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The formation of a melon bush is the basis for obtaining a good harvest. Without this, the plant will uncontrollably increase its green mass, and you can not wait for the fruits at all. This procedure is quite simple, but requires certain skills from gardeners.
Why you need to form a melon
Traditionally, melon is considered a southern crop, but the latest achievements of breeders have made it possible to grow it even in the middle lane. At the same time, the fruits ripen perfectly even with the growth of plants in open ground conditions. Since the melon is characterized by intensive growth, the size of the plant is artificially limited. This allows you to direct nutrients not to the uncontrolled growth of shoots, but to the ripening of fruits.
The formation of a melon has another task. This plant is dioecious, the male flowers appear on the central stem and the female flowers on the side shoots. If you do not form a plant, side shoots may not appear or there will be too few of them. In this case, the crop may be completely absent or very scarce, since there will simply be nothing to pollinate. Formation allows you to grow the required number of side shoots, thereby normalizing and improving the quality of the future crop.
Recommended dates
There are no exact dates for the formation of a melon bush. You need to focus only on the stages of development and the state of the plant. The first pinching of melon shoots is carried out at the stage of growing seedlings, then after planting the plants in open ground and at the stage of formation of ovaries. After that, only the removal of excess flowers and stepchildren is carried out.
How to properly shape a melon
The formation of the plant is carried out by pinching. It consists in the fact that the shoot growth point is removed from the plant. After that, it stops growing in length, and the growth of lateral branches of the next order begins from it, which are also pinched after a certain number of ovaries are formed on them.
Pinching is usually done with a fingernail or fingers. Herbaceous shoots are easy to remove without any tool. To prevent decay, pinching places are treated with coal or sulfur.
Melon Formation Schemes
Most often, two schemes for growing melons in open ground are used:
- Grown on trellises.
- Cultivation on the ground (spread).
Both methods have their advantages and disadvantages. The trellis method saves space, but requires additional arrangement of beds and regular monitoring of plants. As it grows, the central stem of the plant must be twisted around a rope that descends from the trellis to the root.
The spreading method is simpler, but plantings take up much more space. Depending on the method of growing melons in open ground, the appropriate formation scheme is also used.
How to form bushes when growing melons in spread
When forming a melon grown in spreading, two of the most developed shoots are left. After 3-4 fruit ovaries are formed on them, they are pinched, leaving a couple of sheets above the last ovary. In the future, all unnecessary ovaries are removed, stepchildren are removed, and the growing point of third-order shoots is pinched.
How to form bushes when growing melons on trellises
The formation of a melon bush when grown on a trellis is almost identical. The growth point of the main shoot is pinched after it reaches the trellis, i.e. 2 m. On two side shoots, 2-3 ovaries are left, above which pinching is performed. Up to a height of 0,8-1 m, the main stem is completely cleaned. In the future, all stepchildren, newly formed ovaries, flowers are removed.
Melon formation depending on the maturity of the variety
The order of formation of a melon bush depends on the variety, or rather, on the timing of its ripening. Due to the high ripening rate, early-ripening varieties require much less nutrients for full ripening, therefore, for formation, it is enough to pinch the central stem and monitor the number of ripening fruits, removing excess fruit ovaries in a timely manner.
In adverse weather conditions, all the forces of the plant are directed to accelerate the ripening of fruits, therefore melon bushes in the northern regions often form into one trunk (lateral shoot), leaving 1-2 fruit ovaries on it.
Late melon varieties are formed somewhat differently. It consists of several stages:
- Pinching at the stage of growing seedlings. It is produced after 4-5 true (not cotyledon) leaves are formed on the plant.
- Pinching a young plant. It is carried out after 7 leaves have formed on the vine. The shoot above them is pinched, excess flower ovaries and stepchildren are removed.
In conditions of a short summer, varieties of early ripening should be preferred. Some hybrids are able to ripen even in 75-80 days, which makes it possible to grow them in open ground even in the conditions of the Moscow region. Later varieties in such regions can only ripen in greenhouses.
Periodicity of formation
The melon has a high shoot formation, therefore it forms new stepchildren regularly. They must be removed in a timely manner. Such activities should be carried out until the moment of harvest, so that nutrients are not spent on their growth. Excess fruit ovaries also need to be removed regularly.
Informative video about the basic principles of the formation of a melon bush:
What mistakes gardeners often make
The main mistake of a gardener when forming a melon is incorrect pinching. Often they try to form a bush like a watermelon, but this is not true. Watermelon forms fruit ovaries on the central stem, melon – on the lateral processes. The exception here is only hybrid varieties. In addition, there are several other common mistakes.
- Fruit overload. Often, in pursuit of a harvest, gardeners leave more fruit ovaries than a plant can feed under appropriate conditions. It ends with the fact that instead of 2-3 juicy ripe fruits, the crop may consist of a dozen unripe small melons that have neither taste nor aroma.
- Landing density. A melon needs space and sun. If several plants are next to each other, it can be quite difficult to determine where which shoot grows and which bush it belongs to. Often they are so closely intertwined that it is almost impossible to separate them without damaging them. It is necessary to monitor the plantings, if necessary, correct the direction of their growth, and also remove excess shoots and stepchildren in time.
A common mistake is the wrong choice of variety for outdoor cultivation. In such cases, the crop may not ripen even if the gardener has carried out all other activities on time and with proper quality. Therefore, when choosing seeds, it is imperative to pay attention to the maturity of plants, take them into account when planting seeds for seedlings.
Conclusion
The formation of a melon bush must be carried out with any method of cultivation, especially in conditions of a not quite suitable climate. If all the activities are carried out on time and in full, then these southern fruits can be grown in the conditions of the middle zone. Modern hybrid varieties are able to ripen even in a short cool summer, while the taste and aroma of such melons will differ little from those brought from the south.