Description of the watermelon variety Siberian Lights, cultivation technology, planting and care
Watermelon is a southern heat-loving culture. Until recently, the fruit was grown only in the south. Professional agrarians of northern latitudes know that the planting of watermelons, if they develop and grow, is unlikely to be able to enter the full stage of maturity. But thanks to the experiments of breeders, dramatic changes have occurred. Sweet southern berries are successfully grown in the North, and the Siberian Lights watermelon is a prime example of this.
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The history of breeding varieties Siberian Lights
Humanity has been cultivating watermelons for thousands of years. The annual plant began to be cultivated in sultry Egypt. The juicy sweet fruit, along with the seed, traveled with merchants across continents and settled on the southern African mainland. Centuries passed, farmers from all over the world studied the agricultural technology of fruit crops. We learned how to fruitfully grow melons in the southern territories of our country.
Gardeners living in the northern regions of the country made numerous attempts to breed a thermophilic plant, but all actions were reduced to failures. Watermelons did not have time to ripen in too harsh climates.Selection does not stand still, scientists, thanks to numerous experiments, have learned to breed cold-resistant varieties of watermelons that can ripen in the early stages. Siberian Lights is a prime example.
Characteristics and flavoring features of the berry
Early ripening varieties differ significantly from many hybrid varieties of watermelons. This is evidenced only by positive reviews and characteristics. Ripening dates are from 80 to 95 days. Planting melons and gourds are resistant to fusarium. Grow well after potatoes, cabbage, legumes. Appropriate care significantly increases the amount of the harvested crop, which sometimes exceeds the established norms.
The taste of berries is sweet and rich, the pulp is bright with a dark red tint. Fruits grow in the form of a dark green ball with faint black and greenish stripes. The rind is rather thin and light. The fruit can weigh from one to two and a half kilograms. The presentation is always at a high level, it is not lost from long transportation. The culture is grown in open ground and in greenhouses.
In which regions can it grow
Breeders, studying the nature of thermophilic melons and gourds, have developed a technology for growing in the country's territories with a short warm period.Early ripening cold-resistant varieties with a short growing season and the ability to yield crops in the Moscow region, in the Urals and in the northernmost regions of Russia were bred. Watermelon Siberian Lights successfully grows and bears fruit even in the short Siberian summer.
Gardeners' reviews prove that it has become possible to grow melons in a cold climate, and the process gives quite good results every year.
Planting and cultivation rules
To growing watermelon brought only positive results, you need to stock up on good quality seeds. The material offered by specialized outlets is ideal for the process. The grain harvested at the enterprise has been thoroughly screened, processed, disinfected. They are suitable for landing, do not require additional actions.
The best material for germination is selected by soaking. Good seeds sink to the bottom of the vessel, empty unusable ones float. For the prevention of diseases, the selected seeds are treated with hot water, the temperature of which is about sixty degrees. Then, for a while, they are placed in the pink composition of potassium permanganate or in a weak solution of hydrogen peroxide.
To harvest in Siberian conditions, first determine the approximate time of planting seedlings in the ground. Only then are the grains lowered into the ground.
The seeds will take about five days to hatch. The age of seedlings suitable for planting is from a month or more. The grown plants are transferred to a permanent place, and each gardener independently determines in what conditions the crop will give the best harvest.
In greenhouses
In the regions of Siberia, there is always a long frosty winter, a short but very hot summer. Gourds growing steadily and slowly are not always able to adapt to changeable climatic conditions. When planting an early ripe watermelon variety on seedlings, many gardeners prefer greenhouse cultivation technology.
Greenhouses are equipped with a dense transparent film. To enhance the greenhouse effect, they are wrapped in two or three layers. Capital buildings made of modern polycarbonate material are more convenient and reliable. Sprouts are planted in well-prepared soil, carefully dug up, loosened, fertilized with mineral components and organic matter.
Outdoors
For growing watermelons in the regions of Siberia the main thing is the right variety. Based on the reviews of avid gardeners, Siberian Lights is an ideal option. In this case, the size of the fruits is not given much attention, since in cold climates the fruits do not grow large. An important positive quality of the variety is a small number of days from setting to ripening.
In a short summer, these are the main points, and only thanks to them you can count on the future harvest.
Wanting to grow watermelons on the site, you must adhere to the main rules:
- for cultivation, only hybrids are chosen that are adapted to the climatic conditions of the region:
- agrotechnology is carried out in accordance with the basic requirements.
The weather plays an important role, which cannot be predicted or accurately determined. The positive results of the harvest, external and taste indicators of fruits depend only on it.
How to grow a good harvest, proper care and fertilization
Watermelon Siberian Lights is an early ripening variety. The standard time from germination to ripening is eighty days. This is the most suitable hybrid for areas lacking sunny days. At the initial stage, seedlings are grown for a month or more, and then, at an almost accelerated pace, the growing process itself is carried out. The soil for planting is prepared in advance.At the end of autumn, it is plowed, trenches are made, all the necessary nutrients are laid out in them.
With the onset of spring, organic matter is added to the rotted layer, seedlings are planted in a month.
Seedling material is placed in open ground when the earth warms up to fifteen degrees with a plus. To protect the plants from possible spring frosts, the seedlings are covered with a film, and after a couple of weeks they are additionally fed with liquid organic fertilizers. The Siberian Lights hybrid does not need frequent watering, which is stopped one and a half months before harvesting.
Plants have to pollinate on their own, they make it a "male" flower. It is plucked and connected for seconds with a female inflorescence. To obtain a good harvest, they control the number of ovaries and shoots. For early ripening varieties, several ovaries are enough for one bush. A large amount will not allow the fruit to ripen.
Disease prevention
Watermelon, like all cultivated plants, is attacked by insects and infectious diseases. Every gardener, trying to get a good harvest, should not forget about preventive measures. The first preventive measures are carried out with planting material. Before planting the seeds in the ground, they are kept for some time in Bordeaux liquid or in Fundazole solution.
After planting, the plants are periodically sprayed with a mixture of wood ash and water, and tobacco dust also relieves melons from aphids well. When serious infections or insect infestations appear, fungicidal agents are used.
Collection and storage of the harvest of watermelons
The ripeness of watermelons is determined by the characteristics characteristic of the culture:
- the amniotic lash began to dry out;
- from lying on the ground for a long time, a wide yellow spot appeared on the side;
- during a light tapping, the fruit makes a ringing sound of a ripe watermelon;
- the due dates for ripeness have come;
The fruits are stored for a long time, the process depends on the amount of the harvested crop and the storage location.
