Formation of watermelon and melon. Growing watermelon in greenhouse conditions
Why and growing in your country house. What does pinching a watermelon give, how to perform this operation: 3 main ways to form a watermelon lash
Some summer residents are trying. The agricultural technology of this culture has its own subtleties, because this plant is accustomed to the hot sun and a lot of heat. In the south, they can grow without restriction, and in hot countries many fruits can ripen, for this reason there is no need to regulate fruiting. AT middle lane the question of how to pinch watermelons is very important for getting a good harvest. This culture is predisposed to continuous growth, their lashes can sometimes stretch for 6-7 meters. To feed this huge mass of greenery, it is necessary great amount moisture, nutrients and the most important - sun rays. But in warm summer, a watermelon bush that forms many lashes may not have time to grow normal berries.
Why you need to pinch watermelons
When growing this berry, the goal is to grow juicy and sweet fruits, this is difficult to do without tweezing the shoots. Pinch growth points of shoots to stop their development, stopping the growth of excess shoots. Please note that tweezing of watermelons is performed exclusively in cold latitudes (Urals, Siberia, the middle zone of our country).
Necessary for plants to direct their vital energy on the formation of fruits, and not on the growth of excess vegetative mass. This operation is carried out leaving 2-3 ovaries on the shoot, as a result of the fact that only a limited number of fruits and few shoots develop on the plant. As a result, the fruits grow and ripen much faster than on plants with not shortened lashes. If watermelons grow in greenhouses, then only the lateral stepchildren are cut off, in many varieties of this crop, the fruits form exclusively on the main stem, and on the remaining lashes the ovary will not be able to grow to a normal size.
When pinching watermelons
If the plants begin to interfere with each other, then you need to cut off the extra shoots. In most regions, gardeners leave 3-5 berries on each bush. As a result, the plant is not overloaded, and the fruits left will develop faster, grow sweet and big. It is not necessary to remove all the shoots and cut off many leaves, the plant needs photosynthesis for life, which can only occur with the help of leaves illuminated by the sun's rays. Be sure to leave 2-3 normal leaves after each berry, for this reason, you need to shorten the extra shoot above them.
On a watermelon in our conditions, you can leave no more than 6 fruits, and if large berries grow in your chosen variety, no more than four fruits. More of them will lead to a decrease in their mass and the berries will not be as juicy and sweet.
Step-by-step instruction
They begin to pinch, after 4-5 leaves form on it, this is necessary for the growth of lateral shoots, and female inflorescences will appear on them and then the ovaries of future berries. Do not forget that on one bush, you can leave no more than 5 fruits. If they are properly looked after, they will gain a large mass and will have time to fully ripen before the cold weather. Shoots are pinched by removing the growth point (the place from which new leaves appear).
When several side shoots grow, some of them are removed, leaving only the 2 most developed and strong ones. Moreover, it is desirable to leave those that are located above, and the worst of them (most often these are the lower lashes) must be removed (just as pinching is done on tomatoes). Lateral shoots also need to be pinched after the appearance of 4-5 leaves.
To grow good harvest necessary:
- Choose a variety of watermelon suitable for your conditions, they can be early - Dolby, Trophy, Helen, they are able to give the first berries in mid-July if they are sown under cover. Varieties - Unusual, Nitsa, sing in the second decade of August, and such as Kholodok will begin to produce berries in the last decade of August;
- Properly place the watermelon bushes, between the rows you need to leave a space of at least 2 meters. Before sowing, the wells are well watered, and 5-10 seeds are sown in them (after the emergence of seedlings, the strongest of them are left, the rest are pulled out), sprinkled with soil and slightly compacted. Bushes are placed in a row no more than 1 meter apart;
- Watermelon should not be heavily watered, it is not afraid of drought, as the roots of this plant penetrate deep into the soil. But in order to grow decent harvest, it is desirable (but not necessary) to water the plants 2 times a month, pouring 3 buckets of water per 1 m2;
- It is necessary to properly form a watermelon, this essential condition for growing watermelon in mid-latitudes.
There are several ways to form watermelon bushes.
The first
On the main stem, plants leave 3 berries of large-fruited varieties; for plants with small fruits, it is permissible to leave up to 6 ovaries. The ovaries are not left on the side shoots, they should have 4 adult leaves, after which the shoot is pinched. These whips are necessary for additional nutrition of berries that will grow on the main shoot. As the fruit grows, the lower shoots must be cut off.
Second
On a watermelon, side lashes are not left, they are cut off, and the ovaries on the main stem are left after 5 sheets. It must be remembered that during the growth of the plant, new stepchildren can form, they also need to be cut off, inspection should be carried out every 7 days.
Third
Many gardeners do not cut off the side lashes, it is on them that the berries grow, and the ovaries are cut off on the main stem. After the green mass grows on the watermelon bush and the first inflorescences form, it is necessary to leave up to 4 flowers for large-fruited varieties, and no more than 6 flowers for small-fruited varieties.
One can be left on each lash, in some cases no more than 2 fruits. Left shoots with berries must be pinched, leaving 3-4 leaves above the ovary. After that, it is necessary to carefully cut off the extra stepchildren with scissors, especially if ovaries appear on them.
Pinching a watermelon and removing excess shoots should be done on a warm, sunny day, so the wounds on the plant will dry out very quickly. If you do this work in cloudy weather or during rain, then rot may appear on open wounds.
How to pinch heat-loving watermelons
Varieties that need a lot of sunlight and heat ripen quickly and are very tasty. in our climate cold weather comes early, for this reason you need to help them ripen until the weather starts to worsen. When pinching watermelons of such varieties, it is advisable to leave only one berry on such a shoot so that they become tasty, have time to gain weight and fully ripen.
HIGH-YIELD TOMATO VARIETIES FOR GREENHOUSES: OVERVIEW OF GROUPS, HYBRIDS AND GROWING FEATURES Of the widest variety of tomato varieties offered to farmers and amateur vegetable growers, it is impossible to unequivocally recommend only one and ignore others, because the preferences of a particular person are subjective. And this is understandable: each of us has his own criteria for evaluating the grown tomato, but everyone always chooses the most productive tomatoes for greenhouses. In areas with different climates, the conditions for growing tomatoes (even in farm greenhouses) are different, therefore the most popular are the specified, zoned varieties that enjoy well-deserved attention from most gardeners. - Indeterminate varieties are ideal for greenhouses - vigorous bushes form into 1 stem. - Determinate tomatoes for greenhouses require constant pruning of shoots. Each hybrid is prone to one of these 2 types of development, so we need to correct the growth of plants in time, starting right from the seedlings. According to the type of growth, TOMATOES are divided into 2 GROUPS: - with vegetative, - with generative development. As a rule, well-known seed manufacturers give such starting information on the package: the main characteristics and individual characteristics specific variety. For low tomato greenhouses with a standard (up to 2.5 m) ridge height, we will choose tall varieties tomatoes with shortened internodes, while forming them into 2 stems. When the bushes grow to the trellis, there will already be 3 brushes on each shoot. We will release additional shoots on seedlings under the very first brush. Usually tall and large-fruited tomatoes show precisely the vegetative type of growth. We plant seedlings of hybrids and varieties with this vegetative type of development with the first two flowering brushes in order to prevent fattening of plants, which reduces the yield of tomatoes in the greenhouse. OVERVIEW OF GREENHOUSE VARIETIES ONLY MEDIUM AND HIGH YIELD VARIETIES 1. Intuition F1 - with 1 stalk and unlimited growth, a mid-season hybrid of cluster tomatoes: only 110 days pass from the first shoots to fruiting. Rounded, smooth fruits weighing over 100 g do not crumble even after ripening, do not crack, and their high sugar content is ideal for canning and fresh salads. 2. Kostroma F1 - a two-meter mid-early hybrid, already 106 after germination, we collect a friendly and plentiful crop of flat-round fruits weighing 150 g, and up to 5 kg per bush. This plant resistant to viruses and changes in humidity and temperature. 3. Rosemary F1: 115 days after sprouting, large (400g), pink, smooth fruits ripen for delicious salads. Their pulp is juicy, tender, "melting" consistency. Productivity reaches 11 kg from 1 plant. 4. Chio-chio-san - with unlimited growth, a mid-season hybrid, hung with huge branched brushes, with 50 fruits on each. Pink, plum-shaped tomatoes weighing up to 40 g delight us with an excellent dessert taste and four kilograms of such fruits from a bush. The variety is not susceptible to tobacco mosaic disease. 5. Blagovest F1 - one and a half meter, early ripe hundred-day hybrid. One plant produces 5 kg of round fruits weighing over 100 g each. 6. Verlioka F1 - one and a half meter, early ripe stodnevka with round fruits up to 100 g each and 5 kg per bush. This tomato is great for canning and fresh salads. As proves personal experience gardeners, the most productive varieties greenhouse tomatoes are numerous: their list can include dozens of other hybrids and varieties of tomatoes, even for one region. INTERESTING NEW VARIETIES 1. Siberian F1 - late-ripening, single-stemmed hybrid with unlimited growth yields up to 5 kg in 4.5 months. Its flat-round, smooth, fragrant tomatoes of a unique size - up to 2.8 kg, and their taste is harmonious, dessert. The plant is not susceptible to diseases of cladosporiosis, fusarium. 2. Ural F1: This indeterminate unlimited growth tomato for the Ural region will produce the first tasty, sweet salad tomatoes in as little as 4 months. Up to 25 flat-round fruits weighing 350 g grow on 1 bush. 3. Shaolin F1 - a plant of medium ripening: after 115 days, the first large (up to 400 g), pink, beautiful tomatoes, salad destination ripen on powerful low bushes. Their pulp is tender, juicy, as if melting, with an abundance of provitamin A. The average yield is 10 kg per plant. Kamchatka F1 - one and a half meter mid-season (110 days before fruiting) variety with attractive and tasty round fruits weighing up to 150 g, stored up to 2 months. The hybrid is resistant to all pathogens of viruses that are dangerous for these plants. All of these listed productive varieties of tomatoes for greenhouses have already been evaluated by experienced vegetable growers and are leaders in the sale of seeds, especially since they are not very demanding to care for. GREENHOUSE BRUSH TOMATOES (We collect their fruits with brushes, like grapes in clusters). This type is gaining well-deserved popularity. Breeders have successfully bred the following hybrids: Fatalist, Fanat, Vladimir and others. FEATURES: - Valuable trait of this species - high strength: we can transport the crop anywhere, but the tomatoes do not deteriorate or crack. - The fruits on the bunch are often the same size: 100 - 200 g. - Such bunched greenhouse tomatoes are absolutely resistant to the diseases characteristic of these plants, so we do not have to spend money on the purchase of various preventive chemicals. THE MOST POPULAR Of course, that all high yielding varieties it is almost impossible to list tomatoes for a greenhouse - after all, breeders delight us with their new achievements. Among them stand out especially De Barao red, as well as the Ivanhoe F1 Hybrid. It is believed that these varieties in the greenhouse give more than 20 kg of fruit from 1 bush. DE BARAO - For De Barao, the norm is 30 kg from 1 plant, and the record is 70 kg. - Even on open field this variety at normal conditions and proper care gives 10 kilograms from 1 bush in a hot summer. - Its smooth fruits are of medium size with a mass of 150 g and are very tasty fresh and canned. - However, the hybrid is very demanding on the microclimate and grows poorly on infertile, heavy clay or loamy soils. - Breeders pleased gardeners with original early views tomatoes for greenhouses, not inferior in yield. But they have a different color, indicated in their very name: De Barao yellow, pink or black. SEMKO-SINDBAD F1 One of the most popular early-ripening hybrids was Semko-Sinbad F1. - In terms of early maturity, it is not inferior to the Hurricane variety, in which the first tomatoes turn red already on the 80th day from spitting seedlings. - The ovaries on the plant are also formed without additional measures. In its inflorescence there are 8 red fruits weighing up to 100 g at once with an average yield of about 10 kg per 1 sq. m. AIVENGO HYBRID F1 The new lettuce tomato surprises with its yield: the fruits on its brushes are like on a well-groomed bunch of grapes. - All tomatoes are bright red, and do not shrink near the top of the bush, providing an excellent harvest without the use of growth stimulants. - To taste, the fruits of this hybrid are much better than other greenhouse counterparts, and the bush itself is large, with powerful thick stems. - Ivanhoe with his high yield practically does not get sick and is resistant to fungi, tomato mosaic, nematode, verticillium. - Especially valuable for lovers of natural farming: it gives excellent harvest without the use of chemicals. - And this variety actually has no shortcomings, only the price of its seeds is higher. Yes, and tomatoes regular banks we will not close - they are very large. ALGAMBRA Its excellent productivity is successfully combined with another advantage - the brushes do not refract. - Taste qualities tomatoes are excellent. - This variety in heated greenhouses bears maximum fruit from April to January, forming ten-meter lashes. CARE OF HIGH YIELD TOMATOES We monitor the load of plants directly with fruits and adjust it in a timely manner, taking into account the characteristics of the variety. FEEDING 1. It is advisable to carry out agrotechnical regulation of the development of bushes only with their balanced nutrition. 2. Pay attention! Experience has shown that it is better to limit nitrogen before the first cluster of fruits is formed, especially in plants with vegetative development. 3. 1 week before planting seedlings in garden greenhouse stop feeding it, and after disembarking, we will do the first feeding in 2 weeks. 4. During the growing season, we regularly add, as the instructions recommend, phosphorus and potassium (wood ash is well suited for this purpose, and in order to simplify the process of plant nutrition, it is best to pour 2 large handfuls of ash into each hole immediately when planting seedlings), when flowering it is desirable to pour all the same wood ash around each tomato bush (this will also help protect plants from verticillium wilt). Further, when the fruits are tied on the first two brushes, it is necessary to apply nitrogen liquid top dressing for active growth fruits. During this period, we feed with a solution of mullein or bird droppings, and an infusion of weeds with an EM preparation is also good. 5. With excessive vegetation, we do root dressing bright pink solution of potassium permanganate. 6. With accelerated generative development, we will make 2 fertilizing with fermented weeds - this will accelerate the ripening of unexpectedly numerous fruits in cool weather. CARE OF SEEDS - Seedlings will appear in a week, and we will reduce the temperature to +18C. - Pour with warm settled water 1 time in 3 days. - To rid the sprouts of root rot, apply biological products. - When a real leaf appears, the seedlings are placed one at a time in plastic or peat pots. CARE OF PLANTS - We place seedlings in a row on the ground every 50 centimeters, and between their rows - 60 cm. - Pay attention! Seedlings of large-fruited tomatoes are placed in heated shelters 50 days after their germination, and in non-heated - in May. - We will add 0.5 kg of humus to the hole. - We will tie up the overgrown bushes with a trellis thrown over a 5 mm wire stretched along the rows. - Then we simply twist the trellis with our own hands as the bush grows, water it, and after flowering 2 times a month we feed it with ready-made balanced organic matter. - We will tie up large-fruited tomatoes - these high-yielding varieties need such support. - We regularly remove shoots from the leaf axil. - We collect the fruits brown, as their complete redness depletes the plant. CONCLUSION - Experienced gardeners they experiment with several varieties of tomatoes at once, because for a particular soil and area there are their own fruitful hybrids. - When choosing varieties, we take into account the characteristics of the greenhouse and growing conditions. - Traditional and tried greenhouse tomatoes are good, but new varieties are more hardy and productive with easy care. - We buy large packages of the selected variety and plant half of the seeds - if the result is successful, we sow the remaining seeds for the next year.
Cucurbits - cucumbers, pumpkins, watermelons and melons - grow for a long time, forming long lashes and laying a large number of ovaries. In a short warm period, most likely, it will not have time to become fruits, but it will draw on itself a significant share of nutrition and moisture. Therefore, in order to increase yields, these crops need to be shaped.
Cucumber formation
When forming a cucumber, unnecessary flowers and stepsons are removed, the number of ovaries is normalized, growth points are pinched. The formation of greenhouse indeterminate cucumbers differs from the formation of determinant cucumbers grown in open ground.
Formation of a cucumber in a greenhouse
In a greenhouse, cucumber lashes can reach a length of 1.5 m or more. Naturally, they require a garter - usually 14-15 days after transplanting.
Formation greenhouse cucumbers consists in the removal of flowers and processes in the four lower sinuses. This will allow air to circulate freely and minimize the appearance of rot.
In the next four sinuses, one leaf with the ovary should be left. Above, you need to count 4 more sinuses and leave 2 leaves and 2 ovaries there. In the next four sinuses - 3 leaves and 3 ovaries.
Everything else should be removed and at the end of the operation, pinch the growth point (i.e., the top of the whip).
Cucumber formation in open ground
In the open field, the formation consists in removing the growth point after the fourth leaf, and for each side shoot - after the second leaf. In hybrids, the growth points of each side shoot should preferably be removed after the second leaf.
In autumn, you can rejuvenate cucumber plants - this is also a kind of shaping. It is necessary to remove all the lashes on which there are no ovaries, and on which they are - pinch all the axillary shoots.
For more information on how to properly form cucumbers in a greenhouse and in the open field, read the article:
pumpkin formation
The formation of pumpkin lashes also differs between short and long climbing varieties. Extra ovaries and flowers are removed, the crown is pinched, and the lashes are laid out in a special way.
Formation of a short climbing gourd
Short climbing (bush) varieties can not be formed at all. It is enough just to remove the excess amount of the ovary or female flowers, if the ovary has already formed.
Formation of a long climbing gourd
In long-braid varieties, the situation is different. You should wait until about 6 leaves bloom on the main lash, and then pinch the crown. Such a formation will stimulate the growth of lateral lashes from the axils of the main lash, increase the number of female flowers on the plant, and, accordingly, ovaries and fruits.
When the number of set fruits with a diameter of about 13–14 cm reaches 4–6 pieces, it is necessary to completely remove the growth point of the lash, leaving 4 leaves above the outermost ovary. After that, you need to remove all the side lashes, as well as flowers, so that all the forces go to the nutrition of the formed fruits.
The provision of a pumpkin can also be considered part of the formation additional food- it's not difficult at all. All that needs to be done is to evenly spread the lashes over the site and lightly sprinkle them with soil at a distance of 40–70 cm from the base. In such places, additional roots are formed, and nutrition will increase.
Read more about shaping and pinching a pumpkin in the article:
The formation of a watermelon
Pruning of watermelon lashes should be carried out on a fine, sunny day, so that the cut parts dry out faster and do not begin to rot. First you need to pinch excessively long lashes that go beyond the boundaries reserved for one plant.
How many lashes to leave on watermelons?
After the most extreme fruit of each lash, 3 or 4 leaves must be left, after which the tips of such lashes should be pinched. A fully formed watermelon plant should have 2-3 lashes, on each of them - on average, 2 fruit-berries.
Of course, if the feeding area allows, and if the plant itself is powerful, then you can leave one more lash and add one fruit on each. But it is more appropriate, for example, in the south Altai Territory. In Western Siberia, for example, a large number of fruits simply do not have time to ripen.
How many fruits to leave on watermelons?
As soon as the berries begin to set and become the size of an apple, it is necessary to reduce their number, leaving 6-7 fruits on each bush - 2 medium fruits or 1 large should remain on one lash.
Usually gardeners who grow watermelons say that the minimum number of fruits on one plant is three. Then they turn out larger, juicy, but less sweet. Maximum amount equal to six or seven fruits. Then they will be smaller, but sweeter.
Read more about the formation of watermelon in the articles:
melon formation
When carrying out any operations with melon shoots, it is important not to damage the ones you plan to keep. Melon is very sensitive to shoot damage.
Melons usually have 2 stems. Be sure to take into account that at a height of about 30 cm from the ground, the main shoot is formed, which requires pinching. Side shoots at the stems, as a rule, are not left - they are removed completely. But there may be exceptions. So, for example, if the shoots are located in the upper part of the stem, and they are quite strong and fully developed, then they can be left. The main thing is that in the future these left side shoots be sure to tie to the supports so that they take a vertical position.
All fruiting shoots must be pinched over the third leaf, which is located immediately after the extreme ovary. Melon shoots that have not formed ovaries must be pinched over the very first leaf plate.
Read more about the formation of melons in the articles:
Heat-loving gourds prefer to grow in southern latitudes, where it is hot and dry. But this does not mean at all that such a culture cannot be grown in our area - the main thing is worthy care and attention to plants. And yet - a timely pinch of watermelons so that the set berries are large. Interesting? Then read on!
Do I need to pinch watermelons? Definitely yes! For melons, this procedure is almost identical to pinching other crops. Pinching allows future watermelons to grow larger and sweeter. It is noteworthy that the formation of watermelons is not at all a mandatory procedure if you grow watermelons in a greenhouse. It is necessary if the culture grows on open beds especially in cold northern regions.
How to pinch a culture
Some farmers believe that pinching watermelons is a procedure that only harms the crop. Actually it is not. If you cut the lashes correctly, then the quality of the future harvest can only be improved. For example, it must be remembered that berries form only on the main stem, and all secondary stepchildren can be safely removed. And then, you should not leave more than 4 ovaries on the plant, otherwise all the berries will be small.
As soon as a sufficient number of fruits have formed, cut the lash so that only a few leaves remain above the ovary. But that's not all. Weekly the main shoot will produce new lateral tendrils, the removal of which is mandatory procedure so that the fruits grow to the proper size.
Features of pinching the stem
In order not to harm the future harvest, it is important to know how to pinch watermelons correctly:
- it is extremely important not to touch the main stem, removing only stepchildren and side mustaches from watermelons - the general condition of the entire bush depends on it;
- do not leave many ovaries on one bush - each plant can form from 4 to 6 fruits, depending on the varietal variety;
- shoots of watermelon in the open field that do not bear fruit must be pinched immediately;
- pinching watermelons is no longer acceptable if the bushes have begun to actively grow fruits.
Pinching watermelon ovaries
If we talk about how to pinch a watermelon, you should consider all possible ways, often used by gardeners:
- In the first case, it is required to pinch the side shoots of the plant. This method is applicable to all varietal varieties of melons. It is necessary to leave several ovaries on the main shoot, and the lateral ones should be devoid of ovaries. Each of them is pinched so that only a few leaves remain.
- The next method of forming a bush involves the removal of side shoots. The ovaries should be left every 5 leaves and everything superfluous must be mercilessly cut off.
- And the third, most common way - in this case, the side lashes are not removed. It is necessary to wait until the fruits form on the lateral lashes, simultaneously removing all the shoots from the main stem, and no more than 6 fruits are left on the whole plant. On each shoot, no more than 2 ovaries should be left, and the top should be pinched at a height of 3 leaves.
The formation of a watermelon should be carried out on a dry sunny day - then the cut point will dry out quickly and no damage will be done to the plant.
If the weather is wet, rot may develop at the cut point, which will necessarily affect the condition of the bush in an unfavorable way.
To know how to pinch a watermelon correctly, you need to familiarize yourself with some of the features of the process:
- the formation of a watermelon bush involves the preservation of the main stem in order to prevent the death of the plant. How many leaves can be left? No more than 7;
- before shaping your watermelons growing in the open field, check the size of the berries - as soon as they reach a diameter of 10 cm, the plants must be pinched;
- as the plant develops, the shoots should be tied up, otherwise they may break off;
- many farmers debate whether to continue watering and shaping the bush after the berries have formed and grown. The answer is unequivocal: as soon as the fruits have formed, it is impossible to pinch or water the ground around the berries, otherwise their commercial qualities will deteriorate.
So, the scheme for pinching watermelons is quite simple, the main thing is to follow the generally accepted rules and prevent arbitrary growth of the bush. We hope that we have fully answered the question “how to pinch watermelons correctly”, and now the process of growing this melon crop will not be difficult for you. Good luck in the difficult business of growing melons and gourds - it is difficult, but very pleasant and profitable! Just a little effort - and now you are already treating your neighbors with your own grown, sweet and crunchy watermelons, accepting well-deserved compliments to your farming talent. Or maybe you prefer salted berries? You choose!
Video "Formation of watermelons"
In this video you will hear helpful tips for the formation of watermelons.
Many summer residents are trying to find the answer to the question of the advisability of pinching watermelons, because this is not the main agricultural measure care of the culture in question. As you know, during the growing period, watermelons need watering, adding nutrients to the soil, as well as loosening the topsoil and removing weeds.
It should be noted that the primary task of any gardener is to obtain big harvests with quality fruits. When growing watermelons, the ultimate goal will be to get large sweet and juicy berries, and pinching bushes will help in this hard work.
The process under consideration is somewhat reminiscent of the removal of lateral shoots from tomatoes or the pinching of other plants. Pinching involves removing the tops of new shoots to stop them from growing, resulting in shading of crops when grown in a greenhouse.
It should be noted that pinching watermelons should be carried out only in northern latitudes(middle zone of Russia, Siberia, Urals). After such an operation, two or three ovaries are left, and due to the fact that a limited number of shoots remain on the plant, they develop much faster than under standard conditions. When growing watermelons in film greenhouses only lateral shoots are removed, because in most varieties the fruits develop only on the main stem, and the ovary on the remaining processes is not able to form a full-fledged crop.
Conclusion: pinching should be done, but this is true in the middle lane and beyond the Urals. In the southern regions, this is not always appropriate - most varieties of watermelon give abundant harvests ripe fruits and without this procedure.
After pinching the culture, three to six fruits should remain on each watermelon bush, but this depends on the growing region, the rest of the ovary is removed. The procedure should be carried out according to the following scheme: after the formation of 6 leaves on the main shoot, it is removed upper part on the 2nd sheet, as a result, two main shoots will appear in us.
At the next stage of work, the upper part of each of the lashes is pinched, and after the last ovaries, two leaves are left. After the formation of fruits the size of an apple, the weakest of them are removed. The same is done with plants that form an empty flower, they simply need to be removed from the site so as not to interfere with the development of the rest.
When to perform this procedure
During the development of watermelons in a greenhouse, you need to monitor the growth of crops. In the case when plants interfere with each other, it is necessary to remove unnecessary shoots. It should be noted that in most regions of the Russian Federation, melon growers try to put 3-5 fruits on watermelons. Thus, the plant is freed from the load of the crop, and the fruits left grow quickly, becoming large and sweet.
During the period of intensive fruit growth, pinching of plants is stopped in order to accelerate the development of the crop. You do not need to cut all the leaves, because for normal growth, watermelons need photosynthesis, which is carried out through the leafy surface. Try to leave two or three leaves after each fruit, so cut off the unnecessary shoot higher.
