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Pumpkin is a healthy and tasty vegetable. For its successful cultivation, it is important to choose the right variety. Melon pumpkin is a great option for planting in a summer cottage or farm plot. The variety got its name due to its good taste and various uses.
Description of the pumpkin variety Melon
Pumpkin Melon is a creeping, long-branched plant. The roots of its rod type, branched, reaching a length of up to 5 m. The leaves of the plant are heart-shaped, five-lobed, with a long petiole. The length of the leaf plate is up to 30 cm.
The flowers of the culture are unisexual, large, solitary, yellow. The first buds appear in June. Female flowers are located on short pedicels, male – on long ones. Pollination of the variety is cross-pollinated.
Description of fruits
The fruits of the Melon variety are large, weighing 25-30 kg. The pumpkin has a yellow color and a rounded, slightly flattened shape. The flesh of the fruit is dark orange, firm, and juicy. The taste is good, sweetish, reminiscent of melon.
Melon variety is suitable for dietary and baby food. Calorie content per 100 g of the product is 22 kcal. The fruits are used to make juices, purees, salads and other dishes. Regular intake of pumpkin improves immunity, normalizes the work of the heart, blood vessels, stomach, removes excess fluid from the body. The seeds of the plant are rich in oils, organic acids, trace elements.
Characteristics of a variety
Pumpkin varieties Melon has an average resistance to drought and cold. Watering the plant is important in the formation of buds and ovaries. Before frost, the culture is covered with a non-woven fabric for the night.
In warm climates, the culture is planted in open ground. In the middle lane and cooler regions, planting in a greenhouse is recommended.
The yield of the Melon variety depends on growing conditions, soil quality, moisture and mineral intake. About 2 – 3 fruits are removed from one bush. Each of them has a mass of up to 15 kg. Maximum yield from 1 sq. m is up to 45 kg.
Pumpkin Melon ripens in medium early terms. The period from germination to fruit harvesting is 110 days. The harvest is taken from late July to September, depending on the climate of the region. A ripe pumpkin dries out the stalk, which becomes hard to the touch. The peel acquires a bright orange color with a clear pattern.
The fruits lie at home for a long time. The recommended air temperature is not more than 8 °С. If the pumpkin is damaged, it is recommended to recycle it. The pulp can be cut, cleaned of seeds and placed in the refrigerator.
Pest and disease resistance
Pumpkin Melon is resistant to diseases and pests. Fungal infections are most dangerous for the culture: black mold, powdery mildew, anthracnose, white rot. Diseases have the appearance of dark or light spots that spread along the stems, leaves and fruits. As a result, plants have a depressed appearance, develop slowly, and lose productivity.
To protect pumpkin plantings from diseases, copper chloride, colloidal sulfur, Fundazol, Topaz, etc. are used. The product is diluted with water and sprayed with plantings. The affected parts of the pumpkin are cut and burned.
Pumpkin attracts melon aphids, slugs, wireworms, spider mites and other pests. Insecticides Spark, Fitoverm, Akarin are used against insects. These are also folk remedies: dusting plantings with wood ash or tobacco dust, spraying with infusion of wormwood or onion peel.
The following measures will help to avoid the spread of diseases and pests:
- observance of crop rotation;
- loosening the soil so that moisture does not accumulate;
- weeding;
- the formation of a bush to avoid dense plantings;
- preventive treatments with folk remedies.
Advantages and disadvantages
According to the description and photo, Melon pumpkin has the following advantages:
- unpretentiousness in care;
- high productivity;
- good taste;
- keeping quality.
Disadvantages of pumpkin:
- requires a warm climate or shelter;
- taste depends on the composition of the soil and weather conditions.
Cultivation technology
In the southern regions, it is better to plant the Melon pumpkin immediately in open ground. Work is carried out in May or June, when the soil warms up well. When using the seedling method, the dates are shifted to April-May. Seeds are planted at home, and the grown pumpkin is transferred to the beds.
Previously, the seeds of the Dannaya variety are processed. First, they are heated in the oven for 10 hours. Then prepare a solution of ash: 2 tbsp. l. for 1 liter of hot water. Roll gauze in several layers and lower it into a warm liquid. After heating, the seeds are placed in gauze for 1 hour. Such preparation will accelerate the emergence of sprouts, which will be easier to break through a dense peel.
To obtain seedlings, you will need peat cups or separate containers. They are filled with a substrate consisting of humus, fertile soil and peat in a ratio of 2: 1: 1. Wood ash is added from natural fertilizers. One seed is placed in each cup. From above fall asleep with a thin layer of earth. Plantings are watered abundantly and kept in a warm place.
The seedlings of the Melon variety are constantly looked after. Seedlings are kept at a temperature of 20 – 25 ° C. At night, the temperature should not fall below 13 °C. To prevent the plants from stretching, they are provided with good lighting. If necessary, turn on phytolamps.
Seedlings of the Melon variety are watered sparingly. Excess water is drained off. Plants are fed twice with an interval of 3 – 4 weeks. A solution of mullein is prepared, where 15 g of potassium sulfate and superphosphate are added. It is not recommended to pick culture. In the course of work, the root system is easily damaged, which leads to the death of plants.
2 weeks before planting in the ground, seedlings are hardened in the fresh air. For several days in a row, a window is opened in the room for 2 to 3 hours. Then the pumpkin containers are moved to the balcony, while drafts are not allowed. Plants are protected from the bright sun with paper caps.
The plant prefers fertile soils. The composition of the soil directly affects its taste and yield. Beds for plants are prepared in the fall. To do this, the soil is dug up and fertilized with compost. Remove weeds and remnants of previous crops. In the spring, deep loosening is carried out.
For a successful transplant of the Melon variety, recesses are made in the beds. Seedlings are transferred along with an earthen clod. For work, choose a cloudy day or evening period. After transplanting, the pumpkin roots are covered with earth and watered well.
When planting seeds of the Melon variety in the ground, follow the instructions:
- Holes with a diameter of 30 cm are prepared in the garden.
- Pour 2 liters of warm water into each recess.
- When moisture is absorbed, place 2 – 3 seeds at a distance of 5 cm from each other.
- Seeds of the Melon variety are covered with a layer of earth 6 cm thick.
- The beds are mulched with humus or peat.
- To speed up the emergence of sprouts, the soil is covered with a film.
In the open field, pumpkin seeds germinate in a week. When the seedlings of the Melon variety have the 2nd leaf, the strongest plant is chosen. The remaining sprouts are not pulled out, but cut off at ground level.
A good yield of pumpkin varieties Melon will provide care for the plant. The beds are weeded from weeds and loosen the soil. After planting, the seedlings are watered every day for 7 to 10 days. When plants adapt to new conditions, watering is kept to a minimum. After the size of the fruit is 10 cm or more, the pumpkin is watered more intensively. Under each bush of the Melon variety, one bucket of water is brought.
Pumpkin of the Melon variety is recommended to be fed according to the scheme:
- a week after landing in the ground – watered with slurry;
- when flowering – repeat organic top dressing;
- during fruit ripening, a solution of wood ash is added in the amount of 1 glass of fertilizer per 10 liters of water.
To normalize the yield of pumpkin will help pinching the shoots. On average, up to 4 buds are left per lash. With a heavy load, the pumpkin of the Melon variety will not have time to ripen.
Conclusion
Pumpkin Melon is a valuable variety that is suitable for planting in various regions. This variety has a bountiful harvest. For growing a crop, it is important to choose the right place and improve the composition of the soil. During the growing season, pumpkin of the Melon variety is fed and watered in accordance with the rules of agricultural technology.
Reviews about the pumpkin Melon
