommended to place the sprouts in a checkerboard pattern.
2. 2. Deepen the seedlings into the holes and sprinkle with substrate. There should be shoots with leaves on top.
3. 3. Place sand near the seedlings. It will prevent diseases such as root rot.
4. 4. Water the seedlings.

In the future, all that remains is to take care of the culture.

Nuances of care

Watermelon care is as follows:

1. 1. Thinning the sprouts. As soon as they appear, some need to be pulled out - only the weak or sick ones. If healthy seedlings have sprouted too close to each other, they can be planted in different places.
2. 2. Watering. It should be timely and regular, once a week. For 1 sq. m of plot is required 3 liters of water. It should be poured not only at the root of the plant, but also in the places between the rows. It is best to use rain or settled water at room temperature. During hot weather, it is necessary to water the crop twice a week. When the fruits begin to appear, watering must be gradually reduced, and 2 weeks before the berries are picked, it should be stopped completely.
3. 3. Loosening the soil. This must be done the next day after watering. By loosening the soil, the roots gain access to oxygen. At the same time, you can remove weeds. The grass is not dangerous for watermelon, since its root system is quite branched. Weeding should be done carefully so as not to damage it.
4. 4. Feeding. The first time it should be carried out 2 weeks after planting the crop. To do this, use chicken droppings, mullein or ammonium nitrate. As for the last substance, you will need 20 g of product per 2 liters of water. This is enough for one bush. If you use mullein, you will need to prepare a solution in a ratio of 1:10. When using chicken manure, you need to make a solution in a ratio of 1:10. For each bucket of such solutions, it is necessary to add another 15 g of double superphosphate and the same amount of calcium chloride. The second time fertilizing should be done when the fruits begin to set. In this case, it is recommended to use superphosphate and ammonium nitrate. You can mix 4 g of calcium chloride and ammonium nitrate with 3 g double superphosphate. This is enough for 1 bush. Fertilizers are supposed to be applied in powder form, but then you need to water the crop. The mixture can be dissolved in water.
5. 5. Trimming. No more than 5-6 fruits should be left on one bush. They should be the largest and healthiest in appearance. The rest will have to be cut off, otherwise all the fruits will not be able to develop fully.

As for diseases, watermelon suffers from the following:

1. 1. Powdery mildew. A whitish appearance appears on the leaves. gray plaque.
2. 2. Peronosporosis. Also called downy mildew. Not only a gray coating appears on the leaves, but also yellow spots.
3. 3. Anthracnose. Pink-yellow pads form on the leaves.
4. 4. Olive spot. Irregular spots appear on leaves and stems. The latter also become corrugated.
5. 5. Bacteriosis. Oily patches appear on leaves and stems.
6. 6. Rot. It comes in root, black, white and gray. The cause is a fungus.
7. 7. Cucumber mosaic. The disease cannot be cured. A peculiar pattern appears on the leaves.

Although watermelon is considered an unpretentious crop, with improper care such diseases develop quite quickly. Fungicides control fungal infections. The plant cannot be saved from bacterial and viral infections. Among the insects that are dangerous to watermelon are cutworms, wireworms and melon aphids. Insecticides help with them.

" Watermelon

Many summer residents have probably been upset more than once about the unsuccessful cultivation of watermelons on their plots. You can enjoy the taste of ripe juicy berries if you take into account the advice of experts and experienced gardeners. In this article we will look at the question of whether it is possible to plant watermelons at home, how difficult it is to care for them, and how often you need to fertilize and feed them to get an excellent harvest.

Growing watermelon in your own garden is not as difficult as it might seem. In the open ground at the dacha, planting occurs in several ways:

• seed;
• seedlings

The technology of sowing directly into the garden bed is used mainly in warm regions of the country. As soon as the soil warms up to +12°C, preparation of seeds for planting begins. In more severe climate conditions, it is impossible to do without first growing seedlings. Otherwise, the berries set on the stem will not have time to ripen before the end of summer.

Watermelons in the garden

Collateral successful cultivation For watermelons in open ground, the correct choice of varieties is considered, the growing conditions of which correspond to the climatic characteristics of the region.

Before planting, you need to sort the seed by size, removing damaged and affected seeds. Calibration (sorting) involves dividing into groups according to size characteristics in order to ensure uniform growth of shoots. Otherwise, stronger sprouts will not allow smaller ones to develop.

There is another preparatory procedure used by gardeners in middle lane. This is scarification, the essence of which is to deliberately damage the surface of the seed to stimulate growth. Simply rub the spout on fine sandpaper. The main thing in this matter is not to overdo it.

An obligatory step is warming up the seed material. To do this, keep it in a thermos with hot water(+50°C) for about half an hour. Thanks to temperature effects all biochemical processes are accelerated.

Disinfection is considered an integral part of preparation. The material is kept in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for about 20 minutes. After this, all that remains is to dry it under natural conditions (do not use an oven or radiator).

The most popular watermelon varieties for planting in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus

When choosing watermelon varieties, preference is given to early and mid-ripening types. Regardless of where you are going to plant melons: in Belarus, Ukraine, Russia, you need to choose the type of watermelon that will be suitable and will have time to ripen in the given climatic conditions.

The duration of the vegetative period is 80-95 days. The average weight of the fetus reaches 5-7 kg. The flesh is deep pink in color, juicy with a characteristic sweetness reminiscent of honey. The skin is dark green with yellowish stripes, medium thickness. The plant is quite unpretentious and tolerates moisture well.

Vegetative period – 58-62 days, The average weight of the berry is 7-8 kg. To ensure conditions for rapid maturation, covering material is used. Large leaves and the spreading nature of the stem prevents the root system from sunburn. The hybrid is valued due to its high sugar content and the dense but delicate structure of the red pulp.

The fruit ripens in 75-85 days with an average weight of 10-11 kg. The plant is not very productive, but bears fruit consistently. The bright red flesh of the berry is juicy and crisp with a characteristic watermelon sweetness. The skin has a striped color and is thin. The variety is immune to diseases and moisture. The harvest is well preserved and transported.

The variety is an early ripening variety; the fruit ripens in just 65 days. The shape of the berry is elongated, the color is striped with alternating dark green and yellowish tones. On average, a watermelon weighs 12-14 kg. The red pulp is very juicy and tender with a high sugar content.

From the moment the seedlings are planted, the fruit ripens after 62-65 days, which classifies it as a mid-early species. The ten-kilogram berry has a round, slightly elongated shape with red flesh and an incredibly sweet taste. The plant is adapted to climatic conditions middle lane. Among other varieties, it is a leader in yield, marketability and preservation of fruits.

Rules for planting plants in open ground

Before planting seeds for seedlings at home, it is recommended to familiarize yourself with the features of growing watermelons in open ground. This will help to get a good harvest, taking into account climatic factors.

Selecting seeds for planting at home

The seeds must be healthy and without signs of damage. Experts recommend giving preference to hybrids that are characterized by immunity to many diseases, resistance to weather disasters, and a short growing season.

Preparation seed material includes the following stages: calibration, warming up and disinfection. Scarification is not a mandatory procedure.

Before sowing, you can lightly germinate the seeds by wrapping them in a damp cloth. After 1-3, a sprout will emerge from the spout. The main thing in the process is not to let the napkin dry out. After which you can sow them in the ground according to a certain pattern.

Preparing the soil for sowing

The culture does not tolerate transplantation well, therefore, the soil needs to be prepared for subsequent transfer with the sprout into the hole. To do this, soil with a loose structure is poured into a pot or other container. Melon plants develop well in soil enriched with humus and peat. Therefore, you need to fertilize it in advance. If the density of the earth is high, sand and peat should be added to it. Don't forget also about nutrients ah: superphosphate, wood ash, etc.

Planting: at what distance from each other should I plant seedlings in the ground?

Seeds are planted in open ground no earlier than the 20th of May, when warm weather sets in with temperatures ranging from +14°C and above. Seeds are sown for seedlings in the second half of April. In one pot with a diameter of 10 cm and a height of 12-14 cm, 2 seeds are buried by 3 cm. After germination, you need to leave a stronger sprout and remove the other one. The main conditions for good germination of the material:

• moderate watering;
• temperature regime+25-30°;
• absence of drafts;
• good lighting.

Under favorable conditions, shoots will appear after 6-8 days. Then the temperature drops to +18° until a shoot of 4-5 cm is formed. After removing the weak seedling, the regime can be increased to +25°.

At the time of transfer to the garden bed, the shoot should already have at least 4 leaves (age 30-35 days). 5-7 days before transplanting, seedlings need to be watered less and the temperature regime should be set not exceeding 20°.

It is better to transplant in the morning, so the pots need to be watered well in the evening. It is also advisable to treat the shoots with a 1% solution of Bordeaux mixture. The seedling is transferred to a hole with soil and buried down to the cotyledon leaves. The interval between bushes is 70-100 cm.

How to care after planting on the site?

Young shoots need protection, so after transplanting the bed is covered with film. You need to ventilate the shelter regularly to prevent condensation from forming. You can completely remove the protection in June.

Watering rules

Melon crops love moisture, but you should not overdo it with irrigation. It is enough to water the beds once a week. After the female flowers open on the plant, the hydration rate decreases. After the fruits are formed, irrigation work is not required.

Feeding and fertilizer for melons

After 12 days, the seedlings need to be fed with a nutrient mixture based on fermented mullein (10 parts water and 1 part manure). After another couple of weeks, a second complementary food is introduced with the addition of superphosphate (50 g per liter of solution), ammonium sulfate (15 g), and potassium sulfate (30 g) to the mullein.

Similar baits are used when growing seeds in open ground.

Reproduction

The crop is propagated by seeds. In nature this is promoted round form berries. After overripening, it opens and the seeds spill out along with the juice. Thrifty owners, eating delicious watermelon, wash the black grains in clean water and dry them. Store at room temperature in a dry place until next season, after which they are grown in seedlings or without seedlings.

How to properly grow melons in the garden: main mistakes

In order not to repeat the mistakes of other gardeners, it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with the most common ones.

• Giving preference to one variety or another, It is worth studying the ripening period of the berries. From mid-late and late species worth refusing, no matter what taste qualities they didn't have it.
• Often, seeds are planted deep into dense soil. In such soil the plant does not develop well. Clay or heavy soil must be diluted with sand and peat to make the structure loose. Seeds need to be sown at a considerable distance from each other.
• You should not choose an area overgrown with perennial weeds for melon planting. The weeds will choke the young shoots, preventing them from spreading and blooming.
• The opinion of some summer residents that watermelon loves partial shade is considered erroneous. Planting under trees and bushes will not allow the berries to ripen; the crop loves a lot of sun.
• Growing melons without treatments against pests and diseases casts doubt on obtaining a good harvest.
• The lack of nutrients in the soil reduces the fruiting period and the quality of the berries. The berry definitely needs feeding and fertilizer.

Pests and problems in growing watermelons

The crop is susceptible to the same diseases as cucumbers. This:

• peronosporosis;
• ascochyta;
• powdery mildew;
• anthracnose

When growing, the same preventive actions and processing as for the cultivation of pumpkin plants: Ordan, colloidal sulfur, Abiga-Peak, HOM, etc.

Harvesting watermelons

The following pests are considered dangerous:

• wireworm;
• meadow moth;
• scoops;
• sprout fly.

If the presence of insects or their metabolic products is detected, there is no need to delay treatment; most or all of the melon may be destroyed. If biological products do not give the desired effect after application, you should use chemical insecticides: Tantrek, Aktaru, Decis, Fufanon.

Proper harvesting

You need to pick berries from the garden at a certain time. If you do this too late, watermelon will not be stored for long. The gap between the first stage of maturity and full ripeness is only 5 days, so it is important not to miss this period. A properly harvested harvest does not lose the sweetness and elasticity of the pulp for a long time.

The following signs indicate the ripeness of fruits:

• drying out of the tail;
• formation of a clear pattern on the crust;
• disappearance of the bluish coating;
• Availability yellow spots on the surface of the berry;
• the smell is reminiscent of the aroma of freshly cut grass;
• When tapping, a ringing sound is heard.

A clue to the ripeness of the berries can be the approximate timing of fruit ripening:

• early varieties – 32-35 days;
• medium varieties - 40-45 days;
• late varieties - 50-53 days.

It is quite possible to grow delicious juicy berries on your own plot if you take into account all the nuances and rules. Even if you grow watermelons in Khabarovsk or Bashkiria. Watermelon culture, although unpretentious, still requires attention. Diligence and work will certainly be rewarded bountiful harvest with a record berry.

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 for nothing 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- 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: with unsuitable natural conditions The date for sowing seeds is postponed to the third ten days 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 seeding 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 arrange 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 further 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.

You can try to grow watermelons for years, but only those who know the peculiarities of the culture succeed in producing tasty, ripe fruits. From the article you will learn about the nuances of agricultural technology of this heat-loving plant.

Planting watermelons

Planting watermelons begins when the soil warms up to 15-17°C. On light soils, seeds are planted to a depth of 6-9 cm, and if the seeds are small - to a depth of 4-6 cm. Each plant should have 1-6 square meters of area - this depends on the variety, soil type and climate.

Before sowing, the seeds are soaked for 24 hours in water at room temperature so that the seedlings appear quickly and smoothly.

In the greenhouse

IN polycarbonate greenhouses you can create more comfortable conditions for watermelons than under open air. Sometimes watermelons in greenhouses are grown in a vertical culture, on trellises. You need to install supports in advance, even before sowing.

Before planting, dig up the soil along with fertilizers. The holes are marked at a distance of 40-50 cm from each other. The beds are spilled with water heated to 25 degrees and above. Two seeds are planted in each hole to a depth of 5-6 cm and covered with film on top.

In the first week after sowing, no care is required. When the temperature in the greenhouse rises above 30 degrees, the structure will have to be ventilated. In the future, caring for plants in a greenhouse is no different from caring for them in open ground.

In the open ground

Choose a sunny place for planting watermelons. So that the plants get more summer warmth, it’s worth planting them early. To do this, watermelons are grown as seedlings or the beds are preheated for several days, covered with black plastic film and watered with hot water.

The scheme for planting watermelons in open ground depends on the length of the vines of a given variety. Optimal distance between holes:

• short-climbing and bush varieties (Bonta, Coral, Gift of the Sun, Eureka) - 70x70 cm;
• medium-climbing varieties (Astrakhansky, Bedouin, Krimstar, Ogonyok, Shuga Baby) - 80x80 cm;
• long-climbing varieties (Pamyat Kholodova, Boston, Viking, Sprinter) - 150x100 cm.

Protect tender plants from the cold you can use next appointment: for each seedling place a trimmed five-liter plastic bottle, and from above the entire bed is covered with film on the arcs. Double shelter can save you from quite severe frosts. In the middle zone, watermelons can be sown under double cover not at the end of May, as usual, but in the first half of the month. Plants are kept under plastic caps until mid-June and removed when the leaves become crowded.

Watering

Watermelon is drought-resistant. Its roots have high suction power and are able to absorb moisture from the soil, even if there is little of it there. In addition, plants store water in succulent stems and fruits and can use it during critical periods.

At the same time, moderate irrigation in the first half of the growing season will benefit the plants. The first watering is carried out about a week after emergence, the water should be warm. There is no need to water during fruiting. When irrigated, watermelons significantly increase their yield.

How to fertilize

Watermelon does not need fertilizing if you properly fill the soil before sowing by adding half a bucket of humus and a half-liter jar of ash for each square meter under digging. An additional tablespoon of azofoska is sprinkled into each hole, mixed well with the soil, watered, and then either the seeds are sown or seedlings are planted.

Watermelon needs trace elements. Plants will be grateful for feeding microelements on the leaves at intervals of 2 weeks.

At night, watermelons should not be overcooled. In the cold, the roots of the plant stop working, and nature has arranged it in such a way that watermelon fruits grow at night. If the night promises to be cold, a film is thrown over the bed.

Watermelons are watered very carefully, using a hose or bucket, using the flooding method, trying not to wet the leaves and fruits.

Watermelons have an increased need for phosphorus, and among potassium fertilizers they prefer chlorine-free ones.

The crop is very susceptible to powdery mildew and anthracnose. For prevention, it is enough to spray the lashes once Bordeaux mixture before flowering.