2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
With melons, it is very important not to miscalculate with the timing of planting in the beds. Optimal conditions for sowing watermelon seeds are formed when the soil at the seeding depth on average warms up to + 15 ° C. This weather usually sets in by mid-May. However, it's time to worry about pre-sowing preparation of melon seeds
Presowing preparation of watermelon seeds
The most optimal way to prepare watermelon seeds for sowing is to germinate the seed before pecking. To do this, perform simple actions:
1. The water is heated to a temperature within the range of + 50 … + 60 ° C.
2. Dip the seeds in heated water and leave them in the vessel for about 5 minutes.
3. Remove the seeds from the water on a saucer.
4. Cover the seed with damp gauze.
5. Leave the saucer with seeds in the sun.
These measures are taken two to three days before sowing. Seed care during this time consists of keeping the gauze wet until it bites.
More laborious, but giving excellent results, is the hardening process. They start it weeks 2-3 before the planned sowing date. To do this, the seeds must first be germinated, and then exposed to low temperatures - for example, they are kept on ice for about a week and a half.
Another hardening method is to soak the seeds for 12 hours. After that, for another 12 hours, the seed is placed in the heat within + 17 … + 20 ° С, then for the same period of time in the cold - from 0 to 2 ° С. This alternation of temperature effects continues for 15 days.
Sowing watermelon seeds and taking care of seedlings
The sowing rate depends on the varietal characteristics of the watermelons. For small-seeded, this is approximately 0.25 g per 1 square meter. For large-seeded, the calculation is made on the basis of 4 g per 1 square meter. In this case, it is taken into account that at least 5-10 seeds are placed in one hole. The nesting method of sowing is designed to provide a replacement for the seed that will be damaged by rodents and insects, and pecked by hungry birds.
You should take care of increasing the yield already at the stage of planting seeds in the ground. To do this, after sowing, you need to mulch the beds. For these purposes, it is best to use humus. It perfectly protects the beds from the formation of a soil crust, maintains the required moisture level in the ground, and also plays the role of an excellent fertilizer for your melons.
Thinning of the emerging seedlings begins when the first true leaf is formed. But this time, do not remove all the extra seedlings. Two pairs of the strongest specimens are left in the beds. The rest are removed when 3-4 leaves grow on each.
Also, in the process of leaf formation, it is recommended to huddle young watermelons. The first time it is combined with the first thinning in the beds. First, you need to loosen the ground. After that, the soil is poured with a protective comb around the root collar. The second time this procedure is carried out after the final thinning of the beds. This agricultural practice helps to avoid flooding of the root collar after rain. It also has a very positive effect on a favorable air regime in the soil, stimulating the formation of additional roots, and as a result - increasing the yield on your melon.
Watering watermelons requires a special approach. More frequent watering is required during the growth of melons. But when the fruits begin to ripen, they are reduced. They start after the emergence of shoots in the beds. In May, the regularity of soil moisture is once every 5 days. In June-July, the beds are watered once a week. In August, they are reduced to 3 times a month. On average, 1 sq. M. beds use 50 liters of water.
Recommended:
Cooking Tomato Seeds For Sowing
Novice gardeners need to know everything about planting procedures for growing tomatoes. Seed preparation is an important fact not only to improve germination, but also to prevent diseases and increase yields. Read about all the preparatory stages that begin in the middle lane from the 10th of February
A Little About Preparing Seeds For Sowing
It's a shame when work is invested in the seedlings and the future harvest, and suddenly the plants begin to hurt and die. Where does such an attack come from, when the soil is clean, and the greenhouse is disinfected, and the seeds with high germination capacity? The fact is that an outwardly healthy grain can be initially infected with a disease. And in order to protect the crop from being damaged by bacterial, viral and fungal ailments that are transmitted through seeds, before sowing, you need to take time to disinfect them
Preparing Tomato Seeds For Sowing
It seems that quite recently the harvest of the past summer was harvested, and the hot time of preparation for the new season is already approaching again. This is especially true for those gardeners who grow tomatoes on their plot. The full cycle of processing tomato seeds is quite long, and if you omit such measures, this will largely affect their taste, resistance to diseases, pests and vagaries of the weather, and as a result - the final harvest. So what needs to be done before
Watermelon Seeds - Eat It For Health
Almost everyone loves watermelons, but many of us underestimate the benefits of watermelon peels and seeds, mercilessly sending these "production wastes" into the trash can. We recently talked about the benefits of watermelon peels, so it remains to fill only the annoying gap in relation to watermelon seeds. In China, for example, fried watermelon seeds are an integral part of a great variety of spices, and in West Africa this valuable product is necessarily added to various soups! So
What Are The Benefits Of Watermelon Seeds?
The beginning of autumn is the time to enjoy juicy and sweet watermelons. Their only drawback is considered by many to be black, small seeds, which constantly need to be cleaned from the pulp. But it turns out that getting rid of the seeds is not at all necessary - they can come in handy
