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A universal culture, the fruits of which are used in cooking for the preparation of salads, soups, confectionery products – honey melon. It is also used as an independent tasty treat. It has a special aroma, sweet taste, juicy supple pulp. You can grow this miracle product not only in Asian countries, but also in the southern regions of Our Country.
Description of honey melon
This plant belongs to the Cucurbitaceae class. In nature, honey melon can be found in Central and Asia Minor. Cultivated varieties of Honey melon: “Canary”, “Ulan”, “Fairy tale” are grown in the southern strip of Our Country, the Black Sea, the Sea of uXNUMXbuXNUMXbAzov, in the Mediterranean countries.
The fruits of this plant are round, sometimes oblong, small in size with a bright yellow smooth skin. The weight of each fruit does not exceed 2 kg. In the middle of the melon contains small oblong seeds of light yellow color.
The pulp is light beige in the center of the fruit and greenish near the peel, elastic, juicy. Its aroma is bright, characteristic of these plants. The taste of fruits is sweet, rich.
Pros and cons of the variety
There were no deficiencies in the melon of the Medovaya variety. Even a novice gardener can grow it. The fruits of this variety have high taste qualities.
The advantages are:
- high productivity;
- frost resistance;
- medium early maturation;
- lack of care;
- sweet fragrant pulp;
- preservation of taste qualities for several months after harvest;
- good transportability and keeping quality.
This variety is suitable for growing in greenhouses and outdoors. Taste qualities do not depend on the method of cultivation.
Growing honey melon
This plant is thermophilic and photophilous. Seeds begin to germinate at a temperature not lower than + 20 °C. Basically, honey melon is rooted in seedlings in early spring in greenhouses and in early summer in the open field.
Preparation of seedlings
For sowing seeds, use a container no more than 10 cm in diameter. In one such cup you can germinate 2 plants. In order for the crops to peck faster, they are soaked in advance in a small amount of liquid, spread on gauze or cotton wool and sent to a warm place for several days. As soon as the seed cracks in the upper narrow part, it can be lowered into the ground.
The soil for honey melon seeds should be fertile and light. Before sowing, it is carefully crushed. Having slightly moistened the soil, germinated seeds are lowered into it, a small layer of fluffy earth is poured on top. Pots with seedlings are placed in a warm, well-lit place. During the day, the air temperature should not be lower than + 20 ° C, at night + 17 ° C. High temperature from + 27 ° C will ensure high germination.
Plants cannot be close to each other, leaves should not touch. As soon as 3 to 5 true leaves appear on the sprouts, they are prepared for planting in the garden plot. Before transferring to a new place, the seedlings are hardened. They are taken out to a cool room, where the air temperature during the day should be + 16 ° C, and at night it should drop to + 13 ° C.
Selection and preparation of the landing site
Honey melon is transferred to open ground at the end of May, when night frosts pass. The site for planting is chosen well-lit by the sun, protected from strong winds. An indent of at least 0,5 m is made between each hole. You can fertilize the soil with humus, then pour it with warm water.
Rules of landing
The hole for planting is made small; honey melon seedlings cannot be deeply rooted. Approximately 1 kg of humus is added to the prepared hole, after which 1 liter of warm water is poured. In the resulting slurry, the grown plants are lowered, 2 pieces in one hole. Seedlings are turned in different directions so as not to interfere with each other’s growth. After the roots are sprinkled with dry fluffy earth. If there is a possibility of night frosts, the seedlings are covered with a film until the onset of consistently warm nights.
Watering and top dressing
The first top dressing of honey melon must be carried out half a month after disembarkation. Manure, saltpeter, chicken manure are used as fertilizer. These substances are diluted with water 1:10 and the plants are watered under the root. After every 2 weeks before fruiting, the procedure is repeated.
One of the main advantages of honey melon is its drought tolerance. In regions with a lack of water, this crop is not watered at all. In central Our Country and in the south, agronomists advise watering a melon under the root once every 1 days. This will make its fruits more juicy.
Formation
As soon as the seedling releases the 6th leaf, it is swooped down so that the plant starts up side shoots. Subsequently, they are also thinned out, leaving only the strongest. This promotes the flow of nutrients to the fruits, and not to the leaves.
Grown plants can be sent to grow up the trellis, or you can let them curl along the ground. For vertical growth, a wire is stretched next to the bushes about 1,5 m from the ground. After that, honey melon shoots are tied to it with a soft rope, directing their growth upwards.
Harvesting
As soon as the fruits of Honey melon are poured, become evenly yellow, acquire a sweet melon aroma, they are removed from the beds. Pluck the fruit carefully, trying not to damage or hit. They keep whole much longer.
If a cold snap is expected, and a lot of unripe fruits remain on the site, they are plucked and sent to ripen indoors. For these purposes, special well-ventilated wooden boxes are prepared. Their bottom is lined with sawdust or straw. The fruits are carefully placed in the prepared container so as not to damage. They are left in a dry, bright place for ripening.
As soon as the fruits become evenly yellow, they can be removed together with the container in a dark, cool place. There honey melon can be stored for about 2-3 months.
Diseases and pests
Honey melon rarely gets sick and is almost not susceptible to pests. But the main types of diseases and harmful insects that feed on melons can attack the plant during the growth period.
Numerous fungal diseases can damage the aerial part of the plant:
- powdery mildew;
- late blight;
- downy mildew;
- medyanka;
- root rot.
To prevent fungal infections, honey melon seeds must be treated with a weak solution of manganese before planting.
All types of pests that prefer to eat gourds can also attack the honey melon.
The main pests of the crop:
- aphid;
- spider mite;
- wireworm;
- scoop;
- melon fly.
To prevent the appearance of harmful insects on the plots, it is necessary to remove the remains of plants, rotten leaves, cut branches of trees from the site in time. In summer, it is important to regularly loosen the soil between the sowing rows. This will partially remove eggs and larvae of pests.
Conclusion
Honey melon is an unpretentious gourd that is easy to grow in any garden. It requires minimal care, grows and bears fruit even in arid regions. The pulp of its fruits is used as an independent delicacy and for the preparation of delicious natural, fragrant confectionery desserts.
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