Melon

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-07 15:51

© Heinz Leitner / Rusmediabank.ru

Latin name: Cucumis melo Family: Pumpkin Headings: Fruit and berry crops

Melon (lat. Cucumis melo) - popular melon culture; an annual plant of the Pumpkin family. Melon is native to Central and Asia Minor. In Russia, the culture is grown everywhere in the southern regions.

Characteristics of culture

Melon is a herbaceous plant with a creeping, rounded-faceted, pubescent with stiff hairs over the entire surface with a 2.5-3 m long stem. The root system is powerful, consisting of the main root and lateral branches, forming a large number of small roots. The main part of the roots is located at a depth of 20-30 cm, some roots go down to 2.5 m.

The leaves are alternate, pubescent, dark green, light green or gray-green, have no stipules, located on long petioles. The petioles are rounded-faceted, coarsely pubescent, grooved, erect or oblique in some forms. The leaf blade is round or heart-shaped, reniform or angular, split or whole, the edges are even or serrated. The length of the leaves, depending on the variety, can vary from 7 to 20 cm, and the width is 12-28 cm.

The flowers are large, yellow, regular in shape. The perianth is five-membered. Corolla fused with calyx, funnel-shaped, cleavage-petal. Petals are round or ovoid, densely pubescent along the veins. The calyx is light green, conical or goblet, equipped with five subulate sepals. Flowering takes place in June - July.

The fruit is a multi-seeded berry (otherwise pumpkin), can be of the most varied shape (from cylindrical to flattened), with a smooth or wrinkled surface. There are many varieties of melons that differ in size, aroma, taste, pulp color and even chemical composition. Seeds are ovoid, elongated or oval, pointed tips, yellow, white or cream in color.

Growing conditions

Melon is a thermophilic plant, it prefers areas that are well lit and warm throughout the day, protected from cold and piercing winds. Sites located on southern slopes are desirable. For growing crops, light, moderately moist, fertile soils with a rich mineral composition and a neutral pH are suitable. Acidic soils require preliminary liming. Despite the fact that most varieties of melons are resistant to soil salinization and waterlogging, they have an extremely negative attitude to soil acidification, which leads to the appearance of fungal diseases and dangerous pests.

Growing seedlings and preparing the soil

In Central Russia, melons are grown mainly by seedlings, less often by sowing in open ground. Seeds are sown in special seedling containers or pots filled with turf soil, peat, humus, mixed with mineral fertilizers and wood ash. Melon planting time for seedlings is March - April. The seeding depth is 1, 5-2 cm. Before the emergence of seedlings, the crops are covered with plastic wrap or glass. The optimum temperature for keeping is 20-25 C during the day, 18-20 C at night.

With the emergence of the first true leaf in the seedlings, the plants are fed with ammonium nitrate, superphosphate and potassium chloride. After two weeks, the procedure is repeated again. Seedlings that have reached a phase of 5-7 true leaves are planted in open ground. Seedlings are pre-hardened. Before planting, the soil in the containers is thoroughly moistened.

The plot for growing melons is prepared in the fall, the soil is dug up, rotted manure and complex mineral fertilizers are applied. In the spring, the ridges are loosened and shallow holes are undermined. The seedlings are carefully removed from the pots, lowered into the hole, covered with soil, tamped, watered abundantly and mulched with peat. The distance between plants should be about 55-60 cm. Important: the root collar of the seedlings should be located at ground level. And in order to avoid the defeat of young plants by fungal diseases, it is advisable to pour a little washed river sand into the near-stem zone.

Care

In order to significantly speed up the process of formation and ripening of fruits, experienced gardeners and gardeners advise pinching the melon. First, the growth points above the fourth to sixth true leaf are removed from the plants, and immediately after the formation of ovaries, all the rest are removed. It is also advisable to carry out additional pollination of female flowers. This procedure does not take much time and is subject to even a novice gardener.

The culture needs systematic watering, however, during the period of fruit formation, it is reduced to a minimum. It is worth remembering that with excessive watering, the roots of the plant can rot, which adversely affects the quality and quantity of the crop. Melons respond well to feeding. The first feeding is carried out immediately after planting at the time of the formation of new shoots, the second - during the formation of buds. You should be very careful with nitrogen fertilizers, since their excess can lead to a delay in fruiting. Do not forget about regular weeding and loosening in the aisles, as well as preventive treatments against pests and diseases.