You can practice growing watermelons in the open air in the suburbs of Moscow at your dacha. Of course, these thermophilic berries require a completely different care than we are used to organizing for more familiar crops in the country. But, if you know the main points that will be fundamental when growing, you will have your own watermelons. Tiny, but sweet and incredibly tasty.
Berries will grow well in sandy or just sandy soils. It is excellent when the temperature of cultivation during the day is within thirty degrees Celsius, and at night the thermometer does not drop to 18 degrees.
Important! If at night the temperature drops to 12 Celsius, then you can not even start growing watermelons. For this culture, such a temperature is fatal, the roots will begin to die and the plant will die.
You know that the homeland of watermelon is Africa. You don’t have to be on that continent to understand how hot it is in Africa. To Russia, watermelon has come a long way around the world and came to us from India. On the territory of our country, traditionally, watermelons are grown in the North Caucasus, the Volga region and the southern regions.
Seedling only
Of course, in the unstable climate of the Moscow region, it will be possible to grow watermelons only seedling method. Landing is carried out in the summer, when regular warm weather has already settled on the street. It is still cold, then you need to grow watermelons only in a greenhouse or provide them with greenhouse conditions for growth.
Since the seeds of watermelon are distinguished by a thick peel, but you will need to first prepare them for germination. Used water 45 degrees Celsius. It is necessary to put the seeds in a thermos, pour prepared warm water. In this state, withstand the seeds for several hours. Then wrap the seeds in gauze moistened with water, send in a plastic bag and put in a warm place. Open the bag several times a day so that the seeds receive the necessary amount of oxygen.
When you see that the seeds are hatching, you can prepare the soil for planting. In any video on growing watermelons in the Moscow region in the open ground, it will be said that only hatching seeds can be planted: otherwise they will not sprout at all. If everything is done correctly, then the seeds will germinate in a week. Next, we plant one grain in the ground to a depth of 3 cm. It is necessary to grow seedlings in a warm place, and water only with warm water.
Landing
When seedlings watermelons turn five weeks old, you can plant it in a greenhouse. Or just in the open ground, but provide film shelter. The distance between the seeds should be about a meter. Planting is done deep, and around there should be an earthen hole so that the water is distributed correctly during irrigation.
How to ensure proper care
Growing watermelons in the suburbs in the open field, of course, requires some proper care. It will be necessary to form bushes independently. When a 6-7 leaf appears, the first clothespin is made somewhere above the fifth leaf. The second clothespin is done after the fruits are tied. The apical buds, on which the fruits will be, must be pinched. Of course, you will have shoots without fruits, you should not waste time and effort on them: just remove them.
Pollination is required manually. On one plant it is good if 1-3 fruits grow. A plant in the Moscow Region may not withstand more fruits. Feeding is done every ten days two three times. Fertilizer must be diluted in three liters of water.It is imperative that the correct temperature conditions are observed. At night, you can throw covering material on the beds. Water enough once a week, but with plenty of water. Stop watering when the fruit growth stops.
Advice! In order to speed up the filling of the watermelon, which has stopped growing, it will be necessary to set the fruits so that the stalk looks strictly up.
Determining the maturity of watermelons is simple: the peel will become lighter, the pattern will appear well, and the surface of the fruit will shine. As a rule, in the suburbs, watermelons can be collected in their baskets at the end of summer. By this time, the leaves will begin to dry out.
When growing watermelons in the suburbs in the open field, you will not get large fruits. But, to harvest your own watermelons weighing about three kilograms will work. No need to worry: the flesh of the fruit will be sweet and juicy, red in color and sweet in smell.
Is it possible to grow a watermelon in the Moscow region? Sure. Despite the fact that caring for this crop is different, it is quite understandable. The most important thing is not to freeze the bush, and the rest will be done by water and solar heat.
The timing of planting watermelons for seedlings in 2016
When to plant watermelons for seedlings in 2017 according to the lunar calendar