Content
In 1979, the golden melon was zoned in the Lower Volga and North Caucasian regions and entered into the State Register. The variety was bred by the Krasnodar Research Institute of Vegetable and Potato Farming. Besides Russia, he gained popularity in Moldova and Ukraine.
Description of Golden Melon
A mid-ripening annual cross-pollinated melon culture with juicy yellow melons (lemon) with a slight orange tint appearing towards the end of ripening bears fruit. Melons shape Golden - round, slightly elongated at the ends. The dense white pulp with a yellowish core is distinguished by sweetness, tenderness and juiciness. On average, each fruit weighs 1.5-2 kg.
The middle (main) lash grows small in length, the side ones are shorter. Leaves are green with a solid edge. The surface of the fruit does not have a grid during mass collection; it can be seen only on the very first melons.
From emergence to technical maturity of a melon, an average of 75-85 days pass. Sowing time in open ground, depending on the region, is the end of April or the first decade of May. The golden melon is harvested in August and early September. Only manual collection applies. The disease-resistant variety of Golden Melon needs a hot climate and low air humidity. With the recommended planting density (1x1.4 m or 1x1.5 m), the yield reaches 2.5 kg per 1 m2, and on an industrial scale from 1 hectare it is possible to get up to 100 centners.
Pros and cons of the variety
According to gardeners, Golden melon compares favorably with its advantages:
- Stable yield... Drought or lack of sunny days negatively affects the ripening time, the amount of sugar in the pulp, but not the yield. Far more important for the successful cultivation of Golden Melon is soil fertility.
- Excellent transportability... The high density of the pulp and the toughness of the skin make it possible to transport the crop over long distances. This explains the wide geography of sales of the variety in our country.
- Excellent keeping quality... At a temperature of about + 4 0C, humidity within 70-80%, without access to sunlight, shelf life is 3-4 months.
- Disease resistance... The defeat of melons by fungal and viral diseases occurs only at a consistently high humidity and low temperature, as well as in greenhouses if the recommendations on agricultural technology are violated.
- Melon Golden is suitable for outdoor cultivation, as well as in greenhouses, where vines and fruits are tied to trellises.
Disadvantages:
- The Golden Melon variety is not suitable for processing. For the preparation of candied fruits and for obtaining juice, varieties with a denser pulp and a high concentration of sugars are traditionally used.
- In terms of yield, Golden melon cannot compete with other popular varieties, but this flaw is compensated by the stability of the indicators. When there is a poor harvest in neighboring plots, the Zolotistaya plantings are always distinguished by a large number of ovaries.
Growing Golden Melon
Planting material - seeds. They are harvested from fully ripe melons, whose flesh has become soft. The best germination is demonstrated by seeds of the third year, as is noted in many other melons and gourds. Therefore, if the packaging of Golden Melon seeds says "this year's harvest", then it is better to sow them in a year or two.
Seedling preparation
Sowing of Golden is more often done in open ground. Seedlings are used for greenhouses.Initially, small plastic or peat pots are prepared, which are filled with soil. Ready-made cucumber substrate is suitable. You can prepare the soil yourself. To do this, add 1 liter of sand and a glass of wood ash to 10 liters of universal soil.
The seeds are buried by 2-2.5 cm. All the pots are thoroughly watered and placed in a warm, well-lit place. The optimum temperature for the emergence of sprouts of Golden Melon + 20 0C. You can put several seeds in one pot, but of the sprouts that appear, only one is left - the strongest. As the soil dries up, watering is carried out, but it is important not to overmoisten the seedlings, since she really does not like this. Plants aged 25-30 days are considered adults.
Selection and preparation of the landing site
The site for planting the Golden melon is chosen well-lit, without shading. There should be no cucumbers, pumpkins or watermelons nearby, as cross-pollination will impair the taste of the crop. If the amount of seasonal rainfall in a given area is too low, gardeners provide artificial watering. Since autumn, the soil is dug up and humus is introduced into it. In the spring, they dig up again, harrow and apply mineral fertilizers.
Consumption of mineral dressings per 1 m2 the cultivated area is as follows:
- 35-45 g superphosphate;
- 15-25 g of potassium salt;
- 15-25 g of nitrogen-containing fertilizer.
Landing rules
In the regions for which the Zolotistaya melon variety is zoned, sowing seeds for seedlings is carried out in the first decade of April, and 25-day-old plants are transplanted into open ground. If transplanted into a greenhouse, then the sowing time can be shifted by 1-2 months.
The recommended planting pattern for open ground is 1 m - between rows, 1.5 m - between individual bushes in a row. In a greenhouse planting, 1 m is left between the plants, but trellises are necessarily used. After the formation of the ovary, the fruits are enclosed in mesh bags and tied to supports.
Since the seedling root system is very delicate, gardeners prefer to use peat pots instead of plastic containers for germinating seeds. The main thing is that when transplanting, the earthen lump with roots remains intact. It is impossible to deepen it, it is better that it protrudes slightly above the soil level.
If the hardening of the seedlings did not work out due to weather conditions (it is performed from the 15th day after the emergence of seedlings), then in the first few days the planting must be shaded. To do this, a mesh is pulled over the beds. If it is impossible to provide shade, then cloudy days are chosen for transplanting. With a sharp cold snap up to + 10 0With use of film shelters, which are pulled over arcs of thick wire.
Watering and feeding
Melon is a drought-resistant crop. She does not need daily watering and rain. It is enough to provide access to moisture once a week. Moreover, after the formation of the ovaries, artificial watering is recommended by experienced gardeners to completely stop. This is the best guarantee of the maximum possible amount of sugar in fruits. Artificial watering is carried out so that water flows only under the roots of plants, but not on foliage or ovaries.
The formation of side shoots on the bush is a signal to start feeding. Repeated watering with fertilizers is carried out during the forcing of flower buds. The main thing is to use nitrogen-containing fertilizers very carefully, since they significantly delay the ripening period. Solutions of chicken manure or mullein are introduced before flowering, and after that only mineral dressings are allowed.
2 weeks after planting seedlings in the soil, it is recommended to add a solution of ammonium nitrate. It is prepared at the rate of 20 g of fertilizer per 10 liters of water. 2 L of the solution is poured under each plant. The next top dressing is best done with a mullein solution diluted in a ratio of 1:10.A nutrient solution prepared from the calculation of dilution in 10 liters of water has proven itself well:
- 50 g superphosphate;
- 30 g of ammonium sulfate;
- 25 g of potassium salt.
Formation
When grown in the open field, Golden Melon, the method of pinching the main shoot is used. In this case, it is shortened after the appearance of 4 leaves. Side lashes are expelled from the axils of the leaves. A total of 6 ovaries are left on them. It is enough to leave 2 shoots, and 3 ovaries on each.
The same applies to greenhouse cultivation of Golden melon. In this case, the main shoot is cut over 3-4 leaves, the 2 strongest ones are selected from the side ones, and then they are neatly tied to trellises up to 2 m in height. All other shoots of the Golden melon variety are cut off.
Harvesting
The signal to harvest the Golden Melon is the wilting of the foliage, the juicy yellow color of the melons. The fruits are easily separated from the stalks. Usually this time occurs in the second half of August. It is worth noting that the Golden melon is distinguished by the amicability of ripening. It is not worth picking before time, if only the weather allows time for the harvest to reach maximum ripeness. However, you can collect and slightly greenish melons, which are well ripened in boxes in the sun and indoors.
For long-term storage of Golden melons, boxes are prepared, the bottom of which is lined with sawdust or straw. It is best to send them to the cellar, where the temperature is about + 4 0C. Melon variety Zolotistaya does not suffer during transportation and can be stored until mid-winter.
Diseases and pests
The Golden Melon variety is resistant to diseases and pests. In greenhouses, sometimes due to a violation of the irrigation regime, there are isolated cases of infection by fungi, as well as spider mites, melon aphids and scoops. In the first case, it is important to carefully inspect the plantings and remove the affected leaves, spray with fungicides. Solutions Fitoverm and Iskra-Bio help from pests.
If traces of powdery mildew damage are found, all plants are treated with sulfur powder. Consumption: 4 g per 1 m2... Reprocessing of Golden Melon will be required after 3 weeks. 20 days before the date of harvest, all measures for the treatment of pests and diseases are stopped.
Reviews of the variety of melon Golden
Conclusion
Melon Zolotistaya is a variety that has proven itself in the southern regions of our country, where it is grown in open ground and in greenhouses. Excellent keeping quality of fruits, consistently high yield, resistance to diseases and pests, unpretentious care - all this distinguishes Zolotistaya from competitors. The gardeners' reviews are positive, as are the buyers from different parts of Russia, Ukraine and Moldova.
