Melon Kolkhoz Woman: open field cultivation

Description of the variety

Melon Kolkhoznitsa is a mid-season variety, the growing season of which takes up to 95 days. Growing in a greenhouse, you can reduce ripening to 77-80 days. The pumpkin has a slightly elongated, spherical shape, bright orange or yellow-orange in color, with a pronounced mesh pattern. The average weight of a pumpkin reaches 1.5 kilograms. The pulp is white, firm and crunchy, and has a very sweet taste. Unfortunately, the Kolkhoznitsa variety is not suitable for long-term storage, therefore, it needs to be consumed or processed as soon as possible.

One of the main advantages of the variety is resistance to low temperatures. This is very rare for the pumpkin family. And this is exactly what allows you to grow the Kolkhoznitsa variety with equal success both in the greenhouse and in the open field.

How to get a high yield

In order for the kolkhoz woman melon to give a rich harvest, you need to make a little effort. It does not matter where the cultivation is planned - in a greenhouse or outdoors, it is best to first grow the seedlings from seeds. Sowing takes place starting from April 14-17, the most recent date is the beginning of May. The formation of seedlings suitable for planting takes about 25-30 days, so having planted this variety for seedlings in mid-April, already in mid-May you can plant seedlings in a greenhouse or in open beds. It is important to immediately cover the beds with foil if planting is done in an open area.

When planting, it is important to take into account that a melon needs a lot of free space for comfortable growth and active development. Therefore, there should be about 80-100 centimeters between the holes. When the first lateral stems appear, after the formation of the third true leaf, it is necessary to carry out pinching, forming the plant into one stem. The procedure must be repeated regularly, each time pinching the plant over the third leaf, cutting off the lateral shoots.

Lighting is of great importance. Recommended illumination intensity from 5000-6000 LK. However, it is worth knowing that the melon, which loves abundant lighting, blooms faster with a shortened day. That is, it must be stably illuminated for 8-11 hours. Shorter daylight hours will lead to the fact that the growing season will slow down.

Also, do not forget about watering. The general drought resistance of pumpkin does not mean that you can forget about watering. When the seedlings are planted in a greenhouse or in the ground on the site, they need a sufficient amount of moisture for a good growing season. When doing this, try not to flood the plant or pour water on the stems and leaves.

Care features

First of all, make sure that the melon does not grow in acidic soil. It is also quite difficult to grow a healthy crop if in the early stages of the growing season ventilation does not work well in the greenhouse or, on the contrary, there are drafts.You should forget about watering with cold water, since this not only slows down the growing season, but also creates favorable conditions for the development of fungal diseases.

It is important not to forget about the mineral dressings that are needed in the first week after planting the seedlings, when the green mass of the melon is just beginning to develop. The soil in the greenhouse must be fertilized in advance, but additional fertilizing cannot be avoided. Prepare a mixture of superphosphate, ammonium nitrate and potassium to apply every 2 weeks.

Growing in a greenhouse also requires additional pollination of the inflorescences. To do this, shake the pollen from the male flowers into a plastic bag and pollinate the female flowers.

This variety requires a certain temperature for good growth. Despite its resistance to low temperatures, cultivation should take place at a temperature of at least 18 ° C, and preferably at 26 ° C.

Ripening terms

Due to its rather short growing season, this variety allows you to collect the first fruits already 2 months after planting, however, the description on the seed bag will tell you more detailed information.

The ripeness of the pumpkin can be determined by the condition of the peel, as soon as it turns yellow or dark yellow, you can pick up the fruit from the garden. In addition, the pumpkin becomes softer where the flower was and easily separates from the stalk.

Diseases and pests

A description of all the diseases and pests to which the Kolkhoznitsa variety is susceptible can result in a rather voluminous encyclopedia. However, in the greenhouse, most of them do not appear, so we will consider only the most frequent unwanted guests who interfere with growing sweet melons.

The cultivar is often prone to powdery mildew. A fungal disease manifests itself as a grayish bloom on the leaves and stems. The affected areas fade and die off rather quickly. Powdery mildew negatively affects not only the condition of the plant, but also the quality of the fruit.

Fusarium is another opponent of the Pumpkin family. Spores of the fungus penetrate the plant and lead to the formation of spots on the leaves, which often curl downward. Gradually, the plant begins to wilt and, if nothing is done, dies.

Among insects, the most dangerous are: melon aphids, spider mites, wireworms and gnawing scoops. Therefore, it is necessary to annually treat the site with fungicides and insecticides.

Video "Melon Seeds Kolkhoz Woman"

This short review is about the seeds of one of the most popular melon varieties in the middle lane.