Growing watermelons in a greenhouse: planting and care, formation scheme with photo

Watermelon is considered the most popular plant among gourds. The main advantage of watermelons is their unpretentiousness and ease of care for planted bushes. However, despite this, you need to familiarize yourself with the features of growing watermelons in a greenhouse in advance in order to get a good harvest.

Benefits of growing watermelons in a greenhouse

It's no secret that the yield of gourds depends on weather conditions and soil moisture. Therefore, many gardeners prefer to grow them in greenhouses. This allows you to create optimal conditions for growing watermelon bushes and independently maintain the level of soil moisture and temperature.Thanks to growing in a greenhouse, you can improve the taste of fruits and achieve high yields. However, these are not the only benefits of using greenhouses.

Other advantages include the following:

1. Protection of seedlings from late frosts. Residents of the northern and central regions often experience night frosts, which stop the development of bushes and negatively affect the amount of the crop. When using polycarbonate greenhouses, you can completely protect gourds from night temperature drops.
2. Humidity control. The increased humidity of the air or the earth worsens the taste of watermelon berries. They become too watery and not sweet. By growing plants in greenhouse conditions, it is possible to control the humidity in order to preserve the taste of the crop.
3. Protection against damage. Sometimes, due to mechanical damage, watermelon seedlings grow worse. To maintain the integrity of the planted bushes, it is recommended to grow them in protected greenhouses.

Selecting and preparing a greenhouse

Before you start planting gourds, you need to prepare a greenhouse. Large structures are suitable for planting, as watermelons are planted at a distance of at least one meter from each other. Therefore, in order to plant more than ten bushes, you will have to use a greenhouse 5 meters long and 3-4 meters wide. The material from which the structure is made is also determined in advance.

They are made from the following materials:

1. Film. The most affordable for most gardeners are greenhouses made of film. The disadvantages of film structures include the fact that they cannot be equipped with additional heating systems. Therefore, it is impossible to monitor the air temperature in film greenhouses. Most often film greenhouses are used for growing gourds in early summer.
2. Glass. Glass structures are the largest and heaviest. For their installation on the site make a solid foundation. Glass greenhouses allow you to install a heating system for growing plants in winter.
3. Polycarbonate. Polycarbonate structures are among the most expensive and reliable. Experienced gardeners recommend using them for growing watermelon bushes. They are ideal for winter or spring planting.

Best varieties for growing in greenhouse conditions

The amount of harvest directly depends on the variety that is grown. It is recommended to select in advance a variety of watermelons that is best suited for planting in greenhouses.

Siberian

Siberian is excellent for growing in greenhouses in the northern regions. This variety was bred several years ago by Ural breeders. Distinctive features of the Siberian are its early sowing dates and the rapid ripening of watermelon fruits.

The variety grows well even in unheated greenhouses, as it is resistant to temperature extremes and high humidity. The advantages of Siberian include the weight of ripened fruits, which grow up to five kilograms.

Crimson

Krimson watermelons, which grow well in greenhouses, are popular among Ural vegetable growers.

The plant belongs to the group of early ripening watermelons, which have time to ripen within 40-50 days.

The fruits of Crimson are quite large, as they grow up to 8-10 kilograms. They are distinguished by a smooth, durable surface and juicy pulp with a sweetish aftertaste. At least 40-50 kilograms of crops are harvested from one bush.

Spark

Gardeners who plan to plant early watermelons in the greenhouse should pay attention to Ogonyok. Its fruits are able to fully ripen in two and a half months.To harvest a ripe crop in the second half of July or early August, the seeds are planted in a greenhouse in mid-May.

Spark Berries are rounded and bright green. Ripened fruits gradually become covered with dark stripes. The spark cannot boast of large watermelons, as they grow only up to 3-4 kilograms. However, 4-5 fruits are imposed on each bush, which allows you to harvest more than 20 kilograms of the crop.

Sugar

This watermelon is considered a versatile variety as it does well in cold and arid climates. Therefore, gardeners grow it not only in greenhouses, but also in the open. However, in greenhouses Sugar grows faster and bears fruit better.

The fruits are oval in shape and have a smooth greenish surface.

Many gardeners attribute to the advantages of Sugar its taste qualities, which are distinguished by a pleasant aroma and sweetness. Watermelon berries grow up to five kilograms when grown outdoors. In greenhouses, their weight can reach 7-8 kilograms.

Sowing seeds and growing seedlings

Before you start growing watermelon seedlings, you should familiarize yourself with the features of planting seeds and their germination until the first shoots appear.

Preparation of seeds

Only pre-prepared seeds that have been pre-treated should be planted in the ground. When preparing seeds before planting, they must be warmed up. The procedure is carried out to remove all bacteria and pathogens from the surface of the seed. To warm up, you will have to use special heating devices.

For example, you can put the seeds in the oven for 5-7 minutes. The first few minutes it should be warmed up to 20-30 degrees, after which the heating temperature gradually increases to 60 degrees. During heating, all the seeds are periodically mixed so that they warm up more thoroughly.

Also, manganese liquid is used to disinfect seed. To create a mixture in 100 milliliters of water, add 2-3 grams of manganese. Then seeds are placed in a container and soaked in it for about half an hour. Some gardeners add wood ash to the solution during the procedure to speed up the process of seed germination. After removing the seeds from the manganese solution, they are washed with running water and dried.

Containers and soil

Experienced gardeners advise, for growing watermelon seedlings, to plant seeds in bulk or peat pots. Also, for planting gourds, you can use cardboard egg trays or plastic cassettes. However, some use peat pots.

When using such containers in the future, you will not have to pick the planted plants, as they can be placed in the ground along with the pot.

Having decided on the most suitable container for watermelons, they begin to prepare the soil mixture for planting. Planting seeds should be done in pre-prepared soil, filled with nutrients. When creating a soil mixture, humus is added to the ground, which is made from rotted plants or manure. Also, peat is considered an indispensable component, which is often used to improve soil fertility. It makes the earth more loose, so that moisture penetrates into its upper layers faster.

After preparing the soil, they plant seeds. To do this, shallow depressions are made in the soil, into which 2-3 seeds are placed. When the seedlings grow to 5-8 centimeters, they are transplanted into the greenhouse.

Rules for the care of greenhouse watermelons

It's no secret that all planted seedlings must be grown correctly in order to collect large fruits. To do this, you will have to regularly care for watermelons, water and feed the bushes. Also, when leaving, the seedlings must be tied to the supports.

Water frequency

Melons and gourds are characterized by a complex root system, which allows you to effectively absorb moisture even from the lower layers of the soil. Therefore, do not water the bushes too often. Gardeners recommend moistening the area when the leaves begin to wither. When watering, the liquid is poured under the root to protect the upper leaves from water.

Light and thermal conditions

The amount of light and thermal performance affect the yield of watermelons. People who deal with watermelons are advised to monitor the lighting and climatic conditions in greenhouses. The optimal temperature is considered to be around 25-30 degrees.

Duration of daylight should not be less than 12 hours. Therefore, it will be necessary to install lamps near the beds for additional lighting.

Fertilizer

Each bush begins to feed when the height of its stems reaches 20-30 centimeters.The plant grows to this size within a month after transplanting into a greenhouse. At first, only organic top dressings are added to the ground. The next time the site is fertilized before flowering and fruit formation. This time they use mineral supplements in the form of superphosphate and ammonium nitrate.

Formation of gourds

The quality and quantity of the crop depends on the formation of the bush. Therefore, it is recommended that you familiarize yourself in advance with how to properly form plants in a greenhouse.

When forming watermelons, first pinch the stems above the fifth leaf. After a few days, additional shoots appear at the bottom of the shoots, which must be stepson. Some gardeners cut them out immediately after they appear. Pruning is also carried out on shoots on which ovaries have not formed.

The described pruning scheme will help grow strong bushes that will grow large and juicy fruits.

Technology for tying watermelons

Every gardener should know how to properly tie up watermelons. The first garter of plants is carried out two weeks after they are planted in the soil. To do this, supports are installed along each row, on which the wire is pulled. When the plant grows up to 40 centimeters, it is tied with threads to a wire.

After the formation of the fruit, the garter is repeated. In this case, special nets will have to be hung on the trellis, in which ripening watermelons are placed.

Harvesting

Watermelons are harvested after they are fully ripe. The drying of the connecting lash near the fruit testifies to the maturity of the crop. Also, ripe watermelon berries are covered with dark stripes of a greenish tint. The harvested crop is cleaned of dirt, washed, dried and transferred to the cellar for storage.

Conclusion

Everyone can handle growing watermelon bushes in greenhouses. To do this, you need to familiarize yourself with the features of planting watermelons and the rules for caring for them.

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