Melon like a pumpkin: an overview of the most unique ways of grafting

Features of melon grafting

To successfully obtain a high-quality hybrid by grafting a melon onto a pumpkin, you should use greenhouses, a film, a glass jar, a box with a glazed top, a frame that is covered with gauze, for growing.

If you choose a greenhouse, it is recommended to use boxes that are over 30 cm high and 1 m wide. Greenhouse frames have proven themselves as covers for them. The bottom of such a box is covered with earth or sand, the layer of which is at least 3-4 cm. They need to be well moistened. In such a greenhouse, you need to maintain a temperature in the region of 20–30 degrees Celsius, high humidity, and make a diffused lighting system.

In order to bandage the grafting site of a melon on a pumpkin, you should take a bast from which ribbons are created. Their length is 30, and their width is 0,5 cm. You will also need cotton wool bundles or thick threads, the length of which is 10 cm. Remember that a bandage that is too tight or weak can lead to the death of plants.

The grafting procedure is usually carried out with a safety razor blade or a well-sharpened knife. It is permissible to make a scion with a sharpened knife, which has not yet been used anywhere. There are also special knives for grafting.

The choice of grafting method depends on the structure of the crop stems, their age, and the ability to grow together. For example, grafting on a rootstock with a hollow stem is usually carried out in its side, or in the leaf axil or tube. Grafting on a rootstock with a completed stem is advised to be split. The convergence method is practiced for cultures that cannot boast of normal growth among themselves.

For example, if the vaccination is carried out in a lateral incision, then it is done on the stem in different places. If the rootstock is in the first leaf phase, the incision is made through the hypocotyl genu on the side opposite it. In this case, the leaf itself and the growth point are cut off. The graft should be cut from the root in the cotyledon phase. On the hypocotyl knee, a thin layer of skin is cut off, the length of which is identical to the cut on the rootstock stem. To open the incision on the rootstock, the stem is bent, a scion is inserted into it, the end of which should enter the rootstock incision as tightly as possible. The vaccination site is tied tightly, but not too much.

Video “Grafting a melon on a pumpkin. Part 1″

This video will allow you to observe how the procedure for grafting a melon onto a pumpkin is carried out.

Types of pumpkins

What varieties of pumpkins do not exist today! They amaze with variety, and it is difficult for a gardener to make a variety choice. There are 3 main types – hard-barked, large-fruited and nutmeg. Among which there are climbing pumpkins and growing in the form of a bush, having large and portioned fruits, with a sweet taste, many seeds, table and fodder.

This type of vegetable crops is called hard-skinned, in which the ripened skin is very dense to the touch. Such vegetables have early ripening periods – it is really possible to harvest them already in late August – early September. They are characterized by small-sized fruits with excellent taste of seeds. Hard-bark cultures received from nature a ribbed peduncle, on which grooves are clearly visible. They also have a prickly to the touch and hairy stem and interestingly shaped leaves with five corners. The seeds of such vegetables have a delicate creamy tint. Among these plants there are varieties that grow in the form of a bush.

Large-fruited crops are striking in their gigantic size. In this case, the degree of their sugar content can be up to 15%. They have a rounded stem in the shape of a cylinder, the stem is completely devoid of grooves, the leaves of the plants are almost pentagonal. Seeds can be painted matte brown or milky white. The advantages of this type of experts include the ability to tolerate very low temperatures well and lie down for a long time even in an apartment, while maintaining normal taste.

Muscat varieties are vitamin, have an excellent taste, no matter which variety you choose. But at the same time, their thermophilicity and late ripening of fruits belong to the minuses. Therefore, they are advised to grow them in the southern regions, so that tasty vegetables have time to ripen in a season. They are distinguished by a five-sided peduncle, which is wider at the base. They have brown or dirty yellow seeds. You can grow such crops in the middle lane, if you plant a crop in the form of seedlings. Moreover, it is permissible to harvest the crop unripe and leave it in the apartment so that the fruits “reach”.

Popular among gardeners are such varieties of pumpkins: “Dawn”, “Rossiyanka”, “Akorn”, “Spaghetti”, “Marble”, “Freckle”, “Candy”, “Gribovskaya bush”, “Almond”, “Volga gray” and other.

Let’s take a closer look at some varieties:

• pumpkin “Zorka” – is a large-fruited table variety. It has medium early maturation. The fruits are dark gray with characteristic orange spots. The average weight of each is 5-6 kg. The variety has long, highly developed lashes. It has a rich orange pulp, which contains up to 14% sugar. Revered by gardeners for the increased presence of carotene – in many ways it is not even inferior to the well-known carrots.
• pumpkin “Rossiyanka” – a variety with large fruits and early ripening. Its lashes reach 1,5 m in length. The fruits look like a top, have a beautiful orange color. They usually weigh between 2-4 kg. The pulp of the hybrid pleasantly surprises with tender and tasty notes of melon. The variety is resistant to low temperatures, is considered high-yielding.
• “Acorn”, also called “acorn squash”, is a variety that belongs to hard-skinned and fast-maturing crops. It can be climbing or bushy. Its fruits somewhat resemble outwardly large acorns. Green vegetables are the most common, although black, yellow, and white vegetables are not uncommon. The pulp of the hybrid has a light yellow color and cannot boast of much sweetness. This hybrid is perfect for both baking and stuffing.

And this description is only of some excellent varieties. Which pumpkin variety to choose for growing on your own plot depends only on your desire.

Vaccination methods

There are many methods of melon grafting, tested on any species. The most popular ways to plant a melon among gardeners are convergence: with a tongue and in the center.

To get a new unusual hybrid, some manipulations should be carried out when the first full-fledged leaf appears on the seedlings. When the pumpkins came down in the cups, after a couple of days you can proceed. Bottle culture is sown 3 days later, since its development occurs later than melons.

The instrument must be disinfected. Most often, this is a blade wrapped on one side with electrical tape. It is wiped with alcohol. Having prepared polyethylene tapes, cut off the growth point of a vegetable of any variety. The second sheet must be removed. An even cut of 2 cm should be made in the middle of the stem. Its length is no more than two seed-leaved leaves. The stem is tied under the incision. The melon is cut to the very root. The length of the stem should be no more than 3 cm. It is opened and a scion is inserted. Fix the vaccination site with tape. A clip is used for secure fixation. With a successful grafting, the plant, regardless of which variety was chosen, begins active growth after a week. After waiting 2 weeks, the shelter is removed.

Grafting by approach, in which the hybrid has a high percentage of survival, is carried out in this way: the vegetables are leaned against, the skin is removed on the inside of the stem of each. They are tied with polyethylene tape. Additionally, a clip or a regular clothespin is used for fixing. When 5-6 days have passed, the melon stalk, located below the scion site, is advised to be crushed. This is done until its stem begins to dry. It is necessary to cut it when the seedling is planted in a greenhouse or on a plot. The growing leaves should also be trimmed. At the same time, the growth center of the future hybrid must not be completely removed.

Tongue grafting is used for all varieties of vegetables. At the same time, the cultures are leaned against each other, the connection point is marked on the stem with a marker. An oblique cut no more than 2 cm long is made on the melon. This is the so-called tongue. A slice of identical size is created on the stem of the pumpkin, only from top to bottom. Next, the tongues are interconnected (it is more convenient to carry out such manipulations with vegetables of any variety with an assistant). It is required to securely wind the stems. The peg is placed at a distance of several cm from the stem.

Thus, grafting vegetables, whichever variety you use, allows you to get a hybrid with excellent palatability even in cold northern areas. Obtained by any of the above methods, the hybrid will be able to survive even at low temperatures, grow quickly and will not be susceptible to characteristic diseases.

In order for the grafted plants to take well and develop fully, it is necessary to provide them with moisture and diffused light in the first days after the procedure.

Video “Grafting a melon on a pumpkin. Part 2″

In this video, the breeder continues his work on grafting a melon onto a pumpkin.