7 secrets of growing melons
Everyone knows that today buying vegetables on the market from unknown people is quite risky for many reasons.
But there is a way out: grow vegetables in your area. However, in the middle lane, where summers are short for ripening watermelons and melons, it is rather difficult to do this. But probably!
Do you want an early harvest? Plant seedlings on the window!
Not everyone knows that melons, which are generally accepted in central Russia to be planted with seeds in the soil at the beginning of June, may well begin to grow in March at your window.
Why do people use this method so little? Yes, it is very difficult to transplant seedlings of cucumbers, melons, watermelons - their roots are tender and quite sensitive to various kinds of injuries.
For this purpose seedlings melons are prepared in special peat pots, which are then planted directly in them.
And if there are none, then you can make a container ... from plain paper!
On a bottle, for example, of a deodorant with a diameter of 3-4 cm, a strip of sheet 9-10 cm wide is wound so that about 4 cm remains free from the edge. This will be the bottom of the container. It needs to be crumpled in such a way as to make a glass. Then the container is carefully removed from the template and filled with earth. The seed is planted there.
Seedling care is normal: sunlight, regular watering. It is only important not to fill the glass with water, so that it does not get soaked right on the window.
In late May - early June, seedlings can be planted in the ground just as directly in a glass. During watering, it will soak in the ground, and the roots will freely penetrate deep into the depths. This is all the more useful because paper (or a peat cup) protects the roots from the cold for some time. And the need to penetrate through the walls of the tank is some kind of "charging" for them. This will make them stronger and stronger.
The sprout will be covered with a greenhouse matryoshka - let him not be afraid of frost at all!
You can plant seeds directly into the ground. This is also done at the end of May. And so that our seedlings do not freeze, they are covered with plastic bottles. And there is one trick here.
Cut off the bottom with a liter eggplant, cover the seed or seedlings, slightly sinking its edge into the ground. You can cover its edge with sand. It is best to remove the lid - it will interfere with watering.
Above, the second shelter will be a larger plastic container of 3 or 5 liters. It is also cut from the bottom and placed on top of the small one. The lid is left twisted. And watering can be done through the neck of the bottles. Of course, the lid is removed during this procedure.
When the seedlings no longer fit under the bottom bottle, it is removed, leaving only the top one. It can be kept over seedlings until mid-June.
Here's a little tip: watermelons need the sun's light!
Melons and gourds are very sensitive to heat and light - this is no secret. Therefore, they should be planted only in an open space, where there is no shading.
Although there are some difficulties here: in extreme heat, plants can burn out. Therefore, on such days it is better to cover the melons from the rays with burdock leaves, newspapers. If possible, you can even pull an awning over them to create a shade.
Curls, curls my watermelon - it will taste sweet!
So that the bushes of melons and gourds do not fill the ground around, do not interfere with weeding and watering, it is best for them to make a support - let them crawl up, clinging to their antennae! This is both aesthetically pleasing and convenient, and protects the shoots from decay.
Watering, water, but do not rot the entire crop!
Another problem for gardeners in central Russia is that sometimes the fruits lying on the ground rot, it's just a disaster! Especially when cool and rainy days come.
And in order to prevent this incident, experienced melon growers pour a pile of sand at the root collar of the plant - a heap of 2-3 cm. You can use hay or straw.
And many more put planks under the fruits. Others even put nets on them and hang them from supports - and it is not difficult for the bushes to hold them, and they do not touch the ground, and worms and slugs will not get to the fruit.
And there are those who care about the convenience of storing melons and gourds. After all, round fruits have the ability to ride, which creates some inconvenience. And if the ovary is immediately placed in a transparent container with a flat bottom, for example, in a five-liter plastic eggplant, then the fruit will gradually fill it and take the shape of a rectangle. This is how you can kill two hares at once with one shot: both protect the vegetable from rot, and give it its original shape.
Watering melon on the sidelines - with a bountiful harvest!
In the northern regions, groundwater often occurs quite close to the surface. And the roots of melons grow vigorously in depth. But, reaching the aquifer, they begin to rot.
Sly gardeners have figured out how to deceive nature. If you water the plant not at the roots, but a little to the side, then you can avoid this trouble. In this case, the roots will grow in breadth, feeling moisture.
We just make a groove along the bed - there and pour water during watering. But do not forget to loosen and mulch the groove the next day in order to avoid the formation of an earthen crust. And watering after the formation of ovaries should be reduced. It is needed only in the heat.
We cut off the extra whips - we do not interfere with the harvest!
To get the most delicious fruits in August, you need to take care of this in advance. To do this, you should trim the excess lashes - the plant spends its energy on them, and absolutely all the fruits that have set will not be able to ripen in the middle lane, this is a proven fact.
Therefore, in watermelons, you need to cut out all the side lashes, leaving only the main one - female flowers are formed on it. Leave no more than 6 ovaries on one bush.
For melons, the main whip should be removed over the 6th sheet. Also, do not allow the plant to "feed" more than 5-6 fruits.
Using the helpful tips shared by experienced experts, even a novice gardener will be able to pamper his family with melons grown with his own hands.