Content
A great dessert for gourmets - juicy, melting sweet pulp, watermelon slices. Lovers of gardeners in the middle zone of the country grow early varieties of this huge southern fruit, which have time to ripen in a short summer. On household plots, the varieties of watermelons Crimson Sweet, Crimson Ruby and Crimson Wonder have proven themselves well.
Characteristic
The watermelon variety Crimson Sweet is widespread in Europe. Among domestic and foreign melon growers, it is considered a standard variety for all indicators, including yield, which is 345 c / ha in the south of Russia and in Kazakhstan. Recommended for commercial production with a planting scheme of 0.9 x 0.9 m. 4 seeds are sown per 1 square meter. High yield - up to 10 kg / m2... It grows quickly and is considered a medium-early ripening plant. Crimson Sweet watermelons are ready to eat after 70-80 days of vegetation. Cultivation in central Russia is possible in open ground and in greenhouses.
The flowers of early watermelons, such as Crimson Sweet, form in the axils of the fourth or sixth leaf on the whip, near the root. Thus, the plant does not grow green mass, but creates flowers and ovaries. In the conditions of a short warm period, this fact contributes to the rapid production of ripe fruits. Watermelon Crimson Sweet was bred in 1963. The variety got its name because of the characteristics of the amazing pulp. From English "crimson sweet" is translated as "raspberry sweetness". The originator of the seeds of the Crimson Sweet watermelon variety, which are distributed in Europe, is the French company Clause Tezier. On the basis of the variety, hybrids of plants Crimson Ruby f1 and Crimson Wonder were bred.
Description
The plant is medium-growing. Rounded watermelon fruits resemble a short oval, slightly elongated. This is what distinguishes it from the traditional round varieties of Crimson Sweet. Watermelon can reach a weight of 8-10 kg under favorable agricultural conditions, including climatic conditions. The skin of the fruit is smooth to the touch, matte, dark green, with blurred stripes of light green color.
Sweet, tender and juicy flesh of bright red color, crunches appetizingly during eating, there are no streaks. The attractive, bright fruit of the Crimson Sweet variety has a high sugar content - 12%, which gives a special zest to its rich taste and long, fresh aftertaste. The seeds of the variety are small, there are few of them in the pulp.
Advantages and disadvantages
The fruits of the Crimson Sweet watermelon, judging by their wide popularity, are appreciated by consumers according to their recognized merits.
- Excellent taste properties;
- High commercial performance;
- Transportability and keeping quality of fruits up to 2 months;
- Drought resistance of the plant;
- Low sensitivity of the watermelon variety to anthracnose and fusarium.
In the watermelon of the Crimson Sweet variety, gardeners also find drawbacks, the cause of which in most cases is errors in cultivation.
- The wateriness of the pulp of a watermelon occurs when watering is continued when the fruit has already begun to ripen;
- A large lash with numerous leaves and small fruits is formed if the plant was given an excess of nitrogen fertilizers or organic matter;
- A watermelon scourge generates little fruit if it is in poor conditions such as depleted soil, peaty soil, or shade.
Crimson Ruby hybrid
The early-maturing high-yielding watermelon variety is distributed by the Japanese company Sakata. Watermelon Crimson Ruby f1 has been included in the State Register since 2010, as a crop for cultivation in the North Caucasus region, recommended for commercial production. The variety is marked by strong growth of the main whip and leaves, which shelter the fruits from the rays of the scorching sun. Up to 5.5 thousand Crimson Ruby plants are placed on a hectare, with a step of 1.5 - 0.7 m, the yield is 3.9-4.8 kg / m2... The variety is drought-resistant, not susceptible to fusarium, there is immunity to powdery mildew, anthracnose and such a common pest as aphids. The fruit ripens after 65-80 days of plant development, the weight of Crimson Ruby f1 watermelons reaches 7-12 kg.
The peel of oval fruits is dense, withstands transportation. The fruit is colored dark green with characteristic light blurred stripes. Watermelons are very tasty, they have a bright dessert aroma and a high level of sugar content: 4-7%. Grainy, without veins, homogeneous flesh comes in different shades - pink or deep red.
There are not too many seeds in the pulp of Crimson Ruby watermelon, they are medium in size, brown. The seeds are commercially available from several distributors. For large areas, you need to buy the seeds in the original Sakura protective bag.
Crimson Wonder hybrid
The mid-season watermelon Crimson Wonder, which comes from samples of the selection of the United States, has been included in the State Register since 2006, and is recommended for the regions of the North Caucasus region. Originator and patentee - Agrofirm "Poisk" from the Moscow region. The variety is high-yielding, on irrigated lands it gives 60 t / ha, without irrigation the harvest is halved. The Crimson Wonder variety is planted with a distance of 1.4 x 0.7 m. Watermelons easily tolerate the dry period and a temporary drop in the above zero temperature, resistant to fusarium, powdery mildew and anthracnose. They are distinguished by their commercial attractiveness and transportability.
The Crimson Wonder plant is medium-sized, with medium-sized dissected leaves. Large fruits of watermelon weigh up to 10-13 kg, average weight: 3.6-8.2 kg. Round-oval watermelons ripen by the end of the third month of the growing season. Fruits with a firm skin of light green color and dark, irregular stripes. The juicy, crispy, sweet pulp has a bright red color. The taste of the Crimson Wonder variety is delicate, fresh, with a delicate aroma. The seeds are brown, with small spots, of medium size.
Growing
Watermelons - southern culture, belong to the Pumpkin family. All varieties of watermelons are photophilous, do not tolerate the slightest frost, and do not develop well in prolonged wet weather. The climate of central Russia dictates to amateurs gardeners one method of growing watermelons - through seedlings.
- Seeds planted directly in open ground may die in damp and cold weather;
- The method of growing through seedlings accelerates the harvest by one and a half to two weeks;
- The resistance of plants to diseases and pests increases.
Sowing seeds for seedlings
For watermelons, you need to prepare a substrate with the obligatory presence of sand, since the culture prefers sandy soils. Early watermelons are sown from mid-April to early May.
- To sprout faster, the seeds are soaked in warm water (up to 32 0C) for a few hours;
- If the seeds are not processed, they are placed for 15 minutes in a pink solution of potassium permanganate or soaked in modern preparations, according to the attached instructions;
- The seeds are deepened by 1-1.5 cm;
- The soil is moderately moistened, the container is covered with foil and placed in a warm place for germination. Every day, the container is ventilated and watered if the substrate is dry;
- Seeds that have not germinated sprout in a week or two;
- For sprouts during the first week, the optimum temperature is 18 0C.
Seedling care
Crimson Sweet watermelon sprouts prefer to rise at a temperature of 25-30 0C. They should be supplemented to provide warmth. There is usually enough light in May for the good development of seedlings of cultures of southern origin.
- Transfer the seedlings to open ground when the plants are 4-6 weeks old. At that time, the soil should warm up to 15-18 0C. Approximately such indicators are at the end of May;
- 15 days before planting, the seedlings need to be hardened by exposing them to the air, first for 50-70 minutes, gradually increasing the time spent outside.
Plants in the garden
For each variety, its own distance between the holes is set, which is based on the strength of the lash growth. Gardeners advise, with a sufficient area of the site, not to be stingy with space and to take a large place for each melon plant, retreating between the holes 1.5 m. The culture is grown in a spread or trellis are installed. Tying the lashes, the side shoots are removed. The seedlings are placed at the depth of the glass in which they grew, slightly spudding with soil.
- The soil is kept in a loose state, systematically watered during the growth of the lash;
- Excess shoots are removed, 2-3 ovaries are enough on the stem;
- Watermelons thrive at temperatures above 30 0C;
- Gardeners often plant valuable plants on black plastic wrap, which keeps the area clean and insulates the roots;
- Watermelons planted in the slits of the film are watered in 5-7 liters, if there is no precipitation;
- When the night temperature drops in August, the melon is covered from above so that the fruits can ripen.
There is an interesting experience of Far Eastern researchers who grew watermelons, planting three seedlings on mounds 10 cm high and 70 cm in diameter. The mounds were covered with polyethylene all season, and the plants were pinned.
Hobbyists can experiment to grow the sweet fruit.
