What and how to properly feed watermelons in the open ground during flowering and fruiting

Many gardeners are engaged in growing melons. However, not every one of them manages to grow juicy fruits with good taste. In order for the harvest to be of high quality, it is necessary to regularly fertilize watermelons in the open ground. mineral and organic fertilizers.

Why do you need to feed watermelons?

Some gardeners who are going to grow melons do not know why they are fed. Most often, fertilizers are used if the soil lacks nutritional components. For example, when growing watermelons In the southern regions, fertilizing is not necessary, since fertile soils predominate in this area. Gardeners recommend feeding watermelon bushes to residents of the eastern and central regions. In these areas, growing melons without regular fertilizing of the soil is contraindicated, since due to a lack of micronutrients, the fruits will grow slowly.

Fertilizing mixtures are added to the soil when the first signs of nitrogen deficiency appear. These include slow growth of seedlings, poor development of inflorescences, thin shoots and the appearance of a white coating on the surface of the leaves. If you add a solution containing nitrogen to the soil, the bushes will begin to grow much faster. However, such fertilizers must be used very carefully, since sometimes, due to their excess, seedlings begin to grow worse. Therefore, melon crops are fertilized in moderation so as not to oversaturate the soil with nutritional components.

Feeding methods

There are two main methods by which plants are fertilized:

1. Root. When using this method, all fertilizing solutions are added to the soil so that they can be absorbed by the roots.
2. Foliar. A less common method is where all the fertilizer is applied directly to the stem or leaves.

It is recommended that you familiarize yourself with each of the considered methods in more detail.

Foliar

A characteristic feature of this method is that when using it, it is necessary to fertilize the bushes by introducing nutrients through the leaves and stems. This promotes faster penetration of components into plants. It is necessary to fertilize plants using the foliar method very carefully, since the introduction of a large amount of solution has a negative effect on the development of seedlings.

Using the foliar method, all leaves are thoroughly sprayed with a fertilizing solution, which may contain organic or mineral substances. Spraying is carried out only in the evening or early morning, when there is no sun.

Root

To improve the development of watermelon seedlings, gardeners fertilize them using the root method. For this, liquid solutions of manure and other organic components are used. The fertilizing solution is poured into each bush at the root.

At least five liters of liquid are consumed per square meter of land with planted watermelons.

It is better to fertilize the soil before watering the seedlings or heavy rain, as organic matter is absorbed faster in moist soil.

Types of organic fertilizers

Many vegetable growers prefer to fertilize melons and melons at home with organic matter. To do this, they use animal feed, plant fertilizers and other folk remedies, from which a nutrient solution can be prepared.

Vegetable

There are several plant components that can be used to feed grown watermelons:

1. Humus. When growing melons, seedlings are often fertilized with humus, which is prepared from soil and animal residues. To prepare this fertilizer, it is recommended to use manure or bird droppings.
2. Ash. It is difficult to find a gardener who has never used wood ash.To create a nutrient mixture, the remains of burnt weeds, leaves, wood and straw are mixed. Regular application of ash will fill the soil with boron, calcium, phosphorus and sulfur.
3. Vermicompost. Some gardeners use vermicompost, to prepare which rotted leaf mixture is mixed with yeast, soil and worms. If you periodically fertilize watermelons with vermicompost, the fruits of the plant will become larger and tastier.

Animals

When using organic matter, not only components of plant origin, but also animal ones are added to the soil. These include:

1. Litter. Almost every gardener uses chicken manure when growing melons. It contains nutritional components such as potassium, phosphorus and magnesium. For fertilizer, use only a weakly concentrated solution mixed with water.
2. Mullein. To feed watermelons, you can use mullein, the composition of which is very similar to urea. It contains a lot of potassium, nitrogen and phosphorus, which improve the growth of seedlings. The advantages of mullein include the fact that it is environmentally friendly, so even in large quantities it does not harm watermelons.

Mineral fertilizers

Sometimes, to increase the yield of melons and melons, it is not enough to use only organic matter, so they also use mineral supplements with iodine and other microelements. Before feeding a watermelon, you need to familiarize yourself with the classification of such fertilizers.

Phosphate

To quickly improve the growth of watermelon seedlings, soluble phosphates are used, which include:

1. Ammophos. This granular component is half phosphorus. The rest of ammophos includes potassium, sulfur and nitrogen.If you use the component correctly, watermelons will increase their immunity to diseases, increase productivity and improve the taste of the berries.
2. Superphosphate. Common nutritional mineral elements include superphosphate. Its main advantage is its high degree of dissolution in water.

Nitrogen

Common nitrogen fertilizers include:

1. Urea. This fertilizing is used to accelerate photosynthesis and fruit growth. It is not recommended to fertilize plants with urea too often, as this will reduce the number of flowers and worsen the yield.
2. Saltpeter. The substance is one-third nitrogen, and therefore belongs to the group of nitrogen-containing components. Saltpeter should not be added to the soil in large quantities to prevent the appearance of nitrates in watermelon fruits, which can harm human health.

Potash

Potassium has a positive effect on the growth of melons, so it is necessary to regularly water the soil with potassium solutions. You can feed watermelon bushes with potassium chloride, which improves the protective properties of seedlings and helps them cope with sudden weather changes and diseases.

Differences in fertilizing in open ground and in a greenhouse

Before growing watermelon, it is recommended to familiarize yourself with the main differences between their fertilizers in a greenhouse and a vegetable garden. Growing watermelon bushes in greenhouse conditions, the soil is often fertilized with mineral components, which contain phosphorus, potassium and nitrogen. To prepare the working mixture, add 20 grams of the substance to 10-15 liters of water.

The resulting liquid is enough to water 4-5 bushes. When the first flowers appear on the seedlings, a superphosphate mixture is added to the soil. To prepare it, add 50 grams of superphosphate to a ten-liter container of water.After this, the area with watermelons is sprayed with the liquid.

Caring for seedlings grown outdoors involves regularly adding organic matter. Solutions prepared from leaves, herbs and manure are periodically added to the soil. They not only enrich the soil with useful microelements, but also cleanse it of bacteria and hazardous substances. Also, watermelons in gardens are periodically fertilized with wood ash to improve the taste of the fruit.

Watermelon feeding scheme

There are many techniques that help to evenly distribute fertilizing throughout the growing of watermelons. However, the most effective scheme is considered to be one in which plants are fertilized at each stage of their development.

When sowing seeds

The first feeding is carried out during the period of planting watermelon seeds. Before applying fertilizing, the type of soil and its acidity level are determined before planting the seed. Areas with sandy soil are fertilized with a humus solution. Calcareous soils are fertilized with mineral microelements.

Fertilizer when planting seedlings

Some gardeners grow seedlings in advance, which they later transplant into the garden. Before planting young seedlings, the entire area is sprayed with Fitosporin, which cleans the soil of viruses and other pathogens. Then the ground is sprinkled with mustard, oats and other green manures, which promote the development of roots and green mass of watermelons.

During the flowering period

Before flowering melons, it is recommended to enrich the soil with potassium, which improves the formation of flowers. To do this, the area is treated with a solution prepared from Nutrivant. To create a mixture, add 200-300 grams of the drug to 20 liters of water.There is enough liquid to fertilize three square meters of watermelon plot.

At the beginning of fruiting

During the period when the first ovaries appear, the bushes need a component such as boron. It is necessary for cell development and ripening of watermelon berries. Plants that lack boron have leaves that turn yellow and small stripes appear on the fruit. To saturate the soil with the component, you will have to treat the bushes with Megafol and Plantafol for two weeks.

Fetal nutrition for fetal growth

After the formation of ovaries on the plants, the growth stage of watermelon fruits begins. It is recommended to familiarize yourself with the features of fertilizing watermelons during this period in order to increase productivity.

Every ten days, the bushes are watered with Uniflorom solution, which contains components to accelerate the growth of berries.

To create a mixture for watering seedlings, add 100 grams of the drug to ten liters of warm water. After this, the mixture is stirred and the soil is fertilized with it. To make the harvest juicier and tastier, the bushes are treated with a fertilizing mixture prepared from Terraflex. To create a working fluid, add 50 grams of the drug to 20 liters of water.

How to determine excess and lack of feeding

A deficiency or excess of nutrients in the soil is quite easy to determine. To do this, it is enough to monitor the condition of watermelon seedlings. If the bushes grow poorly and weak shoots form on them, it means they lack nitrogen. Also, the lack of this substance is indicated by small yellow spots that appear on the surface of the leaves.

There are cases when bushes wither for a long time and weakly grow green mass. Such signs indicate a lack of potassium supplements that watermelons need.If there is too much potassium in the soil, side shoots appear on the plants, which impairs the growth of berries.

The death of flowers and ovaries is observed with calcium deficiency. Also, the lack of a component leads to the formation of small fruits and underdeveloped inflorescences.

Conclusion

When growing melons and melons, it is necessary to apply fertilizers. Therefore, it is recommended to familiarize yourself in advance with the main methods of fertilizing, their varieties and the features of fertilizing watermelons with various mineral and organic fertilizers.