2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Who among us does not like to feast on a fragrant melon? Usually it is brought to us from Central Asia closer to autumn. And it costs much more than the usual watermelon. But why not grow a melon on your own plot? It's not that difficult
Many of us are accustomed to growing melons on the sunny melons of Central Asia. In fact, this wonderful culture appeared in ancient Rome, and it was brought to our latitudes in the 13th century. For a very long time it was grown exclusively at home, but not so long ago, thanks to breeders, its cultivation became possible in the gardens of central Russia.
Determining the seeds
Melon is an annual. On its creeping stem, up to seven to eight fruits weighing from 1-10 kg can form. But the success of the harvest depends not only on proper care, but also on the selection of good seeds. In the northern regions of the country, where summers are cold and short, it is recommended to purchase seeds of early maturing early varieties that bear fruit about 40 days after planting. These varieties include: Krinichansky, Korean, Altai, Lazy Man's Dreams and some others. In hot summer, the usual varieties - Dessertnaya, Yantarnaya, Ukrainka, Kolkhoznitsa - can ripen in no more than 60 days. But if you want to grow Asian melons, you can plant them on pumpkins.
As a rule, dry seeds take a very long time to germinate. It is best to pre-soak them or hold them for at least 20 minutes in a heated solution of potassium permanganate. After that, they need to be washed well and wrapped in a damp cloth until they germinate, constantly maintaining a warm temperature and the necessary moisture. As a rule, seedlings hatch after about 10 days. If the seeds are soaked at a temperature of 24 degrees, then the sprouts can be seen as early as 4-5 days.
Cooking seedlings
Melon is sown closer to mid-April. This culture loves warmth, and therefore the soil must be warmed up to at least 15 degrees. The seeds are placed in a mixture of earth with humus and ash to a depth of no more than 3 centimeters. In order not to damage the root system during planting, it is better to take peat pots or paper cups with a diameter of 10 centimeters. Cover the pots with glass or foil until shoots appear. If the melon is grown in a greenhouse, then the seeds can be sown as early as May, in warmed soil. About once every seven days, the sprouts should be watered with a weak solution of manganese.
The most basic requirements that melon puts forward are light and warmth. But abundant watering must be excluded. But at the same time, you need to try so that the topsoil is not excessively dry. The day before transplanting, melon seedlings are watered with water at room temperature.
We plant in the ground
First of all, it is necessary to clear the soil of weeds, dig up, fertilize, moisten and cover with plastic wrap so that it warms up properly. If there is a lot of chlorine salt or sand in the soil, the melon will die. Seedlings are planted at the end of May, when frosts have passed and the earth will already be warmed up.
Melon sprouts can also be planted in the greenhouse in April, avoiding their proximity to cucumbers, which love moisture. After preparing the soil, dig small holes with a distance of about a meter between them. Add a mild manganese solution, a tablespoon of ash, and moisten the pits with water. Then plant seedlings in them without compacting the soil. Finally, pour water over the sprouts.
Water is needed without the sun
During the development period, the melon needs to be fed with infusion of weeds, and after flowering with phosphorus-potassium mixtures. This culture is often affected by powdery mildew, fusarium, anthractosis. Of the pests that are dangerous for her: melon aphid, scoop, spider mite and whitefly. The plant is fed at the same time as watering. The water should be at room temperature. Pour it at the root, so as not to damage the leaves. It is worth noting that in cloudy weather, the melon requires more intensive watering than in sunny weather.
When the fruits grow, watering is increased, and two weeks before collection they stop. The soil is periodically loosened. After the emergence of shoots and the 5th leaflet, the plant is pinched. If insect pollination does not take place, the melon must be pollinated on its own.
Harvesting the harvest
The first fruits usually ripen by the end of July. No more than 3 fruits are left on one bush. It is very important that they do not come into contact with the soil to avoid rotting. To do this, put small planks, tiles or plywood under the ovaries.
Ripe fruits are best harvested in the afternoon, in sunny weather, keeping the stalk intact. In this case, they will be stored for a longer period. Neatly laid on a layer of straw, they will lie until late autumn. Melons of average life can be stored for a month at room temperature.
Fragrant and fragrant melons for you!
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