Terms and rules for planting watermelons for seedlings at home

Watermelon is the largest striped berry, which is really highly valued all over the world for its indescribably divine taste, deliciously fresh aroma, exquisitely grainy red pulp, and most importantly, extraordinary benefits for the body. Therefore, many gardeners and summer residents love to grow watermelons in their plots. To get an earlier harvest, and in cooler (with short summer) regions it is generally a necessity, watermelons are grown through seedlings.

How to properly sow watermelons for seedlings at home in order to grow strong seedlings, which will quickly take root after planting in open ground, read further in our article.

Choosing a variety of watermelons

A number of factors have an important effect on the yield of watermelons:

• landing dates;
• seed preparation;
• living conditions at home (when grown through seedlings);
• care (outdoors), etc.

But one of the main factors is watermelon varietythat you are going to grow. By the way, more than 1200 varieties are known. The following varieties are recognized as the best varieties for sowing seedlings, as well as seeds directly into open ground:

• Crimson Sweet;
• Light;
• Sugar Kid;
• Producer;
• Chill;
• Top Gun F1;
• Astrakhan;
• Skorik;
• Photon;
• Gift from the Sun, etc.

They all have the following advantages:

• unpretentiousness in agricultural technology;
• disease resistance;
• drought resistance;
• good productivity;
• transportability;
• stability to temperature extremes.

Important! Optimally choose zoned for your area varieties.

Favorite by all gardeners and summer residents, the watermelon variety "Krimson Sweet" stands out among others with many advantages:

• excellent taste;
• good germination;
• early ripening;
• resistance to diseases and pests;
• over juicy and sweet;
• high yield.

Read the description of the Watermelon Crimson sweet variety on the back of the pack of seeds.

When to plant watermelons for seedlings: optimal timing

When choosing the timing of planting watermelons for seedlings, you must pay attention to the following circumstances:

• climatic features of the growing region (when can be planted in the ground);
• the required age of seedlings for planting in the ground (duration of growing seedlings at home after germination);

The optimum age of watermelon seedlings for planting in the ground is 25-35 days.

• place or conditions for further cultivation (you can plant it in the greenhouse earlier, in the ground later).

But besides this, experienced gardeners pay attention to favorable dates for sowing watermelon seeds according to the lunar calendar.

Depending on the region and climate

Just on South of Russia watermelon seeds can be planted directly in open ground or in a greenhouse. In other regions, growing seedlings is simply necessary, otherwise it is almost impossible to count on success.

But even in the southern regions watermelons need to be sown for seedlings at the end of March, to be planted in the ground at the end of April.

INMiddle lane it is recommended to grow only early-maturing varieties of watermelons and not too chase after large sizes. The optimal time for planting seedlings in open ground (preferably in a greenhouse) in the Moscow region is late May-early June. Therefore, seeds should be sown about a month before this date, that is, starting from the 3rd decade of April.

It's no joke, but today it is relatively successfully possible to grow watermelons in Siberia and the Urals! Not so long ago, special varieties were created that are well adapted to the harsh climate. Naturally, only through seedlings with further planting in the ground, and even better in a polycarbonate greenhouse. Planting dates are similar to those near Moscow, i.e. in the Urals and Siberia, watermelons should be planted at the end of April, to be planted in the ground in June.

According to the lunar calendar, in 2020

Favorable The dates for sowing watermelons for seedlings according to the lunar calendar in 2020 are the following days:

• in March - 2-6, 12-14, 26-29;
• in April - 1, 2, 24, 25, 27-30;
• in May - 2-4, 6, 15-17, 20, 21 25-31;
• in June - 2-4, 11-14.

However, the summer resident does not always have the opportunity to sow on the specified dates (in the spring, not only watermelons are planted), therefore it is important to know when it is strictly forbidden to sow watermelons and any other crops (the days of the Full Moon and New Moon, as well as the period when the Moon is Aquarius, because it is a barren and dry sign -italicized). And these periods must be taken into account in your spring calendar.

In this way, unfavorable days for planting watermelons for seedlings in 2020 according to the lunar calendar are the following numbers:

• in March - 9,19-21, 24;
• in April - 8,15-17, 23;
• in May - 7,13-14, 22;
• in June - 5,9-11, 21.

According to the lunar calendar, from the magazine "1000 Tips for Summer Residents".

Preparation and processing of watermelon seeds for planting seedlings

To prepare watermelon seeds for planting on seedlings, you can take the following measures for their pre-sowing preparation and processing: calibration, scarification, warming up, disinfection, hardening, soaking and germination.

By the way! If you have prepared your own seeds, it is better that they lie down for 2-3 years, then their germination will be maximum.

Calibration Is the distribution of watermelon seeds by size. If you sort the seed by "size", then all the seedlings will develop simultaneously and amicably.

You can reject empty seeds by immersing them in a saline solution (6-10 grams of salt per 200 ml of water): which ones float up - empty, they can be thrown away, and those that have settled to the bottom can be processed further.

Warming up - this is an increase in the temperature of seeds in order to increase the rate of their biochemical reactions. To warm up the seeds of watermelons, you need to lower their water at a temperature of 50-60 degrees and soak in it for 20-30 minutes.

Scarification - This is a violation of the shell of a watermelon seed in order to germinate it as soon as possible. To do this, it is recommended to damage the shell of the soaked seed by rubbing it with a spout on sandpaper or bite the tip with your teeth, or even better, cut it with scissors.

Scarification is not necessary at all, but for the sake of experiment - it is quite possible to try.

Disinfection (etching)... In order to disinfect watermelon seedlings, it is recommended to hold for about 20 minutes in a dark pink solution of potassium permanganate (1%, i.e. 1 mg per 100 ml of water), and even better in a solution Fitosporin (according to instructions)... At the end of the time, rinse them under clean water and dry until the required flowability appears.

And summer residents from cold regions will find it useful to spend hardening watermelon seeds. To do this, you need to wrap the seeds in damp gauze and put them in the refrigerator for 10-12 hours, and then take them out and put them in heat for 10-12 hours and repeat this for 3-4 times (3-4 days), in other words, to plunge the seeds into temperature changes (stress), and then germinate.

Soak and germination watermelon seeds can be done as follows:

• treat the seeds with any disinfectant;
• place the seeds in moistened gauze (or on cotton pads), while you can use both ordinary water and add a growth stimulator (Epin, Zircon);

Note! The seeds should not be in water, but in a humid environment, in other words, they should have access to oxygen, only in this way (in such conditions) they can germinate.

• put in a plastic bag, tie and remove for 3-7 days in a warm place (+ 22-28 degrees) before pecking.

Important! Periodically inspect your seeds for germination, remembering to moisten the gauze (cotton wool).

Video: sprouting seeds of watermelon, pumpkin, melon

Also, watermelon seeds can be germinated in wet sand or sawdust at the appropriate temperature + 22..28 degrees. Alternatively, one can use hydrogel, which has recently been gaining popularity among summer residents.

Thus, thanks to soaking and germination, you can also discard bad seeds, and hatching they will rise and grow faster.

Important! If you purchased pelleted (processed) seeds, then they do not need any pre-sowing preparation, they should be sown dry.

Planting watermelon seeds for seedlings: where and how to sow correctly

So, in order to make the correct sowing of watermelons for seedlings, you first need to choose a suitable container for growing them, prepare and fill the containers with a nutritious substrate and actually plant the seeds at the required depth. Let's consider everything in more detail below.

Soil for growing seedlings

Concerning soil for watermelon seedlings, it will grow best in one of the following soil mixtures.

Watermelons love sandy soil, so sand should be added to the soil.

Recipe number 1:

• 1 part of humus;
• 1 part sand;
• 2 pieces of garden land.

Another option for the substrate may be the following (recipe number 2):

• 1 part of sod land;
• 2 pieces of sand;
• 3 parts of humus.

Add a couple of tablespoons to any of these potting mixes. wood ash.

Or you can buy a special ready-made soil for cucumbers and pumpkin (melon) crops.

Advice! It will be just fine if you spend soil disinfection.

For this, the soil needsbake in the oven or microwaveas well as spill solution Fitosporin (according to instructions).

Direct landing

Step-by-step instructions for sowing watermelon seeds for seedlings:

• Fill the seedling containers 3/5 or 2/3 full of soil (for easy watering, and add soil as it grows).
• Make planting holes 2-3 cm deep (some sources recommend up to 4 cm).
• Moisturize slightly.
• Place seeds in the holes.

Advice! If you have a lot of seeds and you do not process them in any way, i.e. sow dry, it is better to put at least 2 things in each container, and only then remove the weaker sprouts.

• Sprinkle with soil on top.
• Water again.
• Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm place, where the temperature is +22 .. + 28 degrees.

Video: how to plant watermelons for seedlings

You can also watch this full video about planting watermelons, from choosing a variety, preparing seeds and planting them directly.

Video: planting watermelons for seedlings

Caring for watermelon seedlings at home: the necessary conditions for keeping

Now your task is to create the most comfortable conditions for growth of watermelon seedlings, as well as to properly care for: water, feed as needed.

Temperature and lighting

When in 5-10 days (the warmer it is, the sooner) friendly shoots appear, the film will need to be removed, and the containers themselves will be rearranged to a cooler place (+ 16-20 degrees) for 5-7 days.

Then put the seedling containers in a warmer place, where the temperature during the day is about + 20-26 degrees, and at night - + 16-20 degrees.

Seedlings of watermelons for normal growth require full 12 hour daylight hours.

If the plants do not have enough sun, then the seedlings will stretch.

Therefore, the seedlings are optimally placed on the southern (or southeastern, southwestern) windowsillwhere the sun will be enough.

Advice! If the days are cloudy (little light), then so that the seedlings do not stretch out, the plants should be rearranged to cooler places or open the window. In other words, regulate the temperature and light balance.

However, if you have no light windows, then seedlings ideally it would be good to light up special phyto lamps or more economical LED lamps.

Watering

Experienced melon growers advise to water watermelon seedlings as the top layer dries, doing it slowly, giving time for the water to absorb and abundantly.

Water should be at room temperature and must be settled (or filtered).

However, it is very important to prevent moisture from getting on the leaves of the seedlings.

Top dressing

As a rule, if you initially used sufficiently fertile soil, then the seedlings of watermelons will not need any additional feeding.

However, 7-10 days before planting in the ground, when the seedlings already have 2 true leaves, the watermelons can be fed with potassium fertilizer, for example, an infusion solution wood ash (200 grams per 10 liters, insist for a day) or potassium sulfate (30-40 grams per 10 liters of water).

Important! And if the seedlings suddenly began to turn yellow the lower (cotyledonous) leaves, then it must be fed with nitrogen fertilizers (mullein, bird droppings, urea or ammonium nitrate)

Video: growing watermelon seedlings on the windowsill

When and how to plant watermelon seedlings in open ground or greenhouse

By the end of May and the beginning of June, in most regions, all the necessary conditions are formed for planting watermelon seedlings in open or closed ground (as well as for direct sowing):

• The soil warmed up to + 15-16 degrees;
• The air temperature is stable at least + 15-16 degrees at night.

As for the appearance of plants, a 25-35 day old seedling of watermelons should have a short but strong stem and 3-5 well-developed true leaves.

It will be very prudent if you spend 5-7 days before planting seedlings in the garden hardening your plants, a you will begin to take them out to the balcony (glazed loggia) or to the greenhouse, gradually increasing the residence time from 1-2 hours to a whole day.

The very planting of watermelon seedlings in the ground is standard. Prepare planting holes 1.5-2 times larger than seedling containers, fill them with humus and sand (if your soil is not very sandy). Then carefully take out the seedlings together with an earthen lump, place them in the middle and cover them with earth. Then pour abundantly with warm water and, exclusively at will, mulch (with straw, hay).

Important! If the weather is changeable, and at night it drops below + 15-16 degrees, then it is better to cover the watermelons with foil or make a mini-greenhouse (on arches).

Video: the secrets of planting watermelon seedlings in open ground

And in the next video, the Ural summer resident plants elongated seedlings watermelons, and still gets a good harvest in the end.

Thus, any novice gardener can grow watermelon seedlings at home. The main thing is to set a goal, and to plant watermelon seeds correctly and take care of seedlings in the future - this detailed material will help you with this. Good luck!

By the way! About, how to grow watermelons in the open field and in a greenhouse (about the rules of care) detailed in this material.

Video: how to grow healthy watermelon seedlings - secretscultivation