How to plant watermelons with seedlings and seeds in open ground: diagrams and planting rules. Growing watermelon seedlings in open ground When to plant watermelons in open ground

Do you have a lot of free land in your garden? Try to plant the most big berry- watermelons. They are unpretentious and do not require much trouble.

Choosing seeds

First you need to decide on the seeds. It is better to select varieties of watermelons that do not ripen for long, but it is also better not to purchase varieties that ripen very quickly. For the garden, the best options would be varieties such as Sugar Baby or Ogonyok. When purchasing, also check where the seeds came from. If from the south, then it is not a fact that they will be adapted to natural conditions your lane. You can start growing watermelons in spring. The first step is to grow seedlings. After all, planting watermelons in the garden is dangerous due to the risk of sudden frosts. They can destroy the plantings. Pots for watermelon seedlings should be of medium diameter. Do not make any cuts on the seeds, supposedly for earlier germination! Before planting the seeds in a pot, they need to be kept in warm water for 10 minutes. Then deepen it into the ground 3-4 centimeters. It is necessary to monitor the temperature in the room where the pots with seeds are located. It should be between 18 and 23 degrees. And when the shoots appear, try to maintain a temperature of 18 degrees.

Watermelon seedlings: care

At the end of May - beginning of June, seedlings can begin to be planted in the ground. It would be better to cover the watermelons with some material after planting. A few days before planting watermelons in the ground, you should begin to harden the seedlings. Over the course of a week, you need to gradually extend the time the plant stays without shelter. If the temperature does not drop below 8 degrees at night, then you can try leaving the seedlings open overnight.

How to plant watermelons: choosing a location

The place must be sunny and warm. Most best option so that it is accessible to the sun from the south and closed from the cold winds from the north and west. It is better to make the holes from north to south in one row. The distance between them should be at least 60 centimeters. Holes are made approximately 50 cm deep; you need to add 2-3 buckets of compost or humus, one-third of a bucket of sand and a little superphosphate, preferably double, into them. Mix all contents thoroughly. You can mulch the soil, as a result there will be no need to constantly weed, and thanks to mulching, practically nothing will be created for the root system. ideal conditions. Holes are cut into the covering material into which the seedlings should be planted. You can also water over the material; it allows water to pass through well.

Top dressing

The watermelon seedlings have taken root and begun to grow, which means you need to start feeding them. Good for first feeding chicken droppings or mullein. Then, after 12 days, feed again, but with mineral fertilizers; watermelons must be watered strictly with warm water, especially if the weather is hot. Watering should be frequent, but from the beginning of August watering can be stopped.

Time to harvest

So, we figured out how to plant watermelons. Now let's see when you can harvest. If summer pleases with warm days, then the first watermelon can be ready for consumption as early as the twentieth of July. But the main harvest is usually harvested from mid-August. If the weather is still hot at this time, then do not rush to harvest, watermelons can still grow until September. So grow and enjoy the sweet results of your efforts. Now you know what you can plant in your garden. Every person can do this, since planting watermelons, much less growing and caring for them, is not at all difficult.

Growing watermelons in open ground seeds and seedlings

You can grow watermelons using seeds and seedlings. Of course, in order for good and tasty fruits to grow in the end, the planting technology must be performed correctly.

In addition, subsequent care of the plant largely affects the quality of ripened fruits. Therefore, it is best to familiarize yourself in advance with all the secrets of growing watermelons using seeds and seedlings.

Landing place

To grow watermelon, choose sandy or sandy loam soil. Its acidity should be 6-7 units.

Because watermelons heat-loving plant, the place for planting should be chosen warm, sunny, so that it constantly warms up. Planted in warm soil up to +12 +15 degrees.

Watermelons will grow well after the following crops:

• potato;
• cabbage;
• carrot;
• legumes.

Under no circumstances should you plant the plant in places where nightshade or melon crops previously grew, since these plants have common pests.

It is important to know: It is recommended to prepare a site for watermelons in the fall; it needs to be dug and loosened. Then the berries will grow well on the dug up soil and give an excellent harvest.

Digging up the soil should be done together with rotted manure or humus. On 1 square meter apply the following amount of fertilizer - 5-6 kg of humus or rotted manure, superphosphate 50 grams, potassium salt 35 grams and ammonium sulfate 40 grams.

Sand is poured into the weighted soil - 2 buckets per 1 m2. It is not advisable to use fresh manure for fertilizer. When digging, all weeds and roots are removed, because watermelon does not like these unpleasant “neighbors”.

If further planting will be done under the film, then you should also purchase required material and cover the soil with them.

Planting a watermelon

There are two ways to plant watermelons:

1. Without seedlings.

To plant watermelons in open ground, you should choose cold-resistant seeds with a ripening period of 90 days. The varieties “Ogonyok”, “Gift to the North”, “Kholodok” are perfect.

Before planting, seeds should be soaked in water. The water temperature must be at least 50 degrees. It is necessary to soak until the seeds sprout.

Then they are planted in the soil. The soil should be warmed to +12 +15 degrees. They are usually planted in early May; by the time the seeds germinate, it will become warmer and the soil will be warmed by the sun.

After 8-10 days, the first shoots should appear. If the soil is cold, germination will take a long time, and eventually the seeds may die.

It is worth noting: be sure to pay attention to weather conditions before landing. If it is cool at the beginning of May, then planting should be postponed to the end of the month.

In order to grow good harvest, the following planting technology should be observed:

• each hole is filled with a mixture of ash, earth, humus and nitroammophos (1 teaspoon). Pour 1 tablespoon of the mixture onto the hole. This will help increase productivity in the future;
• then we plant the seeds in the soil to a depth of 6-9 cm;
• Sprinkle with humus to prevent a crust from forming on top. This crust can harm the sprouts when they reach the surface, and they will die.

Below, we invite you to watch a video on how to transplant watermelon seedlings into open ground:

2. Growing seedlings.

Seeds are planted for seedlings in late April - early May. It is advisable that the temperature in the room be maintained at +25 +30 degrees.

Seed germination begins at temperature conditions from + 17 degrees, but in order for them to grow and develop fruitfully, it is recommended to maintain at least 25 degrees during the daytime, and at night from +18 degrees. There is no need to pick seedlings.

Fertilizers should be added to the soil in which the seedlings grow. This will ensure fast growth sprouts Over the entire period, the soil needs to be fertilized twice; mineral fertilizers are used as top dressing.

Important to remember: When planting, seedlings cannot be completely covered with soil. Sprouts should be left 3-4 cm on the surface.

The sprouts should not touch each other, otherwise they can be seriously damaged when planting. Therefore, you should watch the sprouts, and as they grow, the cups should be moved away. Sprouts ready for planting must have at least 3 leaves.

Seedlings are planted in the soil at the end of May or early June. Be sure to follow the planting technology. Germinated seedlings are planted in prepared beds to a depth of 9-11 cm.

One or two shoots are planted in the hole. If 2 shoots are planted in a hole, then they are separated according to to different parties so that their lashes do not intertwine.

Before planting, up to two kilograms of compost or humus are poured into the hole and filled with water. It should be planted in a mixture of soil and fertilizers, sprinkled with dry soil.

Care

In addition to planting, you need to follow the rules of care. The future harvest depends on proper care.

Care consists of the following actions:

1. Shelter. In order to accelerate the growth of the plant, you can use covering materials. The increased temperature is maintained under the film and due to this the plant begins to grow faster.

In addition, the fruits will appear 2-3 weeks earlier. The covering material will also provide protection from various pests. To cover with film, you can make low stands on the sides and put covering material on them. It should be removed in early June and preferably on a cloudy day, otherwise the plants may burn under the scorching sun.

2. Irrigation procedures. Because watermelon has a very powerful root system, which can go to a depth of more than 1 meter, it should not be watered very often. Once a week is enough. He gets the missing moisture from the ground himself.

3. Fertilizing the soil. The first feeding is done 7 days after planting seedlings or seeds. The next two are done at intervals of 2-3 weeks. For the first fertilizing, you can use the following fertilizers: a solution of ammonium nitrate, 20 grams per 10 liters of water. For subsequent fertilizing, it is best to use mineral fertilizers.

4. Work on the formation of bushes. The fruits are formed on the main stem. In order for them to ripen quickly, it is best to leave no more than 6 ovaries on the plant stem; it is recommended to remove the rest.

Also, do not forget about loosening the soil. Beds with watermelons should be loosened periodically. It is advisable to do this after rain or watering.

Overgrown lashes can be tied to special stands or lightly sprinkled with earth. This will protect them from the wind and speed up the growth of the fruit.

Harvesting

Around August, fruit harvesting begins. Before cutting a watermelon, check it for ripeness. Typically, a ripe fruit has a glossy skin and a dried tail.

There are no hairs on the stalks. Usually, when you knock on the fruit, a dull sound is heard. All these signs are conditional, so it is recommended to use them together.

Growing watermelons is a rather labor-intensive process, so it should be approached responsibly. Be sure to properly prepare the place for planting, first dig the soil and fertilize it with fertilizer.

Don't forget about further care behind the plant. Exactly from all the right technology cultivation depends on the future harvest.

We invite you to watch a video on how to properly plant watermelon seeds for seedlings:

If speak about middle lane, then it is preferable to grow watermelons here (as well as some other crops - for example, melon) through seedlings. In reality, there is nothing complicated in this process; the main thing is to know when to plant watermelon seedlings and how to do it correctly. Today we will look at two methods at once, and also provide detailed step by step instructions. But let's start with the preparatory activities.

In most cases, watermelons are planted in open ground at the age of 30 days. And due to the fact that the seeds of this crop germinate sufficiently for a long time, sowing should be done in mid- or late April.

What will the job require?

For correct sowing watermelon seeds and growing high-quality seedlings, be sure to prepare:

• seed;
• cling film;
• soil mixture;
• plastic containers 10 cm in diameter (in the second method peat pots will be used);
• gauze;
• salt;
• potassium permanganate;
• glass of water.

Note! The sowing technologies described below are excellent not only for watermelon, but also for melon.

Prices for potassium permanganate

potassium permanganate

How to choose the right seeds

Due to the fact that watermelon is an atypical crop for the middle zone, it is necessary to select seeds with extreme caution.

Remember that only early-ripening varieties are suitable for such conditions, the growing season of which ranges from 70-90 days.

And if we take into account that the seeds are sown for seedlings quite late (in the middle or end of April, as we have already found out), then it is quite obvious that watermelons should ripen even before the cold weather sets in. In addition, you can purchase seeds of hybrids that are more adapted to unfavorable climatic conditions.

Prices for watermelon seeds

watermelon seeds

When choosing seeds, give preference to those that were harvested 2 or 3 years ago. The fact is that fresher seeds will produce crops with male flowers, while fruits are formed from female ones.

First, you need to determine which seeds are suitable for sowing seedlings. To do this, prepare a solution table salt(4-5 g for every 100 ml of water) and immerse the seed there for a few minutes.

Rinse the seeds that have settled to the bottom as a result of the procedure thoroughly with water and dry. For washing, it is convenient to use a small gauze bag and a glass of clean water.

To stimulate the appearance female flowers It is recommended to warm up the seed at a temperature of about +60°C for 2-3 hours. After this, pickle the seeds in a 1% solution of potassium permanganate for about half an hour.

Now you can start last stage preparation - soak the seed before hatching in order to speed up the emergence of seedlings. To do this, wrap the seeds in a wet cloth and place them in a warm place (the air temperature should be between +25-30°C). As a rule, germination takes no more than 5-6 days.

Note! Throughout this time, regularly rinse the seeds with running water, otherwise they may turn sour. And when the biting starts, you can also do hardening.

How to harden sprouted seeds? Place them in the refrigerator for 12 hours, and then in a warm place for the same time. The cycle must be repeated 2 or 3 times. After the root length reaches 1-1.5 cm, you can proceed directly to sowing using one of the two methods described below.

Marigolds, Chernobrivtsy, lights - this is what people call tagetes. The culture is distinguished by its rapid growth and ease of care, and therefore enjoys considerable popularity. Read about when to sow marigolds for seedlings and how to do it correctly.

Method one. Traditional cultivation of watermelon seedlings

The process consists of several simple steps; let’s look at the features of each of them in more detail.

First, prepare the soil mixture for sowing. It is important that it is prepared correctly! For melon crops, which include watermelon, the following recipe is preferable: 1 part turf soil and 3 parts humus (the components must be mixed thoroughly). Although there is another option for preparing the substrate - 0.5 parts humus, 1 part sawdust and 3 parts lowland peat.

Also, don’t forget about suitable containers. It is advisable to use separate pots for this - this way the roots of the plants will not be damaged during diving or transplanting into the ground. The optimal diameter of the pots is approximately 10 cm. 1-2 plants will be grown in each.

Now you can start sowing the pre-prepared seeds. Fill in suitable pots half of the soil mixture, then place the seeds there (1-2 in each) to a depth of about 4-5 cm. In the future, as it grows, you will add fresh substrate.

Note! Do not forget to pre-moisten the soil before sowing (this is convenient to do with a spray bottle). Also, to sow seeds in a moistened substrate, you need to make holes using a pencil or stick.

Full-fledged watermelon seedlings will appear in about 30-40 days. To help seeds germinate, cover the seed containers cling film and place in a warm place (air temperature should be approximately +23-25°C).

Video - How to sow watermelons for seedlings

Method two. Using peat pots

This method is good because such pots, as well as, already contain necessary for plants nutrients. Regarding the timing of sowing and preparation seed material, then in this case they are the same as in the previous method.

For the convenience of users, instructions for sowing watermelon seeds are given in table form.

Table. Sowing watermelon seeds for seedlings in peat pots.

Prices for peat pots

peat pots

Subsequent care of seedlings

Due to the fact that sowing is done in mid-spring, additional lighting of the plants is not required in this case. But the crops still need to be placed in the brightest place in your home. Perfect option- This is the window sill of the south window. It will be even better if you transfer the seedlings to glazed loggia(but in this case you need to especially carefully monitor the temperature).

What should the temperature be when growing seedlings? At first, even before the first shoots form, the temperature should be within +25-27°C. Later, when the shoots have already appeared, it should be somewhere around +18-20°C (at night) and +20-25°C (during the day). As for watering crops, it is recommended to use exclusively warm water.

10 days after the first shoots appear, fertilizing should be done in the form of a solution of mineral seedling fertilizer (such as Sotka, Mortar, etc.). After the same time, fertilizing is repeated.

Note! Watering and fertilizing should be done exclusively at the root! If moisture does get on the leaves, immediately wipe everything off using a paper napkin. When at least 4 true leaves appear, the seedlings - if weather conditions allow - can be transplanted to the site.

It should also be noted that when growing seedlings of this crop, the pots should be placed in such a way that the leaves of neighboring plants do not touch each other.

Prices for Mortar

Mortar

Features of transplanting into open soil

First you need to decide on the timing of planting seedlings in the ground. For watermelons, this is the second ten days of June, that is, the time when the threat of frost has completely passed. By the way, if you want to plant seedlings earlier, about 3 weeks after germination, you can use shelters.

First of all, check if the ground has warmed up enough. For transplanting watermelon seedlings, the optimal temperature is considered to vary between +15-18°C. If you need to warm up the bed faster, you can cover it with black plastic film.

Note! Watermelon is characterized by a fairly deep root system, and therefore the area chosen for planting seedlings must be dug up with a shovel. Also add compost or humus (10 l), wood ash (200 g) and complex mineral fertilizer (about 40-50 g) per square meter of area. Then dig again.

Transplanting seedlings in peat pots

Prepare holes - about 2 for each square meter. Remove carefully top part peat pot, then place the plant in the hole.

Fill the hole with water, then cover it with soil.

Try not to bury the root collar. Ideally, the earthen ball with which the seedlings are transplanted should be somewhere 1 cm above the soil surface. Until the real warmth comes and the watermelons begin to bloom, it is advisable to cover the plantings with some kind of covering material (for example, spunbond).

Video - Rules for growing watermelons

In recent decades, it is possible to grow watermelons in almost any region of our country thanks to the efforts of breeders - they have created many new varieties and hybrids of this sweet berries, which can grow even in Siberia and the Urals, while giving good yields of tasty and sweet fruits.

Few people don’t like these sweet, juicy fruits, and you really want to pick these largest berries in your garden. Therefore, many vegetable growers are experimenting and can sow on their plot different varieties this melon crop, because they know well how to plant watermelons correctly.

Planting watermelons in open ground is a fairly simple procedure, but if it is done at the wrong time or the seeds are planted late, then these delicious berries may not ripen. Many gardeners have seen how watermelon grows, so they know that this climbing melon crop requires enough large plot. How to plant a watermelon in a garden or in a polycarbonate greenhouse and the nuances of planting this large berry will be discussed below.

How to plant watermelons in open ground

How to plant watermelons and where to start are simple questions. And you should start by choosing a variety that will be zoned to a specific region. In the conditions of the Moscow region, the Urals or Far East It is better to choose varieties that are characterized by early ripening so that they have time to ripen in the conditions of a short, cold summer. Also, you should not plant watermelons with large fruits in such conditions - they will only have time to grow to the required size in the south of our country.

The result of proper cultivation

Therefore, before buying bags of watermelon seeds, you need to carefully read the annotation printed on the packaging - it will definitely tell you about the timing of its ripening.

Important! Some qualities of this melon crop are important only when grown for sale: the size of ripe fruits, the color of the peel, how the crop tolerates transportation over long distances.

How to plant watermelons - by seedlings or without seedlings - depends on the climatic conditions of the area and the desires of the melon grower himself. In the southern regions, seed material is immediately placed on the beds; in the middle zone and similar regions, seedlings are often first grown and transplanted to permanent place after the spring cold snap has passed.

In any case, you need to start by soaking the seed material. Since the outer shell of the seeds is quite hard, without soaking this melon crop will take too long to germinate, and in short summer conditions, vegetable growers usually count every day. Therefore, purchased seeds should be wrapped in cotton cloth and placed in a container filled with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. Then the container is placed in plastic wrap and placed in a warm place. The film must be opened every day for ventilation and the solution changed before the seed hatches.

Time and temperature when you can plant watermelons

The time when watermelons should be planted in beds is usually selected according to lunar calendar. In 2018 favorable days for planting watermelon seeds in open ground - from May 5 to 11, as well as June 6, 11, 12.

In open ground, planting watermelons and melons should only be done in warm soil. The soil should warm up to a temperature of 13-14°C to a depth of 9-11 cm. The hatched seed material is embedded in shallow trenches (up to 5-6 cm deep).

On a note. Planting is carried out in different regions depending on weather conditions. Since watermelon is a very heat-loving melon crop, even in the southern regions it is not sown earlier than the first ten days of May. If the landing is carried out in more early dates, then the first shoots will not appear soon, and the plants themselves will grow more slowly.

Landing rules

Knowing how to plant watermelons in the ground, you need to remember that the quantity and quality of the future harvest directly depends on the fertility and looseness of the soil.

That's why next stage preparatory work begins with selecting and preparing a site for this melon plant. The place for planting melons should be well lit sun rays, be protected on all sides from gusts of cold wind and be fertile.

Sufficient illumination

Advice! The best soil for growing melons - sandy or sandy loam, into which high-quality humus was added during the autumn digging (at least 1-1.5 buckets per m2).

When growing watermelons, you need to remember the rules of crop rotation.– in the same place, watermelons (like other melons) can be grown once every 5 seasons. The best predecessors for them will be: tomatoes, potatoes, any vegetables and green manure from the cruciferous family, as well as all representatives of the legume family.

• IN spring period When preparing beds, mineral fertilizers are added to the soil: 1.5 tsp per 1 m². potassium salt, 1.5 tbsp. l. superphosphate and 1 tbsp. l. ammonium sulfate. The correctly selected composition of the mineral supplement activates the growth and development of the vegetative mass of watermelons, promotes better education ovaries.
• To plant the seed, planting holes are dug into which 1.5-2 liters of water are poured. After the water is absorbed, a nutrient substrate consisting of humus, wood ash, complex mineral fertilizer and peat, leveled and watered again. When the moisture is absorbed, 4-5 hatched watermelon seeds are placed in each hole, and they are covered with a layer of earth 3.5-4.5 cm thick on top.
• After the young plants have 2-3 true leaves, of all the plants grown in the hole, the strongest one is left, and the rest are removed.
• When growing this plant using the melon method, the seeds are planted in separate peat cups, together with which they will subsequently be transplanted to a permanent place. The cups are filled with nutrient substrate, the soil is moistened and the seed is planted. The seeds need to be buried 2.5-3.5 cm. The top of the container is covered with polyethylene and placed in a warm place (where the temperature is around 22-24°C). At night the temperature can be reduced to 19-20°C.
• After the first shoots appear, the film can be removed and the room temperature reduced to 17°C for 3-4 days. This is done so that the seedlings do not begin to stretch upward too much. Then the temperature is raised again.
• The soil in the cups must be constantly moistened so that the watermelon shoots do not begin to dry out. To grow, these plants need good lighting and warmth. 7-10 days after the sprouts appear, they should be fed with nitrogen-phosphorus fertilizer.
• 7-9 days before transplanting to a permanent place, watermelon seedlings begin to be hardened, first taking them to Fresh air for half an hour, gradually lengthening the time spent on the street.

Planting scheme

When planting watermelons in rows, the scheme will be as follows: the average distance between holes is 0.8-1.4 m, between rows - 1.4-1.6 m. When planting this crop using the square-cluster method, the holes should be at a distance of 0.9 -2.0 m apart.

Important! Plantings of this melon crop should not be thickened - all bushes should have enough space for the growth of vines and ripening of fruits. These plants are especially sensitive to watering and sunlight, so they should not interfere with each other’s development.

Cups of seedlings should be planted in open ground in dug holes so that the cotyledon leaves are above the ground level. The distance between planted seedlings is at least 1.3-1.4 m.

Planting scheme

For the first 7-9 days, while the plants acclimatize in a new place, they need to be watered with filtered heated water.

Care, agricultural cultivation technology

What care should be given to growing watermelons? In a nutshell, we can say that this melon crop needs abundant watering and fertilizing. Without moisture, the fruits will not be able to gain the required sweetness and juiciness. But excess moisture is also detrimental to this giant berry - it will be watery.

Vegetable growers who grow melons and melons from season to season know well how watermelons grow. This crop requires abundant, but not frequent watering during the period of increasing vegetative mass, and after the appearance of ovaries, the amount and volume of water increases.

Interesting! On summer cottages many gardeners use the system drip irrigation, which perfectly provides watering for melons and can also be used for applying fertilizers.

If the summer is hot and dry, then the volume of watermelon watering is increased. Usually in such weather you need to water this crop thoroughly every 6-7 days. During the period of fruit growth and ripening, soil moisture should be 80-85%.

Sandy and sandy loam beds need to be watered more often, as they hold virtually no water. A clay soil water less often.

13-15 days before the harvest is fully ripened, watering is completely stopped so that the berries have time to gain the required level of sugar content.

During the period of growth and ripening of fruits, watermelons are fed at least 3 times, and at least a couple of liters of liquid fertilizer should be applied to each plant.

7-10 days after transplantation watermelon seedlings In a permanent place, the plants are fertilized with the following nutrient mixture:

• 2 tbsp. l. superphosphate fertilizer;
• 1-1.5 tbsp. l. ammonium sulfate;
• 1-1.5 tsp. potassium salt.

During active growth the lashes need to be fed to the watermelons again. This fertilizer contains the same fertilizers as the first time, only the rate of phosphorus and potassium elements is halved. When the fruits begin to ripen, the last feeding is carried out, which consists of 20 g of ammonium sulfate, 10 g of phosphorus fertilizer and 35 g of potassium salt.

On a note. Nitrogen is applied to watermelon bushes only during the period of active growth of vegetative mass. Then the share of this element is significantly reduced in order to prevent its accumulation in ripening fruits.

To apply liquid fertilizers, circular grooves are dug around the bushes at a distance of 35-40 cm, into which the nutrient mixtures are poured. The furrows are then carefully buried.

If you follow all the rules for growing melons, then at the end of the season you will be able to harvest large and sweet watermelons.

Watermelon- heat-loving berry of the pumpkin family. At proper care you will get tasty, sweet and juicy fruits. Watermelons from markets can be dangerous for the body; they often contain a lot of nitrates, are unsweetened and of poor quality. Most The best way How to get healthy and sweet watermelons is to grow them yourself in the garden.

In the article we will analyze in detail right place for cultivation, site preparation, plant care technology from planting seeds to harvesting.

Selection and preparation of a site

The planting site must be sunny, away from trees and bushes, located on a warm, southern side, preferably protected from strong winds.

The soil should not be dense and clayey, neutral or alkaline. The best option is sandy loam soil.

Cabbage and legumes are the best predecessors in the garden. Change where you plant watermelons every year - this is good for the soil.

Where the weather allows, watermelons are planted in open ground with seeds, preheated in hot (50 degrees) water for about 10 minutes, then germinated in a humid environment (seeds moistened with water between them, etc.) until they hatch. The soil should be 12-14 degrees (mid to late May) at the time of sowing.

In regions with short summer, watermelons are grown from seedlings.

To do this, they buy or select from their own, high-quality seeds suitable for a given region. Choose from early hybrids.

It is necessary to take into account that the seedlings will be transplanted into open ground 25 days after germination. Seed germination will take up to 10 days (usually 3-7). Consider these indicators and plan sowing seeds.

If the seeds are planted in mid-April, watermelon seedlings can be transplanted in mid-May.

Watermelon seedlings do not take root well, so each plant is planted separately. Watermelon seeds are sown in individual cups measuring 10 x 10 or 12 x 12 cm. These can be either peat or plastic cups.

You can make the soil yourself or buy it ready mixture in a specialty store.

The soil is made independently as follows: humus, soil, peat and river sand mixed in equal proportions. It is also necessary to add 0.5 kg of wood ash to them for every 20 kg of soil mixture.

Soak watermelon seeds for 12 hours in warm water with the addition of potassium permanganate. Plant 2 seeds in each pot, deepening them by 2 cm. The soil should be moist.

Cover the pots all together with film and remove them after germination.

Pots with sprouts are placed on the windowsill on the south side. Optimal temperature the room is 24 °C. A week after germination, remove weak shoots.

For normal growth, add lighting in the morning and evening hours. Water with warm water (25°C) every other day.

10 days after germination, the plants are fed: dilute 1 part mullein in 10 parts water, add 1 tbsp. l. superphosphate and 2 tsp. ammonium nitrate. 10 days after transplanting the plants into open ground, a second feeding is done.

Important: when watering plants with water and fertilizers, it should not get on the leaves, as this can cause burns.

Before planting seedlings in open ground, they are hardened: intensive watering is reduced, the temperature gradually decreases, and ventilation is carried out. Three days before transplanting, watering should be stopped.

When the plants have 5 main leaves, the seedlings can be replanted. Remember that the soil must be warmed up to 12-14 degrees, no less.

The seedlings are planted in prepared holes in the ground. The planting pattern is as follows: between the dimples 50-70 cm, between the rows 2-2.5 m. Carefully remove the seedlings from the pot with the soil and plant them in the dimples, cover them with soil in a circle and water them abundantly. For better rooting, you can cover it with spunbond overnight.

Planting watermelon seedlings - video

If you are going to grow watermelon under film, then the seeds can be sown in March. When planting seedlings from pots under film, the temperature of the soil under the film should be at least 12 degrees. Best time transplants under film mid and late April.

The film must be two-layer; it is first stretched along the pits. The first layer of film is laid on the ground, holes 8-10 cm long are made for plants. For the second layer, an arc is installed, the film is laid down and secured on top.

The first layer warms the soil, retains moisture, and prevents the growth of weeds. To grow seedlings under film, uniform drip irrigation is required.

During seedling growth, the second layer of film must be lifted, allowing free growth. With the establishment of warm sunny days the film is removed.

7-10 days after planting the seedlings, it is fertilized with a solution of 30 g ammonium sulfate, 20 g potassium salt, 50 g superphosphate diluted in 10 liters of water, fertilize no more than 2 liters per plant.

Plants are watered with settled water once a week (depending on weather conditions).

2 weeks before the first fruits ripen, feeding is stopped.

When the 5th leaf is formed on the plants, the growing point is removed (pinching is performed). After the first ovaries appear, the most large berry is left, the rest are cut off.

There should not be more than 6 fruits on one plant. After the place of formation of the berry, 4 leaves are counted, the rest is pinched off.

A high yield of watermelons depends on high-quality and timely pollination of plants, therefore, when growing indoors, at the time of flowering, the film must be opened. Otherwise, you will have to pollinate yourself by applying male flowers to women's.

Be careful when watering, do not touch the plants, otherwise diseases and pests will appear. Melon crops are highly susceptible to pests and diseases.

Powdery mildew, fusarium, olive spot, bacteriosis, anthracnose treated with colloidal sulfur and Bordeaux mixture.

Pests such as wireworm, melon aphid, spider mite damage and lead to the death of the plant. Use Karbofos, Keltan, Phosfamide to combat them.

The best prevention of diseases and pests is removing weeds from watermelon beds.

By mid-August, the massive watermelon harvest begins. How to identify and choose the right ripe berries?

Main features:

The watermelon tendril should dry completely;

the watermelon stops growing, the top layer becomes shiny;

a yellow earthen spot is located on the side on which the watermelon lay;

makes a dull sound when tapped;

when squeezing, a slight cracking of the pulp is heard;

a ripe watermelon does not drown in water.

Growing watermelons - video

In conclusion, I will say that every gardener can grow a watermelon; as a result, you will get large, tasty berries even when grown in open ground, the main thing is to use simple tips that you found on the page.