Watermelon Siberian Lights: variety description, cultivation features with photo and video

Watermelon is a southern heat-loving crop. Until recently, the fruit was grown only in the south. Professional farmers of the northern latitudes know that planting watermelons, if they develop and grow, then they are unlikely to succeed in entering the full stage of maturity. But thanks to the experiments of breeders, cardinal changes have occurred. Sweet southern berries are successfully grown in the North, and Siberian Lights watermelon is a prime example of this.

History of Siberian Lights selection

Mankind has been cultivating watermelons for thousands of years. An annual plant began to be cultivated in sultry Egypt.Juicy sweet fruits, along with seed material, moved with merchants across the continents and settled on the southern African mainland. Centuries passed, farmers around the world studied the agricultural technology of fruit crops. We also learned how to fruitfully grow melons in the southern territories of our country.

Gardeners living in the northern regions of the country made numerous attempts to breed a heat-loving plant, but all actions came down to failure. Watermelons did not have time to ripen in too harsh a climate. Breeding does not stand still, scientists, thanks to numerous experiments, have learned to breed cold-resistant varieties of watermelons that can ripen early. Siberian Lights is a prime example.

Characteristics and taste of the berry

Early-ripening varieties differ significantly from many hybrid watermelon varieties. This is evidenced only by positive reviews and characteristics.Ripening dates are suitable in the period from 80 to 95 days. Planting melons and gourds are resistant to Fusarium. They grow well after potatoes, cabbage, legumes. Appropriate care significantly increases the amount of harvest, which sometimes exceeds the established norms.

The taste of berries is sweet and rich, the flesh is bright with a dark red tint. The fruits grow in the form of a dark green ball with faint black and greenish stripes. The peel is quite thin, light. The fruit can weigh from one to two and a half kilograms. The presentation is always at a high level, it is not lost from long-term transportation. The crop is grown in open ground and in greenhouses.

In what regions can it grow

Breeders, studying the nature of heat-loving gourds, have developed a technology for growing in the country's territories with a short warm period. Early maturing cold-resistant varieties with a short growing season and the ability to produce crops in the Moscow region, in the Urals and in the northernmost regions of Russia have been bred.Watermelon Siberian Lights successfully grows and bears fruit even in the short Siberian summer.

Reviews from gardeners prove that it has become possible to grow gourds in a cold climate, and the process gives quite good results every year.

Rules for planting and growing varieties

In order for the cultivation of watermelon to bring only positive results, you need to stock up on good quality seeds. The material offered by specialized outlets is ideal for the process. Grains harvested at the enterprise have undergone thorough screening, processing, and disinfection. They are suitable for landing, do not require additional action.

The best material for germination is selected by soaking. Good grains sink to the bottom of the vessel, empty unusable ones float up. For the prevention of diseases, the selected seeds are treated with hot water, the temperature of which is about sixty degrees.Then for some time they are placed in a pink composition of potassium permanganate or in a weak solution of hydrogen peroxide.

To harvest in Siberian conditions, first determine the approximate time of planting seedlings in the ground. Only after that the grains are lowered into the ground.

Seeds will take about five days to hatch. The age of seedling material suitable for planting is from a month or more. The grown plants are transferred to a permanent place, and each gardener independently determines under what conditions the culture will give the best harvest.

In greenhouses

In the regions of Siberia there is always a long frosty winter, a short but very hot summer. Growing measuredly and slowly gourds are not always able to adapt to changeable climatic conditions. When planting an early ripe variety of watermelon for seedlings, many gardeners prefer greenhouse growing technology.

Equip greenhouses with thick transparent film. To enhance the greenhouse effect, wrap in two or three layers. Capital buildings made of modern polycarbonate material are more convenient and reliable. Sprouts are planted in well-prepared soil, carefully dug up, loosened, fertilized with mineral components and organic matter.

Outdoor

For the cultivation of watermelons in the regions of Siberia, the main thing is the right variety. Based on the reviews of avid gardeners, Siberian Lights is an ideal option. In this case, the size of the fruit is not given much attention, since in a cold climate the fruits do not grow large. An important positive quality of the variety is a small number of days from setting to ripening.

In the conditions of a short summer, these are the main points, and only thanks to them you can count on the future harvest.

Wishing to grow watermelons on the plot, you must adhere to the main rules:

only hybrids adapted to the climatic conditions of the region are chosen for cultivation:
agricultural technology is carried out, strictly observing the basic requirements.

The weather plays a big role, which is impossible both to predict and to determine with accuracy. The positive results of the harvest, the external and taste indicators of the fruits depend only on it.

How to grow a good crop, proper care and fertilizer

Watermelon Siberian Lights - an early ripening variety. The standard terms from germination to ripening are eighty days. This is the most suitable hybrid for areas that lack sunny days. At the initial stage, seedlings are grown in a month or more, and then, almost at an accelerated pace, the growing process itself is carried out. The soil for planting is prepared in advance. At the end of autumn, it is plowed up, trenches are made, all the necessary nutrients are laid out in them.

With the onset of spring, organic matter is added to the rotted layer, seedlings are planted in a month.

Seedling material is placed in open ground when the earth has warmed up to fifteen degrees plus. To protect the plants from possible spring frosts, the seedlings are covered with a film, and after a couple of weeks they are additionally fed with liquid organic fertilizers. Hybrid Siberian Lights does not need frequent watering, which is stopped a month and a half before harvest.

You have to pollinate the plants yourself, they make it a "male" flower. It is torn off and for seconds connected with the inflorescence of a female accessory. To obtain a good harvest, they control the number of ovaries and shoots. For early ripening varieties, several ovaries are enough for one bush. More will not allow the fruit to ripen.

Disease prevention

Watermelon, like all cultivated plants, is attacked by insects and infectious diseases. Every gardener, trying to get a good harvest, should not forget about preventive measures. The first prevention measures are carried out with planting material. Seeds are kept for some time in Bordeaux liquid or in a solution of Fundazol before planting in the ground.

After planting, the plants are periodically sprayed with a mixture of wood ash and water, tobacco dust also relieves gourds from aphids. When serious infections or insect infestations appear, fungicidal agents are used.

Collecting and storing the harvest of watermelons

The ripeness of watermelons is determined by cultural characteristics:

the amniotic lash began to dry out;
from lying on the ground for a long time, a wide yellow spot appeared on the side;
when lightly tapped, the fruit makes a ringing sound of ripe watermelon;
the due dates of ripeness have come;