Watermelon is a one-year herbaceous culture belonging to the pumpkin family. It has a basic and fairly branched root, the germination depth of which reaches one meter. From the rod root there are many shoots, forming a very massive system. A special property of the watermelon root system is its exceptional absorbing power. The plant is able to extract moisture even from fairly dried soil. However, in the initial stages of growth, when the root has not yet had time to develop, the culture requires watering. How to grow a watermelon in Belarus - a warm country? After all, it is here that this culture perfectly takes root. This will be discussed further.
What conditions are necessary for the plant
Watermelon is very whimsical to a warm climate. At all stages of growth, the temperature should not be lower than 15 C. If it is less, then the seeds can poorly rise. Prolonged cooling adversely affects crop maturation. It is especially fatal at the time of growth. And how to grow watermelons in Belarus, if such weather conditions? It is just necessary to wait for the optimum temperature, which is 24-28 C.
The characteristic of the Belarusian climate is that approximately 2 years out of 10 - the weather does not quite correspond to the cultivation of such a thermophilic plant. But experience shows that following all breeding technologies and using coating materials makes it possible to successfully grow crops in Belarus. Central and southern places are most suitable for their landing. Ripe watermelons are bought even in the northern region of Vitebsk.
A juicy berry (fruit) ripens somewhere 30-40 days after the fertilization of the flower. Most hybrids and varieties form berries weighing 1.5-8 kg. Watermelons themselves are elliptical in shape, and can also be of various colors.
How to grow a watermelon in Belarus
Everything must be done in advance. The greenhouse should be harvested since the fall, so that in the spring there are no problems with the preparatory work before planting and breeding plants. Land should be prepared and well fertilized. Mowed grass or rotted manure is perfect for fertilizing the soil. All this will need to be dug up and set aside until the spring. And in the spring the soil will already be ready for planting crops.
And how to grow a watermelon in the country in Belarus? To do this, you just need to plant it in different places from year to year, since the seeds may not sprout. In former places, you can plant wheat or corn, it will be favorable for the land.
Seed planting
It is better to choose watermelon seeds with not very long ripening varieties. For example - Spark and Sugar baby. Before planting seeds, they must be soaked in water at a temperature of 50 ° C until they swell. Then they are sown in open soil at a temperature of 12-14 C at the end of the first decade of May. When the time of germination comes, the soil will already heat up to 18 C.
The first sprouts should appear after 8-10 days. This is normal. If the earth does not warm up, the germination period will increase, this can lead to the death of seedlings. Similarly, the formation of pathogenic flora in young plants is possible, in the future this may negatively affect their growth at the time of vegetation. And how to grow watermelons in Belarus, if the soil is still cold? It is just necessary to transfer the sowing of seeds to the third decade of May.
All recesses should be saturated with a mixture - 1 tbsp. l ash mixed with 1 tsp. Nitroammofoski, humus and soil. In the future, this will increase productivity by an average of 20%. The embedment depth itself should be 6-8 cm. At the end of sowing, it is necessary to mulch the earth surface with manure so that the crust does not form (it can damage the seedlings when they appear).
Care
How to grow a watermelon in Belarus without fatal consequences? For this, different shelters are used, both ordinary personal and group film. Even the simplest film coatings increase the temperature, bringing aging closer to 2-3 weeks. In addition, you can protect the culture from pests of crawfish beetles with the help of such devices.
You can also install tunnel shelters with frames prepared from wire rod or vines. They are usually cleaned in early June and on a cloudy day. So, watermelons will not “burn out” under the hot sun. Otherwise, they will weaken or cause infection for numerous melons. Now many people probably understand how to grow a watermelon in Belarus so that it grows correctly and brings its crops.
When growing southern plants, pollination is done manually under the film. To lure bees, you can plant a honey culture near watermelons or sprinkle melon with a weak mixture of sugar with honey.
Watering watermelons
How to grow watermelon in Belarus in open ground? First of all, you need to properly water it. Initial watering is carried out after the appearance of 5-7 leaves, the next - at the time of flowering. Then they are watered as needed, and when the fruits begin to form. In open soil, watering ends with the beginning of the setting of watermelon berries.
In the future, care is limited to breaking through seedlings, feeding, destroying weeds and loosening (2-3 loosening must be done during the growing season). Plant thickening should also not be tolerated. Gourds love the sun very much, therefore, if the goal is to grow a huge and juicy watermelon in the open land, you must not forget that there should be only one plant in the hole.
Melons in Belarus
How to grow watermelons and melons in Belarus? The first culture has already been said above, now we will talk about the second. Planting melons is not so difficult. The first thing to do is purchase a spunbond or a transparent film with a thickness of 100-120 microns.
Southern plants can be planted from seeds planted directly in the bed, which is prepared in mid-April. To do this, take soil from the center of the bed, fill the vacant area by 2/3 with rotten last year's foliage, connected to fertile soil and humus, sprinkle with earth on top, level it and cover it with a dark film. On a warm rainy day, the shelter is cleaned so that the beds absorb moisture.
As for the seeds, it is better to acquire early varieties and preferably even 2-3 with different ripening periods.
Sowing
Pre-germinated seeds are sown at the end of April and in the interval of 60-70 cm between rows. You can also plant 2 seeds in one recess. In the future, a weaker culture is transplanted or harvested. The bed is covered with a transparent film. As soon as the shoots are formed, the film is opened a little. Condensation of moisture under the material eliminates constant watering. The presence of the film provides melons with suitable conditions for germination and growth.
Crop care
As soon as the plant blooms, the film is replaced by a spanbond. When warm and sunny, spanbond is harvested to provide pollinator access to flowers. If the land is poor and sandy, melons should be fertilized every week. Feeding can be done with your own hands. To do this, you need to take the nettle, finely chop and pour a solution of mullein, adding a little bit of yeast and ash. The fertilizer vessel is closed and stored for a week. Watering with a mixture is carried out, counting on a bucket of water 1 liter of fertilizer.
Berries ripen, form and grow on the ground. So that the fruits do not rot, put a dry board under each. If melons have not yet ripened before frosts, then they are again covered with a film (ripening by this method is much faster). The maturity index of the culture is determined by the color of the peel and the condition of the tail, which curls and dries. The special aroma that comes from the ripening berry also lets you know about the beginning of ripeness.
Everyone already knows how to grow a watermelon in Belarus, as well as melon. And you can, without any doubt, engage in planting such wonderful cultures on your favorite site.