Watermelon is a piece of water paired with an incredible taste. Refreshing in summer and low in calories like no other fruit. Sugar melons, on the other hand, are just as sweet as sugar, aromatically fragrant and delicious. How much water do the plants need for the fruit to grow big and plump? And which nutrients ensure the good taste? These sun worshipers are still rare visitors to our gardens, but their care is not a closed book.
watering melons
The thirst for water is great
Watermelons and cantaloupes require water almost every day because they need a lot of moisture for healthy growth. The watermelon in particular relies on the precious liquid to live up to its name. The thirst-quenching fruits store these gifts and quickly grow into sizable balls. The gardener can literally watch them do this. The sunny and warm environment in which the melon likes to stretch out its tendrils, in turn drives up the need for water due to increased evaporation.
time & amount
Watering when and how much?
Casting is done as required, and that is almost always the case. The hotter the summer, the more often the watering can has to be swung. Watering is even more of a necessity indoors than outdoors, where the scarce soil dries out faster.
- Amount of water depends on need
- water more cautiously in cool weather
- Provide water daily on warm days
- a large pitcher per plant may be necessary
- the water should penetrate 20 cm in depth
- water in the morning
- supply more often in autumn, but with smaller amounts
An even, demand-oriented supply of the melon is a decisive factor for the formation of aromatic fruits. An under- and oversupply is not necessarily visible on the outside. However, the resulting loss of quality is clearly recognizable in the taste.
water temperature
The ideal liquid for melons
The melon is a heat-loving plant that resents being chilled by the water supplied. The daily large amount of water must therefore be at a good temperature so that it does not cool down the soil too much.
- Water straight from the tap is too cold
- lukewarm water is ideal
- Use rainwater or stagnant tap water
Pour right
The melon wants its daily water exclusively about their roots eat. The rest of the plant and the surrounding air should remain dry. Too much moisture on above-ground parts of the plant and too humid air promote unpleasant fungal diseases.
- do not use a water hose
- due to the hard jet, the water splashes everywhere
- sprinkler systems are also unsuitable
- only use a watering can
- water near the roots
- leave out the immediate root area
- Don't get the leaves wet
- Keep humidity low
tip: Installed drip hoses automatically, optimally and specifically supply the roots of the plants with water while the rest stays dry.
fertilize melons
Fertilizing is a necessity
Melons are heavy-duty plants that demand a lot of nutrients from the soil throughout the season. This has to be done so that the supply does not break off nutrient depot well filled in the ground before planting out and continuously supplemented. The gardener must therefore stock up on a suitable fertilizer in good time before the start of the season.
frequency
How often to fertilize?
The first fertilization takes place even before the melon plants enter the soil. A large portion of fertilizer is worked into the soil, the nutrients of which ensure that the plants get off to a good start. Depending on the type of fertilization, this sometimes has to be done several weeks before the melon is grown so that microorganisms have enough time to decompose the fertilizer appropriately.
During the rest of the growing season you will need to plant your melon weekly fertilize. It is important to ensure that the above-ground parts of the plant do not come into contact with the fertilizer solution.
The optimal fertilizer
Melons require a nitrogenous fertilizer that keeps the soil pH between 6 and 7. Artificial mineral fertilizers are easy to use, but not necessarily conducive to the taste of the fruit. You can grow organic melons in your garden if you fertilize them naturally. The total nutritional needs can be well over organic fertilizers be covered on an animal or vegetable basis. Every gardener can produce or buy natural fertilizers themselves at low cost.
compost
The ideal fertilizer par excellence if you want to provide the soil with nutrients naturally. It is ideal for all plants, including melon. A good gardener always has it ready because he composts the plant material that accumulates all the time.
- good as first fertilization
- in autumn or early spring
- even during the growing season
- sieved and dissolved in water
tip: If you don't have your own compost heap, you can still easily get compost. Regional disposal companies compost the contents of the organic bins and give away the compost produced cheaply or even free of charge.
cow and horse manure
Horse manure, in particular, contains everything a heavy consumer of nutrients could need. Find out where horses are kept appropriately in your area. Often the crap is given away for free. It should be well ripened before using in the garden, otherwise it may cause burns to plants.
- suitable for autumn soil preparation
- even weeks before planting
horn shavings
Hobby gardeners have been fertilizing with horn shavings for decades. You are a natural long-term fertilizer, which gradually releases its nutrients. This time delay must be planned for when supplying the melon. Horn shavings are therefore well suited as an enrichment before planting.
Horn meal is finely ground and therefore releases its nutrients faster than horn shavings.
plant manure
A healthy lifestyle and organic food are all the rage. More and more gardeners are therefore looking for natural fertilizers for their fruits and vegetables. Well-established plant manures are being rediscovered, and rightly so. Many plants are suitable for the production of nourishing plant manure. The best known is certainly the nettle manure, which you can make yourself as follows.
1. Pick about 1 kg of fresh nettle leaves and cut them up into a large bucket.
2. Add 10 liters of rainwater and some rock dust. This binds the unpleasant odors that arise during fermentation.
3. Cover the opening with breathable fabric. On the one hand, rising gases can desecrate, on the other hand no insects can fall into the liquid manure.
4. Leave the bucket outdoors in a sunny place for about 2 weeks.
5. Using a long wooden stick, stir the manure daily.
6. When there are no more bubbles, the manure is ready.
Immediately before use as a fertilizer, the nettle manure is diluted with water. The mixing ratio is 1:20 for young plants, otherwise 1:10. The liquid manure lasts for several months and can be used weekly.
green manure
Green manure can be sown on the designated area in the year before the melon is planted. Butterfly plants such as lupins and clover are ideal for this. With the help of nodule bacteria, they convert atmospheric nitrogen into nitrate, which in turn can be easily absorbed by plants. The nitrogenous plants are left standing and simply incorporated into the soil in the spring.
coffee grounds
Coffee is one of the favorite drinks in this country, which is why it is in every household. A valuable fertilizer is produced during its preparation: coffee grounds. It contains nutrients such as potassium, phosphorus and nitrogen.
- the coffee grounds are sufficient for a few plants
- let it cool down first
- Scatter next to roots of melons
- work into the ground
Natural fertilizers on the market
Gardening close to nature is becoming more and more important. The trade follows this trend and now offers numerous fertilizers made from plant or animal raw materials such as guano. So if you don't have time to work on fertilizer production yourself, you still don't have to resort to artificial products.