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Watermelon chill: variety description, cultivation
Among the variety of varieties of watermelons, the domestic watermelon “Chill” is widespread. All thanks to its unpretentiousness in growing and its ability to be stored for a long time.
Description of the variety of watermelons “Chill”
Watermelon “Chill” has a medium-late ripening period – up to 97 days, has a moderate thickness of the peel and grainy sweet pulp.
Watermelon “Chill” has a rounded or oblong shape of dark green color with segmental spots
The advantages of the variety are:
- excellent taste: sweet and juicy pulp;
- high yield;
- can be grown not only outdoors, but also in greenhouses;
- not afraid of transportation;
- it can be stored for up to 5 months and is resistant to diseases leading to spoilage.
When growing in greenhouses, tie the plant to trellises. In the open field, the watermelon can freely trudge along the ground.
Cultivation of watermelon “Chill”
This variety of watermelons does not require a lot of labor when grown. You just need to complete 3 steps:
- Seed preparation. You can select strong and healthy seeds with the help of salted water: floating grains are not suitable for planting. To disinfect the seeds, soak them in a weak solution of potassium permanganate and dry in the sun or on a battery for at least 3 hours. Do not use planting material collected a year ago. Seeds must be stored for at least 4 years before planting.
- Sowing in open ground. “Chill” is planted in mid-May in open ground at the end of April – in a special container for seedlings. When planting in the ground, maintain a distance between future shoots of 700 mm x 1500 mm. Plant the finished seedlings in the greenhouse a month after sowing, when 3-4 full leaves appear.
- Watermelon care. The main actions are weed control, fertilizing and watering. Weed the crop regularly, water only after the soil has dried. Excessive moisture can lead to the death of sprouts, and during the ripening period, watering should be done even less often. You can feed a watermelon up to 3 times: 2 weeks after planting, during growth and after the formation of ovaries. To increase productivity, remove side shoots, and it is better to dig a stalk that is too long in several places.
Observing these growing rules, you can get a watermelon yield of up to 35 tons per hectare. Each fruit can grow up to 5 kg in weight, and this is not the limit. Under favorable conditions, it is possible to grow watermelons up to 12 kg in size.
Temperature conditions for storing watermelon: from 0 to + 10 ° С.
Having grown “Chill”, you can enjoy it and surprise your guests with a fresh watermelon for the New Year holidays. It is also used to make jams, marmalade and pickles.