Every gardener dreams of growing a watermelon on his plot, which will have an attractive shape, size, unsurpassed taste of the fruit and will not require much time for planting and care. These include the Beijing Joy watermelon variety. It has already proven itself and received high marks due to its characteristics and main indicators.
Description and characteristics of the variety
The Beijing Joy watermelon series occupies a leading position in the ranking of popular crop varieties. The plant has medium vigor. The bushes are decorated with round, striped berries with durable bark, colored green with black stripes. The pulp is red in color, granular, characterized by excellent sweetness and a large amount of sugar. Large berries weigh up to 12 kg.
Advantages of the variety:
- high yield rates;
- universal-purpose fruits with a high taste rating:
- the ability to grow both outdoors and in a greenhouse;
- resistance to diseases and pests characteristic of the crop;
- preservation of taste and presentation during transportation over long distances;
- duration of crop storage under certain conditions.
The only drawback is poor tolerance to sudden temperature changes.
Varieties
The Beijing Joy watermelon variety is divided into the following types:
- Delicious Beijing joy. The growing season from the emergence of sprouts to the mature fruit is only 80-90 days. The fruits are circle-shaped, aligned, green in color with dark stripes. Under the elastic bark there is a sugar pulp of red-raspberry color. The hybrid is popular due to its high percentage of sugar content, pulp density and good yield.
- Peasant Beijing joy. A mid-late hybrid, the period of technical ripeness begins 95-105 days after the formation of the first shoots. The fruits are oval-shaped, striped and have a thick, durable peel. The red pulp is sweet, granular and sugary. The weight of one berry is more than 8 kg. It is of interest to gardeners for its high quality and good yield.
- Great Beijing joy.The variety belongs to the mid-early hybrids, the ripening period of which is 80-85 days. Round fruits, large in size, striped. The pulp is bright red, sugary and juicy. The weight of one fruit varies from 6 to 16 kg. The harvest is suitable for short-term storage.
- Farmer's Beijing Joy. The variety is one of the early ripening hybrids; the ripening period from planting seedlings in open soil or in a greenhouse is 85-90 days. Fruits are round in shape with green bark with black stripes. The red pulp is characterized by juiciness, sweetness, granularity and contains 12% sugars. The weight of one berry is 5-8 kg. It has earned its attention due to its successful combination of early ripening, large fruit and high sugar content.
What conditions are necessary for good growth and harvest?
Watermelon Beijing Joy is a heat-loving, heat-resistant plant. Therefore, it is necessary to create favorable conditions for it so that the culture grows and develops normally.
Soil quality
Watermelon loves warmth very much, therefore it does not tolerate darkening and needs sandy soils. The plant is drought-resistant and responsive to fertilizers containing nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. It is not recommended to plant watermelons after nightshade and pumpkin crops.
To avoid the accumulation of fusarium and other dangerous pathogens in the soil, you should adhere to crop rotation and build in the same place after 7-8 years.
Watering frequency
The key to obtaining a high-quality and quantitative harvest is compliance with irrigation standards. When watering, you need to use warm water. Water carefully, without wetting the foliage and cotyledon.
The Beijing Joy watermelon is characterized by a powerful root system and has a large suction force, delivering the plant a sufficient amount of water from the ground.And when the fruits begin to ripen, watering should be abandoned so that the berries accumulate more sugar.
Application of fertilizers and microelements
To speed up the growth of Beijing Joy watermelon bushes, you need to provide it with all the nutrients in the required volume. For these purposes, fertilizers consisting of organic and mineral agents are used. They will improve development, activate flowering and help quickly form fruits. To obtain yields, preference should be given to formulations containing nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. The dosage of fertilizer application depends on the soil, climate, and sowing time.
Growing methods and technology
Growing watermelons of the Beijing Joy variety is an interesting process, and with proper cultivation, this crop can be obtained in any region.
Greenhouse cultivation
In areas with a harsh climate, watermelons of the Beijing Joy variety do not have time to ripen under the open sky. A high-quality harvest can only be obtained by cultivation in a greenhouse, which will help adjust weather conditions and make them suitable for the growth of sweet watermelons.
To speed up the process, watermelon seedlings are first raised at home, and then planted in a garden bed in a greenhouse.
Planting seedlings in a greenhouse is carried out according to a certain algorithm:
- Pre-prepare the soil by digging it up and adding nutrients such as peat, humus, potassium salt, superphosphate.
- Form bulk beds, place along the walls of the greenhouse, 30 cm high, 50-80 cm wide, maintaining a distance of 1 m between rows.
- Dig holes 10 cm deep.
- Carefully remove the seedlings from the pots along with a lump of earth to avoid damage to the root system.
- Place the plants in a checkerboard pattern, maintaining a distance of 50-70 cm from one another.
- When planting, leave the root collar on the surface, as its deepening can cause rotting.
- Water and mulch with sawdust.
In the future, surround watermelons of the Beijing Joy variety with attention and care, performing all care activities that will determine the survival rate of the seedling, the onset of fruiting, vitality, the quantity and quality of the future harvest.
Cultivating watermelons in a greenhouse is a painstaking process that requires constant monitoring of various indicators. Such a structure will help grow beautiful melons both in the southern regions and in the North.
In the open ground
Before planting, soak the seeds in warm water until they hatch. Make holes and sow the prepared seed material into open soil at a soil temperature of 12-14 degrees in early May. Planting depth is 5-8 cm. After sowing, mulch with humus to avoid the formation of a crust that would prevent the germination of sprouts. Shoots will not take long to appear and will form in 8-10 days. Subsequent care comes down to watering, fertilizing, loosening, weeding the soil and killing weeds.
Diseases and pests. Ways to fight
Throughout the growing season, it is necessary to provide the Beijing Joy watermelon with protection from diseases and pests. Damage to the leaves of the crop can significantly reduce yield, deteriorate the taste of the pulp, and lead to the formation of bark necrosis and sunburn.
The most dangerous diseases are fusarium, anthracnose, and powdery mildew. Among the pests, melon aphids, wireworms, and mole crickets are considered the worst enemies.
Ways to fight diseases:
- observe proper crop rotation;
- collect seed only from healthy fields and fruits;
- carry out chemical spraying: treat the seeds 2-3 months before sowing;
- treat plants against powdery mildew with a suspension of colloidal sulfur, anthracnose with a 1% Bordeaux mixture.
In the fight against insects you need to use certain techniques:
- spray plant bushes with chemicals;
- collect and destroy plant debris in all areas where pumpkin crops were cultivated, followed by deep plowing;
- eliminate all weeds within a 100 m radius near the melon plant.
Caring for watermelon is not difficult; it is important to monitor the condition of the plant and implement all agrotechnical techniques. In return for your attention and care, it will reward you with a rich harvest of sweet berries. The Beijing Joy watermelon variety produces a full-fledged fruit, uniform in shape and color, suitable for cultivation both for home consumption and for use for commercial purposes.
