Cultivation and features of yellow watermelon

How nice in the summer heat to enjoy juicy watermelon berries! You cut the fruit and enjoy the bright red flesh. Is it only bright red? Why not bright yellow? Today, watermelon with yellow flesh is very popular. In this article we will talk in more detail not about that watermelon, which has a yellow peel and is called the "Gift of the Sun", but about that which is yellow inside.

Appearance history

A few decades ago, yellow watermelon appeared through a selective experiment: crossing wild watermelon with ordinary red. Wild is impossible. Its taste is terrible. But after crossing from wild berries, only the color inside remained. The form can be round and oval, the flesh is yellow. The taste is pleasant. Nowadays such a watermelon is often called "moon", and in the people - "baby." It is grown in Spain (round), Thailand (oval), in these countries yellow varieties are more popular than red ones. Most recently, they began to grow in the Astrakhan region.

Description and characteristics

Externally, this berry often has a dark peel color with almost no stripes. May be in the form of a ball or an ellipse. Small in size. This is a fruit with a very juicy pulp of yellow color, not very sweet, with a pleasant taste, which has shades of lemon, mango, pumpkin. Berry is very juicy. She has almost no bones. Perhaps that is why the people call her "baby." Depending on the variety, the mass of berries varies from 2 to 6 kg.

Popular varieties

The varieties of yellow watermelons are varied. The most popular variety in Russia - "Lunar". Also grown are "Orange Medoc", "Golden Grace", "Prince Hamlet", etc. In Thailand, the most popular is the Yellow Dragon, in the USA, the Yellow Doll, in the Czech Republic, Primaorange, in Israel, the Seedless Imbar, in Poland, the Janusik. All these varieties have yellow juicy flesh, differ in size, shape, flavor.

Features of growing

It is possible to grow yellow watermelon presented in the photo, as well as red, from a stone right on the garden bed, but you can first grow seedlings and transfer them to the site. The plant loves warm weather, a lot of sun, moderate watering.Experienced gardeners grow this type of watermelon even in pots in a greenhouse.

Especially carefully you need to handle the lash of the plant, because the yellow watermelon is very delicate and thin, but despite this, the fruits can be quite large, as already mentioned, up to 6 kg.

Substrate and Seed Preparation

For growing seedlings suitable mixture in equal quantities of peat, river sand, humus + 200-250 g of wood ash per 10 kg of the mixture.

You can also buy ready-made mixture for growing pumpkin. The seedlings are very capricious in transplanting, so it needs to be grown in ready-made containers: peat cups, disposable dishes (do not forget about the drainage holes). That is, in containers of at least 250-300 ml, from which you can easily get the seedlings with an earthy clod, without damaging the roots. Seeds can be purchased at an ordinary garden shop. Before planting, it is necessary to carry out preparatory work: soak them in water at 50 ° C for a few hours, then in a solution of potassium permanganate (as experienced gardeners advise) for 1-1.5 hours,rinse with clean water. After that, the seeds are ready for planting.

Sowing and caring for seedlings

Seedlings are planted on seedlings in March - April, depending on the conditions of further cultivation (greenhouse, greenhouse, open ground). Fill the prepared containers for 2/3 with substrate, pour with warm water, put 2 seeds each and gently sprinkle with peat-sand mixture for 2 cm. Moisten. Cover with foil until the appearance of "eyelets" of shoots.

During the growth period, seedlings need to be watered moderately every other day at the edges of the container, carefully loosen the crust formed, provide a 12-hour light day (on cloudy days - a lamp). When the third leaf appears, feed with liquid mineral fertilizers and liquid mullein.

Landing in the ground

It's time to plant the seedlings - carefully select a place. It should be a plot with constant sunshine and heating, without shade from the south, sandy and sandy loam soil. Before planting in the ground, seedlings need to be hardened: in 2-3 days, reduce watering and air daily.Plant the whole earthen room in a damp warm ground, trying not to damage the roots and sprouts.

Care for yellow watermelons

In the first days after the landing, watermelons can be covered for the night, if the difference in day / night temperatures is large. Water first once every two days, then 1-2 times a week.

This type of care does not require special care. Top dressing should be like ordinary pumpkin plants. 10 days after transferring to the soil, the seedlings can be fed with ammonium nitrate. Then you can make feeding with liquid mullein, after a couple of weeks - with superphosphate. When the ovary goes, you can feed phosphorus-potassium substances. If you want to have large fruits, then you need to leave 2-3 first fruits, and behind them, after 3 leaves, pinch the whip.

Harvesting

When the fruits start to gain weight (approximately at the end of July), under each one you can put veneer in order to avoid rotting. You also need to reduce watering, then the pulp will be sweeter. If you notice that the "ball" has ceased to grow, then after about 2 weeks you can harvest.Signs of ripeness will also be a white (or better yellow) side in the place of contact with the soil, brilliant color, a dull sound when tapping, sometimes a dry tail.

It is necessary to collect fruits carefully, without damaging the skin. It is better to cut from the stem, rather than tear. It is necessary to put in storage bottom down. It is necessary to store at 10-15 ° C, at a relative humidity of 85-90%.

Yellow and red: what are the differences

Externally, the yellow berry is no different from the traditional. The same color of the skin (sometimes slightly darker), the same shape, often the same size, stripes on the skin may or may not be present. So it is almost impossible to distinguish the appearance of yellow watermelon from red. But the yellow berry is more juicy than the red one. She has almost no bones. Sweets are much smaller than red ones. The taste has shades of lemon, mango, pumpkin (it all depends on the taste sensitivity of the consumer, or "eater").

As you understand, it is not so difficult to grow a watermelon on your site. A little effort, attention - and delicious healthy berries on your table. Both red and yellow berries are beneficial to humans.

The only "minus" of yellow watermelon - in its price (if you buy). It is often several times more expensive than red. But you should definitely try. So if you have a garden plot, a summer cottage or just a garden bed, then go for it.