How to plant watermelons and in what. How to plant a watermelon to get large, sweet fruits. Choice of variety and location
AND open field not associated with great difficulties. Some summer residents refuse to plant gourds, considering it inappropriate to borrow large area site. Meanwhile, these cultures get along well together and give excellent harvest subject to certain rules. On a compact garden plot there is no need to allocate a separate place for melons and watermelons, they can be planted side by side and enjoy 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 in one of the solutions:
- 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 bioadditives per 100 ml of water;
- "Zircon", the 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 increase crop yields. Soaking is carried out in a cotton bag, which is dipped 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 a little. If this did not happen, planting them in the ground does not make sense: the culture will turn out to be weak. When planting, 2 seeds are placed in each mold, in the future this will allow you to remove a weaker branch.
Simultaneous soaking and heating of seeds is better preparation to seedlings. Melons are watered only with water at room temperature, while making sure that it does not irrigate the leaves. Seedlings of gourds are quite capricious and require good lighting, heat and accurate watering.
Special soil is sold in stores, but you can cook it yourself. To do this, mineral fertilizer "Kemira universal" is added to suitable soil. For each pot, 1 teaspoon is enough, then the earth is well mixed. Seeds are buried to a depth of 2-3 cm and watered. Under favorable conditions, the first shoots appear on the 5-6th day, and after a week you can see the first leaf.
Planting gourds in covered ground is carried out at the end of May. By this time, the soil will already be warm enough, and frosts will not hurt root system. Previously, young plants are recommended to be hardened, for this they are taken out into the street at a temperature of 13-15 degrees or the air in the room is cooled to these figures. The best age of seedlings for planting is approximately 25-30 days.
The soil is tightened before planting plastic wrap, in which holes are cut for peat containers. This allows not only to protect heat-loving crops from low temperatures but also increases productivity. Fertilizers are additionally added to the wells: humus, ash or mineral additives. From above, the nutrients are covered with a layer of earth.
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 warm water. To prevent condensation, the greenhouse must be periodically ventilated. Watermelons and melons are quite sensitive to excess moisture, their seedlings can rot, and the fruits themselves grow watery and tasteless. If it gets colder outside, you should cover the soil and young shoots with a film, cotton cloth or paper.
At the time of planting gourds in the greenhouse, you can have time to harvest young cabbage, early radishes and greens. This will not only additionally warm the soil, but also save space.
Boarding order
The scheme of planting in open ground 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 decay.
When planting, the scheme and the distance between the rows are taken into account. It is usually recommended to plant in 2 rows, between which a piece of land 50 cm wide is left. The next planting of melons in the ground is carried out at a distance of 80 cm from the first rows.
Care for melons in the greenhouse
Caring for watermelons and melons is not particularly difficult and not too laborious. Young shoots can be covered with pruned 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 disembarkation, you can feed nitrogen fertilizer- urea or saltpeter, for this, 20 grams of the substance is diluted in 10 liters of water.
Caring for gourds consists in loosening the soil, watering and top dressing. It is necessary to ensure that after planting, weeds do not appear between the sprouts. Young plants are watered once a week, then it is allowed to do this twice a month.
Watermelons and melons are drought-resistant crops, they germinate in the southern regions, where there is no rain long time considered normal. When the first fruits appear, watering is stopped. Irrigate melons should be carefully, making sure that water does not get on the root part of the stem. Otherwise, the culture may be damaged by rot.
Every 2-3 weeks, the soil should be fertilized with mullein infusion and minerals. During feeding, a small handful of ash can be added to each well.
Artificial pollination in the greenhouse is carried out male flower, it is determined by its impressive size. The flower is plucked and applied to female flowers. Before pollination, the crop should not be watered so that excess moisture does not affect the quality of the pollen. Many gardeners attract bees to pollination: they open the doors of the greenhouse, put saucers with sugar syrup.
plant formation
As they grow, the stems are bred in different sides. In the future, they are tied to wooden or metal trellises.
To teach a good harvest, you must follow the rules.
- On melons stop the apical part of the stem. This procedure will be sufficient for early maturing varieties. Late-ripening varieties of melon are docked differently. In addition to removing the top, the side parts are also examined, their thickness and power are estimated. Young lashes are removed, leaving 3-4 strong branches.
- With watermelons will have to tinker. The cultivation of this culture is carried out in one stem, it is chosen according to the presence of shoots in the leaf axils. The stems on which there is no ovary are removed, the rest are pinched. When the culture grows above the size of the trellis, the apical lash is re-pinched at the level of the 4-5th leaf.
Features of growing in open ground
Before planting plants in open ground, you should decide on a place. Watermelons and melons prefer to grow in somewhat elevated, gently sloping areas that are well warmed up and lit. sunbeams. Here they grow better, bear abundant fruit and ripen early.
Care is carried out by loosening the soil, removing weeds and excess lashes. In the process of growth, several inter-row tillage is 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 top dressing.
Harvest watermelons and melons as they ripen. The ripeness of watermelons is determined by the drying of the tendrils in the axils of the leaves, the disappearance of haze and the appearance of shine, and the lightening of the skin of the fruit. If you knock on a watermelon, there is 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 from the soil 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, garter, bait. However, melons and gourds greatly impoverish the soil, and they can be planted in the same place only after a few years. To prevent this, watermelons and melons should be fed regularly. mineral fertilizers.
It is not recommended to collect seeds from watermelons and melons when they are planted together, since mutual pollination occurs. The result of such a hybrid may not be entirely palatable.
If you are the owner of a large plot of land, it is better to plant these crops in open ground in different places vegetable garden. If the plot is small, then they can be planted nearby, nothing bad will happen. The proximity of melons to each other will not affect the yield.
Watermelon and melon are associated with the taste of summer, and every gardener dreams of growing delicious fruits on his plot. Watermelon has long been used as a healing diuretic to cleanse the body. gourds thermophilic and grow in a warm climate, so for their cultivation and planting watermelons in the open field, you need to have special knowledge.
Be sure to find out in advance whether it is possible to plant gourds if a cucumber, pepper, pumpkin or zucchini grows nearby.
Melons belong to the gourd family. Cultures are very useful and contain a huge amount of vitamins. If you learn how to grow these plants correctly, you can get high yield delicious fruits.
Melon is quite suitable for "neighborhood" with watermelon. Plants tend to grow. It is not recommended to plant them too close together..
Melons are prone to infection with various identical diseases. Therefore, if you plant nearby, you need to understand the risks of spreading diseases from one culture to another.
Proper sowing of seeds for seedlings at home
Seeds for seedlings are planted approximately 60 days before planting in open ground. So, already in mid-March, the seeds should be bought. You can buy them at any specialized store or ask those who have already managed to grow a quality crop of watermelons and melons.
It is impossible to get a good harvest from the seeds of last year's watermelon. The best seeds to plant- 5 years ago. It is important to understand that only any early-ripening varieties with a ripening period of up to 70-85 days are suitable for our climate. It's better to prioritize hybrid varieties which are more adapted to adverse conditions.
When preparing seeds, you need to make sure that they are not empty. To do this, seeds are immersed in a container with water, Anything that comes up can be safely thrown away.. Watermelon seeds germinate more slowly than melon seeds. Therefore, it is recommended to scald watermelon seeds with boiling water, for better germination, and only then sow.
Preparation for planting and soaking
- Soak. Every separate view seeds need to be wrapped and soaked in cloth rags and maintain in a moist environment until germination. You can also soak in special napkins.
- If the seeds have already hatched, but there is no way to plant them in a timely manner, you can leave the seeds in the refrigerator.
Seeds germinated at home are planted in separate small pots with a diameter of 10 cm, preferably peat. The soil should be a mixture of: humus, sod land 3:1, add peat, sawdust, humus 3:1:0.5.
planted in each pot 2 seeds to the depth 5 cm. Moisten the soil with a sprayer. Cover container on top cling film and put in a warm place +25 degrees.
It will take 40-45 days to grow watermelon seedlings, and 30 days for melon.
- when the seeds germinate, transfer them to sunlight temperature +22 degrees. Remove the film;
- the best place for seedlings is a windowsill with south side Houses;
- a week after sowing, feed the seedlings with mineral fertilizers, and a week later - infusion of mullein with superphosphate.
Landing in open ground
When landing in open ground, you need to focus on climatic conditions, the selected variety of culture, the readiness of seedlings.
Soil selection
Before planting gourds in open ground, you need to choose a place for planting. exotic plants love sunny places where there is no shade and wind.
Melons and watermelons need rich soils, as well as those that can withstand moisture well. Perfect option- sandy and sandy loamy soil with a pH of 6-7 units.
Site preparation is carried out in the fall. When digging, 4-5 kg of manure is added per square meter, superphosphate 40 g, potassium salt 30 g. and ammonium sulfate.
Preparing seedlings of watermelons
When the seedlings appear 5-7 leaves, it is ready for transplanting into open ground. Best time – the end of May. However, one must focus on weather so that at night the air temperature remains +15 degrees.
A week before planting in open ground, seedlings must be taken out for hardening at a daily temperature of + 16 + 20 degrees.
Outdoor Planting Pattern - Depth and Distance
For planting in open ground, you must adhere to the following rules:
- Holes should be made in the garden at a distance 0.5-0.7 meters apart in a checkerboard pattern. Leave 70cm spacing between rows.
- Seedlings are placed in holes so that the surface remains only a few top leaves. The soil should be crushed and sprinkled with sand around to protect the plant from rot.
- Harvest after planting should be watered with summer or slightly warmed water.
- To protect a young plant from the scorching sun, it is necessary to close the sprouts for 2-3 days with moistened caps made of plastic or paper.
10-14 days after planting, you need to feed the crop with a solution of ammonium nitrate 20g per bucket of 2 liters for each bush. During the period when the buds appear, you need to feed melons with infusion of mullein.
Features of growing melons
To ensure free access of oxygen to the roots, the soil needs to be constantly loosen to a depth of 10 cm. With the development of lateral loops, spud the culture. In order for the plant not to spend all its strength on gaining mass during the growth period, you need to pinch the main stem. For the full development of melons, three shoots are enough.
When fruit ovaries appear, 2-6 of the strongest and largest specimens are left on the bush. To reduce the load on the whip, it is recommended to tie the fruits into nets and hang on a support. The fruits are placed on foil linings to prevent rotting.
If watermelons will be used for storage and transportation in the future, then it is better to take a berry not fully ripe.
Advantages of planting in open ground:
- in warm weather, you can achieve maximum ripeness fruits;
- daily watering of the culture is not necessary;
- it is possible to increase the yield if the basic rules for selecting soil and planting seeds for seedlings are observed.
Grow watermelons and melons suburban area is quite real. Some even grow them in bags or greenhouses. If you follow all the recommendations, then by the end of summer you can enjoy sweet, sugary fruits. The main advantage of growing melons in your garden is the absence of chemicals.
If you have long dreamed of growing watermelons on your own in a country house or garden in the open field, but did not know where to start, then this article should definitely help you! A minimum of rules and a little patience - and the work will be rewarded!
The content of the article:
A lot 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 who grow products increase the dose of pesticides and fertilizers in order to get a higher yield. Naturally, natural is much healthier and safer for our health.
Watermelons are very demanding on 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 will be considered (in morning time) and up to 25 degrees - in the daytime. As soon as the daytime temperature drops below 20 ° C, plant growth will slow down. Choose seeds that are not early maturing, but also not characterized by long maturation. Many summer residents praise the varieties of watermelons 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 stones are black.
Watermelon is drought-resistant due to its well-developed, powerful root system, but at the same time it does not tolerate shading.
Growing watermelons: what soils are suitable
For growing watermelon, sandy loamy soils are suitable, warming up in the sun and protected from strong winds. Absolutely unsuitable too moist land, with heavy texture and characterized by being near ground water. 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 sites every year - this is good for the soil: next year, it is better to plant corn or wheat in place of watermelons.
Before planting, the seeds should be soaked in water at a temperature of 50 ° C until they peck. After that, they are sown in open ground at a soil temperature of 12 to 14 ° C (end of the first decade 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, then the germination time increases, and the seedlings may simply die. This can also lead to the development of pathogenic flora in seedlings, which will further adversely affect their development during the growing season.
Hence the conclusion: with unsuitable natural conditions the sowing date of seeds is transferred to the third decade of May.
Each hole should be filled with ash (1 tablespoon) mixed with earth, humus and nitroammophos (1 teaspoon). In the future, this will increase yields by about 20%. The seeding depth is 5-8 cm. After sowing, mulch the soil surface with humus so that a crust does not appear, which can harm the seedlings when they emerge to 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 shelters with a film increase the temperature, thereby accelerating maturation by two to three weeks. In addition, with the help of such devices, you will protect plants from pests such as bugs.
You can arrange tunnel shelters with frames made of vines or wire rod. They are removed, as a rule, in early June, on a cloudy day, so that the plants cannot “burn out” under the scorching sun. Otherwise, they will weaken or become a source of infection for mass melons.
As for pollination, when grown under a film, it is carried out manually. To attract bees next to watermelons, you can plant honey plants or spray melons with a weak solution of honey or sugar.
During the cultivation of watermelons under the film, they are watered as they dry. After removing the shelters, watering should be stopped. In open ground, watering stops with the beginning of fruit set.
IN further care comes down to breaking through seedlings, loosening, weeding the soil, destroying weeds and top dressing. Don't let it thicken! Melons are very photophilous, 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 1 sq. meter had no more than three landings.
Tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, zucchini - these crops have long become familiar in our dachas. Caring for them has been brought to automatism for many, but the desire to grow watermelon in the garden can be confusing, since very few know how to care for watermelons. Meanwhile, there is nothing particularly difficult in this. With a little work and effort, you can get great results.
Watermelon. First meeting
Before delving into the secrets of agricultural technology, let's get acquainted with the culture that we want to settle on our site.
Watermelon is a member of the Pumpkin family. It is a herbaceous annual culture. Blossoms in the first half of summer, fruit ripening occurs from August to September. Formally, the fruit of the plant is a pumpkin. Depending on the variety of watermelons, they can vary significantly in shape and color. Fruits can be spherical, cylindrical, oval and flattened.
External color - white, yellow, pale or dark green. The surface may have a pattern consisting of stripes or spots. The pulp is sweet and juicy, pink, red and even yellow color. One plant can produce from three to six fruits of different weights. Minimum weight ripe watermelon approximately 2 kg, maximum - more than 25 kg.
Growing technology
To obtain decent harvest, you need to know exactly how to care for watermelons. Realizing what it is thermophilic plant, for him you need to choose the right place and time of disembarkation. best place there will be a bed on which beans, corn, peas or potatoes grew before. You can not plant in places where melons, cucumbers and pumpkins have ripened before. Soil preparation for cultivation should be done in the fall. With deep digging, humus, ammonium nitrate, superphosphates and potassium chloride are introduced.
Seed material does not require complex preparation. It is enough to select the largest seeds, dry them and warm them up a little. Early varieties watermelons are grown from seedlings, which are planted under a film at the end of May. The cultivation of late varieties works well from seeds sown at the end of April in warm holes of 3-4 pieces. The landing site should be sunny, with good protection from the wind. When it gets cold, young plants are additionally protected with a film or cardboard boxes.
Watering, feeding, care
Any summer resident understands that productivity greatly depends on how to care for watermelons. And because we want to rejoice good harvest, then we are engaged in regular loosening of the soil, removal of weeds, watering and fertilizing. The first top dressing is carried out within a week after planting the seedlings in the ground, then at intervals of 2 weeks.
The composition of top dressing includes superphosphates and ammonium nitrate, diluted with water. Proportions: 15 g of the first substance, 10 g of the second and 11 liters of water. Fertilizers should be applied to moist soil, after a while the plant should be washed clean water. Despite the high drought tolerance, watermelons are very fond of water. Watering watermelons is especially necessary during the formation of the leaves and stem of the plant. During the ripening of the fruit, watering is reduced so that the fruit gains sugar content faster.
watermelon greenhouses
How to care for watermelons in areas where the climate is not suitable for them open cultivation? The answer is simple: use the greenhouse method.
For greenhouse cultivation use seedlings that you can buy or grow yourself. To independently obtain seedlings, you will need pots with a diameter of 10 cm, the temperature in the room is at least 25 ° C. Plants are placed at a great distance so that the leaves do not touch. Saplings are fed with mineral fertilizers twice.
A greenhouse for watermelons must be at least 2 m high. Seedlings are planted at the end of May, when the threat of frost has completely passed. On the tenth day, the first garter is carried out. With the greenhouse method of growing, the plant is formed into one stem. To do this, when tying, the tips of the shoots are pinched, and the shoots without an ovary are removed. In addition, carry out a garter of fruits. Small fruits are placed in large nets and tied to a trellis.
Pinching watermelons in the open field
Correct pinching - main secret obtaining large sweet fruits. So, a novice gardener needs to understand how to pinch watermelons. If only the central stem needs to be formed in the greenhouse, then it is permissible to leave 3-4 full-fledged ovaries in the ground, and pinch other processes. This frees the stem from excess load, and the culture grows faster. It is necessary to pinch the upper kidney at the time of the formation of the sixth leaf on the stem. Before active fruit growth. If the fruits began to grow actively, then pinching is too late.
Harvest
Like any crop, watermelons are harvested as they ripen. It is possible to determine that the fruit has ripened by the shrunken tendrils in the axils of the leaves at the stalks. Another sign of ripeness is the appearance of a shine of the peel, the pattern and color are somewhat lightened, and a dull sound is heard when struck.
Probably, you rarely meet a person who would not like watermelons. However, not all of us have a plot to grow our favorite fruits and vegetables. This is the main reason why people are wondering how to grow watermelon at home.
Not everyone knows, but you can grow watermelons without using seedlings, but immediately in a permanent place. As a rule, seedlings are used in order to later transplant plants into a greenhouse. Garden How to grow watermelon outdoors
This is done so that the berry has time to ripen. And if we are talking about growing fruit at home, then this stage you can safely skip.
Basic steps to grow the most delicious watermelon on the planet
You should start by buying a sufficiently large capacity, because the watermelon has an extensive root system. For this, a box measuring 50x50x30 cm is perfect. You can make it yourself, for example, from wooden planks. If this is not possible, then you can always take a bowl or bucket. If the selected container is transparent, then it makes sense to wrap it with a dark-colored cloth. Such a measure is necessary so that the roots do not dry out and turn green. Container needs to be filled fertile soil with micronutrients.
You can buy it at any garden or hardware store. Fortunately, nowadays even in some supermarkets you can find such products, if, of course, there is a garden department there. Thirty days before you plan to plant a watermelon, you will need to lime the soil. This is necessary so that the acidity is about 6 pH.
Before planting the seeds, they must first be soaked for about ten minutes in water with a temperature of more than 100C. You need to keep it until the seeds begin to peck, after which they can be planted. Please note that it is impossible to separate the seeds in any case.
How many seeds to plant?
You don't need much, because they can all ascend. But three seeds will be the most the best option. Planting should be at a depth of about three centimeters. After the sprouts appear, you need to choose the strongest and leave it.
Plant placement
The best place is by the window
No better place than a window sill. You can, of course, just put it near the window, but at the same time the plant should receive a sufficient amount of light. However, do not forget that the frame cannot be left open, otherwise there is a risk of freezing the heat-loving plant. most the best temperature for maturation is the temperature in the range from +25 to +30 degrees. Until the fruit is formed, the plant will be considered a seedling. At night time optimum temperature will be about +18 degrees. When you notice that the fruits begin to set, you should not sharply lower room temperature. Leave it also at least +25 degrees. In addition, it should be remembered that moisture for watermelons is detrimental. It must be remembered that watering should be moderate, do not pour too much.
In three months you can harvest
As a rule, if watermelons are grown in a greenhouse, then it takes about three months. If we are talking about growing watermelon at home, then most likely it will take a little longer. If we are talking about growing at a time of the year when the daylight hours are less than twelve hours, then fluorescent lamps should be used. This is necessary to highlight the watermelon. Try to keep your lighting clearly directional. Let it illuminate the plant as much as possible. In addition, special reflective surfaces should also be used. Moreover, you should place them around the watermelon.
Vitamins and minerals for the plant
Like any other living creature, watermelon needs feeding. Try to do it certain scheme. The most common method is the primary feeding with phosphorus and nitrogen. Moreover, it is done in the same quantities. After you see that the fruits are tied, you should think about using top dressing, where there is a large amount of potassium. And at this moment, it is necessary to ensure that there is not so much nitrogen in the top dressing as at the initial stage.
It makes sense to install a support in the container, with which you can fix the shoots of your watermelon. The main stem, as a rule, is attached at a height of about one hundred centimeters. side shoots they are attached a little differently: they are attached so that a few leaves remain above the flower with the ovary.
After you notice that the fruits have formed, you do not need to leave everything. Two is enough, all the rest need to be pinched off, because there will be no point in them. They will only take all the juices and nutrients. If you leave more than two fruits, then they will all remain small. When you see that the fetus has reached a size of about ten centimeters in diameter, then it must be placed in gauze or mesh, after which it should be tied to a support. This is done to make it more durable.
By the way, when you grow watermelon at home, you should remember that it will not reach such huge sizes as when planting in a greenhouse. However, thinner skin will be a big advantage. Usually, growing watermelon at home, you can get a fruit weighing about a kilogram.
If you do not know which variety should be preferred, then stop at the seeds of such varieties as "Kaho", "Spark" or "Sibiryak". These varieties are the most unpretentious for growing at home.
If the first time you fail to grow the watermelon that you wanted or does not work at all, then you should not be very upset. Try again, just next landing It will be necessary to take into account the mistakes made and not repeat them again. Juicy and sweet watermelons to you!
