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Watermelons from Astrakhan are a legendary product. This brand has a long history dating back to the 1660th-XNUMXth centuries. The taste of these watermelons was always so good that in XNUMX Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich even issued an imperial decree to deliver striped beauties to the royal table in Moscow. However, the Astrakhan variety and the watermelon grown in the Astrakhan region are not identical concepts. Even striping does not serve as its defining feature, since it is also characteristic of other varieties: the seedless “red king”, famous for its large carolina cross size, etc.
Variety description
The famous Astrakhan watermelon as a separate variety was bred in 1977 through the efforts of the leading breeder of the All- Research Institute of Irrigated Vegetable and Melon Growing K.E. Dyutin. This is a classic spherical or slightly oblong watermelon. The pulp of ripe fruits is bright red, juicy, fragrant, coarse-grained with a characteristic rather sweet taste. During dry periods, voids may appear in the fruits, which do not have any effect on taste.
The peel is smooth with a pattern in the form of alternating dark and light green spiked stripes. Watermelon of this variety must be thick-skinned. The average fruit weight is about 8-10 kg. According to the ripening period, it belongs to the middle-early – from the moment of seed germination, it ripens for 70 – 85 days. Differs in resistance to the majority of diseases, characteristic for gourds, it is convenient and unpretentious in cultivation. It is characterized by high yield, excellent transportability and keeping fruits – they can be stored for up to two and a half months.
What is the harm and benefit
Ripe watermelon is a unique dietary product that has virtually no contraindications for regular use. In fact, 80% of its fruits are water, and the rest contains vegetable fiber, fructose, a small amount of glucose and sucrose, as well as trace elements. Watermelon is characterized by a pronounced diuretic effect, so its pulp is very useful for those suffering from diseases of the joints, heart and blood vessels. Fructose is absorbed in the human body without the cost of insulin, which means that even patients with an insulin-dependent form of diabetes can consume a sweet-tasting fruit.
Striped juicy fruits are just a storehouse of such a trace element as magnesium. With its chronic deficiency, blood pressure rises. It also promotes the binding of oxalates, which prevents the formation of kidney stones, and plays an important role in the processes of bile secretion and deactivation of cholesterol. In addition, magnesium is involved in the normalization of intestinal motility, helps relieve muscle spasms and reduces nervous excitability.
In 100 grams of watermelon pulp, the content of this trace element, which is extremely important for human health, is as much as 224 milligrams. Only almonds can boast of its greater concentration. To satisfy the body’s daily need for magnesium, it is enough to eat only 150 grams of a ripe and tasty fruit.
This representative of gourds and potassium is rich. True, its content is lower than in dried apricots, persimmons and bananas, beloved by adherents of many diets. Although if we also consider calorie content, then when eating watermelon, the body will receive three times fewer calories compared to a banana.
However, it should be noted that watermelon is not useful for everyone and not always. It should not be eaten by those suffering from diarrhea and indigestion. It is also contraindicated for those who are prone to edema. Diabetics should also be careful with this delicacy, given its high glycemic index.
In addition, the harm from watermelon may be due to the use of certain chemicals in the cultivation. Most often they are nitrates. Their use contributes to the rapid growth and large weight of the fruit. But at the same time, such substances are stored in the pulp and enter the human body with it, causing either acute poisoning or chronic intoxication due to gradual accumulation.
Video “Watermelons in the middle lane”
Peculiarities of growing
If, until recently, the combination of the words “growing” and “watermelon” suggested a hot southern climate, today, work on the adaptation and acclimatization of its varieties and the emergence of new hybrids make it possible to grow striped fruits even in Western Siberia, however, only in greenhouses.
In the southern regions of Our Country, the Astrakhan variety is grown by planting seeds in open ground. But in the regions of the middle lane and in the Moscow region, the seedling method is used. At the same time, 4-5 weeks before planting on the site, the seeds are kept for a day in a solution of manganese and zinc to protect future sprouts from diseases. Then they are wrapped in cotton cloth or thin paper and placed in water, where they are set aside at a temperature of about +28 ° C until sprouts appear.
After that, they are planted in separate containers filled with peat. When the plants acquire 3 – 4 leaves, you can start planting seedlings. At the same time, a week before planting, the frequency of watering and temperature are gradually reduced. The main requirements for their cultivation in the regions of the middle lane are air warmed up to +21 – 29 ° C, a sunny place and the absence of weeds.
It should be noted that watermelons are quite sensitive to predecessors and do not like to grow after pumpkin, melon, cucumber or cabbage. But for planting after peas, potatoes, beans or corn, they are pretty good. Seedlings are planted in light-textured soil in holes up to 8 cm deep at a distance of about a meter. As representatives of melons, watermelons do not tolerate acidic soils.
Since they require a large amount of heat, the soil between plants should be covered with a 4-5 cm layer of mulch, which increases the temperature of the soil by almost 10 ° C and does not allow it to dry out. Also, during the period of active growth, plants should be fed with potassium-phosphorus mixtures and nitrogen.
The technology for growing watermelons involves weeding, loosening the soil and moderate watering. The remains of vegetation after weeding is immediately removed from the site. Being drought-resistant plants, watermelons are at the same time quite responsive to irrigation. During the period of growth of the main stem and leaves, they need enhanced watering. After the start of fruiting, it is cut back to speed up the ripening of the fruit.
The main pests that can harm watermelon plantings are spider mites, aphids and wireworms. For the prevention and control of them, the most common means is spraying with an infusion of garlic or ash. Such processing should stop one month before the start of harvest. Plants heavily infested with pests must be removed from the site and burned.
What you need to know
Astrakhan watermelon begins to ripen no earlier than August and its collection reaches a peak closer to September. Everything that appears on the shelves before this time, although grown in the Astrakhan region, can be early-ripening Dutch watermelons, and often with the use of chemistry. Therefore, before buying the fruit should be carefully examined. If a small, slightly rotten area with a dot in the center is found, this is a sure sign that saltpeter was injected with a syringe to accelerate growth.
In order to distinguish a ripe good watermelon from a bad one when choosing, you should focus on a number of characteristic features. The surface of the fruit should not have a matte coating and, when sunlight is reflected, a glare should be clearly visible on it. A yellow spot on a watermelon or the so-called “piglet” is the place where the fruit touches the ground during growth. If it is small, then he independently matured in comfortable conditions. A large patch is a sign of a lack of sunlight and heat, such a fruit will be watery and not sweet enough to taste.
The stalk or “tail” of a good watermelon is dried and yellowish. If it is completely dried up, then the fruit has been stored plucked for quite a long period. If the tail is completely removed, then the seller is hiding something and it is better not to take this copy. Also, a ripe watermelon buzzes when patted, and crackles when squeezed with hands.
Video “Growing varieties of watermelon”
There are a huge variety of varieties of watermelon, and being able to properly grow a particular variety is not an easy task. This video will help you understand all the nuances.
