Description of the variety of watermelon near Moscow Charleston Gray, features of cultivation and care
Sweet fruits that quench thirst are sold in summer heat along the highways, in kiosks, in markets, from cars or just from the ground. To accelerate maturation, increase their weight, they are fed with nitrates. Instead of a delicious watermelon, you can buy a rotten watery fruit. The owners of summer cottages and small land plots try to grow berries on their own, which adore the sun and heat. Until recently, only residents of Stavropol, Krasnodar Territory, and Astrakhan Region could boast of the yield of melons and gourds. With the advent of the watermelon Charleston Gray, the planting of a thermophilic culture spread to the middle lane.
Breeding history, and in which areas it can grow
Although melon seeds germinate well both in greenhouses and in greenhouses, but only grown in open beds and fields, illuminated by the direct rays of the scorching sun, watermelons delight with sweet pulp that melts in your mouth. Breeders from many countries were engaged in the development of hybrid varieties that better adapt to different climatic conditions, tolerate cold weather and rainy weather, and have a short growing season. Charleston Gray appeared on the market thanks to the hard work of specialists from France. The hybrid seeds are sold under the brand name HM Clause.
This watermelon is planted in Siberia, the Volgo-Vyatka region. Its fruits ripen in Altai, in the Central Black Earth regions, it is not bad for this variety Poutside Moscow climate.
Watermelon Charleston Gray. Description and characteristics
The hybrid, bred by French breeders, quickly gained popularity among summer residents. Farmers are successfully growing sweet fruits for sale.
Charleston Gray is different:
- long lash:
- a large number of side shoots;
- elongated fruit shape.
The powerful plant has carved leaves, the berry has a light and smooth skin, the thickness of the rind exceeds 2 centimeters. The variety attracts with its bright pink juicy pulp, some specimens of watermelons weigh 12-15 kilograms. When grown in the middle lane and Siberia, the mass of fruits is slightly less. They can be transported over long distances without any problems, retain their taste for a month and a half after harvest.
The variety is not affected:
- fusarium wilting;
- anthracnose;
- mosaic disease.
The first watermelons of the hybrid ripen 75 days after germination. In the south, farmers harvest up to 100 tons of fruits per hectare.
In the middle lane and in Siberia, Charleston Gray is recommended to be grown in seedlings. The dark brown seeds are sown in a greenhouse or in peat pots.
Prerequisites for a good harvest
Although hybrid varieties tolerate weather changes normally, in order for the fruits to set and ripen, an abundance of light, timely feeding, and a certain humidity are needed.
Watering
Many gardeners, planting watermelons in the middle lane, believe that melons and gourds love a dry climate and heat, which means they do not need water. Plants do develop at an air temperature of at least 22 °, but small and tasteless fruits are formed without watering. Although hybrids and varietal crops have powerful roots that go deep into the ground, they need moisture for almost the entire growing season.
After germination before the growth of the lashes water the watermelons preferably every day with warm water. When they fade, it is enough to moisten the soil once a week at the rate of 8 liters per bush, then the earth will get wet by half a meter.
Farmers are not able to irrigate large areas planted with melons so often, so they begin to water abundantly:
- after thinning seedlings;
- on flowering days;
- before ripening.
To retain moisture in the ground for a longer time, the aisles are mulched with hay or straw. When the watermelons begin to ripen, irrigation is stopped, otherwise the fruits will not be sweet, but watery. Like many other plants, melons need to be watered under the root and in the evening when evaporation decreases.
If possible, it is better to install a drip irrigation system.
The soil
In order for watermelons to ripen in the middle lane, you need to choose only early ripening varieties. These include the Charleston Gray hybrid. The culture prefers light sandy soils and plenty of space. If the land is barren in order to improve the composition, it is mixed:
- with peat;
- sawdust;
- mullein.
In the spring, in each hole prepared for planting a watermelon, pour a spoonful of superphosphate and 60 grams of nitrophoska, cover with soil and moisten with water. After each watering, the soil must be loosened, otherwise a crust will form that does not allow air to flow to the roots, which prevents the growth of lashes.
Fertilizer
Charleston Gray hybrids are less affected by disease, but need a lot of nutrients. To harvest large and sweet watermelons, you need to feed the plants three times with organic matter and mineral fertilizers. The melon culture reacts positively to humus and rotted manure, mullein diluted in water in a ratio of 1 to 5. With such feeding, nitrates do not accumulate in the fruits.
The nutrients necessary for watermelons are present in herbal infusions of alfalfa, nettle, and plantain. You can alternate them with manure, mix with wood ash.
When feeding with potash fertilizers:
- Many feminine flowers appear.
- The ovary forms faster.
- Fruit taste improves, sugar and vitamins accumulate.
During the growing season, plants need magnesium and calcium, for the growth of stems and leaves from 10 weeks, fertilizers are applied in which nitrogen is present.
Watermelon cultivation technology
Planting and caring for the Charleston Gray hybrid practically does not differ from the methods used for other varieties of this type of melon. Sweet and juicy berries ripen when grown in fields and in spacious areas, but where the climate does not allow the fruits to ripen, the culture is planted in closed ground.
In greenhouse conditions
When growing watermelons under a film, you must follow the basic rules. In April, they prepare a place, dig up the earth, adding sand to it, make a deep trench, at the bottom of which manure is piled, and soil is poured on top. When 3 leaves appear on the seedlings, the bushes are moved to the greenhouse every 60 centimeters. The wells are moistened with warm water.
To prevent the sprouts from starting to rot, they do not need to be buried in the ground.Watermelons are planted after May 20, the film is tightly pulled. The melon culture is constantly watered at the rate of 0.5 liters of water per one bush. In the first feeding, nitrogen fertilizers are used. When the watermelons begin to develop, the lashes are tied up. During the flowering period, the greenhouse is ventilated so that the bees are pollinated.
Outdoors
Charleston Gray can be planted in fields and summer cottages in the middle lane, therefore, when choosing seeds, many people stop at this hybrid. The technology of growing such varieties of watermelons provides for both the seedling method and sowing directly into the open ground.
The first method is suitable for regions where summer is not very warm and ends quickly. The peat pots are filled with ash, earth and humus and the seeds are sent. The seedlings are fed and watered, at the age of 30 days they are moved to the garden bed.
The second method of growing watermelons is less labor intensive. When the temperature of the soil reaches 14 degrees, holes are made in it, peat, humus and ash are placed in them, 4-5 seeds are placed in each hole. The sprouts that appear are thinned out, leaving one stem.
Prevention and control of pests and diseases
Charleston Gray is resistant to the main problems of melons, but suffers from aphids. The female of this small insect lays eggs on the leaves of the watermelon, and they curl and dry out quickly. The best prevention of the invasion of such pests is weeding and watering with a solution of onion peel. The spider mite loves melons and gourds. To cope with it, watermelon leaves are treated with an infusion made from dope.
If folk remedies are powerless in the fight against parasites, they resort to spraying plants with insecticides.
Harvesting and storage
Watermelons are cut 4-5 days before the fruits are fully ripe. It is not recommended to remove the juicy berry earlier than the deadline, since it will not ripen. Melons harvested late are not stored for a long time. Charleston Gray has a thick crust, is well transported, but does not last until winter.
To prevent watermelons from rotting, not losing their taste, they are left in a ventilated room with a temperature of up to 4 ° C.
Fruits are placed in boxes, sprinkled with ash or dry moss. You can wrap the berry in a thick cloth and hang it in a net in the cellar.
