Content
An excellent dessert for gourmets - juicy slices of watermelon with melting sweet pulp. Amateur gardeners in the central part of the country grow early varieties of this huge southern fruit, which manage to ripen in a short summer. The watermelon varieties Crimson Sweet, Crimson Ruby and Crimson Wonder have proven themselves well in household plots.
Characteristic
The watermelon variety Crimson Sweet is common in Europe. Among domestic and foreign melon growers, it is considered a standard variety in all respects, including yield, which in the south of Russia and Kazakhstan is 345 c/ha. Recommended for commercial production with a planting pattern of 0.9 x 0.9 m. 4 seeds are sown per 1 square meter. Productivity is high – up to 10 kg/m2. It ripens quickly and is considered a mid-early ripening plant. Crimson Sweet watermelons are ready for consumption after 70-80 days of growing season. Growing in central Russia is possible in open ground and in greenhouses.
The flowers of early watermelons, such as Crimson Sweet, form in the axils of the fourth or sixth leaf on the vine, near the root. Thus, the plant does not increase green mass, but creates flowers and ovaries.In conditions of a short warm period, this fact contributes to the rapid harvest of ripe fruits. Watermelon Crimson Sweet was introduced in 1963. The variety got its name due to the characteristics of its amazing pulp. From English “crimson sweet” is translated as “raspberry sweetness”. The originator of watermelon seeds of the Crimson Sweet variety, which are distributed in Europe, is the French company Clause Tezier. Based on the variety, plant hybrids Crimson Ruby f1 and Crimson Wonder were bred.
Description
The plant is medium-climbing. The rounded fruits of watermelon resemble a short oval, slightly elongated. This is what distinguishes it from the traditional round varieties of Crimson Sweet. Under favorable agricultural conditions, including climatic conditions, watermelon can reach a weight of 8-10 kg. The skin of the fruit is smooth to the touch, matte, dark green, with blurry stripes of light green color.
The flesh is sweet, tender and juicy, bright red in color, crunches appetizingly when eaten, and has no veins. The attractive, bright fruit of the Crimson Sweet variety has a high sugar content of 12%, which gives a special highlight to its rich taste and long, fresh aftertaste. The seeds of the variety are small, there are few of them in the pulp.
Advantages and disadvantages
Judging by its wide popularity, the fruits of the Crimson Sweet watermelon are rated by consumers in accordance with their recognized merits.
- Excellent taste properties;
- High commercial performance;
- Transportability and shelf life of fruits up to 2 months;
- Drought resistance of the plant;
- Low sensitivity of the watermelon variety to anthracnose and fusarium.
Gardeners also find disadvantages in the Crimson Sweet watermelon variety, which in most cases are caused by errors during cultivation.
- The wateriness of the watermelon pulp occurs when watering is continued when the fruit has already begun to ripen;
- A large lash with numerous leaves and small fruits is formed if the plant is given an excess of nitrogen fertilizers or organic matter;
- The watermelon vine produces few fruits if it is in poor conditions: depleted soil, peaty soil or location in the shade.
Hybrid Crimson Ruby
This variety of early-ripening, high-yielding watermelon is distributed by the Japanese company Sakata. The watermelon Crimson Ruby f1 has been included in the State Register since 2010 as a crop for cultivation in the North Caucasus region, recommended for commercial production. The variety is noted for the powerful growth of the main vine and leaves, which shelter the fruits from the rays of the scorching sun. Up to 5.5 thousand Crimson Ruby plants can be placed per hectare, in increments of 1.5 - 0.7 m, the yield is 3.9-4.8 kg/m2. The variety is drought-resistant, not susceptible to fusarium, and is immune to powdery mildew, anthracnose and such a common pest as aphids. The fruit will ripen after 65-80 days of plant development; the weight of Crimson Ruby f1 watermelons reaches 7-12 kg.
The peel of the oval fruit is dense and can withstand transportation. The fruit is dark green with characteristic light blurry stripes. Watermelons are very tasty, they have a bright dessert aroma and a high level of sugar content: 4-7%. The granular, veinless, homogeneous pulp comes in different shades - pink or deep red.
There are not too many seeds in the pulp of the Crimson Ruby watermelon; they are medium in size and brown. Seeds are available for sale from several distributors. For large areas, you need to buy seeds in a protective original package from the manufacturer “Sakura”.
Hybrid Crimson Wonder
The mid-season watermelon Crimson Wonder, which comes from US selection samples, has been included in the State Register since 2006, and is recommended for the regions of the North Caucasus region. The originator and patent holder is Agrofirm “Poisk” from the Moscow region. The variety is high-yielding, on irrigated lands it yields 60 t/ha; without irrigation, the harvest is halved. The Crimson Wonder variety is planted at a distance of 1.4 x 0.7 m. Watermelons easily tolerate dry periods and temporary decreases in above-zero temperatures, and are resistant to fusarium, powdery mildew and anthracnose. They are distinguished by commercial attractiveness and transportability.
The plant of the Crimson Wonder variety is medium-climbing, with medium-sized dissected leaves. Large watermelon fruits weigh up to 10-13 kg, average weight: 3.6-8.2 kg. Round-oval watermelons will ripen by the end of the third month of the growing season. Fruits with a strong peel of a light green color and dark uneven stripes. The juicy, crisp, sweet flesh is bright red in color. The taste of the Crimson Wonder variety is delicate, fresh, with a delicate aroma. The seeds are brown, with small spots, and medium in size.
Growing
Watermelons are a southern crop and belong to the Pumpkin family. All varieties of watermelons are light-loving, do not tolerate the slightest frost, and do not develop well in prolonged wet weather. The climate of central Russia dictates to amateur gardeners one method of growing watermelons - through seedlings.
- Seeds planted directly in open ground may die in damp and cool weather;
- The method of growing through seedlings speeds up harvesting by one and a half to two weeks;
- Plant resistance to diseases and pests increases.
Sowing seeds for seedlings
For watermelons, you need to prepare a substrate with the obligatory presence of sand, since the crop prefers sandy soils. Early watermelons are sown from mid-April to early May.
- To make shoots appear faster, the seeds are soaked in warm water (up to 32 0C) for several hours;
- If the seeds are not treated, they are placed for 15 minutes in a pink solution of potassium permanganate or soaked in modern preparations, according to the attached instructions;
- The seeds are deepened by 1-1.5 cm;
- The soil is moderately moistened, the container is covered with film and placed in a warm place for germination. Every day the container is ventilated and watered if the substrate is dry;
- Ungerminated seeds sprout within a week or two;
- For sprouts during the first week the optimal temperature is 18 0C.
Seedling care
Watermelon sprouts of the Crimson Sweet variety prefer to grow at a temperature of 25-30 0C. They need to be illuminated to provide warmth. In May there is usually enough light for the good development of seedlings of crops of southern origin.
- The seedlings are transferred to open ground when the plants are 4-6 weeks old. The soil should warm up to 15-18 at that time 0C. Approximately such indicators occur at the end of May;
- 15 days before planting, seedlings need to be hardened by taking them out into the air, first for 50-70 minutes, gradually increasing the time spent outside.
Plants in the garden
For each variety, its own distance between holes is established, which is based on the strength of the growth of the lashes. Gardeners advise that if there is a sufficient area of land, do not skimp on space and give each melon plant a large space, retreating 1.5 m between holes. The crop is grown on a spread or trellises are installed. By tying the lashes, the side shoots are removed. The seedlings are placed at the depth of the cup in which they grew, covered with a little soil.
- The soil is kept in a loose state, systematically watered during the period of growth of the vine;
- Excess shoots are removed; 2-3 ovaries are enough on the stem;
- Watermelons develop well at temperatures above 30 0C;
- Often gardeners plant valuable plants on black plastic film, which keeps the area clean and insulates the roots;
- Watermelons planted in the slots of the film are watered with 5-7 liters if there is no precipitation;
- When the night temperature drops in August, the melons are covered from above so that the fruits can ripen.
There is an interesting experience of Far Eastern researchers who grew watermelons by planting three seedlings on mounds 10 cm high and 70 cm in diameter. The hills were covered with polyethylene all season, and the plants were pinched.
Hobbyists can experiment to grow sweet fruits.
