How to sow watermelons in open ground. How to plant and grow watermelons. How to plant seedlings of watermelons and melons in different regions

Originally from Africa, this summer berry was known to the ancient Romans and Egyptians thousands of years ago. Because of its diuretic properties, it has been a popular remedy. Watermelons are grown in the adjacent plots, in the country, in the fields and farm enterprises. It is important to know that planting watermelons, like other plants, has different ways: in open soil or in a greenhouse. The process of planting watermelons is unpretentious, it is not difficult to grow a watermelon at home, but negligence and violation of the main agrotechnological rules can destroy the plant even before the flowering stage. Read below about how to plant watermelons in different ways, what mistakes to avoid when planting and caring for a watermelon in order to get a rich harvest.

Soil preparation

It is clear that soil preparation is the most important step in growing this plant. After all, this is the environment in which the plant will develop until fruiting. But first you need to say a few words about the selection and preparation of seed. Initially, choose the right variety or hybrid that suits your climate. Hybrids are usually already treated with fungicides, so they do not need the seed preparation method described below.

Before sowing, place watermelon seeds in cheesecloth and dip in a warm solution of potassium permanganate. Place this container in a plastic bag and place it in a room at room temperature. Change the solution every day. Seed preparation does not take much time. In a couple of days you will see how the seeds hatch - this is a signal that you can plant them in the ground.

Plant this plant in a warm, well-lit place. Watermelon needs sandy or sandy soil. It’s good if before the watermelon in this area, onions, cabbage, and legumes were previously planted.

As for the soil, its preparation involves the following steps:

• in autumn it is better to enrich the soil with compost so that it is fruitful next year;
• before planting in the ground for watermelons, it is worth adding potash, phosphate top dressings and ammonium sulfate in a proportion of 1 m² 20:40:30 g;
• the earth needs to be loosened and the beds prepared in advance.

seedling method

The method is excellent for growing this plant in areas with short and not very hot summers. For planting watermelons using the seedling method, it is necessary to select high-quality seeds of early hybrids. Keep in mind that after germination, seedlings cannot be planted for another 25 days. Bones should be sown in April. How to plant seeds for watermelon seedlings? For seedlings of watermelons, special peat or plastic cups are used, in which one seed is planted.

Soil for watermelons can be purchased at the store or made by yourself. To do this, mix humus, peat, sand, earth in equal proportions and add wood ash. By the way, this mixture is suitable for all members of the Pumpkin family. Deepen the seed a couple of centimeters into the moistened earthen mixture. Place the cups under the foil. After the emergence of shoots, the film is no longer needed.

Leave the cups on the windowsill in a room with an air temperature of no more than 22 degrees. Seedlings must be constantly monitored. After 5-7 days, remove weak shoots. One and a half weeks after germination, you can feed the seedlings. Dilute mullein, superphosphate, ammonium nitrate in water and carefully water the plant. Do not get the solution on the leaves.

Before planting watermelons outdoors, stop watering for 3 days and lower the temperature in the room so that the plant is ready for a stressful situation.

Growing from seed

In the southern regions, the plant is planted in open ground with seeds. How to plant watermelons in this way and when is it usually sown? Pre-prepared good seeds are planted in the ground 10 cm deep. When landing, the temperature of the earth should be at least 14 degrees. When planting watermelons in the ground, pay attention to its structure. If it is sandy soil, then seeds can be buried by 8–10 cm, and if it is solid, then by 4–6 cm.

To grow watermelon, prepare the soil: mix the top layer of earth with humus and ash and pour it into the hole. Align it all and fill with water. It is recommended to place at least 5 seeds in one hole. This does not mean that 5 individuals will grow from one hole. Just over time, you will need to leave the strongest seedling there.

Landing in open ground

When you see that the seedlings have grown stronger, grown young plants can be transplanted into open ground. The first thing when planting watermelons in open ground is the selection of a place. It is better to choose a well-lit, calm area. If, nevertheless, the place is windy, you can plant watermelons behind a "fence" of corn. Then prepare the ground for the new plant by using organic fertilizers.

People often ask at what distance to plant watermelons? It is recommended to adhere to the following parameters: between plants there should be a distance of at least a meter. They are usually planted in a checkerboard pattern - the standard scheme for planting watermelons. Place the seedlings in the holes and tamp down with soil, leaving shoots with leaves on the surface. When all individuals are planted, water each one generously.

Planting and care in the open field include not complicated, but basic actions:

• periodic weeding and loosening of the earth around the base;
• regular watering;
• pinching shoots;
• weed removal;
• fertilizer with organic matter added to superphosphate and calcium chloride;
• treatment for diseases and pests.

It is also necessary to store and transport the harvested crop with the right approach, no matter what the volume. First, you need to understand how resistant your variety is to transportation and storage. Secondly, you must prepare a special place for the watermelon. The room should have a temperature of up to 5 degrees with a humidity of 70-80% and a good ventilation system. Cover the bottom with dry moss or sawdust. Constantly monitor watermelons, their condition.

Planting in a greenhouse

How to plant a watermelon at home if the climate is cold? It can be easily grown in a greenhouse. But then the question is: how to plant a watermelon in a greenhouse?

According to this algorithm, you can properly plant watermelons and care for them:

1. Seeds are planted in containers until the sprout appears. Land for watermelons can be taken specialized.
2. The soil for transplantation is prepared in a known way - by adding organic fertilizers to the soil.
3. Seedlings are placed in pits at a distance of 70–80 cm.
4. Get a couple of bees in the greenhouse for better pollination.
5. Cut off excess shoots.
6. Fertilize with mullein or liquid manure.
7. July-August is harvest time.

Video "How to grow watermelons"

From this video you will learn how to grow watermelons the right way.

Plant watermelon (lat. Citrullus lanatus)- herbaceous annual, species of the genus Watermelon of the Pumpkin family. Watermelon is a gourd crop, whose homeland is southern Africa - Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa. The colocynth species, related to watermelon, is still found here, which is considered the ancestor of the cultivated watermelon. This culture was cultivated in ancient Egypt, in the 20th century BC: watermelon seeds were found in the tomb of Tutankhamen. Evidence that the watermelon was known to the ancient Romans, who ate it fresh and salty and also made honey from it, can be found in the verses of Virgil. The watermelon fruit was also grown in China, where it was called the "melon of the West", and the Arabs, who used it before meals to cleanse the body. Crusaders brought watermelon to Europe, and it appeared on the territory of modern Russia in the 13th-14th centuries AD. Today, China is the world champion in watermelon cultivation, closely followed by Turkey, Iran, Egypt, the American states, as well as Uzbekistan and Russia. Watermelons grow best in climates with long, hot, dry summers and short, cold winters.

Watermelon berry - description

The watermelon has thin branched stems, curly or creeping, most often smoothed-five-sided, reaching a length of 4 m. At a young age, the stems are covered with dense pubescence. Watermelon leaves are petiolate, alternate, pubescent, harsh, rough on both sides, triangular-ovate, heart-shaped at the base, 8 to 22 cm long, 5 to 18 cm wide. Watermelon flowers that bloom in summer are female, male and hermaphroditic, with boat-shaped bracts. The fruit is a watermelon berry, a multi-seeded juicy pumpkin with a smooth surface and juicy, sweet pink or red flesh, although there are varieties with yellowish flesh and a rough rind.

Sowing seeds of watermelon.

Growing watermelons in open ground is carried out by seed method, seedlings and seedlings. In warm areas, seeds can be sown directly into the ground, prepared in advance and warmed up to 12-14 ºC. Before sowing, the seeds are kept in a thermos with water at a temperature of 50 ºC until the sprouts hatch. In holes about 8 cm deep, located at a distance of 1 meter from each other, place a tablespoon of ash, a teaspoon of ammofoska, a kilogram of humus and thoroughly mix the additives with the soil. Then they pour 2 liters of water into the hole, wait for it to be absorbed, put two or three seeds flat in the hole at a distance from each other, cover them with soil and trample it down. After sowing, the bed is not watered.

The first shoots may appear in a week or so. If you sow the seeds in cold ground, the emergence of seedlings will have to wait longer, they may even die. To prevent this from happening, sow the seeds in the ground no earlier than the third decade of May. The shoots that appeared in the development phase of 3-4 true leaves are thinned out, that is, weak shoots are removed by cutting them off just above the surface of the bed.

Growing seedlings of watermelon.

In areas with a short summer, watermelons are best grown in seedlings. The cultivation of watermelon seedlings begins in May with sowing seeds in separate containers of at least 0.3 liters in order to avoid intermediate transplanting or picking, which pumpkin is so poorly tolerated. Planting watermelons for seedlings is carried out in the ground, which should consist of peat, sod land and sand in equal parts. For five liters of this soil mixture, add 50 g of potassium sulfate, ammonium nitrate and dolomite flour, as well as 100 g of double superphosphate. A few days before planting a watermelon, the seeds are heated for half an hour in water at a temperature of 55 ºC, and then germinated in wet sand at a temperature of 25 ºC. Only after the seeds have tiny shoots, they are sown 2-3 pieces in separate pots on the surface of the previously described soil mixture, sprinkled with sand on top, cover the cups with film or glass and transfer to a warm place where the temperature is not lower than 30 ºC. When shoots appear in a week, the film is removed, and the temperature is lowered to 16-18 ºC for nine days.

Caring for watermelon seedlings includes feeding, watering and, if necessary, organizing additional artificial lighting, since watermelon needs a twelve-hour daylight hours. Water the seedlings in several stages, allowing the water to soak in, but make sure that water does not get on the leaves of the seedlings. In the development phase of 3 true leaves, seedlings are fed with a solution of complex mineral fertilizers or liquid mullein. About 10 days before planting the seedlings in the garden, the seedlings begin to harden off: they are taken out to the balcony or terrace for an hour or two, daily increasing the time spent outdoors until they bring it up to 24 hours.

Watermelon pick.

How to dive watermelons? As already mentioned, gourd seedlings do not dive for fear of damaging their root system. They don't even get pinched.

Planting watermelon in open ground

When to plant watermelon in the ground.

When to plant watermelon seedlings in the garden? Planting watermelons in the ground is carried out four weeks after sowing the seeds in the development phase of the fifth or sixth true leaf - at the end of May or the first decade of June. Choose for watermelons a wind-sheltered, well-heated and well-lit area on the south or southeast side, on which perennial grasses (alfalfa, sweet clover, sainfoin), winter wheat, cabbage, onions or annual legumes were grown before watermelons. It is not recommended to grow watermelons after plants such as nightshade (potato, tomato, eggplant, pepper) and pumpkin (melon, zucchini, squash, and watermelon). After you harvest watermelons, it will be possible to grow pumpkins in this area only after 6-8 years.

Ground for watermelon.

The soil for watermelon is preferably sandy or sandy with a pH of 6.5-7 units. The preparation of the site is carried out in the fall: for digging, 4-5 kg ​​of rotted manure are applied per m², as well as 40-45 g of superphosphate, 15-25 g of potassium salt and 24-35 g of ammonium sulfate per unit area. In heavy soils, one or two buckets of sand per m² are added. Fresh manure is not used to fertilize the soil.

How to plant watermelons in open ground.

Make holes in the garden at a distance of 1-1.5 m from each other in a checkerboard pattern, leaving row spacings 2 meters wide, and pour 1.5-2 liters of water into each hole. Seedlings are buried in the holes along the cotyledon leaves, the soil is tamped after planting, and then the surface of the area around the seedlings is sprinkled with sand within a radius of 10 cm in order to prevent root rot. Pour the seedlings with warm water and protect them from the sun's rays until the seedling leaves restore turgor.

Growing watermelon in a greenhouse.

In areas with cold and short summers, watermelons are grown in greenhouses, since the vegetative period of the crop sometimes lasts about 150 days, and there are much fewer truly warm days in the northern area. To speed up the process, first, watermelon seedlings are grown at home, and then they are planted in a garden bed in a greenhouse under a double film coating. You already know how to grow watermelon seedlings. It is necessary to start growing it in the third decade of April, and planting watermelons in a greenhouse is carried out when the soil in it warms up to 12-14 ºC. The soil on the beds is prepared in advance: a week before planting the seedlings, a layer of soil is removed from the beds with a depth of a shovel bayonet, hay with humus is laid in the resulting trench, which is sprinkled with nitrogen fertilizer on top and watered with hot water. The removed layer of soil is laid on the hay pillow and the bed is covered with black covering material, which can be removed just before planting.

Seedlings are planted to a depth of 10 cm in holes arranged in one row at a distance of 70 cm from one another. As the lashes develop, they are tied to a trellis installed in advance. For normal fruiting, you need to let a few bees into the greenhouse. But since the male flowers only live for a few hours, don't risk the future harvest, take care of pollination yourself: pick a few male flowers, carefully remove the petals from them and apply their anthers to the stigmas of the female flowers. It is desirable that each female flower be pollinated by several male flowers. It is necessary to engage in artificial pollination in the morning, when the air temperature in the greenhouse is 18-20 ºC. It is very important that the night temperature on the eve of this important event is not lower than 12 ºC.

In order to accelerate the growth of lashes, pinch them in such a way that there are no more than 3-5 leaves above the fruit, and remove weak shoots altogether. From the ovaries, leave no more than 5 pieces on each bush, remove the rest. For the first time, watermelon fertilizer is applied to the grooves dug at a distance of 20 cm from the bush, when the lashes reach a length of 25-50 cm, and it would be best at this time to feed the plant with a solution of mullein (1:10) or liquid fermented chicken manure (1: 20 ). The second top dressing is applied before the start of the budding process, and the third - after the formation of the ovaries, but both times the grooves are already made at a distance of 40 cm from the bush. Like the first time, watermelons are fed with mullein or liquid chicken manure, since organic matter is the best fertilizer for watermelon.

When the fruits start to increase in size, turn them over from time to time so that they ripen evenly. Don't forget to ventilate the greenhouse.

watermelon care

How to grow watermelon.

Watermelons in the open field do not need annoying care, however, there are agrotechnical measures that cannot be neglected. These include thinning seedlings, watering, weeding, loosening the soil, pinching lashes. In the development phase of 3-4 true leaves, thin out the seedlings, leave one or two in the hole, and cut the rest just above the soil surface. Although some gardeners successfully plant extra seedlings, they take root well and bear fruit.

When the ovaries appear, leave no more than 6 fruits on the bush, and under those that lie on the ground, place some non-rotting material - roofing material, a piece of plastic or foil.

Watermelon watering.

Watermelons are watered once a week, but plentifully, at the rate of 3 buckets per m² of land. When the heat comes or it's time for flowering, it is necessary to carry out 2 such abundant waterings per week, moistening not only the soil around the bushes, but also the aisles - the entire area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe plot. When fruits are formed, watering is gradually reduced to a complete cessation two weeks before harvest. In total, watermelons are watered 3-4 times during the summer: with the development of 5-7 leaves, during the flowering period and at the beginning of fruit formation.

A day or two after watering at the beginning of the growing season, loosen the soil in the area to a depth of 6 cm and at the same time remove weed grass from it. When the watermelons close the rows, the weeds will no longer harm them, so loosening and weeding can be stopped, especially since the root system of the plant extending in different directions is very easy to damage with a chopper.

Watermelon nutrition.

Two weeks after planting, the seedlings need to be fed. How to fertilize watermelons in open ground? The first time it is best to apply ammonium nitrate by dissolving 20 g of fertilizer in a bucket of water, using 2 liters of solution for each bush. You can replace saltpeter with a solution of mullein (1:10) or chicken manure (1:20), adding 30 g of superphosphate and 15 g of calcium chloride to a bucket of solution. The next dressing is applied during the budding period, and it consists of 4 g of calcium chloride, 4 g of ammonium nitrate and 6 g of superphosphate per plant. If you will be applying dry fertilizer, then water the area before and after applying it.

Pests and diseases of watermelon

What's wrong with watermelons? Most often they are affected by white, gray, black and root rot, powdery mildew - real and false, anthracnose, angular and olive spotting and mosaic. With careful preparation of seed and soil for planting and proper care of melons, watermelons, as a rule, are not affected by either diseases or pests. But it doesn’t happen year after year, and anything can happen, so the best way to protect your melon is to be able to quickly identify the disease and know how to treat watermelons from a particular disease.

Powdery mildew is caused by a fungus. The leaves of plants are covered with a grayish-white coating, under which the leaves die off, and the fruits become tasteless, unsweetened, deformed and rot.

Downy mildew, or peronosporosis, is also excited by the fungus, but only old leaves are affected at first and only then young ones. Angular light yellow spots appear on them, and a grayish-purple coating forms on the underside. The fruits become ugly and stop developing.

Olive blotch looks like irregularly shaped spots that cover all the ground parts of the plant, causing the leaves to become corrugated, and olive-colored ulcers appear on the stems and petioles of the leaves. The ties dry and fall off.

Angular spotting, or bacteriosis, is carried by insects and looks like whitish oily spots on the ground parts of the plant, as a result of which holes appear in the leaves and they fall off, the stems wither, the fruits become soft, transparent and stop growing.

Anthracnose, or copperhead, is also a fungal disease, from which brown or yellow spots with yellowish-pink pads appear on watermelon leaves, and in wet weather the spots become covered with a pink bloom. If the defeat is severe, the watermelon dries up and dies.

White, gray, black and root rot are also fungal diseases, each of which can destroy both a single bush and the crop as a whole. White, black and gray rot destroy the leaves, stems and fruits of watermelon, and root rot destroys the roots of the plant.

Cucumber mosaic, unlike all the diseases described above, is a viral disease that cannot be dealt with. It manifests itself by the appearance on the leaves of a mosaic pattern in green and light green tones. The plant lags behind in growth, swellings, tubercles and dots appear on the fruits.

Of the pests, watermelons are most harmed by melon aphids, gnawing scoops and wireworms.

Wireworms are larvae of click beetles that resemble hard pieces of wire and feed on watermelon seeds and seedlings.

The melon aphid is dangerous in itself, because it feeds on the cell sap of the ground parts of the watermelon, and as a carrier of such a dangerous disease as mosaic, because there is no cure for it.

Gnawing and winter scoops lay their eggs on the plant, and the caterpillars that have emerged from them feed on watermelon, gnawing its roots, which is why the watermelon turns yellow and dies.

Watermelon processing.

The fight against watermelon diseases is carried out by treating with fungicides - Fundazol, Bordeaux mixture, Skor, Decis and others. What kind of fungicide you need, it is better to find out in a specialized store where you can buy chemicals to kill any fungus and find out how to treat watermelons with this drug. However, it will be better for your melons and for your health, instead of using fungicides, observe crop rotation, comply with the agrotechnical conditions for growing crops and take proper care of ripening watermelons. If you follow all the rules, the plants will not get sick with a fungal disease.

As for harmful insects, the aphids are destroyed by dusting the plants sprinkled with water with a mixture of ash and tobacco dust in equal proportions, and 20 minutes after treatment, the soil is loosened on the site, thereby destroying the fallen insects. Scoop caterpillars are lured into pieces of cake or plant residues of a sweetish taste and are collected, just like wireworms. To do this, they make depressions of 50 cm in the soil, throw cake there, pieces of sweet root crops and cover these traps with shields, which are removed after a day or two, and the insects that have gathered there are destroyed. We remind you that usually, like diseases, pests infect weakened and neglected plants.

Collection and storage of watermelons

Before picking watermelons, you need to make sure that they have reached the first stage of removable maturity - it usually occurs 5 days before full maturity. If you skip this step and remove the watermelon later, it will not last long, and if you store an unripe watermelon, it is unlikely to ripen in storage. You can determine the state of the first maturity by the color of the pulp and seeds, characteristic of each variety of watermelons. If you remove the watermelons on time, when the flesh in them is pink, then during storage it will gradually turn red - the watermelon will ripen already in the mat, without losing sweetness.

The longest stored watermelons are late varieties, which have a denser and thicker peel, and the pulp has a rough structure. Early-ripening and mid-ripening watermelons are removed as they ripen and eaten or processed - they are made into jam, salted or pickled, and the fruits of late-ripening varieties intended for storage are cut with a pruner or a sharp knife along with a 5 cm long peduncle just before frost. Do not tear the berry from the stem, as it often begins to rot at the place of separation.

For storage, choose medium-sized watermelons with a thick rind, shiny and intact - it should not have any dents, cracks, soft spots, or scratches. When transporting, do not drop or place watermelons on a hard surface, do all work with gloves. When laying watermelons, make sure that they do not touch each other - this measure will help to avoid infection of the fruit with rot.

Optimal conditions for laying watermelons: temperature 1-4 ºC at an air humidity of 75-85%, as well as good ventilation. We offer you the following storage options:

• - collect dry moss in the forest in sunny weather, spread it in a thick layer on the bottom of a wooden box, put a watermelon on top and cover it with moss on all sides, then put other watermelons, wrapping each of them with moss;
• - instead of moss, you can use wood ash. Watermelons sprinkled with ashes in a box or barrel are lowered into the cellar and stored in it under a tightly closed lid;
• - dip each watermelon in a clay or alabaster mash of the consistency of thick sour cream, let the coating dry and lower the fruit into the cellar;
• - instead of clay or alabaster, you can use wax or paraffin: melt them in a water bath, cover each fruit with a layer about five millimeters thick and lower the processed watermelons into the cellar;
• - wrap each watermelon with a dense natural cloth, put it in a net and hang it in the cellar to the ceiling;
• - make racks in the cellar, put a thick layer of straw on their shelves and lay watermelons on top so that they are wrapped in straw;
• - find a dark, cool place in the apartment where no light penetrates, place watermelons there and turn them over daily.

No matter how and wherever you store watermelons, make it a rule to check in what condition they are, at least once a week, in order to notice the spoiled fruit in time and not allow it to infect other watermelons with rot. With the right variety, place and storage method, you can enjoy watermelons until spring.

Types and varieties of watermelons

Actually, an ordinary watermelon, which we grow and buy in markets and stores, is a species of the genus Watermelon, in which there are two varieties:

– African melon tsamma (Citrullus lanatus var. citroides) , growing in Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho and South Africa, and familiar to all of us woolly watermelon (Citrullus lanatus var. lanatus) , which is found only in a cultural form. Moreover, Asian, European and American breeders had a hand in creating many varieties of this variety that exist today. Here we will introduce you to the varieties of this watermelon.

Varieties of watermelons for open ground are divided into early, mid-ripening and late, suitable only for areas with long warm summers. When choosing a variety, it is necessary to take into account its resistance not only to cold, but also to drought, diseases and pests, as well as the need for fertilizers and the ability to grow. So, the early varieties of watermelons:

• - American hybrid Victoria, ripening for 62 days or a little more, with a rounded fruit weighing up to 10 kg;
• - variety Skorik with small light green fruits weighing up to 4 kg with scalloped, blurry stripes along the edges with delicate, sweet red pulp of high palatability and thick skin;
• – Jenny is an ultra-early American hybrid, ripening from 54 days and forming on each bush 4-6 standard-sized white-green fruits weighing up to one and a half kilograms, with thin dark stripes, very thin peel, seeds no larger than grape seeds and bright, very tasty pulp;
• – Stabolite is the best of the seedless hybrids, ripening from 62 days, with powerful and large elongated fruits with very tasty pulp. It is pollinated with the help of varieties Lady, Trophy from the Nunems variety series;
• - Ogonyok - a variety of Russian selection with small fruits up to 2 kg in weight with a thin peel and tasty pulp;
• – Dolby is an American large-fruited, stress-resistant hybrid that matures after 60 days.

Mid-season varieties:

• - Couch potato - the ripening period of this variety is from 75 to 90 days. It is drought-resistant, rarely affected by diseases and pests. Medium-sized light green with prickly stripes, fruits up to 5 kg in weight with a thin peel have a red-pink, pleasant-tasting pulp of medium density;
• - Top Gan is one of the most popular high-yielding American varieties, ripening in 70-75 days with large rounded fruits weighing up to 10 kg and crispy dark red flesh with small seeds. Watermelons of this variety are perfectly stored and resistant to anthracnose;
• – Dumara is a productive hybrid, ripening from 75 days, with oval-cubic fruits with sweet, tender pulp and very tender seeds;
• - Antey is a hybrid with tender and record-breaking sweet pulp of oval-cubic fruits. From fertilizers prefers organic;
• – Ataman is a disease-resistant variety of domestic selection, ripening in 66-86 days, with rounded prickly fruits weighing up to 10 kg with red tasty pulp of medium density.

Watermelons for open ground late varieties:

• - Spring - this variety can be grown not only on melons, but also in a greenhouse. Elongated-spherical smooth fruits weighing up to 3 kg with a dense, barely noticeable green mesh on an olive-colored background contain grainy, tender and sweet dark red flesh. This variety ripens in 105 days;
• - Icarus is a productive, drought-resistant variety that ripens in 88-110 days. Fruits weighing from 3 to 16 kg are dark green in color with weakly pronounced stripes and very strong bark. The pulp is red-raspberry, very sweet. The variety is perfectly stored, it can lie until March;
• – Chill is the most common late-ripening variety, ripening in 100 days, with large, from 15 to 25 kg in weight, ellipsoid, slightly segmented fruits with a strong green bark in an almost black stripe, hiding a very sweet, bright red flesh with a pink tinge. Fruit shelf life - 3 months;
• - Melania - a hybrid of the Early variety, ripening after 80 days, with oval fruits weighing up to 12 kg. The bark is green with wide dark green stripes, the flesh is crisp, dark red, with small seeds.

Fans of outlandish plants are invited to try their luck in growing a Japanese variety of watermelon, rare in our area, from the island of Hokkaido Densuke with an almost black bark or a giant-sized American hybrid California Cross. The smallest watermelons are Pepkinos, which can be thrown into the mouth entirely. And for those who are irritated by the bones in the watermelon berry, we offer the seedless variety Red King. Seekers of new gastronomic sensations will definitely like the nutmeg-flavored watermelon of the Vector variety, bred by a breeder from Astrakhan, which also boasts the creation of the Lunny variety - a watermelon with yellow flesh and a hint of lemon.

Watermelon is a favorite treat not only for children, but also for adults. The juicy pulp of this berry refreshes well and quenches thirst in the summer heat. If in the South a watermelon grows without any problems, then in the middle lane it is necessary to have certain knowledge in order for the plant to survive in the open field. The gourd culture reacts extremely positively to a warm climate and negatively to the cold, but first things first.

The site where you plan to grow this plant should be chosen with particular scrupulousness. There should be no shade at the site of the future plantation, the site should be as much as possible illuminated by the sun. The soil should be sandy ideally, but sandy loam will do. Watermelon roots penetrate deep into the soil, from where they are saturated with moisture and saturated with sweetness, for this reason, dense, clay soil will not work. To make the soil the most porous, it must be dug up in the autumn. The acidity of the soil should not be higher than 7 units.

An excellent option would be to use areas where potatoes, onions, carrots, cabbage or wheat used to grow. It is worth noting that growing melons in one area for the second year in a row will turn out to be a failure for you. Before planting, do not ignore the clearing of the area, the watermelon will not tolerate extraneous neighbors in the form of weeds or other vegetation.

Good time to grow

Unfortunately, if the summer of the year turned out to be cool, then no tricks will help you get a juicy, and most importantly, sweet watermelon. It is worth being ready for a rich harvest only when the summer turned out to be successful, with hot, sunny days.

Planting a plant should begin as early as the end of May, by this period the soil will be warmed up quite well. If planting will be carried out by seedlings, then start seed preparation from the beginning of May. However, in any case, the last word remains with the weather conditions. If at the beginning of May you only have to dream of warmth, then you should not rush into landing.

Seed preparation

Planting watermelons occurs in 2 ways - seedlings and seedless.

seedling method

The berry has dense and fairly hard seeds that require pre-soaking. Just half an hour is enough, but make sure that the water is warm. Seeds that float in water are unsuitable for planting, they can be safely disposed of. Cover the container with seeds and water with polyethylene and leave it in the sun, under its direct rays. So you create an analogue of a greenhouse. It is important that the temperature in such a greenhouse during the day does not fall below 25, and at night below 20 degrees.

After the seeds have hatched, they can be transferred to a cup with earth. Typically, this procedure can be carried out in late April or early May. When choosing a glass, remember that the root system in it should not be crowded. Damage to the roots for a watermelon will be fatal. Before planting, mix the soil with mineral composition and humus.

While the seedlings are growing, they will have to be fed for the whole process several more times. Plant several seeds at once in one glass, counting on the fact that one of them may not germinate. If both seeds give a sprout, then in the future they will simply be divided.

A sprout is healthy and suitable for transplantation, on which at least three healthy leaves have formed. Before planting, loosen the soil and add compost to it. Seedlings sit at a distance of 20 cm from each other. If you plant several sprouts in one hole, then later they should be deployed so that they grow in different directions. Recesses for seedlings should not exceed 10 cm in depth. When planting, the leaves must remain above the ground. At the end of the process, the seedlings are abundantly watered with warm water, so it will take root better.

seedless way

If the weather is already warm enough outside, you can plant watermelons without using seedlings. As in the previous version, the seeds should be soaked in warm water. After the seeds have hatched, you can start planting them, but no longer in a glass, this step can be skipped. It is worth noting that the method of planting watermelons immediately in open ground is permissible only if the weather forecast unambiguously denies the sudden onset of cold weather.

Several seeds are planted in one hole, prepare the holes in advance at a distance of 25 cm from each other. For an excellent harvest, mix soil, humus and ash in a 1 to 1 ratio. In this mixture, add a few bed of mineral fertilizer. Add 1 tablespoon of this mixture to each well. Put the seeds in the holes and cover with humus on top. So you will not allow the formation of a crust in the top layer of soil.

watermelon care

Despite the fact that melons are considered unpretentious in their growth, it is worth knowing some of the nuances in order to get a rich harvest.

1. Imitation of a greenhouse. Weak sprouts are covered with material on top to prevent them from dying and getting a ripe berry ahead of time. To create a homemade greenhouse, stick a few pegs along the edges and stretch tight polyethylene between them. Such a greenhouse should be maintained until the end of June. When it comes time to shoot the film, it's best if it happens on an overcast day. This will allow the plant to adapt more easily. If you choose to remove the film on a hot, sunny day, you may end up burning the sprouts.
2. Watering. Excessive watering is unacceptable for watermelon, he prefers to feed on groundwater. The powerful root system of the plant successfully takes moisture from the lower layers of the soil. It is also impossible to overdry the watermelon, so it will not differ in its juiciness. The normal frequency of watering is several times a week.
3. Fertilizers. Already a week after planting seedlings in open ground, it needs to be fed with ammonium nitrate. In 20 liters of water it is necessary to dissolve only 10 grams of the substance. After such top dressing, fertilizer with the usual mineral composition once every few weeks will be sufficient. In addition to fertilizers, do not forget to hill the soil. It is vital for a watermelon to have loose soil, and experienced gardeners completely forbid walking and trampling down the ground next to a watermelon planting.
4. Molding. This part is important in the care of watermelons. If the lashes of the plant have grown very long, they can be safely tied up or nailed with earth so that the wind does not hurt. A month later, the formation of the first ovaries begins. When these ovaries reach the size of a large plum, the largest ones are left, a few pieces, the rest are removed. This procedure is called pinching. When a plant produces fruits, it provides them with all the necessary nutrients that they take from the soil. When there are too many of these fruits, they will remain small, since the plant is not able to provide all of them with the necessary amount of components for growth and maturation. In order for the fruits to be large and tasty, several pieces are removed at the very beginning. On one bush, usually no more than pieces of watermelons are left.

Learn more about watermelon care here:

When watermelons begin their ripening, they can be turned from side to side about 1 time in 10 days. If the soil began to rot, it is worth putting a few boards under the berry, which will reduce contact with the ground.

Harvesting

The harvest traditionally takes place in August. In order to determine the degree of ripening of a watermelon, it is enough to carefully examine it. A ripe fruit will have a shiny skin and a dry tail. The stalk of a ripe berry will not be hairy. If you knock on the fruit, you will hear a dull sound, it is for him that experienced gardeners understand that it is time to harvest.

Many believe that watermelons require very painstaking care and special conditions for growing. This is not entirely correct. Let us consider in detail how to grow a watermelon in your summer cottage.

How to plant watermelons: choose a place and prepare the soil

The place for planting watermelon should be on the south side, away from shrubs, trees and fences - this crop will not bear fruit growing in the shade.

Sandy soil is the most suitable option. It is very good if in the previous year tomatoes, cereals, corn or potatoes grew in this place.

As for the soil, it should be remembered here that the root system of a watermelon goes quite deep into the ground, so you need to apply a large amount of organic fertilizers to the soil before planting a watermelon, namely:

• Humus (about 2-3 kg per plant),
• Neutral peat (about 7 kg per 1 sq.m).

Mineral fertilizers can also be used, the most commonly used are the following:

• Urea (30-40 gr per 1m2);
• Superphosphate (30 g per 1 m2);
• Potash fertilizers (20 gr per 1m2).

Exceeding the dosage of these substances will provoke an abundant growth of greenery to the detriment of the growth of the fetus, so the recommended amount should be strictly adhered to.

Choosing watermelon seeds

Watermelons are sorted into three types depending on the time of their ripening.

• Early ripe varieties like Atlant, Au - Producer, Borchansky, Borisfen, Gloria F1, Darunok, Crimson, Knyazhich, Spark, Sugar Baby, Royal, Tulip, Orbiy f1 (usually in the form of seedlings).
• Mid-season varieties: Astrakhan, Melitopol 60, New Year, Ryasny, Snezhok, Sichelav, Tavriysky, Whole-leaved.
• Mid-late variety - Chill.

Before planting, the seeds are strongly recommended to warm up well. This can be done under artificial conditions: watermelon seeds are poured onto dry gauze and placed on a warm heating battery, in 4 hours the temperature should gradually rise from plus 15 to 50 degrees. Celsius. It is very important to constantly stir the seeds so that they warm up evenly.

Under natural conditions, you can warm up the seeds by laying them out in the open sun for 7-10 days.

Next, soak the watermelon seeds in a slightly warm solution of potassium permanganate for 20 minutes and rinse 3-4 times with running water. Then the seeds are placed in gauze and left in a warm place where the temperature reaches plus 20-30 degrees. Celsius. We are waiting for the first seeds to hatch.

How to plant a watermelon

Growing watermelon in open ground.

It is worth sowing watermelon seeds in open ground when 10% of the total number of seeds hatch.

Do not rush too much, it is very important that the soil on the site also warms up to plus 12-14 degrees. Celsius at a depth of 10 cm (usually, this is mid-April - May).

If the seeds still fall into the soil, which has not yet been warmed up properly, they easily lose their germination.

Growing, watermelons form whip-stems from one to 2 meters long, so they should be planted at an appropriate distance from each other. And in the rows, indent 60-80 cm, respectively.

If the soil is very dry, before planting, pour 2 liters of water into each hole (10-12 cm), then lightly sprinkle the hole with earth so that its depth reaches only 4 cm.

So we planted watermelons. It is very important to put up "beacons" in the form of sticks that mark the rows, so that long before the first shoots appear, you can cultivate the land and weed.

During the period of abundant foliage growth, it is necessary to feed the watermelons. For 10 sq m you will need the following solution:

• 10 liters of water
• Ammonium nitrate or carbamide - 150 gr,
• Superphosphate granulated - 60 gr,
• Potassium salt - 50 gr.

Top dressing should be done immediately after the rains.

• Refuse fertilizers during the ripening period of fruits to protect them from cracking and deterioration in transportability.
• If you want to speed up the ripening process and increase the yield, try covering the planted watermelons with agrofibre, and then making holes for the germinated seeds. The agrofibre is left on the surface of the earth until the end of the growing season of the plant, then it is carefully removed.
• Watermelons should be watered strictly 1 time in 7 days, so as not to provoke the formation of rot.
• Yellowed parts of the plant should be removed in a timely manner.

An alternative way to grow watermelons

It also happens that the climatic conditions and the area of ​​\u200b\u200bdacha beds do not give us the opportunity to grow watermelon without prior preparation.

When to plant watermelon seedlings?

You can plant watermelons for seedlings, and after 20 days plant them in a greenhouse or open ground.

It is worth remembering that all pumpkin plants do not tolerate transplanting, so they should be planted in fairly large containers so that they can be transplanted along with a lot of land.

So, pots of 8 * 8 * 8 cm in size and other containers at hand are quite suitable for seedlings.

We are preparing a universal mixture for planting. We mix humus, peat and soddy soil in a ratio of 2: 1: 1. Next, add 300 g of superphosphate and 100 g of wood ash to the resulting mixture based on 10 kg of the mixture. We divide the mixture into pots and water it 3 days before planting the seeds.

Watermelons should be planted for seedlings at the end of April, in which case after 20-25 days they will be ready for transplanting into a greenhouse or open ground.

We try to keep the soil temperature in pots at least 15 degrees, it also requires good lighting, about 15 hours a day.

Watering is done at the request of the plant - when the soil is almost dry, otherwise there is a possibility that the seedlings will deteriorate due to high humidity and the development of a black leg.

Feeding seedlings in pots

For 10 liters of water you will need:

• Ammonium nitrate - 20 gr,
• Superphosphate - 35 gr,
• Sulfate or potassium chloride - 30 gr.

Top dressing is done 3-4 days before planting watermelons in the ground, we spend 1 glass of fertilizer (250 ml) for each pot.

When the average daily air temperature has reached 11-12 degrees, we transplant watermelons into a greenhouse or open ground.

• Carefully loosen the soil before planting.
• Distance between seedlings in rows - 30-40cm, between rows - 60-70cm.
• It is advisable to plant watermelons in the evening so that they do not dry out.
• The wells are pre-watered.
• After planting, it is recommended to tightly close the greenhouse, thereby increasing the chance of a good survival of seedlings.
• If you planted watermelons in open ground, you can create a greenhouse effect using improvised means - cut a plastic bottle in half and cover 1 seedling with each of the parts.
• During the first week, you have to water the seedlings every other day, pouring 0.5 liters of water under each plant. If it is very hot outside, try to water the watermelons daily.
• After 7-10 days, watermelons begin to grow rapidly, it's time to feed and reduce the amount of watering - 1-2 times a week is enough.
• Try to get rid of the yellowed parts of the plant in a timely manner.

Care of the ripe crop

Harvest begins to ripen in August. It is very important once a week to turn the watermelons upside down to the sun - this way they will ripen evenly.

If the weather is wet, try to put small boards under the watermelons so that the crop does not start to rot.

Stop watering the plants only 3-4 days before the expected harvest. The opinion that watermelons will be tasteless from excess moisture is a fiction. For a watermelon to be truly tasty and ripe, it needs a lot of sun and water!

Outcome

Perhaps we have considered all the main points that you should be aware of when growing watermelons in your country house. Your labors will certainly be rewarded, and you will certainly get a good harvest of watermelons!

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

To grow watermelon in open ground and get a good harvest, you need to take care of choosing a place 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, as pathogens accumulate in the soil.

It should be noted that watermelons and other melons require light, loose and fertile soil. The most suitable option is 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, a watermelon bed should also be fertilized with mineral fertilizers for digging. 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 substances 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 high-quality seed preparation for sowing. This process is quite important and consists of several stages that must be performed in a certain sequence.

Variety selection

The variety of watermelon for growing in your 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 heating the seeds before planting allows you to activate biochemical processes in the 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 the Middle Strip and the 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 of various crops, 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 small box, 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 the required amount of nutrients.

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, the seeds are buried by 7-8 cm, on sandy soils - 5-7 cm, on loamy soils - 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. Film shelter makes it possible to maintain high humidity, which eliminates the lack of moisture and contributes to the rapid development of 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 should cover 2 ridges at once, i.e. a standard width of 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. In order to avoid damage to young seedlings, the sprout is carefully pulled out of the film, a piece of plastic pipe is put on it (you can use a jar), sprinkled with earth, lightly tamping it, and then the protection is removed. 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. With the invasion of pests, they resort to the use of chemicals, such as Decis, Aktara, Fufanon. Of the most common diseases of melons, anthracnose, powdery mildew, and peronosporosis are distinguished. 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, combined with proper preparation for 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.