Melon is a moody culture, the development of which should take place in special conditions. Therefore, growing melons in the middle zone of the Russian Federation is unpromising. This is because these plants should be in the sun and they should not be watered too often. But many people in the open land grow a good crop of gourds. How do they do it?
In order to
grow melons in the middle lane, you need to choose a site that has protection from the winds, as well as good lighting and access to the sun. You need to prepare for planting seedlings in the fall. The earth is dug up to the depth of one bayonet, and then 4 kilograms of humus for each square meter is introduced there. When early spring comes, the site again needs to be dug up. Then it is fertilized with potash and phosphorus preparations. The instructions on the package will help you find the right dosage. Before starting to plant melon on the beds, rotted manure is laid on the ground.
For seedlings, it is necessary to prepare containers of plastic having a diameter of 8-10 cm. Then they are filled with a mixture of 9 parts of peat, 1 part of sand and a glass of ash per bucket.
For seedling viability, you need to wait 25 days, so growing a melon in the middle lane involves sowing seeds in early or mid-May. Two or three seeds are planted in one container to a depth of five centimeters. The temperature should be equal to 15-20 degrees heat before emergence. A week after germination, the seedlings are transplanted, in each container there is only one strong germ. The upper part of the shoot is pinched after the appearance of a third, fully formed leaf. Seedlings should be watered sparingly.
In early June, when melon cultivation continues in the middle lane, you can plant ready seedlings in the ground. First, holes are dug out every 70 centimeters with a small amount of humus. They are well hydrated. Then the seedlings are transplanted so that the root system is not damaged. The stem does not penetrate. When the melon is planted, you need to water abundantly and sprinkle everything with dry earth. In order for young plants not to die, they must be closed from direct sunlight. It is also recommended to temporarily cover the seedlings with a film if the temperature fluctuates sharply.
The beds, when melon is grown in the open ground, often need to be loosened. You can slightly hobble, as a result of which the stem is covered with an earthen roller of small sizes.
Watering melons should be moderate, but if a lot of dew often forms on the site, then this is enough. A good crop can be obtained due to pinching, carried out immediately after adaptation of the transplanted plants to the ground. A little later shoots that can no longer bear fruit are eliminated.
To achieve the result, plants need to be fed. The first time this is done 15 days after planting
(ammonium nitrate). In addition, you can make cow or
chicken manure. After the plant periodically (every 10 days) are fed complex fertilizers. Their introduction ends at the beginning of fruit ripening.