Thanks to hardy and early ripening varieties, even residents of the Non-Black Earth Region can grow watermelons in the open field today. We will learn how to plant watermelons, what are the planting options, and how to care for melons?
Features of growing watermelons in the open field
When growing watermelons outdoors, the main factor is the temperature of the environment, the length of summer and the number of sunny days per year. If you plant a variety with a long growing season in a region with a short summer, it simply will not have time to ripen before the cold weather begins.
What to look for when choosing a variety?
Once watermelons grew only in the warmest regions of the Russian Empire, today this culture conquers not only the Moscow region, but also Siberia, the Urals. For each region and climate, its best varieties of watermelons have been bred and zoned.
When choosing a variety, take into account:
- frost resistance of the variety and the climate in the region;
- requirements for soil and other growing conditions;
- ripening terms.
Regionality and climate
Long-growing varieties are suitable only for southern regions. In cooler areas, only early maturing varieties can be grown with a growing season of 70-90 days.
To make it easier for gardeners and large farmers to choose watermelons suitable for growing in their region, all varieties were divided into several groups. Groups of varieties by geography:
- Russian;
- Western European;
- Little, Central and East Asian;
- Transcaucasian;
- far eastern;
- American;
- indian;
- Afghan.
For middle latitudes, watermelons of the Russian, less often Central Asian or Transcaucasian group are suitable. These varieties are distinguished by their increased ecological stability, which allows them to maintain productivity in stressful situations.
Our melon growers often plant imported hybrids - they are usually beautiful, tasty, productive, hardy, and highly marketable. The disadvantage of imported hybrids is high requirements for care, so amateurs should better not get involved with their cultivation.
Features of cultivation in different climatic zones:
- Transbaikalia. Early ripening varieties are grown here in seedlings. Seedlings are grown in peat cups. The planting is carried out around the end of May - they are waiting for the soil to warm up. Seedlings should have 3-4 leaves. Growing features:
- seedlings are hardened for 7 days at a temperature of + 15–17 ° C;
- grow watermelons in high beds;
- the beds are covered with a film stretched over arcs.
- South of Russia. Here the seeds can be sown directly into the ground - the climate allows it. Planting time is from late April to early June.
- Bashkiria. It is colder here than in the Moscow region, frosts are possible until June. Planting of seedlings in May, planting is covered with foil. Only early varieties are planted so that they have time to ripen before the cold weather. Growing features:
- Watermelons are planted with seedlings. If seeds are sown in the ground, then the soil is mulched and covered with foil.
- A thermal sleeve is laid in the film tunnel.
- Center of Russia and the Urals. Only the seedling method is practiced here. Seedlings are planted in late spring. Growing in greenhouses is also used. Only early varieties are grown.
- Northwest region. It seemed that growing watermelons here was fantastic. Today they are grown even in the Murmansk region and Karelia. Growing - greenhouse, varieties - early.
- Far East. The seedling method is practiced. The difference between local agricultural technology is planting on high beds. This is done because of the heavy rains that often occur here in the second half of summer.
The presented video tells from A to Z about growing watermelons in the open field:
Recommended varieties of watermelons for different regions:
Region | Recommended varieties | Note |
Central regions and the Urals | Sibiryak, Skorik, Ogonyok | Early varieties with a small mass of fruits |
Far East | Ogonek, Early Kuban, Skorik | Early and mid-season varieties |
Bashkiria | Sorento F1, Crimson Sweet, Earthling, Top Gun F1 | Early and mid-season varieties with a short growing season. Weight - 4-6 kg. |
Southern regions | Ataman F1, Gift of Kholodov, Astrakhan, Volzhanin, Spring bush 334, Chill, Black Prince, Delight, Jubilee | Varieties with different ripening periods and low frost resistance. They are large and sweet. |
Transbaikalia | Spark, Sugar baby, Ultra-early ripening watermelon. | Small varieties, weight of watermelons - 1.5-2 kg. |
All regions | Skorik, Suga Baby, Honey Giant, Sparkle, Prince Albert F1, Sugar Baby, Williams F1, Gift of the Sun | These are versatile varieties that are suitable for growing in all regions. |
Seed quality
After the variety is selected, seeds are bought. If they turn out to be dissimilar, infected with any diseases, defective, then there may be no harvest at all.
Seed Selection Tips:
- Buy seeds harvested 2-3 years ago. Plants with male flowers will grow from freshly harvested seeds, while fruits emerge from female flowers.
- Test the seeds for germination. Put 5 g of table salt in 100 ml of water. Dip the seeds in saline. Wait a few minutes. Throw out the floating seeds - they are unusable. Thoroughly rinse and dry those that remain on the bottom.
Seedling quality
To get good, high-quality seedlings, they are grown under certain conditions, fertilizing and hardening are carried out. The order of growing seedlings of watermelons:
- The optimum temperature for germinating seeds is around 30 ° C. Under such temperature conditions, the seeds germinate on the 6th day.
- As soon as the seeds germinate, the temperature is immediately lowered to 18 ° C.
- Two days of seedlings are given for adaptation, then weak seedlings are removed from the containers, leaving the strongest.
- The temperature is increased to 20-25 ° C. At night, it is lowered to 18-20 ° C. In this mode, seedlings are grown for about three weeks.
- Seedlings are provided with high-quality lighting so that they do not stretch out. In the dark, special lamps are used. The room is regularly ventilated, avoiding drafts.
- After 10-12 days, the seedlings are fed with a solution of fermented mullein (1:10). After 14 days - the second feeding. The seedlings are again watered with mullein solution, but this time superphosphate (50 g), potassium sulfate (30 g), ammonium sulfate (15 g) are added for each liter.
- A week before planting in the ground, the seedlings are hardened. Reduce watering. The last days of the seedlings are spent in an outdoor greenhouse. Before planting, the seedlings are sprayed with Bordeaux liquid 1%.
The best varieties of watermelons with characteristics
In watermelons, melon growers appreciate the totality of all the qualities on which the profitability of their cultivation depends:
- yield;
- the size and taste of the fruit;
- marketability;
- keeping quality;
- endurance - frost resistance, drought resistance, immunity to diseases;
- exactingness to growing conditions and other factors.
Those varieties that show themselves well in the Kuban may give unsightly fruits in the Moscow region or not ripen at all. Therefore, the decisive factor when choosing a variety for cultivation is zoning.
Popular varieties of watermelons in Russia:
Variety | Description |
Gift to the North | Ripens in 75-85 days. The fruits weigh 10-11 kg. The yield is average, but stable. The pulp is juicy and crispy, sweet. Differs in high immunity, well stored and transported. |
Skorik | Ripens in 62-87 days. Weight - 2-4 kg. The pulp is sweet, with a honey flavor. |
Sugar Baby | The growing season is 75-80 days. Average weight - 4-6 kg. Sweet, with good taste. |
Pink champagne | Vegetation - 80-90 days. Average weight is 5-7 kg. The pulp is juicy, with a honey flavor. The variety is unpretentious, tolerates dampness well. |
Twinkle | Ripening - 70-80 days. Small fruits - up to 5 kg. Thin crust. The pulp is granular. Good resistance to temperature drop. |
Libya F1 | Ripens in 65 days. Weight - 10 kg. The shape is a little elongated. The pulp is red, very sweet. It is very yielding, well kept, is marketable. |
Chill | Medium late variety, ripens in 85-95 days. Fruits are medium-sized, up to 5 kg. Strong rind, sweet and juicy flesh. High keeping quality. |
Turbo F1 | Ultra early hybrid. Ripens in 55 days. Weight - 9-15 kg. Delicious pulp. |
Catherine F1 | Vegetation - 60 days. Average weight - 7-8 kg. The hybrid is appreciated for the sugar content and tenderness of the pulp. |
Ataman F1 | The growing season is 70-85 days. The fruits are elliptical, the pulp has a rich sweet taste. Weight - 3-16 kg. |
Seed preparation for sowing
Seeds pre-selected and tested for germination are prepared for planting. In order to get strong and healthy seedlings, it is recommended to prepare the seeds before planting.
Preparatory activities:
- Disinfection. This procedure is aimed at preventing disease. The seeds are immersed in potassium permanganate (concentration 0.5-1%) for half an hour. Then it is dried by spreading it out on a cloth.
- Warming up. The seeds are kept for half an hour in water heated to 45 ° C. After this procedure, the seeds germinate better. The main thing is not to overheat them. The second option is to heat the seeds in the sun for a week. The heated seeds are immersed in Tsitovit or Zircon (2 l - 1 ampoule).
- Scarification. The essence of the procedure is piercing the seed coat. Germination is accelerated at times. The procedures are carried out 2-3 weeks before sowing.
- Soaking in a nutrient solution. To increase the yield, the seeds are soaked in a solution of trace elements. The solution contains manganese, boron, molybdenum. The concentration of the solution is 0.05. The exposure time is 16 hours.
- Germination. To make the seeds sprout faster, they are germinated by wrapping them in a wet cloth. Ambient temperature - + 20-25 ° С. The fabric is regularly moistened - it should not dry out. During the day, the top layer is removed several times - for airing. As soon as sprouts appear, sowing work begins.
Site selection and soil preparation
The size and taste of future watermelons depend on the quality of the soil - its structure and fertility. This crop is very sensitive to growing conditions, so preparation for planting begins with choosing a suitable site and fertilizing it.
Features of site selection:
- The soil... Watermelons grow best on light, loose and fertile soils. Fruits grown on virgin sandy loam chernozems are especially good. Sandy and sandy loam soils enriched with humus are suitable. Clay soils are less preferred.
- Predecessors. Watermelons grow well after onions, tomatoes, rye and winter wheat, root crops, crucifers, oat-pea mixture. It is impractical to grow watermelons after the watermelons themselves.
- Growing conditions. Good illumination and wind protection.
Soil preparation:
- In early autumn, they dig up the soil and bring in rotted manure.
- Spring seedbed harrowing - in March-April, prevents moisture evaporation. Also, during the mass cultivation of watermelons, three-fold deep loosening and shallow "sharovka" are carried out.
- Application of mineral fertilizers. For 1 sq. m make:
- urea or ammonium nitrate - 30 g;
- superphosphate - 30 g;
- potash fertilizers - 20 g.
- Correction of soil acidity. In acidic soils (pH below 6) there is an excess of iron, manganese and aluminum. Plants stunted and die due to soil toxicity. In saline soils (pH above 7.5), there is a shortage of boron, iron, manganese, phosphorus, zinc, and copper. Fruits crack and rot. Useful tricks to improve soil pH:
- the introduction of chalk, crushed eggshells or ash (at least 0.5 kg of ash is added per 1 sq. m);
- selection of good predecessors;
- growing green manure;
- fertilizing the soil with manure in the fall (in the spring, manure attracts a bear).
An excess of fertilizers when growing watermelons negatively affects the quality of products - greens are actively growing, and nitrates are concentrated in the pulp of the fruit.
Planting: step by step instructions
In the southern regions of Russia and in the Black Earth Region, watermelons can be grown by sowing seeds in the ground. In other regions, the culture is planted with seedlings - in open ground or in greenhouses. Consider both planting methods.
Planting watermelon seeds in open ground:
- Plant the seeds when the soil warms up to 12-15 ° C.
- Prepare rows for planting seeds. Plant the seeds at 70-150 cm intervals - bushes need a lot of room to grow. For especially spreading varieties, intervals of about 2 m are needed. The row spacing is 1.5 m.
- Prepare holes for planting. The depth of planting seeds in loose and light soils is 4-8 cm, in dense and heavy soils - 4-6 cm. The diameter of the hole is 1 m, the depth is 30 cm. Fresh manure is not placed in the hole - it provokes diseases and worsens the taste of watermelons. The following is added to the hole:
- compost or humus - 1 kg;
- ash - 1 tbsp. l .;
- nitroammophosphate - 1 tsp;
- if the soil is heavy, sand is added.
- Pour 2 liters of water over the hole. When it is absorbed, plant the seeds.
- Put 4-5 seeds in the prepared hole, deepening them by 3-6 cm. Cover them with soil and compact. There is no need to water the hole. And so that a crust does not form, the surface is sprinkled with humus.
- When sprouts appear, the seedlings are thinned out. Leave the strongest plants. The procedure is repeated in the 3-4 leaf phase. After thinning, 1-2 plants remain in the hole.
Watermelons grown by direct seeding into the ground are more resistant to stressful situations, but the harvest ripens later than when transplanted.
In regions with short summers, planting seedlings is the only way to grow watermelons. Seeds are sown one month before planting in the ground. If a steady heat is established, for example, at the end of May, then seeds for seedlings are sown at the end of April.
Seedling planting procedure:
- Transplant the hardened and prepared seedlings according to all the rules at a daytime temperature of + 15-20 ° C. The night temperature should not drop below +8 ° C.
- Dig holes for transplanting seedlings. The minimum distance between adjacent holes is 50 cm. The optimal layout is 100 x 70 cm. The size of the holes should be slightly larger than those of the seedling pots.
- Pour 1/2 cup ash into each hole. Mix the ash with soil and pour over the hole.
- Water the seedlings to make them easier to remove from the pots.
- Remove the roots of the seedling along with the soil. Carefully move the clod of earth into the hole and deepen it a little.
- Water the transplanted seedling to the root. The water should be slightly lukewarm. Pour some sand around the holes in a 1 cm layer.
Watermelon care process
If you do not provide the watermelons with proper care, then even the highest quality seedlings planted on fertile soils will not yield. Watermelons need a whole range of caring measures - they need to be weeded, watered, fed, protected from diseases and pests on a regular basis.
Irrigation scheme
Watermelons are juicy fruits, it is not surprising that this culture loves moisture. But they do not need abundant and frequent watering. Waterlogging can lead to the development of diseases.
Features of watering watermelons:
- At first, seedlings or seedlings are watered about once a week. The soil should be moistened by 25-30 cm.
- Most of all, watermelons need moisture during the growth of the green part of plants. The land must be constantly moist, but not swampy.
- Watermelons are poured at the root. The best watering time is evening. The water should be warm.
- When female flowers open on the plant, the watering rate is reduced.
- Watermelons are watered only until the fruit is formed.
- When the fruits are poured, no watering is needed. The plant has very strong roots that allow it to draw moisture from the depths. Excessive moisture negatively affects the taste of the fruit - watermelons lose their sweetness, become watery.
Top dressing
Watermelons need moderate feeding, nitrogen fertilizers are applied especially carefully - it is better not to use them at all without special need. Features of feeding watermelons:
- The first feeding is carried out when the growth of the lashes begins.It is recommended to use mullein infusions mixed with wood ash. They can be replaced with ammophos or azofos, according to the dosage indicated in the preparations. The approximate composition of top dressing per 10 sq. m:
- ammonium nitrate or urea - 150 g;
- superphosphate - 150 g;
- potassium salt - 50 g.
- Top dressing is applied before rain or during watering.
- If there is a weak development of plants, they can be fed with slurry - it is diluted in water, adding 1 liter under each plant.
- Top dressing is stopped immediately after the fruit sets.
Bush formation
The formation of the bushes begins when the fruits reach the size of a hen's egg. They are engaged in shaping in dry sunny weather, so that the places of the cuts dry out faster. It is necessary to remove all unnecessary shoots in time so that the bush does not waste energy on the green mass. Extra fruits are also removed, since the plant cannot fully nourish all set watermelons.
Features of the formation of bushes:
- Cut the side lashes, leaving only 2 fruits on each. If the variety is large-fruited, leave only one fruit on one shoot.
- Pin the main lash so that after the fruit there are only 2 leaves.
- Do not leave more than 6 fruits on one bush.
- When the watermelon grows to the size of a fist, pin the shoot, leaving 4-5 leaves behind.
- When the formation is over, and the fruits begin to actively grow, stepchildren will appear in the axils of the shoots. Remove these side shoots every week, do not let them take away the strength of the plant. Do this carefully, as it is not recommended to turn over the whips at this time.
As the watermelons grow, place plywood underneath them to prevent them from rotting in rainy weather. Also, from time to time, it is recommended to turn watermelons sideways, but carefully - so that they do not come off.
Weeding
If the seeds are planted in open ground, loosening is carried out even before the emergence of shoots. And in order not to damage the seeds and sprouts, plants are sown in the holes - "beacons" that germinate before watermelons - lettuce, radish or others.
During the growing season, several weeding are carried out. Over time, watermelons grow so much that they themselves suppress the growth of weeds, and weeding drops out of the list of necessary agrotechnical measures.
Shelter
In all regions, except for the south of Russia, watermelons, especially at the beginning of the growing season, are covered with foil. Usually it is removed at the end of June, when there is no risk of night frosts. But if there is a significant difference between daytime and nighttime temperatures, it is better not to remove the polyethylene.
Watermelon plantings are also recommended to be closed during rain. The shelter is regularly ventilated to prevent condensation from accumulating.
Pollination
Watermelons are pollinated by insects. In good weather, they are quite enough for high-quality pollination. But if it's cloudy outside, you have to manually pollinate the flowers - the stamens of one flower are brought to the pistils of several others. Fruits ripen 1.5 months after pollination.
Treatment against diseases and pests
Protection of watermelons from diseases and pests involves two areas:
- Agrotechnical. Its essence lies in the exact fulfillment of the requirement of agricultural technology:
- correct crop rotation - watermelons are re-planted on the site after 5 years;
- dressing seeds before planting;
- locate melon on light sandy loam soils;
- compliance with the deadlines for deep digging (plowing) and planting;
- prevention of waterlogging of the soil.
- Chemical. Plants are treated with the following preparations:
- Decis, Fundazol and Bordeaux liquid are used to combat powdery mildew, anthracnose, rot and spotting.
- Fenituram - treatment before sowing. For 1 kg of seeds - 3 g. The preparation is mixed with flour paste. Kills the sprout fly.
- Fitoverm helps fight aphids and thrips.
- Natural. To make products environmentally friendly, watermelons are sprayed with natural remedies:
- tinctures of garden plants;
- solutions of soap and other household preparations;
- infusion of tobacco dust - it helps especially well against aphids;
- infusion of wood ash;
Traps and sweet baits help control wireworms and leaf-eating caterpillars.
Secrets of growing square watermelons
Square watermelons have only one practical advantage - they are easier to store and transport. There is not much point in growing cubic fruits. Is that the desire to grow an exotic fruit.
What you need to grow square fruits:
- cubic transparent plastic containers;
- the diagonals of the sides of the cube should be slightly larger than the estimated diameter of the fruit;
- cubes are reusable, collapsible, in one face - a hole for the escape measuring 3-4 cm;
- there are many holes in the edges - for ventilation;
- an apple-sized fruit is placed in a transparent cube.
This technology allows you to grow a fruit of any shape, for example, pyramidal.
Harvesting and storage
Signs of ripe watermelons:
- matte crust becomes shiny;
- the crust is hard, not pierced with a nail;
- the stalk dries up;
- at the place of contact with the ground - a yellow spot;
- when tapping on an unripe watermelon, a ringing is heard, ripe fruits emit a muffled sound.
Late ripening watermelons are best stored. Collection rules:
- cut the fruits with a sharp pruner together with 5 cm stalks;
- watermelons are taken to the storage, laid in one layer on a straw bed;
- watermelons are inspected from time to time, removing those that have begun to deteriorate;
- optimum storage temperature - + 6-8 ° C, humidity - 85%.
The maximum storage time for the most mature varieties is three months.
How to plant seedless watermelons in the ground?
Seedless watermelon is the result of selection. In seedless hybrids, the flesh is looser and watery than that of regular watermelons, while being very sweet. There are seeds in such watermelons, they are just very soft, and you can easily eat them.
To grow seedless watermelons, they buy seeds that are obtained by crossing previously pollinated watermelon species. Seeds taken from the fruits of seedless hybrids do not carry the properties of the mother plant.
Features of planting seeds of seedless hybrids:
- Due to the presence of air cavities, it is undesirable to soak the seeds - decay may begin.
- Seeds are planted in warm soil preheated to 30 degrees.
- Seedlings are stretched over time. The containers in which the plants have sprouted are moved to a cooler place and wait for other seeds to sprout. Otherwise, growing seedlings and planting them in the ground is no different from growing ordinary watermelons.
Thanks to new varieties, adapted to the short and not always sunny summer, our gardeners can grow watermelons on their plots. Watermelon is not a capricious culture, but getting really sweet and tasty fruits is a whole science. Try and you, following agricultural technology, grow watermelons on your own.
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Russia. City Novosibirsk
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