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I think that many gardeners want to know as much as possible about growing watermelons on their land plots. Because many people try to grow watermelons, in the hope that they will grow a huge, juicy sweet watermelon, but in practice the fruits are small and not sweet.

After such bad experience someone abandons this business, but others do not give up and begin to look for information about how to grow watermelons in their area, for example, in the Moscow region, in Siberia, in the Urals, in the middle lane.

They are also looking on the Internet about growing watermelons in a greenhouse, in open field, seedlings and more enter the search engine looking for necessary information. Therefore, I have collected in this article all the basic recommendations about growing watermelons from start to finish and I hope that this information will be very useful to you.

Well, the introduction is over, let's get down to business.

What is the first thing you need to know in the agricultural technology of growing watermelon?

Watermelons are very fond of heat and dry summers. If it rains all the time in the summer, then you won’t get a good watermelon. There's nothing you can do about it, it's such a sunny berry. Of course, you can plant special hybrids that feel good even during the rains, but their taste will still be far from real steppe watermelons.

Why do watermelons soak up so much juicy moisture in their fruit?

The fact is that watermelons form powerful roots that feed the plant itself. So, in order for these roots to develop well and penetrate deep into the depths, lungs are needed, sandy soils. In dense soils, the roots are not able to develop well and the plant does not grow well.

And one more important condition for growing watermelons, regardless of whether you grow them in the Moscow region, in the Urals or in Siberia, watermelons suffer terribly from weeds. Especially when they are just starting to grow. You can lose your crop several times due to these weeds, so you need to weed your garden in the country on time and with high quality.

If you follow these three rules, then you will definitely have a harvest. Maybe it will not be watermelons of 20-25 kg, but they will still be big, juicy and sweet.

What else do you need to know about the technology of growing watermelons in open ground?

Good watermelons cannot be obtained from bad seeds, so you should purchase watermelon seeds from trusted suppliers. If the soil is not light enough, then you need to loosen it deeply.

When to sow watermelon seeds? It depends on the weather. Perhaps it will be the last week of April or the beginning of May. In general, you can sow some varieties until June 20, then you will receive late harvest but also good quality.

Watermelons are not grown after watermelons, but rather after alfalfa or winter crops.

So that the crops sprout together, sow them at the same depth - 7-8 cm. Seed consumption is 6-10 pieces per running meter. It is better to sow thickly at first, but then you will not have to sow the seeds in those places where they did not sprout. Many believe that it is necessary to sow old seeds, not fresh ones. But the fact is that old seeds simply give more female flowers, which means that more fruits will be tied on them, but these will not be watermelons, but watermelons. And why do we need this? We want big watermelons!

How to prepare seeds for sowing?

First, we warm the dry seeds in the bag in the sun, so that it reaches 55 degrees. If the seeds are wet, then no more than 30 degrees should be. Then for half an hour they fill it with water and throw everything that comes up. Then pour hot water 50-60 degrees. Cool, drain the water. Then soaked until pecking for manual planting. If it is not possible to warm the seeds in the sun, then store the seeds from February near the battery. Seeds can be treated with a dark solution of potassium permanganate (15-10 minutes and rinsed), and then treated with an ash solution (for the night).

Growing watermelons in a greenhouse

Some are growing watermelons in a greenhouse. Experiments on grafting seedlings of watermelon to pumpkin are interesting, thus, ultra-early watermelons are obtained. Also, the yield increases by 4 times. True, it is problematic to grow such seedlings, but in a greenhouse from a smaller area you can harvest a decent crop.

What varieties to choose for growing watermelons?

If you want to get a harvest already in early July, then sow the early hybrids of Helen, Trophy, Dolby under the film. Such varieties as Producer, Crimson give a harvest by mid-July, but this is if sown under a film. Outdoor cultivation of watermelons of these varieties will give you a harvest by the first decade of August. By mid-August, Nice and Extraordinary varieties will ripen. And the variety of watermelon Kholodok will ripen by the end of August. More good varieties for outdoor cultivation, these are Lada, Lesya, Slavia.

The scheme of sowing watermelon seeds

Row spacing 2 meters. In a row, 5-10 seeds per meter are sown. In the future, the strongest seedlings are left 1 meter between plants. So, I repeat, we make a hole 8 cm deep. We pour 1-2 liters of water there. We wait until the water is completely absorbed, put the seeds flat and fill the hole with earth and trample the hole a little. In no case do not water the hole after this, because a crust will form and all moisture will evaporate.

How to water watermelons?

Yes, actually, no way. Watering is needed only at the very beginning for friendly seedlings, and in the future, if you water, the root system will not develop and go deep, which means that in extreme heat it will not sufficiently nourish the bush. On the other hand, you can pour three buckets per square meter every two weeks. Then the yield will be much greater, but the taste of watermelon is worse, and they can crack due to watering.

When the fruits are imposed, they should be protected from crows. They gape, the crows will ruin the harvest in an instant.

How to check watermelon for ripeness?

Usually in the garden, the ripeness of a watermelon is indicated by the drying of the tendril of the offspring and the leaf opposite it, the so-called spatulas. For some varieties, drying out and the next mustache is necessary. But it happens that such an indication of the ripeness of a watermelon is not good. It may be that the mustache is still green, and the watermelon is already ripe. Therefore, for some varieties of watermelon, ripeness is determined by a bright spot on the belly. When buying a watermelon, it is believed that a ripe watermelon is one that has a dry tail, but in fact, watermelons are harvested even with a green stalk, and dry means that the watermelon has been lying and drying for some time. A watermelon will also be sweeter if it is slightly crooked, depressed or square.

Now let's separately highlight how it is necessary to grow watermelons if you are in the Moscow region, in Siberia, in the Urals or in the middle lane, i.e. in the area where there may be a lack of light, heat, it rains and not quite suitable soil:

We select special watermelon hybrids suitable for your area.
We grow watermelon seedlings, preferably grafting it onto a pumpkin.
We loosen the soil very deeply.
We plant under the film, protecting from cold snap.
We destroy all weeds.
We are waiting for the harvest.
That's actually the whole technology of growing watermelons. Great harvests and sweet watermelons to you!

Watermelon is a favorite melon crop of many gardeners, which gives the taste of summer. It is quite capable of growing even a novice gardener. However, for this it is not enough to prepare the site and provide appropriate care for the plants after planting: it is also necessary to correctly select and prepare the seeds for sowing.

Selection and preparation of the site and soil for planting watermelon

For growing watermelon in open ground and obtaining good harvest care must be taken to select a location that must meet the following requirements:

• be well lit;
• protect from the effects of winds;
• provide plants with the necessary nutrition.

Based on these factors, it must be taken into account that the area under the watermelon should receive a sufficient amount of light during the day, warm up and ventilate well. It is best if you start preparing the soil in advance: sow the future bed with green manure, apply the necessary fertilizers.

The plot for the future watermelon bed should be well lit, ventilated, and well fertilized.

Green manure - plants that are grown for the purpose of their subsequent incorporation into the soil, which improves its structure, enriches it with nitrogen and prevents the growth of weeds.

An important point is the previous crops, that is, which were grown on the site before the watermelon. The most preferred are onions, garlic, carrots and early cabbage, as well as potatoes and tomatoes. Gourds (watermelon, zucchini, pumpkin, melon) should not be constantly planted in the same place, because pathogens accumulate in the soil.

It should be noted that watermelons and other melons require light, loose and fertile soil. Most suitable option if the plot of land will consist of sandy or sandy loamy soil, and the necessary organic fertilizers (humus, compost) will be applied for digging in the fall. Organics are applied at the rate of 2.5 buckets per 1 m² of land. In addition, attention should be paid to the acidity of the soil: for watermelons, it should be in the range of pH 6-7.

Humus is an excellent organic fertilizer for preparing a site for planting watermelon.

In the spring, the watermelon bed should also be fertilized. mineral fertilizers under the dig. For 1 m² you will need:

• 24–35 g ammonium sulfate;
• 40–45 g of superphosphate;
• 15–25 g of potash fertilizers.

The combination of mineral and organic matter allows you to increase the productivity of watermelon.

Preparing watermelon seeds for sowing

For experienced gardeners It is no secret that an important role in obtaining good and friendly seedlings is played by the high-quality preparation of seeds for sowing. This process is quite important and consists of several stages that must be performed in a certain sequence.

Variety selection

Variety of watermelon for growing on your own garden plot must be chosen very carefully. If you do not have sufficient experience in the cultivation of this type of melon, then it is best to give preference to hybrid varieties. This is due to the fact that they are characterized by better quality characteristics compared to varietal watermelons. Hybrids are characterized by faster maturation, resistance to a number of diseases and adverse environmental conditions.

When planning to grow watermelon on your site, you need to carefully approach the choice of variety.

Seed calibration

At first glance, seed calibration may not seem like such a significant procedure. If you look in more detail, then the germination of seeds and the subsequent development of young plants will directly depend on it. Everything is really simple: stronger and healthier seedlings develop better, thereby oppressing weaker seedlings. When separating (calibrating) seeds by size, seedlings will be more friendly and plentiful.

Seed sizing involves dividing them by size, which allows you to get more friendly and abundant seedlings.

Warming up the seeds

Such a procedure as warming up seeds before planting allows you to activate biochemical processes in planting material. To do this, the seeds are placed in a container of suitable size and poured with water at a temperature of about + 50 ° C. After half an hour, the water can be drained.

Pre-sowing treatment

Preparation of watermelon seeds involves their disinfection, i.e. disinfection. In most cases, gardeners and gardeners use manganese for these purposes, from which potassium permanganate is prepared (a solution of low concentration). In order to prepare the substance, a small amount of manganese is added to a small container filled with water. After stirring the solution, the seeds are soaked for 15–20 minutes, and then washed with water.

Disinfection minimizes the likelihood of infection of young plants with diseases or damage by pests.

Processing watermelon seeds in potassium permanganate allows disinfection, thereby protecting planting material from the adverse effects of microorganisms

After all the previous procedures have been completed, you can begin to germinate the seed material. To begin with, watermelon seeds are recommended to be kept for 12 hours in a nutrient solution: this is done to saturate the seeds with microelements, which will ensure active growth and accelerate germination. Today, many drugs of this kind are offered, for example, Kornevin, Zircon, Heteroauxin.

After the seeds are soaked in a growth stimulator, you should not wash them with water in any case: just dry them in the sun.

Germination of watermelon seeds accelerates the emergence of seedlings, and treatment in growth stimulants saturates the seed with microelements

Before soaking watermelon seeds to soften the dense peel, they are poured with hot water for 10 minutes. Then you need to make a gauze bag by folding the material in several layers, and place the seeds in it at some distance from each other. A bag with planting material is placed in a saucer or a shallow plate, having previously moistened the gauze, while it is not necessary to fill the seeds with water - they must "breathe". After that, the container is placed in a warm place (about +25˚С) and the humidity of the gauze is periodically controlled: it is moistened as needed.

To create more comfortable conditions for the seeds, the container can be covered with a cut plastic bottle, film or glass, so it will be possible to retain moisture for a longer time. It should be noted that watermelon seeds do not germinate very quickly. Therefore, the first sprouts can be seen at least in a week (depending on the seeds of a particular variety, their quality and the conditions created). By providing an optimal microclimate, it will be possible to accelerate the germination of seed material and bring it closer to the moment of planting it in the soil. If the seeds are not soaked before planting, then you can not count on the rapid emergence of seedlings. For Middle lane and northern regions, the soaking and germination procedure is necessary.

Video: sprouting watermelon seeds

Terms of sowing watermelon seeds in open ground

Planting watermelon is quite common in the seed way. The timing of sowing crops depends on the weather and the time when it is planned to get a crop. If spring has come early and the weather is warm, you can start sowing seeds from late April to mid-June. If the approach of heat is delayed, then the sowing dates are shifted to the end of May.

When landing in the southern regions, you can start work from mid-April, while taking into account the weather conditions. For middle latitudes, sowing watermelon with seeds in open ground is carried out only after stable warm weather has been established. To determine the time of planting seeds, attention should be paid to the air temperature. The minimum temperature indicator for the emergence of seedlings is considered to be + 15˚С. In regions with an unpredictable climate, gardeners prefer growing watermelons in seedlings. Seeds in this case are sown in the second half of April, and grown seedlings are planted in open ground in May-early June.

Seed germination - timing and verification

High-quality planting material is the key to a good harvest. An indicator of the quality of watermelon seeds is their germination. In most cases, in preparation for the next season, gardeners revise the seed different cultures while discovering that some of them are more than one year old. What to do in this case, throw it away and buy new ones, or can it still be used for planting? It is enough to know that the germination of watermelon seeds lasts for 6–8 years.

In addition, there is a way to test watermelon seeds for germination, which is also suitable for other melon crops. To do this, you will need sawdust, which is preliminarily doused several times with boiling water (with a frequency of half an hour). You will need to prepare a container, for example, a tray or a box small sizes, which is filled with raw sawdust. The seeds are laid out in rows with a distance of 2–3 cm. A gap of 1–1.5 cm is made between the seeds. Then the seed is sprinkled with sawdust and tamped, and the container is placed in a warm place with a temperature of + 23–27 ° C and wait for the appearance of sprouts. To determine the percentage of germination, a simple calculation is performed: if out of 10 seeds sprout 6, then the germination is 60%.

Proper planting of watermelon seeds

When favorable weather has set in, and the watermelon seeds have undergone preparatory procedures, you can start sowing them in open ground.

How far to plant

Since watermelon is a very spreading plant, a sufficient amount of space is needed to grow it. Thus, the bush will feel comfortable and develop normally. Watermelons are planted in open ground in a certain way, namely according to the scheme. In the standard scheme, which is called a row, the row spacing is 2 m, and 5–10 seeds per hole are sown per 1 m. After germination, only the strongest sprouts are left, 1 seedling per meter.

An ordinary watermelon planting scheme involves planting seeds at a distance of 1 m in a row and 2 m between rows

In addition to the ordinary scheme, there is also a square-nested one. In this case, the distance between the holes with planted seeds should be 70–280 cm. The difference in distance depends on the variety of watermelon grown. When planting compact varieties, the gap between the holes is made smaller.

With a square-nested planting of watermelon, a distance of 70–280 cm is made between the holes, depending on the variety

Long distances between watermelon plantings are necessary to get enough sunlight. With a close location, the culture will not receive required amount nutrient elements.

Seeding depth

When planting watermelon seeds in open ground, it is important to observe the planting depth. The optimal planting depth for small-seeded varieties is 4-6 cm, for large-seeded varieties - 6-8 cm. If the planting material is deeper, it will be more difficult for it to hatch, which will affect the timing of germination. In addition to the variety, the soil also has an effect on the sowing depth. On sandy soils seeds are buried by 7–8 cm, on sandy loam - 5–7 cm, on loam - 4–5 cm. In northern regions with heavy soils, the seed should not be planted deeper than 4 cm.

The planting depth of watermelon seeds depends on the type of soil and the specific variety.

Landing under the film

It is also possible to grow watermelons under a film. This method allows you to sow as early as March and thus get an earlier harvest. The film cover makes it possible to maintain high humidity, which eliminates the lack of moisture and contributes to rapid development plants. When using the film, a greenhouse effect is created, which ensures the rapid germination of seeds.

On the site prepared in the fall, ridges are cut with a distance of 70 cm from each other, for which a hiller is used. The covering film must cover 2 ridges at once, i.e. standard width 1.5 m should be enough. Between the rows recede by 2.5 m, which is necessary for the normal development of plants. Holes are prepared in the formed ridges at a distance of 1 m from each other and seeds are sown.

When growing watermelons under a film, it is recommended to make holes in a checkerboard pattern.

Growing watermelons under a film allows you to plant seeds in March and get an earlier harvest

The number of seeds sown in one hole can be different and depend on the varieties used. Seeds of inexpensive varieties can be laid out 2-3 grains per hole. When shoots appear, pinch out weaker plants, leaving one of the most developed seedlings. If expensive varieties are used, then one seed is placed in each well.

After sowing, the soil is moistened and covered with a film. To do this, the material is deployed along the length of the beds, pressing it with the ground so that it is not blown away by the wind. If the weather is cloudy, then seedlings should appear a week after planting. Since the seedlings will soon begin to rest against the film, it will be necessary to make cross-shaped slots for the free growth of plants.

A week after germination, the watermelon will adapt to the environment. During this period, the holes in the film are covered with earth to prevent the emergence of weeds. To avoid damage to young seedlings, the sprout is carefully pulled out of the film, put on a piece plastic pipe(can be a jar), sprinkled with earth, lightly tamping it, after which they remove the protection. After such a procedure, watermelons are considered ready for further development.

Video: growing watermelons under a film

What to do if watermelon seeds do not germinate

Sometimes gardeners are faced with such an unpleasant situation when watermelon seeds did not germinate. What could be the reason and how to fix the situation? One of the main problems can be low quality seeds. If the seed is purchased in a store, be sure to check the expiration date on the package. In addition, you can focus on the price, but it is not always an indicator of quality: both cheap and expensive seeds can have good germination.

When buying watermelon seeds, attention should be paid to the date of manufacture, and when storing your planting material for a long time, check it for germination

If you still have watermelon seeds from previous years without packaging or you yourself collected planting material, you need to identify seeds that are unsuitable for sowing. To do this, seeds are poured into a container with water, and those that are on the surface - it makes no sense to plant.

Seed germination is influenced by many factors:

• degree of maturation;
• collection and drying conditions;
• storage conditions;
• packaging date.

These factors depend, as a rule, on the seed producer. However, the success of the entire event directly depends on the conditions that will be created for their germination. This suggests that if the seeds are obviously of good quality, and the humidity or temperature does not meet the required indicators, then the material may simply not germinate. In addition, when planting germinated seeds in open ground with cold soil, they can slow down in growth or even die.

Further care for watermelon seedlings

When growing watermelon in open ground, periodic loosening of the soil and watering are important conditions. It is recommended to mark the holes when planting seeds, for example, with pegs, so that rows can be seen when loosening. During the period of growth of leaf mass and lashes, top dressing is performed. To do this, you can use urea (150 g) and the same amount of superphosphate, as well as potassium salt (50 g) per 10 m². Fertilization should be accompanied by irrigation or rainfall.

For the normal development of young watermelon seedlings, timely watering and loosening of the soil is necessary.

Irrigation should be given special attention when growing leaves and stems, flowering and the appearance of ovaries. During fruit ripening, on the contrary, watering is highly undesirable, since excessive moisture leads to the appearance of cracks in the fruit and a deterioration in taste. Watermelon beds are irrigated with warm water once a week, but at the same time plentifully. Caring for watermelons also involves the formation of a bush, as a result of which it is possible to get larger and sweeter berries. In this case, no more than four fruits are left on one plant. In addition, they pinch the shoots and remove the whiskers.

Video: the formation of a watermelon in the open field

Important is the prevention and control of diseases and pests of watermelon. Common pests include sprout fly, melon aphid, wireworm. If an insect is detected before it damages the plant, they are treated with biological preparations, for example, Fitoverm. When pests invade, they resort to using chemicals, such as Decis, Aktara, Fufanon. Of the most common diseases of melons, anthracnose is distinguished, powdery mildew, downy mildew. As a preventive measure, colloidal sulfur, Ordan, Khom are used.

One of the common pests of watermelons is the sprout fly, the larvae of which damage the roots, seeds and stem of the plant.

High-quality planting material in combination with proper preparation to sowing is the key to a good harvest. It is in this case that it will be possible to avoid wasting time, increase the germination of seeds and ensure the active growth and development of plants.

Probably, you rarely meet a person who would not like watermelons. However, not all of us have a plot to grow our favorite fruits and vegetables. This is the main reason why people are wondering how to grow watermelon at home.

Not everyone knows, but you can grow watermelons without using seedlings, but immediately in a permanent place. As a rule, seedlings are used in order to later transplant plants into a greenhouse. Garden How to grow watermelon outdoors

This is done so that the berry has time to ripen. And if we are talking about growing a fetus at home, then this stage can be safely skipped.

Basic steps to grow the most delicious watermelon on the planet

You should start by buying a sufficiently large capacity, because the watermelon has an extensive root system. For this, a box measuring 50x50x30 cm is perfect. You can make it yourself, for example, from wooden planks. If this is not possible, then you can always take a bowl or bucket. If the selected container is transparent, then it makes sense to wrap it with a dark-colored cloth. Such a measure is necessary so that the roots do not dry out and turn green. The container must be filled with fertile soil with trace elements.

You can buy it at any garden or hardware store. Fortunately, nowadays even in some supermarkets you can find such products, if, of course, there is a garden department there. Thirty days before you plan to plant a watermelon, you will need to lime the soil. This is necessary so that the acidity is about 6 pH.

Before planting the seeds, they must first be soaked for about ten minutes in water with a temperature of more than 100C. You need to keep it until the seeds begin to peck, after which they can be planted. Please note that it is impossible to separate the seeds in any case.

How many seeds to plant?

You don't need much, because they can all ascend. But three seeds will be the most the best option. Planting should be at a depth of about three centimeters. After the sprouts appear, you need to choose the strongest and leave it.

Plant placement

The best place is by the window

No better place than a window sill. You can, of course, just put it near the window, but at the same time the plant should receive a sufficient amount of light. However, do not forget that the frame cannot be left open, otherwise there is a risk of freezing the heat-loving plant. most the best temperature for maturation is the temperature in the range from +25 to +30 degrees. Until the fruit is formed, the plant will be considered a seedling. At night, the optimum temperature will be about +18 degrees. When you notice that the fruits begin to set, do not drastically lower the room temperature. Leave it also at least +25 degrees. In addition, it should be remembered that moisture for watermelons is detrimental. It must be remembered that watering should be moderate, do not pour too much.

In three months you can harvest

As a rule, if watermelons are grown in a greenhouse, then it takes about three months. If we are talking about growing watermelon at home, then most likely it will take a little longer. If we are talking about growing at a time of the year when the daylight hours are less than twelve hours, then fluorescent lamps should be used. This is necessary to highlight the watermelon. Try to keep your lighting clearly directional. Let it illuminate the plant as much as possible. In addition, special reflective surfaces should also be used. Moreover, you should place them around the watermelon.

Vitamins and minerals for the plant

Like any other living creature, watermelon needs feeding. Try to do it in a certain way. The most common method is the primary feeding with phosphorus and nitrogen. Moreover, it is done in the same quantities. After you see that the fruits are tied, you should think about using top dressing, where there is a large amount of potassium. And at this moment it is necessary to ensure that there is not so much nitrogen in the top dressing as at the initial stage.

It makes sense to install a support in the container, with which you can fix the shoots of your watermelon. The main stem, as a rule, is attached at a height of about one hundred centimeters. Lateral shoots are attached a little differently: they are pinned so that a few leaves remain above the flower with the ovary.

After you notice that the fruits have formed, you do not need to leave everything. Two is enough, all the rest need to be pinched off, because there will be no point in them. They will only take all the juices and nutrients. If you leave more than two fruits, then they will all remain small. When you see that the fetus has reached a size of about ten centimeters in diameter, then it must be placed in gauze or mesh, after which it should be tied to a support. This is done to make it more durable.

By the way, when you grow watermelon at home, you should remember that it will not reach such huge sizes as when planting in a greenhouse. However, thinner skin will be a big advantage. Usually, growing watermelon at home, you can get a fruit weighing about a kilogram.

If you do not know which variety should be preferred, then stop at the seeds of such varieties as "Kaho", "Spark" or "Sibiryak". These varieties are the most unpretentious for growing at home.

If the first time you fail to grow the watermelon that you wanted or does not work at all, then you should not be very upset. Try again, just at the next landing you will need to take into account the mistakes made and not repeat them again. Juicy and sweet watermelons to you!

First of all, it should be noted that for successful cultivation this heat-loving culture needs an appropriate temperature regime, good sunlight and sufficient humidity. Therefore, it is necessary to prepare greenhouses, although in the central and southern regions it is quite possible to grow watermelon in the open ground using the seedling method. This method allows you to pick the first fruits earlier by 14-20 days.

Do not make beds and do not put greenhouses under a tree, next to bushes, otherwise ripe, large berry you won't wait. Prepare the soil in the fall, abundantly filling it with rotted manure (2 buckets per square meter). Now for the seeds: it is best to sow early-ripening varieties or hybrids, which are resistant to various diseases, bad weather. Even in cold summers, hybrids form fruits and are able to accumulate a sufficient amount of sugars.

How to grow big and sweet watermelons?

The watermelon planting site needs to be changed every year. After it, corn or wheat is planted, and the best predecessors potatoes, cabbage, onions, legumes are considered.

The most popular hybrids and varieties: Twinkle, Boy F1, Sugar Baby, Crimson Suite F1, Gift to the North, very early Ataman. grow really quality product possible only through seedlings. Even in Central Asia they do this when they want to get an early harvest.

The optimal time for landing will be April 10-15, in northern latitudes it is April 21-25. Each gardener can determine more exact sowing dates on his own, based on the fact that no more than 30 days should elapse before planting seedlings. Overgrown plants take root for a long time, and the harvest can be shifted by a week, or even 10 days.

So, how to plant watermelons for seedlings:

• pickle watermelon seeds for about twenty minutes in a solution of potassium permanganate (1%), rinse with clean water. Wrap them in a damp cotton napkin and leave for 2 days in a warm place. In order for the shoots to sprout together, the temperature must be +30 ° C;
• while the seeds swell, prepare a container with a capacity of 0.8 liters - these can be pots, tetra packs. Now you need to take care of loose, permeable soil: in equal proportions, mix country soil, rotted manure, peat, coarse sand. For 10 liters of mixture, add 3 liters. superphosphate, a tablespoon of urea, potassium. Fill the container with the soil mixture, without adding 3 cm to the brim.
• make a hole 3 cm deep and lower the seed that has hatched there, cover it with earth and pour water +25 ° C. Cover the pots with plastic wrap on top;
• when shoots appear, lower the temperature to +18 ° C, remove the film. After 4 days, you can return to the daytime temperature of +25 ° C, and maintain +18 ° C at night. Keep the seedlings on a bright windowsill, but if the conditions do not allow or it is cloudy outside, use additional lighting for 12 hours a day. Water young plants regularly warm water, and also loosen;
• after 12 days, feed the seedlings with manure solution (1:10);
• a week before planting, start hardening, gradually lowering the temperature by 3-4 degrees. You can also take the pots to a closed balcony, to a greenhouse or greenhouse. Plant in the ground from mid-May to June 10. A fully formed watermelon seedling has 5 leaves.

Watermelon - planting and care

Eat different ways plantings of this crop, but usually they do this: on beds filled with organic matter (width - 1 m, height - 20 cm), build ridges that make 45-50 cm wide and 18 cm high. In each row on the crest, after 80 cm, make holes 10 cm deep and plant seedlings in them with a clod of earth to cotyledon leaves. Then pour warm water - 1 liter per seedling.

As long as there is a threat of frost, all the same better fit cover at night with lutrasil or film. To do this, install arcs at the ends of the beds, which can then be removed as unnecessary. The culture is quite moisture-loving, so water the plants generously, but only until flowering. Then stop watering, otherwise the fruits will grow wadded, unsweetened. The optimum temperature for ripening is from 25 o C to 28 o C.

Well, how about without dressings: do the first one a week after planting - add 30 gr to a bucket of mullein solution (as usual 1:10), you can add chicken manure (0.5:10). superphosphate, not less than 15 gr. potassium (1 tbsp. ash); spend the second in the phase of lash formation, spending 6 g per bush. superphosphate, 4 gr. potassium and ammonium nitrate. Before fertilizing, water the plantings abundantly so that the fertilizers do not burn the root system and are well absorbed.

Good care also includes loosening, weeding, and disease control. Watermelons bloom 40-50 days after sowing: male flowers bloom first, then female ones. Spraying in the morning with a solution of sugar (a teaspoon per liter of water) will help improve the pollination process and attract bees. As soon as you notice the knotted fruit, count five leaves from it and pinch it so that all your efforts are directed towards harvesting.

Watermelon comes from the deserts of southern Africa, which is why it is highly resistant to heat, dry air, and poor soils. Of all the gourds, it is the least whimsical to the quality of the soil. On the contrary, it works best on sandy loamy steppe chernozems, light soils with good water permeability. But its merits are dictated by growing conditions: a lot of sun, light soil, dry air, soil moisture during the period of growth of lashes, flowering, formation of ovaries.

Agricultural technology

The humidity of the environment is perhaps the most difficult thing for melon growers to overcome in order to grow good quality fruits.

Video about growing watermelon

You can hide from the cold, prevent excessive dryness of the earth by proper watering. But if you live in a wet climate, then you will have to work hard to grow a good striped fruit. Not without a greenhouse. Think in advance how you will protect the crop from crows. Get also early and tasty varieties, preferably local selection. Now let's look at everything in more detail to understand how to grow watermelons in the country.

Take care of the quality of the soil in advance, in the fall of the year preceding planting. Especially if your future melon is located where predominantly heavy soils prevail: loam or peat marshy soils. It is necessary to dig the ground well, while simultaneously removing the roots of weeds. Best of all, even for two bayonets of a shovel. We mix heavy soil with sand at the rate of two buckets per square meter. Thus, we bring the lightness, water permeability of the soil in accordance with the requirements of the agricultural technology of melons. It is advisable to take gray river sand, red building sand contains a lot of iron, which can overly oxidize the earth.

Pictured is a watermelon

Speaking of acidity, growing watermelons works best on a substrate with a neutral acidity. You can find out what soil acidity you have either by measuring it with a Ph-indicator or Ph-meter, or by plants growing in your garden plot. The first case, of course, gives more accurate results. To do this, purchase an indicator in a pharmacy or a chemical store (a universal indicator is best). Or buy a Ph-meter there. Take the soil from the place of laying the future melon. Dilute it with water, look at the color of the indicator or the readings of the device.

Indicator plants will roughly tell you about the condition of the soil in your area. So, for example, chamomile, wheat grass, bindweed, cornflowers and clover prefer to grow on soils with neutral acidity. Horsetails, plantains, mosses will tell us that the environment is too acidic. On the contrary, poppy, mustard testify to the alkaline reaction of the earth.

The acidity of the soil is eliminated by liming - adding a lime solution to the soil, it is obtained by mixing lime for whitewashing with water. Alkaline lead to a neutral indicator by the introduction of acidifiers: peat, needles, softwood sawdust. Seeding legumes well restores the normal acidity of the soil.

Photo of a watermelon in the garden

We also remember that it is highly undesirable to plant watermelons on the site of the former growth of cucumbers, other melons: pumpkins or melons. Such precautions are associated with the threat of introducing diseases: fusarium (colloquially wilting leaves), peronosporosis (downy mildew). Also, you can not plant it after nightshade. Crop rotation for these crops should reach 5-6 years. The optimal predecessor would be corn, sunflower, legumes: beans, peas, lupins. Also, watermelon fruits are well poured when sown after perennial cereal crops.

We fertilize the earth at the same time when they dug up, in the fall. Along with deep mixing of the soil layers, we add a standard set of macronutrients: phosphorus, nitrogen, potassium. Superphosphates are added in the amount of thirty grams per square meter. Potassium sulfate is applied at a concentration of twenty grams per meter. Nitrogen fertilizers are added in extremely small doses in autumn.

It is better to make them in the spring and preferably along with organic top dressing. Otherwise, you run the risk of dramatically increasing the nitrate content of your fruits. The presence of magnesium in the soil contributes to high yields. We also introduce microelements together with autumn digging. It is best to use complex liquid mineral supplements containing molybdenum, iron, selenium, and manganese immediately necessary for melons.

To pay attention organic fertilizers, especially those containing humic acids or effective microorganisms. The colonization of the soil with beneficial microflora will lead to a sharp jump in the absorption of mineral fertilizers that you introduce further by plants. This will significantly affect the yield of future melons.

The biggest threat to the northern watermelon industry is late spring frosts. There are several ways to avoid this.

First, you can grow seedlings. The advantage of this method is the savings in time. when the threat of frost has passed, we are already planting young seedlings that have formed a few leaves. The downside is that watermelons have a very delicate root system. they really don't like transplants. It is ideal to grow them in peat pots, then the plant is planted without removing it from the pot, which gradually dissolves with soil, giving additional top dressing.

But even with this type of planting, for some time the seedlings do not grow, being under stress, yielding to the sown ones. In addition, planted watermelons are more tender, painful compared to ground watermelons, and more susceptible to various fungal summer misfortunes.

watermelon photography

Secondly, spring sowing under cover. It can be both a film greenhouse and a full-fledged greenhouse. The greenhouse is most often used only for frost protection. Upon reaching the watermelon lashes of great length, in the summer the shelter is removed. How to grow watermelon in a greenhouse? To save space, the lashes are allowed vertically. Plants cling to vertical supports with tendrils.

It is important to keep greenhouses with flowering plants open to allow access to insects. When the fruits reach the size of an orange, they need to be laid in nets and hung from transverse greenhouse supports. Greenhouses are suitable where there is a humid cloudy summer. The microclimate created inside from a combination of dry air with regular watering will be ideal for minke whales.

If you are worried about spring frosts. And the summer promises to be hot and relatively dry, so there is no reason to build a greenhouse. It is enough to get by with temporary greenhouse shelters.

Or you can combine these two methods. Sow directly into the ground and accelerate maturation, bypassing the threat spring frosts. This is the so-called Korean ridge. We take a wide, very dense transparent film. We make small holes, no more than five centimeters in diameter. Perforation step - half a meter in a row. Leave two meters between rows. We prepare the ground. It is advisable to clean it well from the roots of weeds. Well fertilize, spill. At a distance of two meters from each other, we make small earthen ramparts, about a third of a meter high.

Pictured is a watermelon

To make summer care even easier for ourselves, we bury the irrigation system in the shafts. This can be a simple perforated hose or special drip tapes designed to continuously receive moisture for each bush.

We lay the film so that the rows with holes lie along the crests of the earthen ramparts. We dig around the edges. We plant two pre-soaked seeds in the holes. Close every hole glass jar neck down, pressing it lightly into the soil. It will create greenhouse conditions for seed germination. You can also use large plastic bottles with a cut neck, bottom up. Under the film, the soil will quickly warm up in the spring, without cooling down at night and without losing moisture. Earth shafts provide maximum heating under the film.

The seeds will quickly hatch, from the two we remove the weaker sprout. Soon they will be cramped under the can cover. It is best to time planting dates so that they are one month ahead of the average date of the last spring frost in your area. Then, as soon as the seedling forms a sufficient green mass, it is already possible to remove the can cover without fear of frostbite on the leaves. Most often this is the last decade of April.

Closer to June, not only watermelons begin to grow intensively, but also weeds that remain under the film. To avoid breaking through the film and disturbing the microclimate of the soil, we cover all the aisles with a large layer of mulch: needles, sawdust, straw. Without sunlight, weeds will wither away. And the soil will normally warm up under a large layer of mulching material.

We produce all dressings in liquid form, pouring everything through the holes where our watermelon lashes grow from. By organizing the irrigation system in the spring, we deprive ourselves of even this need, everything is delivered immediately to the roots. Sometimes you can do without a ridge, level the soil. Then care becomes even easier, although spring warming will be less.

Care

Formation is important, especially given the short northern summer. After the formation of the sixth sheet, we pinch the lash. This stimulates flowering. We feed in the spring with an equal amount of phosphate and nitrogen fertilizers. Upon reaching the fruit size of an orange, we exclude nitrogen, increase the proportion of potash fertilizers and trace elements. To enhance the growth of the fruit, we pinch the lash with a few leaves above it.

We protect melons from fungal diseases. Proper watering will suffice for these purposes. That is, pour under the root, do not wet the leaves. It is also desirable to exclude the contact of the lashes with the ground, cover it with mulch. Then the plant will not pick up spores stored on the ground.

We water our melons regularly, plentifully. From the emergence of seedlings, throughout the time that the watermelon grows. When pouring fruits, we reduce watering, otherwise they may crack. We protect the future harvest from birds, especially from crows. Often left unattended, melons can lose their entire crop in just a few minutes. Put scarecrows or cover the fruits from birds. You can bury them in the ground. Can be put away in boxes or other containers. When the leg of our striped berry begins to dry out, this will mean that it is ripe. It can be torn down.

Now a few words about apartment melon growing.

Video about watermelons on the windowsill

1. We take a container for planting the size of a bucket.
2. We prepare the substrate. Three equal parts of meadow humus, manure humus, sand. We deoxidize with a small amount of lime.
3. We water with complex fertilizers: organic and inorganic, containing trace elements.
4. We sow three or four seeds. Watering, waiting for the emergence of shoots.
5. We leave the strongest sprout.
6. A support for the future stem is stuck into the bucket, about a meter.
7. When the lash of the plant forms the fifth or sixth leaf, pinch it
8. With daylight hours shorter than 12 hours, artificial lighting is used
9. We pollinate artificially.
10. We leave no more than two fruits on each plant.
11. When the fruits reach the size chicken egg, put them in nets and tie them to the support.
12. Fertilize and water in the same way as in horticultural cultivation.

Photo of growing watermelon on the balcony

Thanks to artificial lighting, you can grow striped sweets at home at any time, even in summer, even in winter. Homemade watermelons are small, but thin-skinned.