How to pinch a watermelon correctly
Content
Do I need to pinch
An exotic berry like watermelon should be grown in warm conditions or greenhouses. To warm the soil, plastic bottles buried in the garden bed or compacted grass can be used. It is not necessary to plant watermelons thickly, and it is imperative to sprinkle the ground with rotted manure. You should not plant bastans on dung heaps, it is better to use sandy soil. But the main thing is care and timely pinching of watermelons. This process is essentially the same as pinching other cultures. It will allow the fruits to ripen faster and become sweeter, more juicy. It should be noted that if you are growing watermelons in a greenhouse, you do not need to pinch. It will be mandatory if you live in the northern regions of the country.
How to carry out the procedure correctly
Some believe that pinching can only harm the plant and ruin the crop. But this is not the case. By observing certain rules when pinching, you contribute to obtaining a rich, large and tasty harvest. Firstly, you need to know that watermelons grow mainly on the main stem, secondary shoots must be removed immediately, otherwise the plant will give them its strength and weaken.
Secondly, only 4 ovaries should be left on the bush, some varieties allow you to grow 5-6 fruits. As the plant grows, you leave a maximum of 5 best leaves on one shoot, cut off the rest. Thirdly, when the first ovaries appear, start processing the lashes. Pinch the upper part of the lash so that a few leaves remain above the last fruit.
From the central bush, as the plant grows, stems will appear, every week you need to inspect and remove the excess, otherwise the fruits that you left will not grow in the form of a lack of sufficient food.
Some gardeners put bottles with warm water on the ground at the beginning of the bush. Remember that with the beginning of the growth of watermelons, we stop the pinching procedure. The plant must gain strength. To enhance the growth of the number of leaves required for the plant, you can pinch the shoot above the fruit. After such events, your melon harvest will be rich, large and tasty.
Video "Growing a watermelon in a greenhouse"
Features of care after
Pollination in watermelons occurs naturally, therefore, bees must be provided with access to plants in greenhouses. And at high humidity, manually carry out pollination - with a male flower. After a month from such pollination, fruits will appear. Female flowers appear in the leaf axils on the main shoot based on the early maturity of the variety. Flowers in early varieties will appear in the axils from 4 to 11 leaves, in later varieties from 20 to 25 leaves.
When the watermelons grow the size of a walnut, it is preferable to tie them up in nets or put, for example, glass under each. This way the fruits will not rot from the ground. It is useful to feed with complex fertilizer every 10 days. You can use 1: 8 liquid mullein or 1:20 chicken mullein. During the growth period of the bush, superphosphate is perfect. When the ovary appears, phosphorus-potassium is needed
Despite the long root of the watermelon, which allows it to grow in dry climates, the bushes should be watered rarely, but abundantly. When flowers appear on the bushes - about 2 times a week.Important: watering when the fruits ripen must be stopped, otherwise the development of the fruits will slow down. If in your climate there are sharp changes in temperature below 15 degrees, consider the possibility of covering the melon with a film.
Do not rush to harvest. Large size is not yet an indicator of ripeness. Signs of ripeness of a watermelon can be called a particularly bright pattern on the surface of the fruit, a dry tip of the whip, and when the watermelon is tapped, a dull sound is heard. A scarecrow can be installed from crows and partridges. In conclusion, I would like to note that the cultivation of watermelons is quite painstaking and troublesome only at the beginning of the growth of the bush. Taking proper care of the plant will allow you to enjoy a juicy and tasty berry.
Video "Watermelons in the middle lane"
Growing watermelons contains a huge number of different nuances and secrets, so we strongly recommend that you familiarize yourself with the information in the video.