Features of growing Altai melon

About the grade

The excellent variety Altai melon was conceived by breeders as a species ideal for harsh climatic zones. It is early ripening, resistant to high humidity.

This melon is distinguished by its elongated fruit shape. The weight of each fruit of the variety is usually about 2 kg. Such fruits surprise with aromatic pulp, which has received from nature a delicate creamy color.

Altai melon is very healthy. It contains vitamins of groups A, B, C, E. It not only increases immunity and hemoglobin, but has a good effect on the functioning of the genitourinary and cardiovascular systems, has a diuretic effect, and is indicated for anemia.

Outdoor cultivation

Many gardeners successfully cultivate this wonderful variety in the open field on their backyard plot. It is preliminarily prepared for planting: they dig up and loosen the soil, put high-quality hay in a couple of layers. Having planted seedlings, they must be protected with a film. After about June 20, the film should be removed, and the plantings should be well watered. Fertilizing is permissible only from this moment. Simple ash has proven itself well in this regard. Do not forget to cover the beds with foil during the ripening period at night. Already at the end of August, you can enjoy juicy fruits that were grown in the open field.

Remember that this melon variety responds well to growing in warm ground, and the area must be protected from wind and drafts.

If on your site the soil is clayey, it is recommended to "puff" it with river sand. It should be taken about half a bucket per 1 square meter.

In the greenhouse

Experts advise transferring the pots with seedlings to the greenhouse somewhere at the end of May, where they need to be planted after a couple of weeks. The depth of such plantings should not exceed 5 cm. A distance of 1 meter must be left between crops.

In order to reliably protect the seedlings of this variety from possible freezing until it forms a strong root system, it is better to cultivate in a shelter created with the help of a film.

To prevent foliage from withering, water your melons regularly and sufficiently.

It is imperative to apply fertilizers so that the culture grows and develops fully. It is advised to do this once every 10 days. Fertilizers must be applied to the soil all the days that the plant grows intensively.

Do not forget to ventilate the greenhouse, since this variety, like many others, really needs fresh air. It is best to open the greenhouse for a while when the weather is pleasant, sunny and warm.

Growing in beds

Before planting a melon of this variety and growing it, you need to correctly prepare the seed. To do this, it is dipped in a 2% saline solution.

For growing viable seedlings, containers with a diameter of 7 cm are perfect.Earth substrate is made from 1 part of peat and 1 - sod land, as well as 2 parts of humus. After all the seeds are embedded in pots with such a mixture, they are tightened with cling film on top.

Growing seedlings should be carried out in a warm enough room. It should not be allowed to dry out, since the quality of the future culture will necessarily suffer as a result. To get strong sprouts, it is recommended to maintain the temperature regime at 18 degrees Celsius. Watering is also needed using water at room temperature.

If the sprouts look weak, you can water them with fertilizers that contain enough nitrogen. Do not forget about the normal lighting system.

Planting on beds is usually done when the seedlings have 3 full leaves. The soil in the beds is covered with humus. In the center of each of them, a trench should be formed, the depth of which will be about 30 cm. It must be filled with sawdust and leaves. Watering of the beds is also carried out.

In order for the seedlings to be planted in normally heated soil, it is preliminarily covered with a dense black film.

Disease and pest control

Most often, fruits of this species, like many others, are overcome by the following ailments - fusarium, powdery mildew and copperhead.

It is realistic to recognize Fusarium by its characteristic features: the foliage changes its usual color, becomes grayish and becomes covered with unpleasant spots. Experts call the cause of fusarium a malignant fungus that penetrates the roots of the culture. If you do not help her in time, she will die after a couple of days. Planting crops annually in different places, carrying out autumn plowing, treating seeds before planting in the ground with a solution of 40% formalin are considered effective methods of combating the disease. You can also save the plants by watering in normal quantities, if you loosen the furrows, destroy the affected melons by burning, and process the plantings with potassium chloride in liquid form.

Powdery mildew can often attack your favorite crops. If you do not fight the disease, plant death is also inevitable. It is possible to recognize the ailment by the spots located at the bottom of the leaf plate, which eventually spread to other areas of the culture. To cure their favorite melons from powdery mildew, gardeners have been successfully using the method of alternating crops on the site for many years. It is also important to get rid of diseased specimens in a timely manner. Spraying with sulfur wettable powder also helps when the first outbreaks of the disease are only noticed. This procedure must be repeated after waiting 10 days.

Copperhead, which is also called anthracnose, is manifested by the presence of brown spots on the surface of the leaves. They most often change and begin to dry out. The whips become much thinner, break off easily. The fruits become irregular in shape, and later begin to rot. In the treatment of this ailment, ground sulfur and Bordeaux liquid have proved to be excellent, with which your favorite crops should be treated.

In addition, the melon is often attacked by harmful insects such as tobacco thrips, spider mites and aphids. You can get rid of parasites by using one of the modern effective drugs, which include Fitoverm, Kemifox, Maxi and others.

Video "Altai melon in a greenhouse"

See what kind of harvest of Altai melon was harvested in the greenhouse method of cultivation.