Contents
Watermelon belongs to those crops that some time ago were a curiosity in our household plots. Now everyone, armed with knowledge and experience, can grow a watermelon in the middle lane. You will learn about which species should be chosen for the regions of our country, what temperature and soil moisture level this demanding crop prefers, how to protect melons from pests and diseases from this material.
Top Grades
Increased attention when growing your favorite berry should be given to the choice of variety. Early ripe varieties of watermelons are suitable for growing in central Our Country. Large-fruited varieties can show their best characteristics when grown in the southern regions of the country, so we will not talk about them now. When studying the positive qualities of a variety, pay attention to the number of days from the appearance of fruit ovaries until the berry is fully ripe.
For central Our Country, those types of crops are suitable that have time to ripen in the proposed climatic conditions and at the same time can boast of sweet, high-quality fruits. Not particularly important are indicators such as the size of the fruit, the degree of their transportability. The shape and color are of interest to those gardeners who plan to grow watermelons for commercial purposes.
What varieties are considered good for growing in the middle lane? Excellent characteristics have Podmoskovny Charleston, Gift to the North F1, Rose Champagne F1, Crimstar F1. Representatives of the Podmoskovny Charleston variety have a characteristic elongated fruit shape, are distinguished by early ripening, have beautiful red flesh and dark green skin. These hybrids grow from 5 to 10 kg. For their cultivation, a universal method is used, which is also used for watermelons of other species. Watermelon Gift to the north F1 has a rounded fruit shape, ripens quite early. Its flesh has a bright red color, the peel has a green-striped color. This hybrid can weigh from 5 to 10 kg.
Among the above varieties there is a type of Pink Champagne F1, which looks similar to the previous two, with the difference that its fruits can weigh more than 10 kg. It takes 1 to 73 days for a Crimstar F89 watermelon to fully ripen. It has excellent taste, has light green fruits with dark green stripes of medium width on the surface. The pulp of the berry has a dark red color. The mass of fruits is 3 – 9 kg. Retains commercial qualities a month after collection, shows resistance to anthracnose.
Optimal temperature
In the middle lane, watermelon can only be grown in seedlings. This applies to all varieties of crops for a given region. The period of growing seedlings is 30 – 35 days. In order not to damage the roots when transplanting into open ground, seedlings are planted in pots with a diameter of about 10 cm, 2 plants each. Seeds are pre-soaked. In order for the seedlings to be even and appear at the same time, it is necessary to provide a temperature regime for seedlings at the level of 27 – 30 degrees Celsius.
The average temperature at the stage of seedling ripening is 20 – 25 degrees. On cloudy days, its slight decrease is permissible – to avoid stretching the plants. At night, the temperature indicators are maintained at the level of 18 – 20 degrees. There is no need to install additional lighting, as seeds for seedlings are sown late – in mid-April. The quality of seedlings can be improved by placing them on a glazed or insulated balcony. Do not forget about the obligatory top dressing with complex mineral fertilizers. This is done twice. Seedlings ready for transplanting into open ground must be hardened off. To do this, the daytime temperature is reduced to 15 – 17 degrees, and at night – up to 12 – 15 degrees. Plants need to be ventilated.
Transplantation of watermelons of all varieties from pots is carried out in open ground under a film shelter. In the middle zone of our country, it is recommended to do this in late April – early May. Since the daytime temperature during this period is kept at + 15-20 degrees, and at night the thermometers do not fall below 5 – 10. Under the film these days the temperature will be above 30 degrees Celsius. Since the weather often worsens by mid-May, and frosts sometimes occur, experienced gardeners advise planting this heat-loving crop on the site between May 15 and 20. Do not forget to listen to the weather forecast for these days, then the temperature indicators will give you the opportunity to accurately determine the day of planting the crops. Watermelon has the property of self-cooling. Therefore, it can tolerate air temperatures up to +43 degrees, and soil – up to +63 degrees. Even on the hottest days, he does not wither the leaves, like a pumpkin.
Video “Watermelons in the middle lane”
Humidity control
The optimal indicators of air humidity for normal growth and development of your favorite berry are called 45 – 60%. A combination of excessive soil moisture and air with low temperature indicators can negatively affect the growth of watermelon.
Of all the gourds, it is the most capricious in this regard. If you neglect this recommendation and do not organize the necessary conditions for your favorite culture, as a result, you can get it sick with dangerous infections – anthracnose, fusarium, alternariosis. It is especially important to control the level of humidity during the flowering stage.
If its level is below the norm, the watermelon will become poorly pollinated, as a result, the ovaries will fall off. Low humidity conditions will be required by the fruits during their ripening. The moisture content of the soil on which watermelons are grown directly depends on the stage of its development. A plant needs a lot of moisture during the period when it begins to grow intensively. If the crop does not receive enough moisture at this time, this will negatively affect the degree of its yield. During the growth and development of the plant, the soil moisture level should be 70 – 75%. At the stage of fruit ripening, this indicator decreases and amounts to 65 – 70%.
The need for a favorite berry in a large amount of water decreases as the fruit formation ends. A young plant needs about 200 ml of water per day. With the beginning of flowering, this amount is halved. On hot days, watermelons need to be watered infrequently, but plentifully. In household plots, gardeners irrigate young plants under the root with warm water – its temperature is + 22-25 degrees. For adult crops, water with a temperature of + 18-20 degrees is needed.
Protection against pests and diseases
Diseases and pests can cause great harm to the melons that we plant in summer cottages. Diseases such as fusarium, anthracnose, powdery flour can cause a lot of trouble to crops. To protect against the occurrence of diseases, observing the correct crop rotations or fruit shifts, choosing in favor of infection-resistant types of watermelons helps. Deep tillage is applied, merciless weed control is carried out, phosphorus-potassium top dressing is introduced into the soil, watering is carried out in dosages not exceeding the recommended ones.
As preventive measures, keeping the areas adjacent to the plantings of watermelons clean is used. The remains of crops that have suffered certain diseases, other plant waste are collected in compost heaps, and they are treated with bleach. Pests – such as wireworm, melon ladybug, melon aphid and others – are usually destroyed manually using special baits. Seeds are treated with apron powder at the rate of 3-5 grams per 1 kg of seeds. Bordeaux liquid or copper oxychloride effectively acts against anthracnose.
To ensure reliable protection of crops from Fusarium wilt, foliar fertilizing with potassium nitrate or superphosphate extract, seed treatment with a solution of zinc or manganese sulphate are used. At the first sign of the appearance of powdery mildew, bayleton is sprayed. An aqueous suspension of caratan EC is also successfully used. If pests are found on plantings, it is advised to prepare a working solution from decis or fue, sherpas. Processing is stopped one month before the start of harvest. If such a misfortune as a gall nematode was found on the site, it is better to change it.
Video “How to grow watermelons in mid-latitude”
In the video, you will learn how to sow, grow and harvest watermelons in central Our Country.
