2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Watermelon (lat. Citrullus) - popular melon culture; an annual herb of the Pumpkin family. The homeland of the culture is South Africa, where to this day the plant grows in natural conditions.
Characteristics of culture
Watermelon is a plant with thin, flexible, branched, creeping or climbing stems up to 4 m long. Young stems are covered with fine and soft hairs. Leaves are coarse, rough, pinnatipartite or pinnately dissected, triangular-ovate, cordate at the base, 8-22 cm long, 5-18 cm wide, located on long petioles.
Flowers with boat-shaped bracts, reach 2-2.5 cm in diameter. Receptacle bell-shaped, slightly pubescent. Sepals subulate, filiform or narrow lanceolate. Corolla funnel-shaped, green outside, with oblong-ovate lobes.
The fruit is a polyspermous pumpkin, oval, spherical or cylindrical, the color of the bark can be very diverse: from white and light yellow to dark green with patterns in the form of stripes or spots. The pulp of the fruit is red, pink, raspberry or white, has a pleasant sweet taste and aroma. Seeds are white, brown or black, flat, with a scar.
Growing conditions
Watermelon belongs to the category of heat-loving plants, the optimal daytime temperature is 28-30C, nighttime - 18-20C. The culture prefers well-lit areas. Soils are desirable light, permeable, nutritious, sandy, neutral. Damp and heavy soils are not suitable for cultivating watermelon.
Positively watermelon belongs to soils with a rich mineral composition. The best predecessors of the plant are Legumes and Grains. It is not recommended to plant crops after representatives of the Solanaceae family.
Landing
The plot for the cultivation of watermelons is prepared in the fall, the soil is plowed, the plowing depth is at least 30 cm. After plowing, organic matter and mineral fertilizers are introduced into the soil. With the onset of spring, the site is loosened. Watermelons are grown in two ways - by sowing seeds and through seedlings. The seedling method is the most effective, it gives a harvest 20-25 days earlier than when sowing seeds in open ground. The crop yield with such a planting increases exponentially, moreover, plants are less likely to be affected by various pests and diseases.
Sowing watermelon seeds to obtain seedlings is carried out in special cassettes or low pots filled with soil substrate. Seeds are sealed to a depth of 1.5-2 cm. Until the emergence of shoots, the temperature in the room is maintained at 25-30C, then for 7-9 days the temperature is lowered to 16-18C, after which it is increased to 20-25C. Transplanting seedlings into open ground is carried out as soon as three leaves are formed in the seedlings.
Before planting seedlings, they are hardened and treated with Zircon. Seedlings are planted in pits 10-15 cm deep only when the threat of night frosts has passed, otherwise the death of young plants cannot be avoided. A day after planting, watermelons are sprayed with biostimulants, a week later, the procedure is repeated again.
When growing watermelons by sowing seeds in the ground, the seeds are pre-etched in a weak solution of potassium permanganate, and then dipped in warm water until the sprouts are pecked. Seeds are sown in 2-3 pieces, then the crops are thinned out, leaving the strongest specimens.
Care
Watermelons need fertilizing with mineral fertilizers, they are especially demanding for the presence of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and magnesium in the soil. A sufficient amount of minerals increases the yield by 40%. Fresh organic fertilizers should not be applied under the crop; they can delay ripening and impair their taste.
The culture is also demanding for loosening, you need at least a couple of loosening per season. Loosening depth no more than 10 cm. The plant has a favorable attitude towards watering, especially at the time of active growth of the stems, mass flowering and fruit formation. It is recommended to carry out 10-15 waterings per season. Watering should be stopped before harvesting. In order to stimulate the formation of new shoots and further growth of fruits, it is necessary to carry out two pinches.
Harvest
Harvesting is done according to the ripening of the fruit. Maturity can be determined by the withered mustache and stalks. also if you lightly click on the fruit with your fingers, a dull sound will be heard.
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