Watermelon is a winding fruit intently associated to pumpkins and cucumbers grown and consumed globally. China is the world’s premier producer of watermelon and accounts for 60% of overall output. The premier ever recorded watermelon specimen was in Sevierville, Tennessee, United states of america. The watermelon was grown by Chris Kent in 2013 and weighed file-breaking 350.five kilos!
Expanding watermelon is fun as properly as therapeutic. At the height of its leafing, it covers the ground with coronary heart-shaped darkish inexperienced leaves, at times dotted by yellow bouquets. A totally developed watermelon is appetizingly deep pink or orange in coloration.
Need to have to learn much more about watermelon increasing? Listed here is a action-by-phase information from seed to table.
Watermelons are humidity and heat-loving vegetation that do extremely properly in late spring and summer time. They need above six hours of publicity to sunlight and day and nighttime heat of more than 65 degrees Fahrenheit.
In central and southern states of the United states, you need to plant watermelon outside quickly after the very last threats of frost are over. The previous frost varies from condition to state. The earliest final frost ends in February. Other states like Montana could acquire light frost right up until early June.
In the situation of Montana, developing watermelons right on the discipline ahead of June is hazardous. Likewise, sowing seeds after June will consequence in a bad generate as drop temperatures will fall although watermelons are even now in the discipline. You can get a head start off by obtaining seed trays and cocopeat a month just before the previous frost and commence growing watermelons indoors. When you’re specified the temperature is warm ample, transfer watermelon seedlings outdoor.
Bear in mind to give indoor seedlings with heat, water, vitamins, and synthetic daylight.
How Do You Grow Watermelons? (4 Simple Steps)
1. Site Selection
Watermelons are very leafy and require enough room in which they can freely unfold out. Pick a flat and vast internet site that will accommodate the population of watermelon you are hoping for. If you are targeting fifty plants, a thirty x fifteen-foot plot is appropriate.
When picking a internet site, the spot ought to be unobscured from sunlight, flat, and have nicely-drained, fertile soil. It need to also be cost-free from farm animals this sort of as goats, bunnies, pigs, and chickens. These animals try to eat untimely fruits, and a fortified chain url fence will preserve them away.
Finally, a great website is exactly where you haven’t developed crops from the watermelon family, such as squash, cucumbers, melons, or gourds recently. This is to steer clear of the chance of transferable ailments and pests.
2. Seed Selection
There are over one,200 versions of watermelons concentrated in 50 species. Most of these versions are hybridized to grow in various problems. Being aware of your local environmental conditions will aid you pick the very best watermelon seeds. Most subsistence farmers normally preserve seed from the preceding year’s harvest.
Decide on healthier and large watermelons from your farm and very carefully remove seeds. Avoid tiny fruits from crops that seem to have conditions. Wash off pulp from the seeds and location them in a jar complete of cleanse, untreated water for 3–4 times. On the very last working day, discard any floating seeds along with the water.
Rinse and dry the remaining batch on a paper towel at space temperature for one particular week, then retailer the seeds in an airtight jar for the subsequent developing season.
Alternatively, you can supply seeds from the nearest agrovet or on-line. Suggested versions are Golden Midget, Sugar Child, and Sweet Attractiveness. They take significantly less than 90 times to experienced and bear common-sized sweet fruits.
3. Planting site preparation
Watermelon does very effectively in fertilized soil with mature, natural manure. Farmers will be required to offer the soil with further vitamins and minerals to increase the output of poor soil.
During soil preparation, you will also determine the pH value of your backyard garden by employing locally sourced soil pH screening kits or taking samples to a licensed agriculture lab. A pH of amongst 6 and six.five is best for these juicy fruits. Beyond that, there are a handful of common items you need to do to prepare the land for watermelons.
Start by digging up the soil to take away weeds and large lumps. Plowing also removes stones and unwelcome resources. Mixing the soil with compost and sand will improve mineral material, and increase useful microbial activities, aeration, and drainage.
Subsequent, prepare beds for planting about 7 inches large and 4.five feet extensive, then dig a shallow four to 6-inch-deep planting trench in the center of the bed, lengthwise. Trenches assist collect water and direct it to the plant roots.
Watermelons can also do nicely in 60-gallon containers stuffed up with manure, sand, and soil.
4. Planting
Soon after getting ready shallow trenches, enable the soil to heat up for about 3 several hours before digging an inch deep and eighteen to 24 inches aside for planting holes.
In each gap, spot two or 3 seeds and thinly go over with soil. Add drinking water if the soil is too dry or there are no indications of rain. If you are expanding watermelons in dry locations, lay down drip strains in trenches prior to planting and make sure each nipple is immediately over the planting hole.
Caring for Germinated Watermelons
Watermelons call for complete-time focus to make the largest and sweetest fruits. Below are some vital measures to attain the greatest final results.
- Watering: A watermelon is 92% water, and so needs a lot of water to grow healthily. Normally, 2 inches of water per week is enough for watermelons. But during the early growth stages, water absorption is low, and the demand gradually increases with time. The most water-intensive cycle starts roughly at day 45 at the onset of the flowering period. Continue adjusting the water supply as the fruit forms until harvesting. However, don’t overwater or use overhead irrigation systems such as sprinklers. Overwatering results in tasteless fruits and potential root rot. Sprinkler irrigation, in contrast, causes fungal diseases such as powdery mildew. Mulching with straw, grass, or mulch paper prevents evaporation and reduces water demands.
- Fertilizer: Watermelons are heavy feeders and require a nutrient boost. Combining manure and granular and liquid fertilizers will increase nutrient content in the soil. There is no strict fertilizer schedule for melons as it depends on the soil’s nutrient content. During planting, use phosphatic fertilizers for vibrant roots. 4–6 weeks after germination, increase foliage growth by side-dressing plants with nitrogenous fertilizer. Once male flowers start appearing, change to potassium and phosphatic fertilizers as these are good for fruiting. Tip: Mix nitrogenous fertilizer with 5 to 6 inches of soil to prevent nitrogen burn. Mixing micronutrients such as boron in the dressing regime concentrates the fruits’ flavors and sweetness.
- Weed control and spraying: Weeds compete with watermelons for nutrients and substantially lower yields. In some cases, they may even harbor pests and transmit diseases. Farmers mow, mulch, or uproot weeds 2–4 weeks after planting to prevent this, and another weeding is done immediately before flowering.: Spraying, on the other hand, controls diseases, pests, and weeds. Diseases such as downy and powdery mildew, fusarium wilt, leaf spot, and cucumber mosaic disease affect watermelons. Spraying your plants after every 10 days with a mixture of different fungicides will help control diseases. Watermelons attract both good and bad bugs. Nematodes attack roots while thrips, beetles, grasshoppers, leafminer flies, melon and spider mites, squash bugs, and beet armyworms suck the life out of stems, leaves, flowers, and fruits. Rodents will also come for mature fruits with devastating effects. Go for insect-specific insecticides and cage your garden against rodents. You can use hot peppers, garlic, and soap solutions to control less harmful pests.
- Pollination: A watermelon bears both male and female flowers. Male flowers appear earlier before the female flowers and produce pollen. Open up any enclosure that will allow bees, butterflies, and birds in for pollination. If you don’t have animals for pollination, use an artist’s stroke brush. Gentle tap anthers to collect pollen and transfer it to the sigma. You must hurry as male flowers start dying as soon as female flowers blossom.
- Harvesting: It takes 8–9 weeks after pollination to harvest. People have different ways of telling if a watermelon is mature or not. Typically, the fruit is ready for harvesting if the curly tendril that connects it to the vine has dried out. A good tap resonates with a hollow sound, a sign that it is mature. Lastly, the field spot(underbelly of a watermelon) must be yellow.
Watermelon is a succulent fruit that requires about 3 months to mature. Planting the fruits starts with the proper planning of soil and seed choice. Weeding, fertilization, pest manage, and watering are have to-dos as the fruit grows. Together the way use fungicides, natural pest killers, and house Diy options to protect your fruits.
Featured Image Credit: Pun Kaset, Pixabay
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