Ethiopka melon: variety description, cultivation and yield with photo

Ethiopka melon got its name as a result of its resemblance to the fruits of the hot African continent. This suggests that the melon is both large and sweet. The variety was bred by breeders in Russia, therefore, in the conditions of the country's climate, it grows successfully. The variety is popular among gardeners. It is grown everywhere in the open field.

Distinctive features of the melon variety

Gourds came to our gardens from the hot regions of Central Asia. And the crops of sweet fruits are given by the plant when the summer is hot and dry. The Ethiopian melon variety easily tolerates heat. The plant has powerful but short lashes, so the bush looks compact.

According to the description, Ethiopian melon has fruits:

• round shape;
• weighing three to five kilograms;
• with a thick yellow rind, painted with a mesh pattern;
• as if divided by stripes into slices;
• with white pulp;
• juicy, honey flavored.

A feature of the Ethiopian vegetation is self-pollination, as female flowers coexist with male flowers on shoots.

The advantage of the melon variety is the following characteristic of the plant:

1. You can get fruits from a melon 80 days after the appearance of the first shoots.
2. No need to pollinate the plant.
3. Ethiopka compact bushes are grown in a small area of the garden.
4. One plant produces up to 5-6 fruits per season.
5. It is worth growing a variety even in areas with a temperate climate - it has time to ripen.

If you create favorable conditions for the plant, protect it from fungal infections, then it will thank you with sweet juicy fruits.

Ethiopian melon cultivation

For gourds, a place for planting is chosen in the fall. The site should be well warmed up by the sun. The soil for melons is needed not swampy, loose. River sand, wood ash are added to heavy clay soil. Depleted soils are enriched with humus or peat. From fertilizers, complexes containing potassium and phosphorus are applied. After digging, beds are left for melons for the winter.

In areas with a warm climate, melons and gourds are immediately sown in open ground, in cold climates, seedling cultivation is adopted.

Growing seedlings

After culling the seeds, they are kept in a solution of boric acid and zinc sulfate for twelve hours. For disinfection, it is advised to place a bag of seeds in a one percent solution of potassium permanganate for half an hour. It is better to harden the seed material by alternately immersing it in warm water for a day, then in cold water. The hardening procedure is carried out three times.

In the first half of April, containers are prepared by filling them with soil that is nutritious, permeable to air and moisture. It is better for each plant to pick up a peat pot or cup. Then it will be more convenient to transplant seedlings into beds.

By mid-May, 3-4 leaves will appear on shoots. If the soil in the garden has warmed up to 10-15 degrees, then it's time to transfer the seedlings to open ground.

Landing in open ground

For the cultivation of melons, a square-nested planting method is used. Between the nests set the distance of 50-70 centimeters. River sand is added to the holes in advance, which helps to increase the friability of the soil and improve warming If grown with seeds, then close them up to a depth of 3-5 centimeters. Seedlings are buried at the level of the lower leaves The first three days the sprouts are not watered, give them time to get stronger.

To increase the yield of gourds, it is advised to plant corn or sunflower next to the plant. Such rocker landings will protect the Ethiopian melon from the cold wind, save from low temperatures.

Care instructions

Ethiopian melon timely care consists of:

• thinning plantings;
• pinning lashes;
• processing row spacing.

The breakthrough of plants is to leave up to 3-4 seedlings in the nest.

As soon as the fruits begin to set, the lashes are pinned to the ground with wooden hooks or the shoots are sprinkled with earth. Then the formation of additional roots will begin. For the effectiveness of the procedure, a hole is made and the petiole of the leaf is placed there, then soil is sprinkled on top of the lash.

To speed up ripening, bushes are formed by pinching the main stem above the fourth leaf. After all, almost no female flowers form on this shoot.

Loosening of row-spacings is carried out first to a depth of ten centimeters, then to seven. The procedure is carried out three times during the summer period.

From top dressing the Ethiopian variety needs:

• first - with a solution of bird droppings in a ratio of 1:15 when 4-5 true leaves appear;
• second in 2-3 weeks with a mineral complex of 50 grams of superphosphate, 20 potassium s alt and ammonium nitrate per bucket of water;
• third - after a two-week break with mineral fertilizers.

Pour half a liter of nutrient solution into the well.

Ethiopian melons are watered regularly, following the vegetation of the plant. The plant does not need excess moisture - the fruits and shoots will begin to rot. But the lack of water will affect the decrease in the number of ovaries, and hence the harvest.

Increase the frequency of watering during fruit set, and reduce - before the appearance of flowers and during the ripening of the crop.

Diseases and pests of melon

The Ethiopian variety is good for everyone, but the cultivation of gourds is associated with diseases and pests that attack the plant during the development period.

From fungal infections to deal with:

• black leg;
• olive blotch;
• powdery mildew.

Blackleg fungus destroys seedlings and young shoots. Pathogenic microorganisms are activated when there is a lot of moisture in the soil, stagnant water. And sudden changes in temperature contribute to the spread of spores. To prevent the disease, it is necessary to pickle the seeds in a solution of Fitosporin or potassium permanganate.

Olive-colored spots of an oily structure on the leaves indicate the development of a fungal disease. They fight pathology with fungicides, Bordeaux liquid.

White coating on the leaves is a sign of powdery mildew. Timely measures taken will help get rid of the infection. To do this, use pollination with sulfur powder or treatment with a strong solution of potassium permanganate. Fungicides will also help: Fundazol, Topaz.

Of the pests, the melon fly infects the beds. Its larvae penetrate the pulp and cause the fruits to rot. To destroy the pest larvae, they plow up the plots after collecting ripe melons, and treat the bushes with the Rapier preparation twice a summer.

Gnawing cutworm larvae can cause damage by damaging the roots and stems of the plant. Destroy adult insects and larvae with insecticides such as Decis. The spider mite is easily recognizable by the threads with which it entangles the leaves of the plant. Pest colonies are destroyed by treatment with Fitoverm.

For the prevention of diseases and pests of the melon, the Ethiopian spends a deep plowing of the site in the fall, regularly loosens the aisles. And after harvesting the fruits, they burn the remains of vegetation, digging up the ground.

What do vegetable growers say about Ethiopia?

Positive reviews of Ethiopian melon indicate that the product is popular among gardeners. They note the honey taste of ripe fruits, reaching a weight of five kilograms. To obtain specimens of a large mass, careful care of the plant is necessary. Lazy gardeners will not grow large fruits.

Many positive qualities are noted by gardeners in the Ethiopian melon variety. The fruits ripen in August. They are large, with a yellow thick skin, and the flesh is white, juicy.

Fans of the variety find it easy to grow. The main thing is to protect the melon from diseases, create favorable conditions for growth.

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