Many gardeners do not know how to grow watermelons and melons in a greenhouse in the harsh Russian climate. To do this, you need to choose the right varieties of melons, grow seedlings in time and follow some agrotechnical rules.
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Choosing watermelon and melon seeds for greenhouse cultivation
To grow watermelons and melons in a greenhouse, it is necessary to choose only early small varieties of melons, which will have time to ripen before the onset of cold weather. Large-fruited crops in central Russia will not give a good harvest of fruits due to the cold and short summer. When purchasing seed material for melons, you must carefully read the manufacturer's instructions, which indicates which of them are intended for cultivation in enclosed spaces.
The process of growing seedlings
In the second half of April, the preparation of seeds of watermelons and melons for growing seedlings begins (for both crops, the procedure is identical).
Stages of work:
- Prepare a soil mixture of peat, humus and sand in a ratio of 1: 1: 0.5 and add 50 g of ash for each kilogram.
- Fill the peat pots 2/3 with the mixture, make holes and put 1 seed in each. As the seedlings grow, add soil.
- Place in a warm place for 2-3 days (temperature from + 25... + 30 ° C).
- Then reduce it to + 16... + 18 ° C, and a week later increase it again to + 20... + 25 ° C.
Water the seedlings 2 times in 7-8 days and during the entire growth period, carry out 2 fertilizing: at the stage of formation 1 leaf and after 14-15 days (in 1 liter of water, dilute 2 g of granular superphosphate, 1 g of ammonium nitrate and 1.5 g of chloride potassium).
When to plant seedlings in the greenhouse
In the second half of May, it is necessary to prepare the beds in the greenhouse, placing them at a distance of 1.5-2 m from each other. Dig deep holes at a distance of 1 m from each other, fill them with water, plant 1 peat pot in each and sprinkle with sand on top. When planting seedlings, it is necessary to ensure that the root collar remains above the soil surface. Water for the first 2-3 weeks only with warm water, in order to avoid stress on the root system after plant transplantation.
Watering watermelons and melons
Watering rates for melons and gourds:
- before flowering, watered once every 7-8 days at the rate of 20-30 liters of water per 1 m2;
- during flowering - 2 times every 7-8 days;
- in the process of fruiting - once every 10 days.
Top dressing
With the greenhouse cultivation of melons and gourds, feeding is carried out 3 times:
- When planting seedlings in a greenhouse.
- When side shoots appear.
- During the appearance of flowers.
In the spring, complex fertilizers are prepared: 100 g of granular superphosphate, 15 g of ammonium nitrate and 30 g of potassium salts are diluted in 10 liters of water. This volume is designed for 2-3 bushes. When introducing top dressing, it must be remembered that nitrogen-containing fertilizers significantly extend the growing season of plants and postpone the ripening time of fruits.
Plant formation process
The dimensions of the greenhouse premises rarely allow shoots to curl along the ground, therefore, special wooden or metal trellises are installed for them, directing the growth of shoots in an upright position.
This method not only saves space in the room, but also provides the loops with a large amount of light, accelerating the ripening process.
Each bush can give from 15 to 20 ovaries, but only 3-4 watermelons or melons can ripen in greenhouse conditions. T. Since excess ovaries and female peduncles take up a lot of energy and nutrients from plants, they must be removed.
As the melons grow, the tops of the plants must be pinched (above 3-4 leaves from the point of growth with a loop). When shoots appear from the buds in the leaf axils, 2 of them must be lifted onto a trellis, and the rest must be cut off.
Diseases
Powdery mildew and anthracnose are the most common diseases of watermelons and melons. In the first case, a whitish bloom forms on the leaves, turning into a dark color, and in the second, brown or pink spots appear on them.
For prevention, all plants must be treated with 1% Bordeaux liquid or copper chloride, and in the presence of diseases, treat the bushes 2 times with an interval of 7 days. The greenhouse must be regularly ventilated, monitored by the humidity level and temperature regime, since low temperatures negatively affect the ripening of fruits.
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