Feeding watermelons in the open field during flowering and fruiting

Many gardeners are engaged in the cultivation of gourds. However, not each of them manages to grow juicy fruits with good taste. In order for the harvest to be of high quality, it is necessary to regularly feed watermelons in the open field with mineral and organic fertilizers.

Why is it necessary to feed watermelons

Some gardeners who are going to grow gourds do not know why they are being fed. Most often, fertilizers are used if the soil lacks nutrients. For example, when growing watermelons in the southern regions, it is not necessary to engage in top dressing, since fertile soils prevail in this area.Gardeners recommend feeding watermelon bushes to residents of the eastern and central regions. It is contraindicated in these areas to grow gourds and gourds without regular fertilizing of the soil, because due to the lack of micronutrients, the fruits will grow slowly.

Feed mixtures are added to the soil at the first sign of nitrogen deficiency. These include slow growth of seedlings, poor development of inflorescences, thin shoots and the appearance of a white coating on the surface of the leaves. If you add a solution containing nitrogen to the ground, the bushes will begin to grow much faster. However, it is necessary to use such dressings very carefully, because sometimes, due to their overabundance, seedlings begin to grow worse. Therefore, gourds are fertilized in moderation so as not to oversaturate the soil with nutrients.

Feeding methods

There are two main methods by which plants are fertilized:

1. Root. When using this method, all feeding solutions are added to the soil so that they can be absorbed by the roots.
2. Foliar. A less common method, in which all fertilizers are injected directly into the stem or leaves.

It is recommended that you familiarize yourself with each of the considered methods in more detail.

Foliar

A characteristic feature of this method is that when it is used, it is necessary to fertilize the bushes by introducing nutrients through the leaves and stems. This contributes to a faster penetration of the components into the plants. It is necessary to fertilize plants foliarly very carefully, since the introduction of a large amount of the solution negatively affects the development of seedlings.

Using the foliar method, all leaves are carefully sprayed with a feeding solution, which may include organic or mineral substances. Spraying is carried out only in the evening or in the morning when there is no sun.

Root

To improve the development of watermelon seedlings, gardeners fertilize them with the root method. For this, liquid solutions from manure and other organic components are used. Fertilizing solution is poured into each bush under the root.

At least five liters of liquid are consumed per square meter of a plot with planted watermelons.

It is better to fertilize the soil before watering seedlings or heavy rain, as organic matter is absorbed faster in moist soil.

Types of organic top dressings

Many vegetable growers prefer to fertilize gourds at home with organic matter. To do this, use animals, vegetable dressings and other folk remedies, from which you can prepare a nutrient solution.

Vegetable

There are several plant components that can be fed to grown watermelons:

1. Must. When growing gourds, seedlings are often fertilized with humus, which is prepared from the soil and animal remains. For the preparation of such a fertilizer, it is recommended to use manure or bird droppings.
2. Ash. It is difficult to find a gardener who would never use wood ash. To create a nutrient mixture, mix the remains of burnt weeds, leaves, wood and straw. Regular application of ash will fill the soil with boron, calcium, phosphorus and sulfur.
3. Biohumus. Some gardeners use biohumus, for the preparation of which the rotted leaf mixture is mixed with yeast, soil and worms. If you periodically fertilize watermelons with biohumus, then the fruits of the plant will become larger and tastier.

Animals

When using organic matter, not only components of plant origin, but also of animal origin are added to the soil. These include:

1. Litter. Almost every gardener, when growing gourds, uses chicken manure. It contains nutrients such as potassium, phosphorus and magnesium. For fertilizer, only a weakly concentrated solution mixed with water is used.
2. Mullein. To feed watermelons, you can use mullein, the composition of which is very similar to urea. It contains a lot of potassium, nitrogen and phosphorus, which improve the growth of seedlings. The advantages of mullein include the fact that it is environmentally friendly, so it, even in large quantities, does not harm watermelons.

Mineral fertilizers

Sometimes, to increase the yield of gourds, it is not enough to use only organic matter, so they also use mineral supplements with iodine and other microelements. Before you feed a watermelon, you need to familiarize yourself with the classification of such fertilizers.

Phosphate

To quickly improve the growth of watermelon seedlings, use soluble phosphates, which include:

1. Ammophos. This granular component is half phosphorus. The composition of the rest of ammophos includes potassium, sulfur and nitrogen. If the component is used correctly, watermelons will increase immunity to diseases, increase yields and improve the taste of berries.
2. Superphosphate. Superphosphate is one of the most common mineral supplements. Its main advantage is called a high degree of dissolution in water.

Nitrogen

Common nitrogen fertilizers include:

1. Urea. Such top dressing is used to accelerate photosynthesis and fruit growth. It is not recommended to fertilize plants with urea too often, as this will reduce the number of flowers and the yield will deteriorate.
2. S altpeter. A third of the substance consists of nitrogen, therefore it is included in the group of nitrogen-containing components. S altpeter should not be added to the soil in large quantities, so that nitrates do not appear in watermelon fruits, which can harm human he alth.

Potash

Potassium has a positive effect on the growth of gourds, so it is necessary to regularly water the soil with potash solutions. You can feed watermelon bushes with potassium chloride, which improves the protective properties of seedlings and helps them cope with sudden weather changes and diseases.

Differences between top dressing in the open field and in the greenhouse

Before growing watermelon, it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with the main differences between their fertilizer in a greenhouse and a vegetable garden. Growing watermelon bushes in greenhouse conditions, the soil is often fertilized with mineral components, which contain phosphorus, potassium and nitrogen. To prepare the working mixture, 20 grams of the substance is added to 10-15 liters of water.

The resulting liquid is enough to water 4-5 bushes. When the first flowers appear on the seedlings, a superphosphate mixture is added to the ground. To prepare it, 50 grams of superphosphate are added to a ten-liter container with water. After that, the area with watermelons is sprayed with liquid.

Care for seedlings that are grown outdoors is the regular addition of organic matter. Solutions prepared from foliage, herbs and manure are periodically added to the ground. They not only enrich the soil with useful trace elements, but also cleanse it of bacteria and hazardous substances. Also, watermelons in gardens are periodically fertilized with wood ash to improve the taste of fruits.

Watermelon feeding scheme

There are many techniques that help to evenly distribute top dressing throughout the cultivation of watermelons. However, the most effective scheme is one in which plants are fertilized at each stage of their development.

When sowing seeds

The first feeding is carried out during the planting of watermelon seeds. Before fertilizing, before planting the seed, determine the type of soil and its level of acidity. Plots with sandy soil are fertilized with a solution of humus. Lime soils are fertilized with mineral trace elements.

Fertilizer when planting seedlings

Some gardeners pre-grow seedlings, which are transplanted into the garden in the future. Before planting young seedlings, the entire area is sprayed with Fitosporin, which cleanses the soil of viruses and other pathogens. Then the earth is sprinkled with mustard, oats and other green manure, which contribute to the development of roots and green mass of watermelons.

During flowering

Before the flowering of gourds, it is recommended to enrich the soil with potassium, which improves the formation of flowers.To do this, the area is treated with a solution prepared from Nutrivant. To create a mixture in 20 liters of water, add 200-300 grams of the drug. Enough liquid to fertilize three square meters of watermelon plot.

At the beginning of fruiting

During the appearance of the first ovaries, the bushes need such a component as boron. It is necessary for the development of cells and the ripening of watermelon berries. In plants that lack boron, the leaves turn yellow and small stripes appear on the fruits. To saturate the soil with the component, you will have to process the bushes with Megafol and Plantafol within two weeks.

Food for fetal growth

After the formation of ovaries on plants, the stage of growth of watermelon fruits begins. It is recommended to familiarize yourself with the features of fertilizing watermelons during this period in order to increase yields.

Every ten days, the bushes are watered with Uniflorom solution, which contains components to accelerate the growth of berries.

To create a mixture for watering seedlings, add 100 grams of the drug to ten liters of warm water. After that, the mixture is stirred and the soil is fertilized with it. To make the harvest juicier and tastier, the bushes are treated with a feed mixture prepared from Terraflex. To create a working fluid, add 50 grams of the drug to 20 liters of water.

How to identify overfeeding and underfeeding

Deficiency or excess of nutrients in the soil is quite simple to determine. To do this, it is enough to monitor the condition of watermelon seedlings. If the bushes do not grow well, and weak shoots form on them, then they lack nitrogen. Also, the lack of this substance is evidenced by small yellow spots that appeared on the surface of the leaves.

There are times when the bushes wither for a long time and weakly increase their green mass. Such signs indicate a lack of potash supplements that watermelons need.If there is too much potassium in the soil, side shoots are imposed on the plants, due to which the growth of berries worsens.

Death of flowers and ovaries is observed with calcium deficiency. Also, the lack of a component leads to the formation of small fruits and underdeveloped inflorescences.

Conclusion

When growing melons and gourds, it is necessary to deal with fertilization. Therefore, it is recommended to familiarize yourself in advance with the main methods of top dressing, their varieties and features of top dressing of watermelons with various mineral and organic fertilizers.

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