Fruits
Contents
When you think of Africa or Egypt , do you think of watermelon vine ? Because about 5000 year ago , masses in the Kalahari desert in Africa experience how to mature watermelon vines . And you may learn , too !
Sweet , juicy , and full of smack , Citrullus vulgaris is most ordinarily consociate with the summer months , vacations , pushover , and holiday . masses savour it in both sweet and savoury applications , as food or as a beverage . It ’s easy to see why they ’re so democratic !
They ’re also surprisingly easy to turn , although they take space . lease ’s snarl ourselves in how to grow Citrullus vulgaris vine in your yard so that you could enjoy this cherubic and wonderful yield all summertime long !
Good Products At Amazon For develop Watermelon :
Watermelon: Quick Care Guide
All About Watermelons
Did you have intercourse that watermelon is technically a form of extremely large berry ? Citrullus lanatus , the watermelon vine , produces what are called “ pepo ” – a berry with a backbreaking outer skin and no interior partitioning in the flesh . Cucumbersare also debate extremely tumid berries !
Citrullus lanatus is part of the Cucurbitaceae family of plants , a pigeonholing that includescucumbers , squash , pumpkins , zucchini , gourd vine , and many melons like Citrullus vulgaris , cantaloupe , and honeydew .
There arequite a lot of varieties of watermelonat this point . Some have been bred over clock time to bring about smaller yield , whereas others are mammoth . The largest watermelon vine develop was well over 200 pounds and was massive in sizing !
countenance ’s go over some of the different eccentric of watermelon vine which are commonly useable today and a bit of information about each one .
A Note About Seedless Watermelons
When you go to the supermarket , the majority of the watermelons you ’re likely to discover for sale are seedless watermelons . And when you ’re learning how to acquire watermelon , it may come as a surprise that seedless watermelons are not actually seedless !
While most heirloom varieties produce thick brownish or disastrous watermelon germ , seedless watermelons in reality make a thin , ashen , or emollient - colour come . In stock varieties , a bloodless seed would be one that has not fully develop yet . For seedless watermelons , that ’s what they ’ll all bet like !
Seedless watermelon vine have a lower germination rate than sown watermelons do , and you may need to plant more watermelon seeds when trying to germinate them . However , the seeds themselves are well digestible and not as woody as those of their heirloom opposite number .
I ’m die to be including seedless Citrullus vulgaris in the categories below but will mark them as seedless with an(S)after the name . That room , you could expect for the specific size of melon vine that you ’d like to grow as well as the seed type .
Common Watermelons
This is the traditional watermelon we all screw and love . Sometimes mammoth , these melons are useable in both sown and seedless watermelon , and can be anywhere from 10 British pound all the way of life up to massive 200 - pounders ! These typically have a thicker rind suited for pickle .
Icebox Watermelons
The refrigerator watermelon vine is sometimes reckon a personal watermelon or baby melon vine sizing . These range in the 2 - 12 pound sign mountain range , and are normally much smaller in size of it . They can be incredibly sweet and often have a short time of year . Thinner rind are common for these .
Differently-Colored Watermelons
Red or pinkish watermelon flesh is what most people at once mean of , but did you know that watermelons hail in yellowish or orangish - fleshed varieties ? Here ’s a selection of watermelons in unlike colors which are every bit as flavorful to their red and immature relatives .
Planting Watermelon
Seed is the skilful fashion to take up for healthy vines , so let ’s discuss everything you need to know about planting Citrullus vulgaris seeds !
Most watermelon vine varieties want at least three months of strong conditions to grow . For some of us , that means planting in the leaping is just o.k. . Others may find that right now , at the offset of summertime , is their best stakes for great fruit harvests .
I in person prefer to skip - jump my seed indoors prior to establish . You will need a soil temperature of at least 70 academic degree ( and preferably 80 ) , so you may require to utilize a heating flatness if you ’re set about them in the cooler give months .
Once you ’ve inure off the plant , you may get it in the priming coat when it ’s warmed up . Mid to late May is a popular time for west coast sept , but on the east coast , June to July solve quite well too .
This is a changeless trouble for many adventurous gardeners , because many heirloom vine can reach lengths of up to 20 feet .
you could train watermelons , especially smaller change , to grow on an angled or vertical trellis . However , many people favor a orotund available space so their melon can spread , sooner one where kid and pets wo n’t trample the vines and young fruit .
One option that many people try out is growing the melons straight in the middle of a lawn . you’re able to make a heap of compost in the centre of otherwise - unused lawn space and plant them right there . The vines will spread out and slowly cover the lawn .
If you are a raised - seam gardener , you may still grow them with some pre - planning . You ’ll likely require to pick a plant that has a cylindrical lining or miniature habit rather than one with stray vines . Alternately , you’re able to trellis - develop them to keep them in a smaller space .
Did you know that it ’s potential to rise watermelon in container , too ? You ’ll require at least a five - Imperial gallon container ( or a five - Imperial gallon produce bag fromRoot Pouch!or a5 - gallon Air Pot ) so the flora has enough stem space , but you’re able to teach your watermelon vine to climb up upward ! It ’s even possible to grow watermelon in a5 - tieror7 - level GreenStalk . This give you the option tointerplant with other comrade plantsand save space while growing this prolific vine .
However you choose to grow your watermelon , be sure it has full sun . While your Citrullus vulgaris plants may take a little specter , specially on the crest of creeping vines , they perform best in full sun conditions . This is not a industrial plant to tuck along the shady side of your sign of the zodiac .
If you ’re depart watermelon vine plants indoors , use 3 - 4″ coconut coir or peat pots . large vine graft poorly , so you ’ll want to found these open air while they ’re still young without disturbing the roots too much .
Use a well - debilitate potting grime in the pots , and plant 3 germ per pot at least 1/2″ beneath the soil ’s surface . Keep the grime temperature at a lower limit of 70 degree until the seeds germinate . Once the watermelon plant have germinated , keep the healthiest sprout and take away the others .
Starting from seminal fluid alfresco ? Make a hill of well - drain soil that ’s rich in compost , and works 8 - 10 seeds per hill at a depth of 1″ below the soil surface . If you ’re go to allow your watermelon plants to spread out , space these seeds in clusters of 2 - 3 around the pitcher’s mound . Hills should be 4′ apart .
Once your watermelon industrial plant have shoot , take the strong three watermelon plant life per Benny Hill to save . If you ’re give out to trellis them , you might want to have only one plant life per hill , but you could locate hills about 1.5 to 2 foot apart .
We ’ll cover how to transplant young Citrullus vulgaris plants a lilliputian further on !
Caring For Watermelons
As much as we ’d like to think otherwise , Citrullus vulgaris wo n’t just miraculously look overnight … and even if they did , they might not be as tasty as those grown in optimal conditions . So let ’s discuss how to turn watermelon in optimum weather , and you could adjust as needed .
Light and Temperature
Watermelons sleep with the sun ! If you ’re just learning how to grow watermelon vine , you ’ll need to know that they are definitely Dominicus - worshipping plant . They make their own shade beneath their leaf top for the vine and its fruit to stay protect .
Watermelons require 8 minute a day of sunlight to thrive . They will grow in shadier term , but the fruit may be smaller or less odoriferous .
When larn how to acquire Citrullus vulgaris , temperature is a factor but not a major one to consider .
Citrullus vulgaris grow good when the temperature is 70 - 90 grade Fahrenheit during the daytime , and 65 - 70 degree at Nox . However , watermelons are large-minded of hot summertime temperatures , and can easy maturate even in hotter conditions once established . A warm soil temperature is a must .
The prison term at which your vines will be most tender is when they ’re still young , as they ’re still vining and spreading out . Until the leaf create a canopy to shelter the vine beneath , you may desire to use a shade cloth to chill the watermelon plants down if the heating spikes .
Water and Humidity
To make those juicy melon vine , the vines need quite a bit of water . After all , watermelon is made up of 92 % water ! But how do you know how often to water them ?
Simply put , check up on the dirt . Watermelons have cryptic antecedent , so you will call for to check down mysterious . If it ’s dry out out in the top 2″ or so , you likely need to water again . Maintaining consistent wet at all times will encourage sweet-smelling , luscious fruit later !
You ’ll want the ground to be dampish for at least 6″ below the dirt ’s surface when you finish watering . Using a drip irrigation system is ordinarily the dependable fashion to achieve upright permeation of pee without putting the plant at risk of infection of mold or other fungous diseases .
Watermelons like to be water deeply a lower limit of once per hebdomad . Hotter weather means more tearing . A unspoilt prescript of ovolo is that you should water them at least an in per week during mild weather , and double the frequence in raging conditions .
If you plan on mulching , either with black plastic or wood chip mulch , you may not have as much drying up from the soil and may be able to apply less water . The goal is to keep the grime systematically moist but not muddy – Citrullus vulgaris roots , vine , and yield are susceptible to disease .
As for humidness , watermelons are happy in both semi - arid and humid conditions . However , the higher the humidity , the higher the risk of fungal diseases such aspowdery mildewordowny mildew . Keep a watchful eye out for danger such as these .
Soil
land is an important part of how to maturate watermelons , so let ’s go over the optimal grease blends for them !
Hard - pack soils tend to be problematic as your watermelon plants will be struggling to stretch out their roots . It ’s better to have a loamy , well - draining soil amended with compost . Aged manure or seaweed are also good addition , as watermelons are heavy feeders .
The optimal pH range should be 6.0 - 6.5 , but your vines can handle up to 6.8 and possibly even 7 pH. Just be aware that anything below a 6 may result in yellow farewell or vine stunting .
Watermelons are susceptible to manganese perniciousness , especially if the pH mountain range is not favorable for your watermelon vine plant life . It ’s always a dependable idea to have your soil essay at the local husbandry extension prior to planting so you’re able to improve as needed .
Fertilizing Watermelon
There are two stages of fertilizing which use to watermelon : new industrial plant , and fruit maturation .
A vernal plant is live on to take a eminent nitrogen boost to do its growth spurt . So for the initial leg at and after plant , using a high - N fertilizer is best . That will provide all of the victuals your watermelons involve to produce their foliage .
When the vines start to flower , it ’s prison term to switch to a gloomy - nitrogen , but higher - phosphorous and higher - K fertilizer . The combining of K and phosphoric is necessary for stimulating flower production and for goodish fruiting .
Be certain that you make the switch , though ! If you cohere with the high - atomic number 7 fertiliser , your vine will stay on to decamp everywhere , but you may not produce much if any fruit at all . And the whole percentage point of growing watermelon is to eat it , right ?
Watermelon Propagation
The best means to grow Citrullus vulgaris is from clean Citrullus vulgaris come . watermelon vine plants grown from source are typically good for you and have more vigor than those which are n’t . In add-on , you may expend a seminal fluid treatment such as beneficial mycorrhizae or another source inoculant that elbow room if you ’d like .
watermelon vine can also be grow from cutting . You will require to try your vine and take a newspaper clipping just past one of its foliage nodes . Ideally , you need a 9 - 12″ cutting . Place your cut into sterile potting intermixture , bury at least a couple of inches of the vine .
Keep the dirt moist , but not wet , and ensure it remain in the 70 - degree range . Also , keep your clipping out of unmediated sunlight until it starts to actively produce again , at which point it has developed roots .
cutting may have trouble fruiting if they ’re taken too tardily in the time of year . It ’s usually far easy to just get from seed in the first place .
Watermelons are notoriously finicky when it comes to transplanting . As the Citrullus vulgaris plants put down a goodly taproot , it can start to ringlet around the inside of the pot and cause the plant to become rootbound apace , which rarify transplants .
I extremely commend plant any watermelon seeds you wish to pre - start in a plantable pot , such as a pot made of peat or coconut coir . you may gently cut the bottom of the quite a little just before planting to earmark easy admittance for the roots to unfold out .
old watermelons do not transpose well at all . They germinate a cryptical and intricate stem arrangement that can stretch out nearly a foot and a half from the vine ’s base , and it seriously complicates any effort to move them . Since they ’re a single - time of year crop , it ’s not really necessary .
If you do call for to transplant a watermelon seedling from a charge card deal , please be extremely easy so as to not damage its independent taproot . you’re able to engraft it at or just slenderly above where it was planted before , as the vine will develop more root along its duration .
Pruning and Training Watermelons
Pruning the vine can be knavish , because it may impact fruiting .
watermelon vine vines are monoicous , meaning that they produce both male and distaff flowers on the same vine . While that means they ’re ego - pollinating , it also means that pruning may accidentally remove flower you need to produce fruit .
Typically , manlike flowers tend to appear first on your vines , and female flowers will show up further along the vines later . There should always be some male peak around when the vine is producing female flowers .
If you have the blank to just allow your vine grow at their own rate and size of it , then by all substance you could ! However , be cognisant that there are drawback to this method .
The more fruit that a particular watermelon plant is working to develop , the less sweet each fruit becomes . In accession , the lineament of the melon vine will pass up in other ways . The rind may be less solid , or the yield in spite of appearance may have a more or less mushy texture . Shelf aliveness decreases as well .
Multiple vines emerge from the same Citrullus vulgaris plant . For the good , sweetest melons , you ’ll want to decide on the maximal turn of melon that each watermelon plant life will develop . For smaller varieties , that might be 8 - 10 melons , but for larger melons , it may be 4 - 6 .
If you ’re endeavor to grow a prizewinning monumental melon vine , you may want your watermelon plant to dedicate all of its clip and energy to making one single melon . However , you do n’t need to prune off all the other vine , as the watermelon vine plant life call for leaves both to gather solar vim and to shade itself !
Once each vine from the watermelon vine plant floor has a uttermost of two fruit , it ’s full to lop off the vine tip beyond that point , entrust enough leaves that the plant can carry on to thrive .
People who are growing their watermelon vine on a treillage may be limited by the blank available on the trellis , and should wait until some fruit start up to take form . Again , endeavor to limit it to a maximum of two yield per vine . Then trim off surplus growth to keep the works in check .
As with any pruning , sterilize your trimmer between deletion to forbid the spread of disease .
There are three very of import reasons to mulch around your Citrullus vulgaris vine : sess prevention , water retention , and disease prevention .
Weeds , especially those near the cornerstone of the vine , can compete with your Citrullus vulgaris plant for nutrients and H2O . They can also nurse pest that may go after your watermelon vine . Keeping the weed population down will help your flora significantly .
Soil that ’s under a mulch layer will hold its water much longer , rather than losing it to dehydration . This slows down the pauperism to water , although you ’ll still need to water consistently withal .
watermelon vine vine are susceptible to a number of diseases , many of them fungal . The yield is susceptible to molder where it sit down on the ground if the soil beneath it is too moist . Mulching will keep water from slush up onto the plants , and will also keep fruit off the reason safely .
Commercial farmers use pitch-black plastic or black landscape gardening cloth to mulch around their plants . Wood chip are also quite proficient . fend off using compost as a mulch directly beneath fruit if you’re able to , but compost around the base of the plant is also effective .
Many commercial-grade cultivator farm watermelons vertically . There ’s a good understanding for this ! It takes up far less blank that way of life . However , knowing how to grow Citrullus vulgaris on a treillage take you to be patient , and also need you to be heedful .
Citrullus vulgaris vine will take off in a speedy growth spurt once their roots are well give and their nutrition needs are meet . It almost seems like you wink and it ’s maturate another few inch ! During that initial spurt is when you ’ll necessitate to be most vigilant .
The method acting that commercial growers use most is overhead support . A strap will be placed around the conclusion of the watermelon vine and attach to an upper support . As the vine elongates , the strap will be shortened to keep the vine upright .
you could also use a more received trellis . erect trellises necessitate some tot up sustenance for the vines , so you may want to use strips of old plastic supermarket bags or string to tie your vines to the trellis , which will help oneself keep your vines acquire upwardly .
If you happen to have a mountain chain - link fencing on your property , you have a ready - made trellis that can handle the weight of watermelon vine ! only secure your vine to the fence . Be forewarn that if you ’re grow a prominent melon type , it may warp the chain - tie-in if it gets heavy .
Angled trellis are very simple to use . localize the shortsighted ending of the slant at the base of the plant , and encourage the vine to maturate across the top of the trellis “ uphill ” . Any fruit will string up down below the trellis as it develop . These are great for small melon types .
It ’s important when you ’re doing vertical Citrullus vulgaris growing to guarantee that you have excess keep for the fruit as it cause larger , too . sometime pantyhose or T - shirt fabric go keen to create a stretchy catapult that you could tie to the trellis to hold the free weight of your melon vine .
Harvesting And Storing Watermelon
Unlike many other fruits or vegetable , watermelons are n’t obvious when they ’re right . In fact , they ’re downright sneaky about it . They ’re also not great for long - term storage . But I ’ll give you the best tips to secure you reap at the right time and store the melons right !
Harvesting Watermelons
It ’s amazingly difficult to gauge when watermelon vine is mature . However , there are a few thing that should be done when it ’s getting close .
First , when the melons seem to be at full sizing , slow down lacrimation . Keep the grunge wet uniform , but do not occupy about provide sonorous watering unless the plant life needs it . This forces the plant to focus the sugars in the melon vine and cause it nice and sweet .
ascertain the modest tendrils close to where the vine attach to the melon vine . These will begin to dry out when the melon is go up ripeness . If they have gone completely chocolate-brown , your melon vine may be overripe , but you require them to at least begin dry out .
The melon itself should have unspoiled coloration except for where it was perch on the grime or on whatever material you ’re using to cradle it . Rather than being white , the lighter smudge it was pillow on should have twist creamish or yellow in color .
Your melon vine should be nice and heavy for its size , signal that it has plenty of wet inside . The outer casing should be firm and should not easily give when press on . If it does give , the melon may already be overripe or suffering from foretoken of impending rot .
Many people pound watermelons as an meter reading , claiming that if it vocalize vacuous , it ’s right . This is not universally true . It ’s easygoing to pay attention to the vine tendril and the melon ’s colouration as a gage for ripeness .
To glean , utilize a clean , aseptic tongue orpruning shearsto snip through the vine about an in from the melon vine . Do not twist or go against the vine off , as this will injure the vine .
It ’s of import to be mindful that watermelon will not mature any further once they ’re cut off the vine . They will stay at the same level of ripeness until they bulge out to decompose . So if you opine your melon ’s underripe , give it more time on the vine !
Storing Watermelons
Typically , a whole melon from the supermarket with no puncture to the rind will last at elbow room temperature for a week or two . Every couple of days , move around your watermelon and inspect it , making sure it still is unpunctured and that it has n’t started to soften .
Commercially - farm melon are usually assortment with a much thicker rind than some of the homegrown type . Smaller homegrown miscellanea may have lean rinds , and thus will not last as long . These are well used within 3 - 5 twenty-four hours .
you could maintain a cut watermelon vine in the refrigerator by completely cover the cut surface with plastic wrapper . Once cut , the privileged melon flesh will begin to break down more chop-chop , so it ’s best to deplete it within a match of days of press cutting .
If you dice up your watermelon into a bowl , wet will begin to pool in the bottom of the bowl within 24 hours . It ’s still fine to eat up at that point , but the longer it sits , the less flavour the watermelon flesh will have .
Watermelon frame does not stop dead well at all . The cell anatomical structure of the Citrullus vulgaris flesh will expand and collapse , and when it ’s thawed back out , you will have damaged anatomy and a puddle of succus . However , you could freeze down Citrullus vulgaris juice with good succeeder .
To freeze the succus , take the red ( or orange / chickenhearted ) flesh of your melon and put it into a food for thought processor or blender . Blend until mostly smooth . you may prefer to leave the flesh pulp in or to filtrate it as you ’d favor .
post the juice ( strained or unstrained ) into freezable containers , leaving at least a third of the container empty to permit for elaboration when it freeze . Once it ’s totally suspend into a Citrullus vulgaris ice block , you could remove it from its container and place it in a deep freezer bag if you wish .
Many the great unwashed will also immobilise ice cube of watermelon juice and pulp magazine . These can be added to sweet talker or blended on their own to make a slushie .
If you have an ice cream manufacturing business , there is an teemingness of recipes online for hit watermelon water ice , and that ’s another cracking mode to conserve summertime ’s perfumed flavor .
Dehydrated or freeze - dry watermelon pulp is another pick . The dehydration or freeze - drying process causes the moisture to full evaporate , leaving crystalized Citrullus vulgaris sugar in the flesh . It creates a watermelon jerky that can be quite tasty !
Do n’t forget that the rind itself is comestible . While many people simply throw it by , pickled watermelon rind can be improbably tasty and well worth put in . If you ’re trying to maximize the garden truck that your garden gives you , try pickling your watermelon rind ! You ’ll be happy you did .
Troubleshooting Watermelon Problems
Growing Problems
Blossom ending rotis because of a lack of Ca in the territory . Your plant demand Ca to make goodly yield ! Prior to planting , you may append powdery eggshells orbone mealto the territory to prevent this circumstance . It needs to be approachable to the roots .
Often , the soil pH may be off in garden where blossom last rot is a regular issue for watermelon . delay the stain pH and bringing it to a compass between 6.0 and 6.5 will usually guarantee the plants can have access code to the calcium you ’ve provided in the soil .
Pests
coarse cucurbit pests are normally the culprits in your watermelon patch . Here ’s a shortlist of the worst offenders !
The most usual pest of watermelons is thecucumber mallet . Striped cucumber beetles are specially partial to watermelons , in fact . And the last thing you need to do is to discover these pests in your garden ! break them withpyrethrin spray .
squeeze bugscan attack your vines and make wilt terms or devastation . These are also susceptible to pyrethrin sprays , so those are a serious command method for them too .
Whilesquash vine borersprefer squash vines , a levelheaded watermelon vine vine is heavy for them to baulk . These can be strong to spot in your watermelon patch , so it ’s best to spray your plants weekly withneem oilto keep the borer at bay .
Bothaphidsandspider mitesknow that your watermelon vines are fill with plenty of muggins for them to suck . As these can spread out cucurbit disease as well as other diseases , keep them at bay with regular sprayings of neem oil on all vine and foliage surfaces .
When your watermelon vines are still untried , most of these pesterer can be forbid totally by the employment of floating row cover and estimable crop rotation . Once they ’ve get on and are start up to flower , wrangle cover should be removed to provide for pollination .
Diseases
Fusariumcan wreak havoc in your watermelon vine plants . Younger plants are very susceptible to damp off , and onetime ones which are not decent care for can developroot rot . There ’s no real “ cure ” for this , but many tactics to practice to prevent it .
Anthracnose , powdery mildew , anddowny mildeware also all fungous disease that collide with Citrullus vulgaris . These are peculiarly tough if you regularly get your vines and forget wet . employ drip irrigation to avoid these , and regular spray of neem oil will serve forbid fungal spore from engage hold .
Alternaria leaf blightis also pretty common in watermelons and other cucurbit . Spread by fungal - contaminate water , it ’s skillful to drip - irrigate to avoid splashing and spread of fungal spore . bull fungicides are recommended if it still take hold .
Curly top computer virus is a common disease of tomato , cucurbits , and other vegetable crops . This computer virus is spread byleafhoppers , and there ’s no treatment once a works has it . Preventing the leafhoppers with neem oil or pyrethrin is your just wager .
Frequently Asked Questions
Q : What is the best way to grow watermelon ?
A : permit it sprawl far and wide or train the vine up a trellis . Give them full sun , and rich , consistently damp soil . Mulch around the groundwork of the flora and you ’re set !
Q : What calendar month do you set watermelon ?
A : It depends on the region where you live . Most watermelon growers start watermelon vine seeds in spring and former summer for summer and fall harvest home , respectively . Most often , this occurs in March and August .
Q : How many watermelons do you get from 1 industrial plant ?
A : Most vines create 2 to 4 watermelons .
Q : Do watermelons call for a lot of water ?
A : Yes . Give them temperate to heavier lacrimation at 1 to 2 inch per week . In blistering season , you may need to water more to ensure the soil is consistently moist .
Q : How long does it take to fully grow a Citrullus vulgaris ?
A : It depends on the variety you ’re growing . Most produce fruit in 70 to 100 day .
Q : Do watermelons need full sun ?
A : They do ! They ’re suited to coastal regions with very little overhanging shade .
Q : How often do you water a Citrullus vulgaris ?
A : You ’ll need to water at least once or twice per week , and maybe a bit more in hot summers .
Q : How many watermelon vine seeds do you plant in one hole ?
A : At the very least , plant 2 to 3 seeds . At most , plant 4 to 6 .
