Content
Gulyabi melon comes from Central Asia. In its homeland, Turkmenistan, the plant is called Chardzhouz Melon. Five main varieties of the crop have been bred: all the fruits are sweet, juicy, soft, and with a lot of vitamins. It is useful for children from the first months of life. It is stored for a long time, retaining its beneficial properties.
Description of Gulyabi melon
The external color of the fruit depends on the Gulyabi variety: from smooth yellow to green with roughness. The pulp is white, soft, dense, juicy. Long-term storage of the crop contributes to the accumulation of sugar (about 9%) - the melon becomes juicier, the taste is preserved, and the aroma intensifies. In terms of the amount of sugar, the fruits are compared to sugar cane.
For Gulyabi fruits to fully ripen, it takes an average of 4.5 months (up to 133 days after germination). The standard weight of the plant’s fruits is up to 5 kg; in Russia it ripens up to 3 kg.
Culture was first brought to Russia in the 16th century. Hybrid varieties turned out to be resistant to the natural conditions of the central zone of the country. For different regions, breeders developed their own varieties of crops:
- Variety Orange. It has a bright flesh color (from light, almost white to juicy orange).The fruit is juicy, ripening time is 2.5 months, after picking from the bush it should lie in a dark place for up to 6 weeks.
- Variety Bosvaldi. The shelf life is short, externally the fruits are wrinkled, green with brown stripes.
- Variety Sary-Gulyabi. It has a rough surface, a mesh pattern, and dense juicy pulp.
- Variety Chardzhouzskaya Gulyabi. With a peel of even yellow-orange color, juicy, sweet fruit. It is called the “queen” of melons.
- Variety Gulyabi-803. The peel is bright, yellow. The pulp is crispy, juicy, honey-like. The shape resembles an egg.
All varieties of Gulyabi are considered late-ripening.
Gardeners argue: is melon a vegetable, a berry or a fruit? In relation to melons, this crop is considered a vegetable. Scientists call melon a “false berry.” Culinary experts are accustomed to classify the plant as a fruit.
Calorie content of Gulyabi melon
The pulp of the fruit of the plant is low in calories. Per 100 grams there are 33 kcal, or 138 kJ. The value is average. May change. The final indicator depends on the growing conditions of the crop, the frequency of watering, and the ripening period.
Pros and cons of the variety
Like any species, Gulyabi melon has certain advantages and disadvantages. The first, most significant advantage is the high content of vitamins, minerals, various salts, fiber, and starch. Among melon crops, Gulyabi is the most useful. Sugar is easily digested. The general effect on the body is therapeutic: regular use improves immunity.
The second advantage is the long shelf life of the fruit.Some varieties of Gulyabi retain their properties until the next season, until May: this allows you to obtain vitamins from the natural fruit throughout the winter.
An additional advantage of the culture: a variety of dishes are prepared from Gulyabi melon. Desserts, sweets, hot dishes (soups, purees, etc.) are tasty, healthy, and are often used in baby food.
Minuses:
- Difficulties in growing crops. In the regions of central Russia, there is a high probability of seedlings freezing. The plant is not grown in greenhouse conditions: the lack of sunlight, heat, and ultraviolet radiation affects it. Artificially created lighting does not give the desired effect.
- Possibility of allergies. Gulyabi melon is also contraindicated for patients with diabetes mellitus, in case of disturbances in the processing of lipids and the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.
Growing Gulyabi melon
Gulyabi melon requires a hot, dry climate. The plant does not tolerate high humidity. Growing requires care; you need to take into account the characteristics of the crop when planting and caring.
Preparing seedlings
There are two options - buy ready-made plant seedlings or grow your own from ungerminated seeds of the crop. The first method is more expensive, but less troublesome. Three-year-old seeds are taken. The early ones do not form fruits and form barren flowers.
It is necessary to ensure that the seeds are suitable for planting. 5 grams of salt are diluted in 100 ml of clean water. The good ones will sink to the bottom: they are collected and dried. Those that float to the surface are unusable, spoiled or empty.
Ready plant seeds are soaked in advance to speed up the appearance of sprouts. You need to wrap it in damp gauze, place it in a plastic bag, and hang it in a warm place (for example, near a radiator). Or use warm wet sand. A new product in the gardeners' arsenal is hydrogel.
Planting plant seeds for seedlings depends on the climate of the area and the required age of the crop when sent to the ground. In the central zone of the country, sowing is carried out from late March to early April. In the Urals and Siberia - the second half to the end of April. Gulyabi melon is transplanted onto the ground after 35 - 40 days.
It is advisable to use individual containers for Gulyabi seedlings, with a diameter of 10 cm. Picking is not recommended. For soil, mix peat, humus and turf in equal parts. To feed the plants, add one small spoonful of ash, superphosphate, and potassium sulfate.
After the crops emerge, weak shoots are removed and maximum light is provided. In cloudy weather, light from phytolamps is added. Direct rays should be softened - paper or fabric should be placed on the windows.
Watering no more than three times in seven days. It's important not to overdo it. Use settled water at room temperature.
Before planting in the ground, Gulyabi melon seedlings need to be prepared. The container is taken out onto the balcony or loggia. Start with one hour, gradually adding time. Hardening of seedlings begins at least a week in advance.
Selection and preparation of a landing site
Gulyabi melon is thermophilic. The site should be located in the southern, southwestern part of the site. It is necessary to consider protection from the wind. For example, some gardeners plant tall crops (sunflowers, legumes, corn) around the perimeter.Others place the plant between rows of young garden trees. The crop is not grown in the same place for two years in a row.
They begin to prepare the site in the fall: they choose a place and arrange the beds. Before winter, the soil is dug up and mixed with humus (approximate calculation - 3.5 kg per square meter). At the beginning of spring, fertilizers are added - nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus.
Landing rules
Gulyabi melon is planted after the following crops: onions, legumes, cabbage, sweet clover, corn, wheat. It is forbidden to plant after nightshades, pumpkins, and carrots. If there is no other option, all remains of previous plants are burned, the soil is treated with a manganese solution (5%). Such crops have similar pests and diseases that can spread to a new plant.
Holes for seedlings are dug to a depth of 5 - 7 cm, the distance between them is 1.5 m (less than that is impossible: the plant is a melon, it spreads well). A sprinkling of earth can form a small hill, no more than 5 cm in height. Before planting, the soil should be watered with warm water.
Watering and fertilizing
Water the plants next to the seedlings. They make a special small ditch. The water is heated (temperature about 25 °C). New watering of the crop begins when the soil has dried to a depth of 5 cm. During the formation of fruit ovaries, water less frequently. Watering is completely stopped during the ripening of Gulyabi melon fruits. This increases the sugar level in the pulp, and the root and aerial parts avoid rotting.
Plants are fed according to the following schedule:
- after the appearance of crop sprouts on the seventh day – with ammonium nitrate, “Kemira”;
10 - during the active formation of plant buds - mullein solution, rotted bird droppings (ratio 1:15);
- when fruit ovaries appear - phosphorus, potassium complementary foods (for one bucket of water 50 grams of the first, 20 grams of the second).
Complementary feeding of plants is carried out strictly during the specified periods. The culture becomes vulnerable and weakened, so additional nutrition of melon seedlings is required.
Formation
The artificial formation of the Gulyabi melon bush will save the plant’s strength for budding, ovary, and ripening of the fruit. A maximum of 5 side shoots of the plant are left, and the main stem of the crop is also pinched. The number of fruit ovaries for one bush of a crop should not exceed 4 - 5 pieces.
Harvesting
Gulyabi melon is a late-ripening crop. Fruit harvesting begins from late August to early September. The ripeness of plant fruits is determined by certain features:
- dry ponytail;
- from the flower side, the melon fruit remains soft, but without pressing;
- uniform rich color corresponding to the variety;
- The aroma is pleasant; when you hit the peel, you hear a dull sound.
Long-term storage of the fruits of the crop allows for a large harvest. The exception is the Gulyabi Bosvaldi variety. Its fruits have a thin peel and cannot be transported over long distances, so they are consumed within the first month.
Diseases and pests
The labor-intensive process of planting and caring for the plant allows you to harvest a good harvest of melon fruits. Pests and various crop diseases become obstacles. The fight against harmful consequences does not always give results: it is more effective to take measures to prevent the development of the infection.
Pests of Gulyabi melon include:
- melon aphid – appears on the inside of the leaves of the crop: treated with karbofos, soapy water, actellik;
- wireworm;
- melon fly – rare in Russia, it destroys up to half of the plant’s fruits;
- spider mite – stops plant growth, weakens the crop: treated with acaricides, products with phosphorus, sulfur;
- broomrape (parasitic plant) - instead of sucker roots, seeds are stored for several seasons in a row: the soil is kept clean, crop rotation is carried out, and deep plowing of the soil is carried out;
- scoops (butterfly caterpillars): you should loosen the soil between the rows more often, use chemicals strictly according to the instructions.
Culture diseases are varied. They often spread from neighboring plants, infected seeds or soil. The most common are fusarium, powdery mildew, gray mold, white and angular spot, ascochyta, and copperhead.
Conclusion
Gulyabi melon is a healthy low-calorie product. The complexity of the growing process compensates for the shelf life of the fruit and its taste. Gardeners consider melon to be a rewarding, fascinating crop. Even a novice summer resident can grow Gulyabi melon.
