Astrakhan watermelons: when they ripen and description of varieties with photos and videos

A huge round fruit with a flat surface was brought out by breeder Konstantin Dyutin. Astrakhan watermelons, unlike other varieties of this gourd, are unpretentious in care, for which they are planted in farms and grown in summer cottages. The sweet berry not only has a pleasant taste, but also eliminates thirst, supplies vitamins and trace elements to the human body, cleanses it of toxins, and relieves swelling.

Features of the variety

Now there is no need to go to Astrakhan for watermelons, the hot and dry climate of which is ideal for growing melons. You can buy an amazing berry anywhere, it is cultivated in different regions of Russia. Astrakhan watermelons are different:

dense and smooth crust;
oblong shape;
dark green;
light stripes on the surface.

The pulp in the fruit pleases with a sweet taste, a subtle aroma of the fields. With prolonged drought, voids sometimes form in the berry, but Astrakhan watermelon does not lose juiciness from this. It ripens 75-80 days after germination. The gourd culture loves heat, direct rays of the sun, does not like cloudy and cool weather, high humidity. Astrakhan watermelons are extremely rarely affected:

fusarium
grey rot;
mosaic disease;
anthracnose.

The characteristics and description of the variety interested farmers, because from one hectare, under favorable conditions, it is possible to collect 120 tons of watermelons, each of which weighs more than 8 kilograms.Summer residents who plant this gourd on their plots claim that the sweetest and juiciest fruit has a contrasting color - a very dark peel and very light stripes. A ripe berry makes a barely audible crack when pressed.

Methods of growing Astrakhan watermelon

The variety is suitable for cultivation not only in the southern regions, but also in the middle lane. Where spring lingers, seedlings are first harvested; if heat comes in April, disinfected seeds are sown directly on the garden bed or on the chestnut tree. The first method is suitable for the Moscow region, the Black Earth region. The second option for the cultivation of watermelons, in addition to the Astrakhan region, is resorted to in the Krasnodar and Stavropol Territories, in the North Caucasus.

Sprouting seeds

Both gardeners and farmers dream of the sweet berry ripening faster. Some want to please the family with fruits, others want to earn income.

Sprouting seeds helps speed up the harvesting process. First they need to be decomposed and larger grains selected. In order for the sprouts to hatch faster, the seed is poured with hot water and left for half an hour, after which it is soaked for a day in a solution of potassium permanganate. Experienced gardeners add aloe juice to it.

When sprouts appear, the seeds must be moved to peat pots or plastic containers filled with humus. It is important to choose the right time to germinate the seed and transplant the bushes to a site illuminated by the sun.

Astrakhan watermelons love light and loose soil. Fertilizers containing phosphorus and nitrogen should be applied to the soil prepared in autumn. Seedlings are transferred to open ground at the end of May. Usually at this time there are no more frosts, and the soil warms up well. Watermelons have time to ripen before the beginning of autumn.

Planting seedlings in a greenhouse

In mid-latitudes summer residents prefer to sow the Astrakhan variety not in open ground, but under a film. They do this from the end of March to the beginning of April, many are guided by the lunar calendar. To make the skin softer, the seeds are dipped in hot water for a quarter of an hour.

For hardening, some gardeners wrap watermelon grains in wet gauze and send them to a cold place for a week or put them on ice 8 hours before planting.

After treatment with a growth stimulator, 3-4 seeds are laid out in cups filled with fertilized soil, deepening by 4 centimeters. The containers are wrapped in foil and left in the greenhouse, where it should be at least 25 °. When sprouts appear, the polyethylene is removed, the seedlings are thinned out. When four leaves are formed, and this happens after 30-35 days, Astrakhan watermelons are moved to the field or to the garden.

Seedlings in the open field

By the end of May, the earth warms up well, and frosts rarely return. When the soil temperature reaches 14 °, they dig holes, put humus in each, plant several watermelon seeds, cover with soil, the layer of which should be at least 10 centimeters. Between the rows leave a distance of up to one and a half meters. Melon is insulated with agrofibre.

Cultivated Astrakhan watermelon develops well after:

beans;
corn;
nightshade crops.

Seedlings are transplanted to a permanent place, protected from drafts, when the daytime is not less than 18 °, every half a meter, 90 centimeters are left between rows. Fertilizer is placed in the dug holes, which is prepared , dissolving in 2 liters of water 40 grams of superphosphate, 20 - potassium s alt and 30 - ammonium sulphate.Many summer residents prefer chicken manure and mullein.

Covering the fertilizer with earth, pour the ash, pour warm water. Having cut the glass, they take out the seedlings of the Astrakhan watermelon and place it in the ground so that the soil reaches the leaves. Moisture will evaporate less if the bed under the melon crop is mulched with humus or sand.

Create optimal conditions for good growth and yield

Growing and caring for Astrakhan watermelons almost do not differ from the cultivation of other varieties. Plants develop rapidly, give a high yield on fertile lands, especially on black soil.

Temperature and lighting

Watermelons love the sun, even if they sprout in the shade, they won't set fruit. When cloudy weather lasts for a long time, the berry does not pick up sweetness. When growing melons in a greenhouse, it is necessary to install additional lamps.

Astrakhan watermelons develop well at high temperatures, the yield increases significantly if during the growing season it is from 30 to 40 ° during the day and at least 18 at night; at 15 growth stops, at lower values the culture may die.

Watermelons are worse tied when the sun's rays fall on them longer than 12 hours, but even with a daylight of 8 hours, the culture does not develop.

Moisture and watering

Astrakhan watermelons have powerful roots that go to great depths and grow in width. They do not suffer during a drought, they endure a long absence of rain. However, the berry will not be juicy and sweet if the culture is not watered. During development, watermelons are moistened daily with warm water. When they begin to ripen en masse, the number of irrigations is reduced.

Soil fertilization

Gourds are very demanding on soil fertility. Feeding Astrakhan watermelons, even if they grow on black soil, is necessary once every 14-15 days. You can use solutions from rotted manure, chicken manure, and even better, combine organic matter with mineral fertilizers.

Diseases and pests of the Astrakhan watermelon

Rain and cold weather have a negative impact on the state of melons and gourds. The set fruits have no taste, no juice is collected. Although Astrakhan watermelons are resistant to fusarium and some other diseases, under adverse conditions, they are affected by downy mildew caused by a pathogenic fungus. To cope with it, the leaves of the culture are treated with Bordeaux liquid 3 times per season.

Prolonged cooling, high humidity contribute to the appearance of root rot, when the underground part of the plant thickens and cracks, the leaves wither. For spraying, a solution of Fundazol is used, ash is poured onto the soil.

Seeds are recommended to be treated before planting, as bacteria are transmitted through them, provoking the development of corner spot, in which:

The plant is covered with bloom.
Holes appear on the leaves.
The stems wither.
The fruit becomes soft.

At high humidity and low temperature, plantations of melons and gourds are destroyed in a short time by black aphids. Due to insects about 2 millimeters in size, flowers fall off, the ovary falls off, the plant dies. Spraying plants with solutions of tobacco dust, a mixture of wood ash and laundry soap does not always help get rid of parasites. Often you have to treat melon leaves with insecticides.

How to determine the ripeness of a berry

There is more than one way to make sure the Astrakhan watermelon is ripe. First of all, you need to pay attention to its crust. If it is hard, does not pierce with a fingernail, then the berry does not feed on moisture from the stems. Breaking away from the plant, the fruits ripen quickly. In a ripe berry, light stripes clearly appear against the background of a dark peel.

Watermelon lies on the ground on one side, a stain forms at the point of contact with the ground. In a ripe berry, it has a yellow or orange color. The fruit can be cut if a ringing sound is heard from a hand blow, and a crackling sound when pressed.

A ripened watermelon does not sink in water. The pulp of the berries of the Astrakhan variety is bright red, the pits are black. "Girls", which are considered tastier than "boys", have a flat bottom instead of a narrow one, with a wide circle on it.

When to harvest and how to store crops

Astrakhan watermelons begin to ripen closer to autumn. Late varieties have a thick rind that prevents damage to the juicy pulp. Fruits from your own plot should be stored for storage a few days before they ripen.

For harvesting, you need to choose watermelons that do not have cracks, dents, scratches, and the surface shines in the sun. A very large berry should not be left in the refrigerator or laid in a cellar or basement. Varieties of early ripening are not suitable for storage. So that Astrakhan watermelons do not spoil for a long time, do not lose their taste and juiciness, the temperature in a ventilated room should be in the range from 2 to 4 °, humidity should not exceed 85.

Whole fruits of this variety lie perfectly for 3 months, at room temperature - 5 weeks, the cut berry is stored in the refrigerator for no more than 2 days.

Common Growing Mistakes

Beginning gardeners sometimes believe that since Astrakhan watermelons come from the southern regions, where it is hot and dry, it is not necessary to water the plants. Other plot owners stop watering 10 days before harvest, resulting in:

to a deterioration in taste;
low sugar content;
unsatisfactory keeping quality.

A gross mistake of gardeners planting watermelons is the lack of proper feeding. Gourds need both mineral fertilizers and organics, but in moderation.

Some gardeners manage to save space in the greenhouse by placing tomatoes and watermelons side by side. Plants require different nutrition, some are watered every day, others - once a week. Long stems of gourds quickly drown out tomatoes.

Buying seeds of Astrakhan watermelons on the market is not easy, not everyone knows how to distinguish that this is not a fake. You have to rely only on the conscience of sellers or buy sowing seeds not at the bazaar, but in specialized stores.