How, when and what to feed watermelons to get a stunning sweet harvest

Summer residents often strive to surprise loved ones and neighbors with their gardening achievements. Melons and melons often become the object of efforts, because, for example, in central Russia it is difficult to grow sweet watermelon. However, there are masters who harvest delicious fruits every year. Using their experience and advice, try to grow sweet and juicy watermelons in your dacha.

How to feed watermelons

Fertilizing is of great importance for obtaining a good harvest of watermelons. If you follow the dosage, sequence and timeliness, it is possible to achieve proper plant development and abundant fruiting.

The taste of grown watermelons depends on several factors, including the application of complex fertilizers containing a set of macro- and microelements. The compositions of potassium, magnesium and boron are especially important: their deficiency sharply affects the deterioration of the taste of the berries.

In the greenhouse

Only early-ripening varieties and hybrids, zoned for a specific area, fully ripen in the greenhouse. It is better to purchase seeds from trusted sellers, focusing on the production date.

The fresher the planting material, the faster the seedlings will appear and the plants will begin to develop. It is not advisable to use seeds left over from a purchased watermelon: they are unlikely to sprout and produce a harvest. Sowing for seedlings is carried out in the 2nd decade of April.

Planting technology consists of several stages:

1. To check germination, seeds are dipped in a salt solution prepared from 1 tsp. salt for 1 tbsp. water.The floating specimens are empty and are removed.
2. The remaining ones are washed with running water and placed in a 1% solution of potassium permanganate for 30 minutes. After this, rinse again.
3. Before sowing, to stimulate growth, soak in a solution of Zircon or Epin.
4. The soil is prepared in advance: add 1 tbsp to 1 bucket of prepared soil from an equal amount of garden soil and compost. l. urea, 1-2 tbsp. l. superphosphate and 1 tbsp. l. potassium sulfate.
5. For each seed, prepare a separate container with a diameter of 10–12 cm, since watermelons are very sensitive to injury during transplantation.
6. The seeds are placed at a depth of 0.5–1 cm and covered with film. The optimal temperature for germination is +30°C. Under such conditions, the first shoots appear after 2-3 days. Deviations from the temperature norm are undesirable: at higher temperatures there is a risk that the seeds will germinate later or die, at lower temperatures the sprouts will not develop.

After germination, the room temperature is maintained at +22…+25°C. Watermelons are short-day plants, so when growing seedlings support 12-hour daylight hours. In this case, flower buds are laid in time and further development of sprouts occurs. In urban apartments, the level of illumination is insufficient, so phytolamps are used, and seedlings are sprayed with growth stimulants.

Water the seedlings only with warm, settled water when the top layer of soil dries out. When 3-4 true leaves are formed, weekly fertilizing with complex mineral fertilizers begins.

Important! When cultivating watermelons in a greenhouse, make sure that its height allows you to grow climbing plants at least 2 m high. Polycarbonate greenhouses are popular among gardeners.

Preparing the soil for planting seedlings begins when the weather becomes warm, up to +20°C during the daytime and at least +5°C at night.

The height of the ridges is 40–45 cm. A week before planting, the top layer of soil is removed, manure, hay, sawdust or wood chips are placed in the resulting trench, and nutritious soil is poured on top. The constructed ridges are spilled with a solution of potassium permanganate for disinfection. If possible, heating pipes with hot water are laid at the base of the ridge. In this case, you will not have to worry about temperature conditions.

For seedlings, prepare holes 10 cm deep with a distance between them of at least 50 cm. The soil in the containers is moistened and the plant with a lump of earth is carefully removed. The seedling is positioned so that the root collar rises above the ground. The soil is watered and immediately mulched with a layer of hay or sawdust.

Important! The optimal temperature for watermelons in a greenhouse is +26…+30°C, decreasing at night to +18°C; air humidity - 55–60%.

Watering the melon crop Once every 7-10 days with standing warm water, being careful not to get it on the root collar and leaves. The guideline for moisture is slight wilting of the leaves. When creating drip irrigation, it is easy to maintain optimal air humidity, which is especially important during the formation and growth of fruits. During this period, watering is stopped altogether in order to speed up the process of ripening and accumulation of sugars.

The first feeding of watermelons in the greenhouse is carried out when the height of the plants reaches 25–30 cm. To do this, use long-acting or traditional fertilizers with the obligatory addition of potassium salts or ash. A good option is Kemira, which contains a complex of microelements. 1 tbsp. l. The product is dissolved in 10 liters of warm, settled water and watered at the rate of 0.5 liters per plant.“Kemira” can be replaced with a solution of mullein or urea with the addition of 1 tbsp. wood ash.

During growth, the crop is fertilized once every 2 weeks, during the period of fruit formation and development - once a week. The bushes are sprayed with Zircon or Epin solutions, alternating them. When forming ovaries, watermelons are treated with “Bud” or “Ovary”, otherwise pollination will have to be carried out manually. They do this in the morning, plucking a male flower and applying it to a female one, making several circular movements.

When growing watermelons, trellises are used, tying the plants so that they do not shade each other. The side stems are pinched, since in the northern regions watermelons bear fruit only on the main stem. 3-4 ovaries are left on it, all the rest are removed so that the first fruits have time to ripen.

The central shoot is pinched after 4–6 leaves, the last ovary. This method speeds up the ripening of watermelons, but the fruits become smaller. If the summer is warm, this procedure is not carried out. Each ovary is placed in a polyethylene mesh, which is secured to a trellis, since the lashes may not support the weight of the fruit.

Ripe fruits are removed selectively, focusing on the beginning of the drying of sections of the vine. Store the harvest at a temperature of +12°C (at lower temperatures the berries rot).

In the open ground

To create favorable conditions for growing crops in the garden, select a well-lit, warm place, sheltered from the winds. It is best to place a watermelon ridge in the southern or southeastern part of the site.

The soil is dug up in the fall and 0.5 buckets of rotted manure, 40 g of superphosphate, 25–35 g of ammonium sulfate and 20–25 g of potassium sulfate per 1 m2 are added.In the spring, for every 5 liters of soil, additionally add 100 g of double superphosphate, 50–60 g of dolomite flour, 55 g of potassium sulfate and 55 g of ammonium nitrate. By the time of planting, the soil should be warmed to a depth of 10 cm, and the air temperature should be up to +15°C. This usually happens in the last days of May.

A distance of 1–1.5 m is left between the holes, passages of up to 2 m are made between the rows. Seedlings prepared as for a greenhouse are planted with a clod of earth up to the cotyledon leaves. The soil around is covered with sand to a height of 10 cm. Everything is watered with warm water. Until the seedlings take root and begin to grow, they are covered with film or non-woven material stretched over arcs.

In 2 weeks after planting watermelons feed with solutions of urea, mullein or chicken droppings. When the ovaries form, add a mixture of 4 g of calcium chloride, 4 g of ammonium nitrate and 6 g of superphosphate.

Always monitor the level of soil moisture, because when it increases, plants are exposed to various fungal diseases.

The best mineral supplements

If you do not fertilize the crop in a timely manner, it will stop developing and wither. For growing watermelons, both already known and new types of fertilizers are used.

When planting seedlings, add 6 granules of AVA fertilizer to each hole, which gradually dissolves in the soil and is effective throughout the season.

During the growth of watermelons, potassium and boron compounds are added: “Boro Plus”, “Green-Go”, “Kelik Potassium”, “Kristalon”, “Mag-Bor”, “Terraflex” and others.

Organic fertilizers

When cultivating watermelons, gardeners often use unconventional fertilizers, for example, a yeast product prepared in the form of mash.Yeast contains a whole complex of microelements that improve the quality and presentation of fruits and promote the rapid development of the root system.

To prepare the fertilizer, place 100 g of yeast in a container (10 l) and add 3 l of water. Add a little sugar or old jam. The mixture is used after a week, adding 1 tbsp. in 10 liters of water. 1 liter of solution is poured under each plant.

Fertilizer made from bread crumbs works in a similar way. The mixture is filled with water in a ratio of 1:7 and the watermelons are watered once a week.

Organic compounds include manure, bird droppings, and compost.

Root and foliar feeding

Foliar feeding is used in the form of solutions that are sprayed over the green mass of watermelons. The products allow plants to receive nutrients faster. Using the same method, watermelons are treated with biological products (for example, Fitosporin-M) that help fight diseases.

Root fertilizers are applied traditionally by watering the crop.

Selection of fertilizers depending on the growth phase

At each stage of development, watermelons require different nutrients.

For seedlings

When growing seedlings, their growth is stimulated, so urea is added in the form of a solution (1 tablespoon per 10 liters of warm water).

Gardeners use cow and bird droppings in a ratio of 1:10. A mixture of 1 tbsp is prepared from wood ash. for 10 liters of water.

The first feeding is applied when 2 true leaves form, the second - 10-15 days before transplanting the seedlings to a permanent place.

After transplant

After transplantation, the seedlings adapt to new conditions, so they only need additional nutrition after 10–15 days. At this time, use 20 g of saltpeter per 10 liters of water, water 2 liters per plant.

A good fertilizer is a mixture of organic and mineral fertilizers. To do this, dissolve manure (1:10) or chicken droppings (1:20) in water, add 30 g of double superphosphate and 15 g of potassium chloride. For each bush, use 1-2 liters of the mixture.

Many gardeners use “green” fertilizer for fertilizing, enriching it with ash or chicken droppings. Watermelons are watered with grass fermented for 2 weeks, using 1 liter per root.

During flowering

To form ovaries, plants need potassium. Dissolve 2 kg of Nutrivanta Plus in a 200 liter barrel and water 1 liter per plant. In the same way, prepare a mixture from magnesium nitrate (2 kg per 1 barrel) or from “Kelika Potassium” (0.5 l per 1 barrel).

To form more ovaries, the culture is treated with boric acid, dissolving it in hot water (0.1 g per 1 tbsp.), and then adding clean warm liquid to a volume of 5 liters. The leaves are sprayed with this solution.

During fruiting

At this stage, the complex fertilizer “Uniflor Micro” is suitable (2 tsp of the product is dissolved in 10 liters of warm water).

Use a mixture of 1 tbsp. l. superphosphate, 1 tbsp. l. "Azofoski" and 1 tsp. potassium sulfate, pouring 1 liter per bush.

Top dressing in summer and autumn

When fruits grow, gardeners use Terraflex Universal solution at the rate of 7 g per 10 liters of warm water. The product contains nitrogen in nitrate form, which is quickly absorbed by the root system.

What fertilizers increase fruits?

To increase the size of striped berries, wood ash is used, that is, obtained by burning twigs and branches. The product has a good effect not only on the size, but also on the taste of watermelons, making them sweeter.

In one preparation option, 200 g of ash is poured into 1 bucket of water and left for a week. In another, pour 1 kg of ash into 10 liters of water and boil for 15 minutes.When watering, dilute in a ratio of 1:10.

To grow faster

The growth of the crop is stimulated by mullein, chicken manure, green manure and yeast mash. Korean agronomists advise adding a spoonful of saltpeter to our traditional remedies when planting. Fertilizing is repeated after 1-2 weeks, using a matchbox of the substance per 10 liters of warm water.

Signals of mineral deficiency

Plants show by their appearance the lack of one or another nutritional element. Thus, with a lack of nitrogen, crop growth slows down, small and poorly developed inflorescences form, the leaves become lighter, and the veins become yellow.

The lack of phosphorus in the required amount affects poor growth of the root system, simultaneous shredding of the leaves and their acquisition of a dark green color with a purple tint. Plants noticeably lag behind in growth and form ovaries with a delay.

Potassium affects fruit ripening and yield. With its deficiency, the bushes weaken and are affected by fungal infections. In the absence of this element at the time of ovary formation, fruits may not form at all.

When and how often to fertilize

Watermelon is a crop that requires nutrition throughout the entire growing season. Timely application of nutrients contributes to the proper development and fruiting of plants.

Fertilizers are applied in the form of root and foliar fertilizers throughout the development of watermelons, every 10–15 days until ripening.

Useful tips

Open ground plants are well pollinated by insects. To attract them, the bushes are sprinkled with sugar syrup.

To ensure uniform ripening of fruits on hot days, they are carefully turned towards the sun, but at the very beginning of ripening they are shaded with newspapers or burdock leaves.

A board or piece of plastic is placed under each berry so that the crop does not rot from contact with the ground. 2-3 handfuls of sand are poured at the root collar.

It is better to water the crop in very hot weather and in the furrows between the rows so that the roots grow wider and not deeper and do not rot.

Reviews from gardeners

Farmers grow watermelons not only in the southern regions, but also in the Moscow region, and in Siberia. Here are some of the reviews.

Olesya, Irkutsk: «Wonderful watermelons. I can say with confidence that they grow not only in the Moscow region, but also in Siberia. Not as big as in Astrakhan, of course, but no less sweet. Variety Ogonyok has proven itself to be the best. I have no experience in growing melons, I haven’t tried it yet, but I plant watermelons directly in the ground, without seedlings. I noticed that the seedlings get sick for a long time when picking.”

Andrey, Novaya Ladoga: “I experimented last year with late plantings. I planted grafted watermelons on one ridge, but planted them in the ground in early June without film or shelter so that they had time to ripen. I took unpretentious early hybrids and varieties: Prince Albert (yellowbark), Skorik, Knyazhich. On the other side of the field, I planted them in a row with just seeds in the ground under the Ultra Early, SRD-2, Knyazhich arcs. At the end of April - beginning of May, the seeds sprouted. I removed the film from the arcs in early June. Knyazhich distinguished himself by his powerful growth of tops. This means that its root system developed better than others.”

Conclusion

Getting a harvest of large and sweet watermelons in central Russia is not easy, but it is possible. To do this, choose suitable varieties, purchase only high-quality seeds, and follow agricultural cultivation techniques.

In order for the fruits to grow sugary and large, a warm, illuminated place is prepared for the melons.Throughout the season, fertilizers are applied in a timely manner, the bushes are regularly watered without over-watering.