How to properly grow watermelons in open ground. Growing watermelons in open ground - from seed to ripe berry! Which watermelon seeds are best to plant?
" 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 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 watermelons in open ground are considered right choice varieties whose growing conditions correspond climatic features 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 the middle zone. This is scarification, the essence of which is to deliberately damage the surface of the seed to stimulate growth. Just rub your nose on sandpaper small fraction. 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. Due 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 growing season 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 spreading stems prevent 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 zone. 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 you get 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 of seed material includes the following stages: calibration, heating 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.
At 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 regularly ventilate the shelter 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 ripeness, it opens and the seeds spill out along with the juice. Thrifty owners, when eating a delicious watermelon, wash it in clean water black grains and dry them. Store at room temperature in a dry place until the 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. It is worth discarding mid-late and late species, no matter what taste they have.
- 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-Pik, 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 use, 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;
- the presence of 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 with a generous harvest of record-breaking berries.
Watermelon is a melon crop that grows reluctantly in northern and middle latitudes. Therefore, you need to buy seeds of zoned varieties. But they will also have to provide suitable conditions: loose semi-dry soil, lots of sun and warmth.
Sowing watermelons for seedlings
Sowing dates
Watermelons are grown by residents not only of the south, but also of the middle zone, Siberia and the Far East. For regions with cool and short summers, this melon crop cannot be grown without seedlings. The timing of sowing seeds depends on the selected variety, as well as on when the threat of return frosts passes in a particular region.
Watermelon seedlings are planted in a permanent place at the age of 30–35 days. Knowing the date of the planned planting, it is easy to calculate when you can start sowing. For example, if morning frosts in your region occur until mid-May, then you need to sow a month earlier plus a week (for soaking and germination), we get the beginning of April.
When to sow if watermelons grow in a greenhouse?
Planting in a greenhouse or unheated greenhouse, rather than in open ground, has almost no effect on the above calculations. If you plan to plant under cover, you can sow a week earlier, but after planting the seedlings you will have to monitor the weather and weather forecasts. The fact is that watermelons do not grow or develop at temperatures of +16 ⁰C and below. And if there are many cloudy days, when the sun does not warm up the greenhouse and it is impossible to ventilate, then the seedlings may get sick and die. In addition, during freezing (at night and in the morning) under film or agrill, the temperature is not much higher than outside. Therefore, the seedlings will have to be additionally covered inside a greenhouse or greenhouse.
But in summer, watermelons feel better under waterproof covering materials, since there they are protected from prolonged rains and cold winds. On sunny days, the shelter is much warmer, and the fruits grow larger and sweeter than in open ground.
Optimal conditions for watermelons: temperature - +25... +30 ⁰C, humidity - 50–60%. Watermelon is a light-loving crop; in cloudy weather, development stops.
Choosing a container for seedlings
Watermelons do not tolerate picking; it is very difficult to take root in a new place if their roots are disturbed. Therefore, each seed is sown in an individual pot or glass in which the watermelon will grow until planting. The size of the cup is 10 cm in depth and the same in diameter. Moreover, the container should be such that the watermelon can be removed from it along with a lump of earth without exposing the roots. Pots made of peat or compressed paper are ideal; seedlings are planted directly in them without removing them.
You cannot grow watermelons in peat tablets. This is compressed peat that does not contain any nutrients. Peat tablets designed for germinating seeds of those crops that require picking.
What kind of soil do watermelons need?
Watermelon loves loose, moderately dry and neutral soil. Therefore, on sandy and sandy loam soils, the crop develops faster and produces rich harvests. The soil for seedlings must be prepared in accordance with these preferences. You can use ready-made soil for cucumbers or make a mixture of equal parts: river sand, humus, turf soil. Before sowing, the soil must be spilled with boiling water or heated for 10 minutes in the microwave. A sign of successful disinfection is that the earth should float.
Video: Biologist's advice on using containers for seedlings and preparing soil mixture
Seed preparation
Often store-bought seeds are already treated with fertilizers and fungicides against diseases. In this case, soaking and germination are not necessary. It is better to germinate untreated seeds to be sure of their germination. Then, after sowing, a sprout will definitely appear in each glass. To do this, watermelon seeds are first soaked in a growth stimulator. The most common is Epin Extra (4 drops per 1 liter of water). It not only promotes the speedy awakening of the plant embryo, but also softens the seed shell.
Watermelon seeds are kept in Epin solution for 12 hours, and then laid out between two damp cotton pads. Place such a structure in a disposable Plastic container with a lid or on a saucer, which is wrapped in a plastic bag. For rapid emergence of seedlings, a temperature within - +25… +30 ⁰C is needed. After 4-5 days, the seeds should germinate and you can start sowing.
If you have to sow ungerminated watermelon seeds, then to soften their shell, when planting, the soil along with the seed is watered with hot water (+50... +60 ⁰C).
Stages of sowing watermelon seeds for seedlings
Video: How to sow watermelon seeds plus the idea of a greenhouse on the balcony
Caring for watermelon seedlings at home
Temperature and lighting
As soon as the shoots appear, they are transferred for 3–5 days to a sunny and cool place (+18… +20 ⁰C). The temperature in the following days and before disembarkation is +20… +25 ⁰C. Even on a south-facing window, watermelons can stretch out, because the weather does not always please us with sunny days. Therefore, you need to be prepared to highlight the seedlings. In addition, the pots are turned to the glass with the other side every day.
Watering
In addition to warmth and light, watermelons need moisture. Watermelons are watered rarely, but abundantly, soaking the entire lump of earth, but not getting on the leaves. The signal for watering is when the top layer of soil dries to a depth of 1–1.5 cm. Watermelons love dry air, so there is no need to spray them.
The watermelon root is long and adapted to extract water from the lower layers of the soil.
The water should be settled and warm. It is better to keep it in the same place where the watermelons grow, so that there is no temperature difference when watering. The soil in pots is always kept loose.
Feeding
During the entire seedling period, watermelons are given only 1–2 feedings. The first one, a week after germination, is needed if the plants receive enough light and heat, but grow poorly, the real leaves grow slowly, they are small. This means that the soil taken for planting turned out to be poor and has few nutrients. The second feeding is done a week before planting in a permanent place, so that the seedlings gain strength and can more easily withstand stress.
Feeding watermelon seedlings - table
Fertilizers are applied after watering, on damp soil. Approximately 1-2 tablespoons are poured into each pot.
Photo: Fertilizers for feeding seedlings
Complex fertilizer Fertika Lux (powder) Agricola Forward - concentrate for feeding seedlings 
Uniflor Rost - fertilizing for the rapid development of green mass
Hardening
If watermelons continue to grow in open ground, then hardening is necessary. The seedlings are taken out onto the balcony or a window is opened. You cannot immediately expose young watermelons to straight Sun rays and wind. For the first “walk”, choose a shaded and protected from the wind place. Gradually intensity and time sunbathing increase from 15 minutes to the whole day.
On outdoors The soil in pots dries out faster, which means you will have to check its condition and water it more often.
Problems with seedlings and solutions - table
| Problem | Cause | Solution |
| Seeds cannot shed their shells | The seeds are sown finely or the seed is weak, underdeveloped | Moisten the shell with water several times a day; the watermelon will shed it on its own. Do not pull the dry shell with your hands; the seedling may die. |
| Uneven shoots | The seeds were sown at different depths, covered with heavy soil on top, and a crust formed. | Use loose soil for watermelon seedlings and sow the seeds at the same depth. |
| The seedlings died, the stems darkened close to the ground | The seedlings got sick with black leg. Among the reasons: excessive watering, contaminated soil, cold windowsill. |
|
| The seedlings stretched out | Not enough light or nutrients |
|
| Pests have appeared | Aphids or spider mite can switch to watermelons from indoor flowers or from the ground in which they overwinter. |
|
| Leaves turn yellow | Not enough power | Feed with Agricola, Fertika Lux or Uniflor. |
| Colorless (white) spots on leaves | Seedlings that are taken out of the room into bright sun for the first time often get sunburn. | Start hardening on a cloudy day or shade the watermelons, for example, with paper. On the windowsill, the leaves of the seedlings should not touch the glass. |
| White mold on the soil surface | There are mold spores in the air of any room. It develops in waterlogged soil with a lack of ultraviolet rays. | Loosen, sprinkle the ground with crushed coal, wood ash, spray with a weak solution of brilliant green (1 drop per 1 liter of water). |
When to plant watermelons in a permanent place?
The main rule for a gardener is to plant seedlings in the evening or on a cloudy day. Watermelons should be well watered 3-5 hours before. Of course, there should no longer be frost in the morning. A temperature favorable for watermelons is required: during the day +20... +30 ⁰C, at night not lower than +16... +18 ⁰C. The seedlings are shaded for the first 2–3 days.
Video: What should seedlings look like when planting, plus how important it is not to damage the watermelon root
Watermelon is a capricious crop. It is worth studying its features before you start growing seedlings. So, the roots are very sensitive to transplantation, and water and nutrition are taken from the depths. The above-ground green part needs a lot of light and warmth. But you can’t expose the seedlings too harshly to the sun. To get a good harvest of watermelons, you need to try not only when growing in a permanent place, but also at the seedling stage.
Many people believe that watermelons require very painstaking care and special growing conditions. This is not entirely correct. Let's take a closer look at how to grow a watermelon on your own summer cottage.
How to plant watermelons: choose a place and prepare the soil
The place for planting watermelon should be on the south side, away from bushes, trees and fences - this crop will not bear fruit if it grows in the shade.
Sandy loam soil is the most suitable option. It is very good if tomatoes, grain crops, corn or potatoes grew in this place the previous year.
As for the soil, you should remember that the root system of the watermelon goes quite deep into the ground, so you need to add a large number of fertilizers of organic origin into the soil before planting watermelon, namely:
- Humus (about 2-3 kg per plant),
- Neutral peat (about 7 kg per 1 sq.m.).
Mineral fertilizers can also be used, the most commonly used are the following:
- Urea (30-40 g per 1 m2);
- Superphosphate (30 g per 1 m2);
- Potash fertilizers (20 g per 1 m2).
Exceeding the dosage of these substances will provoke abundant growth of greenery to the detriment of fetal growth, so you should strictly adhere to the recommended amount.
Choosing watermelon seeds
Watermelons are sorted into three types depending on the time of their ripening.
- Early ripening varieties such as Atlant, Au - producer, Borchansky, Borisfen, Gloria F1, Darunok, Crimson, Knyazhich, Ogonyok, Sugar Baby, Royal, Tulip, Orbiy f1 (usually in the form of seedlings).
- Mid-season varieties: Astrakhansky, Melitopolsky 60, New Year's, Ryasny, Snezhok, Sichelav, Tavriysky, Tselnolistny.
- Mid-late variety - Chill.
It is strongly recommended to warm the seeds well before planting. This can be done in artificial conditions: watermelon seeds are poured onto dry gauze and placed on a warm heating battery, over 4 hours the temperature should gradually increase from plus 15 to 50 degrees. Celsius. It is very important to constantly stir the seeds so that they heat evenly.
Under natural conditions, you can warm up the seeds by placing them in the open sun for 7-10 days.
Next, you should soak the watermelon seeds in a slightly warm solution of potassium permanganate for 20 minutes and wash them 3-4 times with running water. Then the seeds are placed in gauze and left in a warm place where the temperature reaches plus 20-30 degrees. Celsius. We are waiting for the first seeds to begin to hatch.
How to plant a watermelon
Growing watermelon in open ground.
It is worth sowing watermelon seeds in open ground when 10% of the total number of seeds hatch.
Do not rush too much; it is very important that the soil on the site warms up to plus 12-14 degrees. Celsius at a depth of 10 cm (usually mid-April - May).
If the seeds do fall into soil that has not yet been properly warmed up, they will easily lose their germination capacity.
As watermelons grow, they form lash-stems from one to 2 meters long, so they should be planted at an appropriate distance from each other. And in the rows make an indent of 60-80 cm, respectively.
If the soil is very dry, before planting, pour 2 liters of water into each hole (10-12 cm), then lightly sprinkle the hole with soil so that its depth reaches only 4 cm.
So, we planted watermelons. It is very important to place “beacons” in the form of sticks that mark the rows, so that long before the first shoots appear, you can cultivate the soil and do weeding.
During the period of abundant foliage growth, it is necessary to fertilize watermelons. For 10 sq m you will need the following solution:
- 10 liters of water,
- Ammonium nitrate or urea - 150 g,
- Granulated superphosphate - 60 g,
- Potassium salt - 50 gr.
Fertilizing should be done immediately after rains.
- Avoid fertilizers during fruit ripening to protect them from cracking and deterioration in transportability.
- If you want to speed up the ripening process and increase the amount of harvest, try covering the planted watermelons with agrofibre, and then making holes for the sprouted seeds. Agrofibre is left on the surface of the earth until the end of the plant’s growing season, then carefully removed.
- Watermelons should be watered strictly once every 7 days, so as not to provoke the formation of rot.
- Yellowed parts of the plant should be removed promptly.
An alternative way to grow watermelons
It also happens that climatic conditions and the area of dacha beds do not give us the opportunity to grow watermelon without preliminary preparation.
When to plant watermelon seedlings?
You can plant watermelons as seedlings, and after 20 days plant them in a greenhouse or open ground.
It is worth remembering that all pumpkin plants do not tolerate replanting well, so they should be planted in fairly large containers so that they can be replanted along with a large amount of soil.
So, pots measuring 8*8*8 cm and other containers available on hand are quite suitable for seedlings.
We prepare a universal mixture for planting. Mix humus, peat and turf soil in a ratio of 2:1:1. Next, add 300 grams of superphosphate and 100 grams of wood ash to the resulting mixture per 10 kg of mixture. Divide the mixture into pots and water it 3 days before planting the seeds.
Watermelon seedlings should be planted at the end of April; in this case, after 20-25 days they will be ready for transplanting into a greenhouse or open ground.
We try to maintain the soil temperature in the pots at least 15 degrees, it is also required good lighting, approximately 15 hours a day.
Watering is carried out at the request of the plant - when the soil is almost dry, otherwise there is a possibility that the seedlings will deteriorate due to high humidity and development of blackleg.
Feeding seedlings in pots
For 10 liters of water you will need:
- Ammonium nitrate - 20 g,
- Superphosphate - 35 g,
- Potassium sulfate or chloride - 30 gr.
Fertilizing is done 3-4 days before planting watermelons in the ground; we use 1 cup of fertilizer (250 ml) for each pot.
When the average daily air temperature has reached 11-12 degrees, we transplant the watermelons into a greenhouse or open ground.
- Carefully loosen the soil before planting.
- The distance between seedlings in rows is 30-40cm, between rows - 60-70cm.
- It is advisable to plant watermelons in the evening so that they do not dry out.
- The holes are pre-watered with water.
- After planting, it is recommended to tightly close the greenhouse, thereby increasing the chance of good seedling survival.
- If you planted watermelons in open ground, you can create a greenhouse effect using improvised means - cut in half plastic bottle and cover each part with 1 seedling.
- During the first week, you will have to water the seedlings every other day, pouring 0.5 liters of water under each plant. If it's very hot outside, try to water your watermelons daily.
- After 7-10 days, watermelons begin to grow quickly, it’s time to feed and reduce the amount of watering - 1-2 times a week is enough.
- Try to get rid of yellowed parts of the plant in a timely manner.
Caring for the ripening harvest
The harvest begins to ripen in August. It is very important to turn watermelons once a week. bottom side towards the sun - this way they will ripen evenly.
If the weather is humid, try to place small planks under the watermelons to prevent the crop from rotting.
Stop watering the plants only 3-4 days before the expected harvest. The idea that watermelons will be tasteless due to excess moisture is a fiction. For a watermelon to be truly tasty and ripe, it needs a lot of sun and water!
Bottom line
Perhaps, we have considered all the main points that you should know about when growing watermelons in your dacha. Your efforts will definitely be rewarded, and you will certainly get a good harvest of watermelons!
The fruits of watermelon are known and loved by everyone; they remind many of the “taste of summer”, so some summer residents try to grow this crop in their summer cottage. The watermelon plant is an annual and belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family, the genus Watermelon. Africa is considered the birthplace of this famous culture. The first mentions of the fruits of this plant are found in the chronicles of the ancient Egyptians and Romans. Various sweets were prepared from it, including honey drinks. In addition, watermelons, given their diuretic properties, were also used for medicinal purposes to naturally cleanse the body. Today, this crop is grown on other continents. The plant does best in warm climates with long summers and short winters. Next, we’ll tell you in more detail about how to properly plant watermelons in your summer cottage.
The characteristics of the culture are as follows:
Watermelon propagation
Cultivation is carried out in several ways:
Planting watermelon seedsLet's take a closer look at how to plant watermelon seeds. If the crop is planned to be grown in regions with a warm climate, then the planting material can be immersed immediately into the soil without prior preparation. The procedure for planting watermelon seeds is as follows:
If planting a crop is carried out in regions with a cold climate, then it is better to wait until the end of May or the beginning of June to sow seeds. How to plant watermelons using the seedling method
The procedure for planting watermelon in seedlings is as follows:
Watermelon: planting scheme in open ground
The procedure for planting watermelons in open ground:
Planting watermelon in a greenhouse
The procedure for planting watermelons in a greenhouse is as follows:
Watermelon care
The procedure for caring for watermelon is as follows:
Diseases and pests of watermelonTypes of diseases and pests
Watermelon, in principle, is considered quite unpretentious plant, and with proper soil cultivation and planting material practically not susceptible to diseases. However, if mistakes were made during sowing and care, problems may arise. Most often, melons in general, and watermelon in particular, suffer from the following diseases:
In addition to diseases, insects can harm watermelon. Mostly problems are caused by different kinds aphids (especially melons), wireworms, cutworms. Let's tell you in more detail:
Pests and diseases of watermelons are controlled by spraying plants and planting material with various medications. Various fungicides are used to prevent diseases:
Each drug is aimed at treating a specific disease, so it is better to carefully read the instructions before use. In addition to treating diseases, you can focus your efforts on preventing them:
Used for pest control various methods, which depend on the type of insect:
Watermelon varieties
Currently, there are a large number of varieties of this berry. Culture is divided into two types:
All cultivated varieties of watermelon are divided into several groups:
The choice of one group or another depends on the planting zone and climatic conditions. Early ripening (early) species include the following varieties:
Mid-season varieties:
The group of late types of watermelon is represented by the following varieties:
The selection process does not stand still and now varieties have been developed with yellow flesh that has a lemon taste, as well as hybrids with black peel. Watermelons, the pulp of which does not contain seeds, are very popular. How to plant a watermelon: video |
