Cultivation of melon depends on the timing of sowing seeds and the correct transplantation of seedlings. In warm climates, you can plant seeds directly into the soil, which is not suitable for the middle zone of the country. In a temperate climate, you need to use the seedling method, sowing material in containers or in greenhouses. Fortified plants are transplanted to a permanent place only when the air temperature reaches +15 degrees and above. Night temperature drops should be up to +6, but no more.
How to select and prepare seeds
It is important to use the services of trusted stores. The packaging should have an expiration date. Do not take wet or damaged packaging. You can verify the quality of the seeds by checking the certificate for the goods with the seller.
Only large, heavy seeds without signs of disease should be selected. Before planting, the seeds can be sprayed with boric acid with zinc sulfate or soaked in a weak manganese solution. The seeds should be in it for about 12 hours.
To ensure fast germination, you need to understand how to germinate melon seeds. There are no difficulties in this process. Seeds are wrapped in damp gauze or sprinkled with wet sawdust. In this state, they should be several days.
Selecting a suitable landing site
A well-lit and well-heated area is suitable. The plot has been prepared since autumn. It is necessary to dig it on a shovel bayonet and add up to four kilograms of organic top dressing. You can use rotted manure. It is recommended to add 0.5 buckets of river sand per 1 square meter of land to the substrate. This will increase the looseness of the soil. When spring comes, you should dig up the ground and add a potassium-phosphate mixture, mixing with the ground in the proportions indicated in the instructions.
The soil should be light, nutritious and with neutral acidity. The best melon predecessors are cabbage, potatoes, herbaceous crops, onions and cereals. You should not plant a melon where cucumbers, zucchini and watermelons used to be.
Sowing features
The distance between the bushes should be 75-80 cm. Row spacing is approximately 1 meter. When planting seed immediately into the ground, it is deepened no more than 3 cm. 100 g of wood ash can be added to the ground and poured with settled water.
Several seeds are thrown in one place. Weak shoots are then removed. Seeds at the end of planting are covered with soil and covered with a film. In the middle lane, seedlings are often grown at home using containers with a volume of 200 ml or more.
When the melon has 3-4 strong leaves, the seedlings are transplanted to a permanent territory.
Seedling care
Melon is a heat-loving crop. Care consists in the formation of bushes, regular watering, weeding, organizing a warm shelter.
A film shelter is organized over the planted seedlings to protect the crop from unexpected frosts that occur in the spring. The seedlings must be strong. Many gardeners use a frame on which the film is stretched.
If there is no metal base, then you can cut the plastic bottles into 2 parts and cover the seedlings with them. The cover is removed daily. The culture should be ventilated, especially in the middle of the day, when the sun is at its most active.
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