Growing watermelons: planting and care in the open field, how to form

Often, gardeners plant watermelons in their summer cottages to enjoy their juicy fruits in the summer. However, not everyone manages to get a high-quality harvest, since special knowledge is needed to grow gourds. Therefore, it is necessary to familiarize yourself in advance with how watermelons are grown.

Features of planting watermelons in different regions

Watermelons are considered heat-loving plants that have a long growing season. It is recommended to familiarize yourself with the technology of growing this crop in areas that differ in climatic features.Residents of southern regions with a warm climate can plant gourds immediately in open ground. Due to the high temperature, bushes and fruits will grow quickly. When growing a plant in warm regions, it is much easier to get a good harvest.

In the northern regions, the air temperature is much lower, so watermelons ripen worse. Due to the harsh climate, many gardeners fail to achieve high yields.

When growing gourds in such regions, certain rules are followed:

• for planting use only varieties with early ripening;
• to create optimal conditions for the germination of seedlings, seed must be planted in greenhouses or under film shelters;
• planting is carried out by seedling method;
• to improve the growth of the root system, all seedlings are watered between rows;
• to obtain medium-sized fruits, no more than six ripe berries are left on each bush, and two fruits are left for the largest harvest.

Selection and preparation of watermelon seeds for sowing

Before you start sowing watermelons at home, you need to do the selection and preliminary preparation of seed.

Choice

It is recommended to pre-select the seeds that will be planted in the future. When selecting, carefully inspect each seed to look for any signs of damage. Damaged seeds are immediately discarded as they are unsuitable for planting.

Also, when choosing the highest quality seed, pay attention to its variety. Experienced gardeners advise planting hybrid varieties, as they are resistant to weather changes and common diseases.

Preparation

To get strong and he althy seedlings, you will have to do the preliminary preparation of seeds in advance, which consists of several activities:

1. Decontamination. Before sowing, all seeds will have to be disinfected so that they are not exposed to diseases in the future. During disinfection, all seeds are soaked in manganese liquid for 25-30 minutes. Then they are laid out on a towel and dried thoroughly.
2. Warming up. Gardeners strongly recommend heating watermelon seeds, as this contributes to their germination. The procedure is carried out very carefully so as not to accidentally overheat the seeds. To warm up, all planting material is lowered for half an hour into a container with water heated to 45 degrees.
3. Scarification. When carrying out such a procedure, the shell of the seed of watermelons is carefully pierced. This speeds up the process of seed germination several times. Scarifying should be done 2-3 weeks before planting.

Choosing a place to land

To grow a quality crop in the open field, you need to select the most suitable site for watermelons in advance. When choosing a place in the garden, pay attention to the characteristics of the soil. For gourds and gourds, sandy and sandy loamy soils are ideal, which are rich in nutrients. The level of illumination of the site is also taken into account, since due to the lack of light, the yield may deteriorate. Therefore, experts do not recommend planting seeds or seedlings in shady areas, under trees or fences.

When choosing a place for planting watermelons in a summer cottage, one should take into account the compatibility of this crop with other plants.

Watermelon seedlings grow well in gardens where black radish has been grown for a long time. This vegetable saturates the soil with phytoncides, which protect crops from spider mites and other pests.Gardeners also recommend planting gourds near tomatoes and parsley, as they drive away moths and sawflies.

However, there are a few plants with which watermelons are incompatible. Do not plant them after peppers, potatoes, strawberries and eggplants, as these vegetables suck out a lot of the nutrients that watermelon plants need from the soil.

Prepare and fertilize the soil

Having chosen a site for planting a plant, they begin the preliminary preparation and fertilization of the soil in which watermelon seedlings will be grown. Chernozem should be loose and contain nutrients that will accelerate the growth of seedlings. Soil preparation technology consists of several successive stages.

1. Determining the level of looseness of the soil and its acidity. If the land on the site has an increased level of acidity, you will have to water it with chalk or lime mortar. Heavy soils are pre-fertilized with vermicompost to increase friability.
2. Adding mineral supplements to increase yields. In the first few weeks after planting watermelons, mineral fertilizers are added to the soil, which are dominated by nitrogen. This component activates the growth of seedlings, due to which fruits are tied on the bushes earlier. Also, the plot is fed with phosphorus-containing dressings, which increase the resistance of seedlings to temperature changes.
3. Introduction of organics. To saturate the soil with useful microelements, it is necessary to fertilize it with organic top dressing. It is recommended to evenly distribute bird droppings with humus over the site, then loosen the ground and pour it with warm water. To improve the yield of watermelons, you can moisten the soil with herbal infusion mixed with wood ash.

Growing seedlings

When using the seedling planting method, gardeners have to grow seedlings, which will be transplanted into the garden in the future. It is recommended to familiarize yourself in advance with the features of planting seeds and transplanting grown seedlings to a permanent place.

Planting watermelon seeds

Seeds are sown when they have sprouted a little and white sprouts have appeared on their surface. When carrying out planting work, all seed material is planted in pots with soil mixture. About 2-4 seeds are sown in each container, so that in the future you can get rid of weak seedlings and leave only the most he althy seedlings. Seeds are sown to a depth of 3-5 centimeters.

When all the watermelon seeds have been planted in pots, they are covered with plastic wrap and transferred to a well-lit room.

In the first 5-7 days, pots with planted watermelons should be in a room with a temperature of at least 23 degrees. After the appearance of the first sprouts, the film is removed from the pots, and the containers with seedlings are transferred to a room with a temperature of 15-17 degrees.

Transplant seedlings

Grow watermelon seedlings in pots until the first three leaves appear on the seedlings.After this, the seedlings must be transplanted to a permanent place. To do this, rows are marked along the entire site, on which holes are made for further planting. The depth of each hole should be about 8-10 centimeters so that the roots can fit completely underground.

Each hole is watered with warm water, after which the seedlings are carefully planted in the ground. Then the holes are covered with soil and re-moistened with water.

Shaping and pinching

Experienced gardeners recommend regularly pinching gourds. This procedure is carried out to improve the yield and accelerate the development of watermelon berries. Most often, pruning of lashes is carried out when growing plants in open ground, since in greenhouse conditions it is not necessary to form bushes. In order to properly form seedlings, you need to familiarize yourself with the features of removing extra stepchildren.

There are three main methods of pinching that gardeners most often use:

1. Pasynkovanie lateral shoots. This method is considered universal, as it is suitable for any variety of gourds. During the procedure, 1-2 shoots are left on the main stem. At the same time, the ovaries are completely removed on all lateral stems.
2. Pruning side stems. Using this method of pinching plants, you will have to completely remove the shoots. Only a few lashes are left on the main stem, and everything else is cut off.
3. Formation into several stems. This is the most common method in which you do not need to completely cut the shoots. On the bushes leave 2-4 lateral lashes. At the same time, each of them should have 2-3 ovaries. If there are more of them, then all the extra fruits that have set are removed.

Experts recommend carrying out all activities related to the formation of bushes only on sunny days. This will prevent the cuts from rotting and speed up the drying of the trimmed lashes.

Rules for feeding and caring for the plant

It is recommended to properly care for gourds, because without care you will not be able to get a quality crop. The quality of fruits directly depends on the application of fertilizing to the soil at all stages of growing watermelons.

When sowing

Before planting the seed, they must fertilize the soil. To do this, the earth is mixed with a liquid that is prepared from humus. Then the site is treated with wood ash and bone meal, which increases the permeability of oxygen in the soil.

When landing in open ground

Some people prefer to grow watermelon bushes in the open field, so they immediately plant the seeds in the garden. Before that, the land on the site is mixed with green manure plants, which are considered the best top dressing to strengthen the roots.

When flowering

When pollination and flowering of bushes begins, it is recommended to add more fertilizing with potassium to the ground. This substance contributes to the appearance of new flowers on seedlings, due to which the yield increases significantly. Gardeners advise spraying watermelons with Kelik and Nutrivant once a month.

At the beginning of fruiting

At the initial stage of fruiting, it is necessary to take seriously the feeding of each bush, because due to the lack of nutrients in the soil, the yield is deteriorating. Often, few berries are tied on the bushes due to a lack of boron.

Therefore, to improve the formation of ovaries and ripening of fruits, it is necessary to periodically spray the area with Megafol and Boroplus.

Food for the fetus

The correct fertilization scheme for watermelon seedlings contributes to the ripening of berries. To make the fruits more watery and tasty, the plants are regularly sprayed with Uniflor and Terraflex.

How often to water

Before you start growing gourds, you need to familiarize yourself with the features of their irrigation. In the first weeks after germination, the plant needs intensive watering, as its root system is weakened. With a lack of moisture, seedlings grow poorly and gradually fade. Also, more often it will be necessary to moisten the soil during the formation of flowers and the setting of the first fruits. During such periods, seedlings are watered at least four times a week.

Experts advise to moisten the soil in the afternoon, when the sun starts to set. In the daytime, it is not worth moistening the soil, because due to the high temperature and sunlight, the moisture will evaporate faster. For irrigation use settled water at room temperature. Watering the bushes with too cold liquid is contraindicated, as this can lead to rotting of the root system and further death of watermelons.

Irrigation of gourds is stopped after the fruits are fully ripe.

Harvest and storage of crops

If the cultivation of watermelons has been fully observed, the ripe crop can be harvested 35-50 days after planting. However, sometimes watermelon berries ripen prematurely. To make sure that the fruits are ripe, inspect the color of their pulp and seeds. The seeds should be dark brown and the flesh should be pink with a reddish tinge. Ripe watermelon skins should be firm and rough.

Harvested crops are best stored on high racks with shelves, which are located at a distance of 55-65 centimeters from each other. Each shelf should be covered with a thin layer of peat or straw. Such a coating will increase the shelf life of the crop. During storage, watermelons are carefully examined every month. All rotten fruits are thrown away so that the rot does not spread to neighboring berries.Monthly treatment of fruits with lime mortar will help protect the crop from rotting.

What diseases and pests gourds are susceptible to: ways to fight

Often gourds grow poorly due to pest attacks or disease development:

1. Anthracnose. The presence of such a pathology can be determined by the brown spots that appear on the leaves of watermelons. To get rid of the symptoms of anthracnose, all infected bushes are treated with Bordeaux liquid and Kuprozan solution.
2. Bacteriosis. The disease damages the leaves, on the surface of which oval white spots appear. Bacteriosis cannot be cured, so infected watermelons are dug up and burned.
3. Tick. Due to dry weather, young watermelon seedlings are often attacked by spider mites. Insects feed on the juice from the leaves and stems, which causes the bushes to dry. A mixture made from onions and garlic will help to cope with the pest.

Conclusion

Many summer residents plant their plots with watermelon bushes. To properly grow them, you need to familiarize yourself with the features of planting gourds and caring for them.

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