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Warm and generous August brings an abundance of fruits and vegetables. Markets demand for imported watermelons. And some prudent owners of summer cottages grow watermelons in their greenhouses. There are many worries with this crop in the conditions of central Our Country, but having selected varieties and fulfilling the requirements of agricultural technology, they receive delicious fruits at the end of summer.
Growing conditions
Before you grow a watermelon in a greenhouse in the Moscow region, in the Urals and in Siberia, you need to familiarize yourself with the new agricultural technology.
- Watermelons are propagated by seedlings;
- Sow early ripe varieties;
- The gardener needs to carefully study how to properly grow watermelons in a greenhouse: the culture’s requirements for temperature, humidity and soil;
- A successful harvest of gourds in regions with a short warm period implies, in addition to guaranteed protection against recurrent frosts, limiting the fruit on the bush, as well as competent planting and caring for watermelons in the greenhouse.
How to prepare a greenhouse
The greenhouse is carefully prepared for the cultivation of watermelons.
- In cloudy summers, additional lighting is installed with LB-40 fluorescent lamps. They are especially useful when planting watermelons in a polycarbonate greenhouse. For a medium-sized greenhouse with a height of 2 m, it is enough to buy four lighting fixtures;
- The greenhouse should be located in a spacious place so that the shadow from buildings or trees does not fall on it from the south and southwest;
- It is possible to safely grow a watermelon in a country house in a greenhouse if it is equipped with a trouble-free ventilation system. Watermelons come from the deserts of South Africa, so high humidity, more than 60%, which is usually observed in greenhouses, will harm them;
- Due to the drought tolerance of the crop, you need to know what watermelons can be planted with in a greenhouse. Good neighbors for watermelons are melons, tomatoes and bell peppers;
- In joint plantings, watermelons are planted on the north side of the greenhouse. Tied up, they will shade low-growing crops with their densely leafy lashes;
- Land for growing watermelons in a greenhouse is best prepared in the fall. Impose grass, compost, on top of a bucket of humus and sand per 1 sq. m.
Top Grades
There are several basic requirements for watermelons grown in the country in the greenhouse:
- Early-ripening varieties of watermelons are planted, which in a short period of hot weather can be filled with sweet juice;
- Plants withstand sudden changes in temperature per day;
- Watermelons are resistant to cold snaps, which can last up to 10 days.
Watermelons intended for the greenhouse work well. Varieties bred for the southern regions are not worth buying. They choose hybrids and varieties of domestic and foreign selection for greenhouses, as well as well-established old ones, like the famous Spark. During the four months of vegetation in the greenhouse, Crimstar, Crimson Sweet, Shuga Baby, Florida, Kai f1, Style, Memory Kholodov, Skorik, Charleston near Moscow f1, Superearly Dyutina, Gift to the North f1, Refined, Sibiryak, Pannonia f1 and some other varieties ripen in the greenhouse.
Twinkle
Launched in 1960, it was intended for the center of the country, Siberia and the Far East. Every year the variety is grown in gardens and does not give up its positions. Suitable for growing watermelons in polycarbonate greenhouses. Fruits weighing 1-1,5 kg ripen in 75-85 days. The skin is thin but strong. The flesh is bright red, sweet. It is moderately susceptible to fungal diseases and easily tolerates summer cold snaps. The originator is the association “Sortsemovoshch”.
Where f1
The hybrid was specially bred for growing in greenhouses of Northern European regions with a low level of illumination and low temperature. Distributed in Finland and Sweden. Fast-growing early ripening watermelon gives elongated fruits for 70-75 days. The crust is thin, there are few seeds in the fragrant, sweet raspberry-colored pulp. Fruits weigh 7-10 kg.
Siberian-97
A unique variety created by Ural breeders. During field tests, being in the phases of seedlings and two true leaves, the plant showed resistance to sub-zero temperatures: up to -6 degrees. The weight of the fruit with sweet, crumbly, red pulp reaches 4-5 kg. The thin crust is dark green, with barely noticeable stripes of dark color on it. Ripens in a greenhouse in 70-80 days.
Gift to the North f1
Early maturing variety for greenhouses with a stable yield. Watermelons weighing up to 10 kg ripen in 75-85 days. The flesh under the green rind with darker stripes is red, sugary, crispy. Watermelon withstands transportation well, is little affected by fungal diseases. The variety tolerates frosts, even stagnant water near the root is not afraid of it.
Skoryk
The variety has been included in the State Register since 1997, originator: Research Institute of Vegetable and Melon Growing in Astrakhan. Ultra early watermelon – ripens after 65 days of vegetation. Round fruits are medium-sized, 1,5-2 kg, very sweet. Stored in a cold place for more than 2 months. Belongs to long climbing watermelons. In the greenhouse needs shaping: you need to pinch.
Crimestar
Ideal for greenhouse. The variety of the Japanese company Sakata ripens in the shortest possible time: in 55 days. Watermelons are round, grow with an average weight of 5-8 kg. The pulp is red, 12% sugar content. The variety is adapted to adverse weather and resistant to anthracnose. Fruits withstand long-distance transportation, are stored for a long time.
Ultra early
An excellent variety for growing watermelons in a polycarbonate greenhouse: increased resistance to fungal diseases, as well as a compact bush. The plant puts out few side shoots. The variety is early ripening: round fruits weighing 4-6 kg ripen in 80 days. The rind is dark green with blurred light spots and stripes. The pulp is raspberry, tender, tasty.
Growing seedlings
Before you start growing watermelons in polycarbonate greenhouses, you need to buy or prepare seedlings yourself. They choose an early ripening variety, acquire soil and containers for seedlings with sides of 8-10 cm and the same depth. Seeds are sown for seedlings for unheated greenhouses in early May. In heated greenhouses, watermelons are planted or sown with seeds in February-March. It is possible to sow seeds in the ground in unheated greenhouses, on warm ridges, in April.
Soil Preparation
Since it is necessary to get a quality crop from a southern crop in a greenhouse, the plant is maintained with a balanced amount of fertilizer, starting with enriching the soil for seedlings. The purchased soil is already with minerals, nothing is added to it. Watermelon suitable soil for cucumbers. If in the fall they took care of the garden soil for seedlings and mixed it with humus in a ratio of 1: 3, add 3 tbsp to the bucket of the mixture. spoons of superphosphate, 1 tbsp. a spoonful of potassium sulfate and ammonium nitrate, a glass of wood ash.
Seed preparation
The hard crust of watermelon seeds must be softened so that the seed hatches. Watermelon seeds are germinated in several ways:
- Spread the seeds on a damp cloth until a sprout appears;
- Seeds are soaked in warm water for a day;
- Apply heat treatment: put the seeds in cloth bags, prepare two containers with hot and cold water. First, the bag is placed for a few seconds in cold water, then for 2 seconds in hot water. This is repeated three times;
- Sprouted seeds are placed in pots one at a time, spreading with a sprout up, and swollen – two or three to one side.
Care of seedlings
The cups are covered with foil to keep the ground moist. Before the appearance of sprouts, it is necessary to maintain the temperature at least 23-25 0C. Seeds germinate in 5-10 days. With the advent of sprouts, the film is removed and the temperature is slightly lowered: 20 degrees during the day and 18 at night. Seedlings are well lit so that the sprouts do not stretch. In cloudy weather, additional lighting is turned on – up to 12-14 hours a day.
- If the seedlings are in small pots, they are arranged so that the leaves do not touch;
- Watered with moderately warm settled water;
- After 10-12 days, the sprouts are fed with complex mineral fertilizers according to the instructions. The second feeding is carried out after 10 days.
Features of care in the greenhouse
Seedlings are planted in a greenhouse in a month. Watermelons, which have 4-5 leaves, are transferred to an unheated shelter with the establishment of warm weather: 20 0C during the day and without frost at night, the earth warmed up to 14-15 0C. Planting watermelons in a greenhouse is carried out on warm beds. The distance between the holes is 80-100 cm. In the early days, if the weather is cool, low arcs are set over the beds of watermelons and the film is stretched.
Bed arrangement
If the land for the greenhouse has been prepared since autumn, another layer of fertile soil is applied on top and young watermelons are planted in the holes. Carefully remove from the pots, without exposing the roots. To do this, a few hours before planting, the plants are watered abundantly.
Warm beds are important in caring for watermelons in a greenhouse, because plants of any variety are capricious and tender. If the beds are not ready, the top layer of earth in the greenhouse is removed. Compost or caked hay, straw are placed below, covered with humus from above and the area is poured with hot water. After 4-6 days, a fertile layer of soil is applied, mixed with 3 tbsp. spoons of nitrophoska and 1 tbsp. spoon of superphosphate per 1 sq. m, and planted seedlings. Sand is added to clay soils for looseness.
Formation
Plants are constantly looked after. During the cultivation of watermelons in a greenhouse, a bush is formed.
- The soil is loosened, weeds are removed;
- Bushes spud to increase the number of roots;
- As soon as female flowers appear, pinch the lashes;
- New lashes are removed. Pasynkovanie watermelons in a greenhouse is necessary to avoid thickening and normalize fruiting;
- Watered with moderately warm water. Before flowering – three times a week, later once a week, without moistening the base of the stem and leaves;
- Fertilize every 10 days with a choice of potassium humate, 20 g of ammonium nitrate per bucket of water or a mineral complex;
- According to the scheme for the formation of a watermelon in a greenhouse, when the ovaries grow the size of a plum, one is left on each of the lashes. Three leaves after the ovary pinch the lash. One root should not have more than three fruits.
Pollination
With the appearance of male flowers, which quickly fade, in the greenhouse they rush to manually pollinate the female ones. The flower is plucked and applied with anthers to the stigmas on the female flower. All female flowers are pollinated, and then the best ovaries are selected.
Whip garter
Growing watermelons on a trellis in greenhouses is a better care option than developing lashes in spreading. The plant receives more light, the leaves are ventilated, there are fewer prerequisites for diseases. As the lashes grow, they are tied to the trellises. Also attached to the supports in the greenhouse nets for ovaries of watermelons. Stretching schemes are simple, it is necessary to ensure that the whips are given space to develop freely.
Culture will have to be given maximum attention. Properly grown fruits will be sweet and delight gardeners.
