Melon. Care, Cultivation, Reproduction, Planting. Seedling. Varieties. A Photo

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Melon. Care, Cultivation, Reproduction, Planting. Seedling. Varieties. A Photo
Melon. Care, Cultivation, Reproduction, Planting. Seedling. Varieties. A Photo

Video: Melon. Care, Cultivation, Reproduction, Planting. Seedling. Varieties. A Photo

Video: Melon. Care, Cultivation, Reproduction, Planting. Seedling. Varieties. A Photo
Video: How​ to plant melon | Tie and Prune melon. 2024, March
Anonim

After another overly nourishing meal, Henry VI, King of France, suddenly fell ill. The outright frightened court physician established: everything is to blame … she, a melon! High-ranking dignitaries who surrounded the sad and pale monarch immediately initiated a lawsuit against her!

The verdict of the "court" was harsh: the melon was officially found guilty of … insulting His Royal Majesty and public damnation!.. True, over the years this story has been forgotten.

By the way, if you overeat melons (as well as many other foods) - overeating does not lead to good - indeed, you can get an upset stomach and stomach pains. And who is forcing something?

The fate of the melon was decided by the nineteenth century. After all, it could become the most widespread cultivated plant on the planet - but it did not. Experts hoped to replace beets and cane with melons, since they contain the same amount of sugar (about 20%), but it is easier and cheaper to extract it. And fuss with her much less. At the same time, the seeds were used - the oil looks like olive oil, and the cake was eaten with pleasure by farm animals.

But then it turned out that its harvests are very capricious, less stable than that of reed and beets. The melon's fate was sealed. Large-scale works have been curtailed. Nevertheless, the melon to this day remains a favorite delicacy for millions of inhabitants of the planet!

Melon (Muskmelon)
Melon (Muskmelon)

© srqpix

Melon (lat. Cucumis melo) is a plant of the pumpkin family (Cucurbitaceae), a species of the genus Cucumber, melon culture, false berry.

The homeland of the melon is Africa and the East Indies. Melon is a warm and light-loving plant, resistant to soil salinity and drought, poorly tolerates high humidity. On one plant, depending on the variety and the place of cultivation, from two to eight fruits, weighing from 1.5 to 10 kg, can be formed. Melon fruits are spherical or cylindrical, green, yellow, brown or white in color, usually with green stripes. The ripening period is from two to six months.

Application

Melon is useful: for anemia, gout, urolithiasis, diseases of the cardiovascular system, intestines, liver, quenches thirst, has a calming effect on the central nervous system, helps to eliminate cholesterol from the body, has a diuretic and choleretic effect.

On the eve of melon treatment, you need to eat only vegetables, preferably in processed form (vegetable stew, first courses), in no case should you eat meat and fermented milk products. On the day of treatment, you should eat a melon every 1.5-2 hours for 200-250 g.

If the melon season coincided with the treatment of infectious, inflammatory diseases with antibiotics, then you should enter the melon in the menu.

Melon seeds should not be thrown away, but rather dried, ground in a coffee grinder and dried in the form of flour. Avicenna also recommended a decoction of melon seeds to reduce disfiguring scars after smallpox.

Healers are still preparing a love potion with melon seeds. They are an excellent remedy for impotence.

Eat dried and ground seeds for 1 tsp. 3-4 times a day 1 hour after meals. Be sure to eat in the morning on an empty stomach and at night.

Melon (Muskmelon)
Melon (Muskmelon)

© Muffet

Growing conditions

Melon is a light and heat-loving culture. Seeds germinate at a temperature not lower than 17 ° C, the optimal temperature is 25 … 35 ° C. To grow, they need 25… 30 ° C during the day, 18 ° C at night. Melon is drought-resistant, reacts negatively to high relative humidity, which contributes to the development of fungal diseases.

The optimum air humidity is 60–70%. As you can see, the melon makes high demands on the temperature of the air and soil, the duration of the growing season. It is these factors that are limiting in central Russia. The secret of success in growing this heat-loving crop is the correct choice of the variety and the provision of the necessary agricultural technology.

Varieties for central Russia

Special attention must be paid to the selection of varieties. Only early-ripening varieties of melon are suitable for cultivation in central Russia. There is no need to chase varieties with large fruits, they can realize their potential only in favorable conditions, in the south. In the description of the variety, you need to pay attention to the number of days from fruit setting to ripening (it is important that the resulting ovaries grow and mature quickly). It is better to give preference to varieties that have time to ripen in the middle lane and at the same time have quite tasty sweet fruits.

Such qualities as transportability, large-fruitedness can be neglected. Also, do not pay special attention to the shape of the fruit and their color (these qualities are important when selling on the market).

Among all varieties and hybrids of melon, one of the best for the middle lane is Cinderella, which ripens every year and has rather sweet fruits.

Melon (Muskmelon)
Melon (Muskmelon)

© Dvortygirl

Growing seedlings

In the middle lane, the melon can be grown only through seedlings, and the future harvest largely depends on its quality.

As with all pumpkin plants, the growing period for melon seedlings is short - 30–35 days.

Seedlings are grown only in pots so that there is no damage to the root system during planting. Use pots with a diameter of 10 cm, in which you can grow 2 plants. Seeds can be soaked or germinated before sowing, which will shorten the germination period. To obtain good friendly shoots, it is necessary to ensure a fairly high temperature, at the level of 27 … 30 ° C.

The temperature regime for growing seedlings is 20 … 25 ° С during the day (depending on the weather, on cloudy days, the temperature is slightly reduced to prevent stretching of the plants), 18 … 20 ° С at night. Since seeds for seedlings are sown rather late (about mid-April), there is no need for additional lighting of plants. Nevertheless, the seedlings need to be provided with the sunniest place in the apartment, preferably south windows. The quality of the seedlings will be higher if they grow on a glazed and insulated balcony or loggia (in this case, you need to ensure that the temperature is optimal).

During the period of growing seedlings, 2 fertilizing with complex mineral fertilizers is carried out. The arrangement of plants is of great importance: it is advisable that they do not come into contact with leaves, therefore, the pots must be periodically moved apart. Seedlings ready for planting should have 3-5 true leaves.

About a week before planting, the seedlings are hardened. Daytime temperature is reduced to 15 … 17 ° C, night temperature - up to 12 … 15 ° C, and ventilation of plants is increased.

Melon (Muskmelon)
Melon (Muskmelon)

© [JP] Corrêa Carvalho

Temporary film shelter

The easiest way to grow melon is to use temporary cover films. Their design and covering material may be different, but the width and height should be approximately 70 cm. The terms and procedure for preparing the shelters are the same as for film greenhouses.

Transplanting

Recommended timing

Since the melon is a thermophilic crop, one should not rush to plant seedlings. In some years, in the middle zone of Russia, already by the end of April – early May, rather warm weather sets in (daytime temperatures reach 15 … 20 ° C, night temperatures - 5 … 10 ° C). Under the film on such days the temperature rises above 30 ° C. At this time, inexperienced vegetable growers begin to plant heat-loving crops under a film. However, the weather often worsens by mid-May, sometimes frost occurs. And if a tomato, for example, can withstand even a prolonged cold snap (but without frost), then the melon may die under these conditions. Therefore, as long-term practice shows, it is possible to plant the seedlings of these thermophilic crops under the film only on May 15–20 (before planting, it is better to ask about the long-term weather forecast).

If, after a while after disembarkation, a cold snap nevertheless occurs, then film shelters should be covered with old film, paper, rags, etc. for the night. (the second layer of the film can be left on for a day). In a film greenhouse, when it gets cold, simple frames are additionally installed over the plants and covered with various auxiliary materials.

Disembarkation technique

Melon seedlings in a greenhouse are planted according to a scheme of about 70x50cm. In film shelters, plants are placed in 1 row in the center of the shelter with a distance of 50 cm between them.

When growing in a film shelter, 2 plants can be planted in 1 hole, further directing them in opposite directions.

Before planting, it is advisable to add 1.5–2 kg of humus or compost to each hole and water it well with warm water. Seedlings are planted in the resulting gruel, pouring dry soil into the hole from the sides so that a crust does not form. If the seedlings grew in peat pots, then they are planted together with the pot; if in plastic, the plant is carefully removed from the pot, trying not to damage the lump. When planting, the seedlings should in no case be buried; on the contrary, the seedling lump should protrude 1–2 cm above the surface of the bed (when deepening, the hypocotal knee can rot).

If the seedlings are planted under a film shelter, then immediately after planting it is covered with a film.

Melon (Muskmelon)
Melon (Muskmelon)

© Itinerant Tightwad

Care

As a rule, 1 week after planting, no maintenance is required for the plants, except for airing in sunny warm weather. Ventilation is necessary when the temperature rises above 30 ° C. To do this, open the windows of the greenhouse, or fold the film at the ends of the film shelter.

About a week after the soil dries up, the plants are watered with warm water, combining it with fertilizing with nitrogen fertilizers (20 g of ammonium nitrate per 10 liters of water; 2 liters of solution per well). Watered very carefully, trying not to wet the hypocotal knee of plants and leaves. In the future, the care of plants in a greenhouse and under a film cover is slightly different. Let's consider them separately.

In the greenhouse

Approximately 7–10 days after planting, the plants are tied. The garter system is similar to that used for growing cucumber.

Melon plants are tied up as follows. After pinching the top of the plant during the seedling period, several lateral shoots are formed in it. It is necessary to choose from them 1-2 of the strongest and lead them as the main one (tying each to the trellis), and remove the rest. In the future, the formation is the same as that of a watermelon.

In addition to the formation of plants, watering is carried out approximately once a week; during the ripening of fruits, watering is reduced. In addition to the first feeding with nitrogen fertilizers (about a week after planting), at least 2 additional fertilizing with complex fertilizers are carried out with an interval of about 2-3 weeks.

Sometimes one of the fruits begins to grow vigorously, while the rest turn yellow, which indicates insufficient plant nutrition.

When growing in a greenhouse, you need to pay attention to plant pollination. As a rule, insects fly into the greenhouse through open vents, but if pollination does not occur, then it must be carried out artificially (transfer pollen from a male flower to the stigma of the pistil of a female flower).

Under the film cover

The film is not removed from the shelters until about mid-late June (depending on weather conditions). By this time, plants begin to bloom, and insect access is needed for pollination.

After the film is completely removed, the bed is weeded and loosened. Shoots are evenly distributed over the surface of the beds. As in the greenhouse, after the formation of 1–3 fruits on each plant, all other ovaries are periodically removed and the tops are pinched so that the plant uses all its strength to pour the fruits. The side shoots that are not bearing fruit are cut out so that the plants are better illuminated. Top dressing is carried out in the same way as when growing in a greenhouse. In the open field, it is advisable to put planks under the ovary so that the growing fruits do not rot.

Melon (Muskmelon)
Melon (Muskmelon)

© maesejose

Varieties

Musk melon

Muscat melons originate from North Africa and Mediterranean countries. After the charente melons, they are the smallest of all melons, round and flattened, with pronounced veins and deep longitudinal grooves. The peel is mastoid, thickened, in color it can be white, yellow, green, bluish-grayish. The pulp of the fruit is pale yellow, orange or red, sweet and aromatic.

These melons are relatively low in calories (31 kcal) and rich in vitamin C. In addition, they contain vitamin A, potassium and manganese. It is best to refrigerate the melon before eating. Due to their high water content, they quench thirst well. If there are melons raw, then you need to cut them into two parts, remove the seeds with a knife or spoon, then cut into segments and peel them. Melon can be served as an appetizer with ham or in fruit salads. More and more melons are being industrially processed into juices, desserts and popsicles.

Melon "Auger"

Melon "Ogen" comes from Israel, where it was derived from netted and cantaloupe melons. Melon "Augen" is slightly larger than cantaloupe, it is round, slightly flattened or oval. The peel is yellow, yellow-green or greenish, with longitudinal notches, most often has stripes or spots. The pulp of the fruit is sweet, aromatic, green in color. These melons are relatively low in calories (31 kcal) and are rich in vitamin C. In addition, they also contain vitamin A, potassium and manganese.

Melon "Charente"

This melon originates from France but is grown in many tropical regions today. The Charente melons are the smallest of all melons, but they are considered the most delicious. It has similar qualities to cantaloupe. These days are round and flattened at the same time. The peel is mastoid, with smooth longitudinal grooves. It can be yellow-white, green-blue in color with a small amount of darker longitudinal stripes. The pulp of the fruit is orange. The taste of the fruit pulp is sweet and aromatic. These melons are relatively low in calories (31 kcal) and are rich in vitamin C. In addition, they contain vitamin A, potassium and manganese.

Honey melon

Honeydew melons grow primarily in Morocco and Mediterranean countries. They belong to the so-called smooth melons. Their shape is elongated, from round to oval. It has no grooves. Honeydew melons range in color from ocher to greenish. Fruit pulp is yellow-white, green or yellow-red. Honeydew melons are very aromatic and sweet. These melons are relatively low in calories (31 kcal) and are rich in vitamin C. In addition, they contain vitamin A, potassium and manganese.

Melon "Nashi"

Melon "Nashi" comes from Southeast Asia. They are round or pear-shaped. The rind is edible and thin, yellow or green. The pulp of the fruit is light, firm and juicy, tart-sweet and aromatic. Melons "Nashi" are relatively poor in vitamins and minerals. In any case, it is an ideal fruit for weight loss. They are diuretic and lower blood pressure.

Melons "Nashi" are good raw. To do this, the fruits must be cut lengthwise, remove the seed box, cut into slices and sprinkle with lemon juice so that they do not change color when oxidizing. Nashi can also be served as a side dish for meat dishes. To do this, lightly fry them with onions, salt and season with green pepper.

Melon (Muskmelon)
Melon (Muskmelon)

© digitonin

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