Watermelon or melon is a classic summer garden fruit ideal for eating in the hottest periods of summer.
There are several varieties, the best known have a juicy red meat, but there are also yellow ones. It is a plant of the Cucurbitaceae family. of the harvest similar to that of the melon.
The watermelon fruit is usually very large, it can reach 25 kg, but for the home garden there are also varieties with smaller fruits, called » watermelon babies », more suitable for the consumption of an average family.
Contents [Ocultar]
-
The right soil and the right climate
-
How and when to plant watermelon
-
Cultivation and irrigation
-
Plant diseases and pests
-
pick watermelons
-
varieties of watermelons
Contents
The right soil and the right climate
Perfect weather. The climatic conditions are the same as for the melon, the watermelon is native to warm climates, it has a seed that is born above 24 degrees and then grows well if you have temperatures around 30 degrees, for this reason it is a typical summer vegetable and if the weather is a little “rigid” it is necessary to think of tunnels or a mulch with black leaves to better heat the plants. A temperature below 14 degrees can stop its growth, which can damage the crop.
Usually I. Soil for growing watermelon should be rich and not arid, tending to be acidic (pH above 5.5). It is a culture that needs water and nutrients. Like many plants, watermelon is afraid of water stagnation, which causes rotting of the roots, so prepare the soil with deep shovels and enrich it by fertilizing it with manure, compost or manure, watermelon likes rich bottom fertilization. If you want the watermelon to be sweet, special attention should be paid to ensuring that there is a good presence of potassium in the soil if it is not enriched with fertilizer (ash can also be used).
How and when to plant watermelon
When to plant and transplant . Planting watermelon should be done in the spring, if planting in pots to keep it under cover can start in March, otherwise, especially if planted in the ground, it is better to do it between April and May to avoid the risk of low temperatures or late frosts. Transplanting in the garden should be carried out no earlier than April.
Sixth of the installation. After a well-treated seedbed has been carefully sown and prepared, plant the watermelon in small beds, placing three or four seeds each at a depth of 3 cm. Leave two meters between one row and another and no less than one meter between each plant along the row, watermelons are plants that take up a lot of space and require a lot of soil. After pruning the seedlings, it is essential to thin them out, leaving only two per stand.
Cultivation and irrigation
Padded . Watermelon benefits a lot from mulch. In addition to saving labor when weeding weeds, mulch warms the soil and prevents fruit from sitting on the ground, protecting it from rot and pests.
Cut . You can prune the watermelon plant by pruning the apical shoot to prevent it from spreading and to prevent the energies of the plant from spreading horizontally.