Content
Originally from North and Asia Minor, melon, thanks to its sweetness and aroma, has long become popular in our area. In greenhouse conditions, melon can be grown in almost any region of the country without much effort. However, it is not necessary to have a dacha for this: the culture feels good on the balcony and even on the windowsill! Melon at home, photos, vegetable growing conditions and instructions are presented in the article in detail.
Melon varieties for growing at home
Growing a melon at home is not as difficult as it seems at first glance. This culture does not require special care, and its fruits grown on the balcony are in no way inferior in taste to those obtained on an open land plot. The most common varieties of melon for home cultivation are:
- Collective farmer. It has spherical, medium-sized orange-yellow fruits with a hard skin. The white, thin flesh sometimes contains a greenish layer closer to the skin. The fruit tastes very sweet and aromatic. The sugar content is 11.3%;
- Altai. Fruits are oval, lemon-colored with yellowish or white dense pulp, viscous consistency. Sugar content 5 - 6.5%;
- Rime. Spherical or oval yellow (orange) fruits have a characteristic large net. They are distinguished by a thin skin, sweet and juicy pulp with a sugar content of 8.4%;
- Lemon yellow. Fruits of lemon-yellow melon are slightly flattened, segmented, with small yellow specks. The pulp is very sweet and grainy. In terms of sugar content (10 - 12%), this variety is in the lead.
All varieties are early ripening and ripen 80-85 days after planting, except for Rime, which is a mid-season variety and ripens in 90-92 days.
How melon grows at home
The culture does not make special demands, therefore everyone can grow it at home. Melon feels great in home growing conditions: it is enough to have a spacious balcony or a wide window sill on the sunny side of the apartment. The only thing that she needs to provide is a temperature regime, regular watering and good lighting. Since this is a southern culture, melon can be grown on the balcony only if the temperature at night drops at least 17 - 19 ° C.
At home, early-ripening and mid-ripening varieties of melons with medium-sized fruits are usually grown. To ensure the light and temperature conditions, the loggia must be equipped with special lamps. With a lack of lighting, the melon releases long shoots, and this is reflected in the number of ovaries and the sugar level in the fruits.
In the natural environment, melon shoots lie on the ground, but at home you cannot do without a trellis. It is not recommended to grow more than 4 - 5 bushes, because even this is enough to braid the entire balcony with shoots. If you plant more than five bushes, the melons will simply be cramped and there will not be enough lighting.
You can also pollinate with an ordinary brush, transferring pollen from male melon flowers to female ones. Male inflorescences differ from female ones by the presence of a small embryo at the base of the ovary.
How to plant a melon at home
Not all varieties are suitable for growing this culture at home on a windowsill, but only medium-sized small-fruited hybrids, for example:
- Sweetheart;
- Cinderella;
- Honey.
Growing melon on a windowsill begins with germinating the seeds. For this purpose, a small container with an earth mixture is sufficient (for example, a plastic or special peat cup). After germination, the melon seedlings are transplanted into separate pots with a capacity of 5 liters. To obtain more ovaries (that is, female inflorescences), seeds that are two to three years old are suitable. The planting material of the last year usually gives more male inflorescences, that is, barren flowers.
When to plant
Usually, melon seeds are planted in a land mixture in late April - early May, when the temperature at night does not drop below + 17 ° C. You can sow both dry seeds and pre-soaked in a germination stimulator (Bio Master or Energen Aqua).
Preparation of soil and containers
Melon loves slightly alkaline, airtight, moderately moist soil, which can be achieved at home without much difficulty. The soil will be optimal in composition: two parts of sod soil, one part of peat and one part of humus. The container for planting must necessarily have a drainage hole.
Landing algorithm
To speed up germination, cover the container with the planted seeds with foil. On the fourth or fifth day, when shoots appear, the film must be removed.
Seed planting algorithm:
- Fill a peat cup with an earth mixture, without adding 2 - 3 cm to the edge.
- Pour boiling water over and let the excess out into the drainage hole.
- Wait until the earth in the glass is at room temperature, and place the seed in the center.
- Pour the ground mixture to the top and pour with warm water.
- Tighten the container with a film (you can cover it with glass) and rearrange it to a warm place until germination.
Since the melon does not tolerate transplanting, it is recommended to immediately transfer the hatched seeds to a permanent pot. This simple technique for growing melons at home will allow you to get fragrant fruits as early as 2.5 months after the first shoots appear.
Growing melons on a balcony or windowsill
Any city dweller can grow melon on the balcony at home, adhering to the rules of agricultural technology for this culture. Compliance with the light regime and irrigation schedule is not particularly difficult. And the process itself brings great pleasure to those who love to grow plants on the windowsill, especially when the first fruits ripen.
Light mode
Melon is a light-loving plant, therefore loggias and balconies on the sunny side of the house are suitable for growing it. If the sunlight is not enough, it is necessary to provide additional illumination by turning on the LED lamp for 14-16 hours a day. With a lack of light, the melon grows poorly, gets sick, and the fruits are small and savory.
Watering schedule
Watering the melon should not be very often: on average, once every 4 - 5 days, or if the soil is completely dry. This should be done in the early morning or late afternoon with warm, settled water (approximately 30 - 32 ° C). At the same time, make sure that moisture does not get on the leaves, inflorescences and fruits. In order not to harm the plant, it is recommended to water it with a drip method or in specially dug grooves around the root collar.
To make the melon fruits more sugary, watering during the ripening period is reduced until it is completely excluded by the time of ripening, otherwise the fruits will be watery and tasteless.
Do I need to feed
The first feeding of the melon grown on the balcony is carried out with mineral fertilizers, as soon as the cotyledon leaves appear on the plant. The next time they feed in seven days. Then, as the plant grows, it is fertilized another 2 - 3 times. Since the melon, like all melons, is a kalilyub, the first two dressings are carried out with azofos. To do this, dilute 3 tbsp in 10 liters of water. l. fertilizers.From the beginning of the flowering period, the melon is fertilized with universal preparations, for example, Fertika Lux (20 g is added to a bucket of water).
Garter
Home-grown melon must be tied up, since there is not enough space for the natural placement of its lashes. To do this, use a twine or trellis. Due to the fact that this plant does not weave on its own, it must be wrapped around the support and secured with a rope. Fruits also need to be tied: each is placed in a special net and attached to the twine.
Formation of bushes
In order for the melon grown on the windowsill to be juicy and sweet, only one shoot should be left tied to a trellis. The rest of the shoots are removed. Usually no more than 3 ovaries are left, and when the fruits become the size of a fist, the top of the main lash is pinched. This is done so that the plant directs all its forces to the fruits, and does not spend them on the growth of green mass.
Diseases and pests
Melons are susceptible to infectious fungal diseases. Most common:
- Fusarium wilting Is a common fungal infection caused by the fungus Fusarium. Outwardly, it is difficult to recognize the problem, since the affected stems look healthy. A diseased plant dries up quickly, because as a result of the disease, root hairs disappear on the roots. Melons affected by the fungus completely lose their gustatory value;
- Anthracnose - the causative agent of this disease is the fungus Colletotrichum orbiculare. Affected leaves are covered with brown or whitish spots, and the stems become very fragile and break at the slightest gust of wind;
- Powdery mildew - a fungal disease caused by microscopic fungi Sphaerotheca fuliginea Poll. In the people, this powdery mildew is also called linen or ashes. External manifestations of the disease look like a grayish-white bloom on shoots and leaves. Diseased leaves dry and die, which delays the development of fruits, which on the affected shoots are small and tasteless.
The spread of diseases is facilitated by excessive soil moisture and high temperatures (above 28 - 30 ° C). In addition, a lack of potassium and phosphorus fertilizers weakens the crop and increases the risk of infection. Therefore, at home on the loggia where melons are grown, it is not recommended to store vegetables brought from the market.
In addition to fungal infections, melons grown on the balcony have their own pests. The most common are:
- melon aphid;
- spider mite;
- gnawing scoop;
- melon fly.
To prevent the appearance of pests, it is necessary to loosen the soil and weed out the weeds, on the roots of which parasites like to live. In addition, it is recommended to spray the melon with special disinfecting preparations (Formalin, Fundazol), infusion on onion peels or decoction of herbs (calendula, celandine, dandelion, wormwood).
Conclusion
Melon at home, the photo and description of which are given above, is a very real opportunity to enjoy the fruit grown with your own hands, outside the land plot. With proper care, observance of light and temperature conditions, as well as timely feeding, there are no special difficulties in the conditions of the apartment. After all, how much more pleasant it is to eat a piece of melon grown personally than bought on the market.
