Are you planning to plant watermelons If so then you should know better about watermelon first. First you should know whether watermelon is a vegetable or a fruit. Then you may know about the watermelon growing stages. Remember before starting anything you should first have a good idea about it then it will be easier for you. If you already have good knowledge about watermelon planting and care, you can easily find solutions to any problems you face in watermelon gardening.
The first thing we need to know is what type of plant watermelon is
Let’s know what kind of plant watermelon is
- Watermelon is a flowering plant species in the Cucurbitaceae family. This leafy plant is known worldwide with more than 1,000 varieties. Watermelon plants look a lot like cucumbers, water gourd, and sweet pumpkins. Watermelon skin is very hard and inside is full of juicy sweet water. The inside of the watermelon is very red and full of small black seeds. Such plants usually yield full fruit within 100 days of planting.
Is Watermelons a Vegetable or a Fruit?
A question may arise in many people’s minds that watermelon is a fruit or a vegetable. You will clearly understand that Watermelon is known as fruit all over the world and is a very popular fruit. Watermelon also has many health benefits for which its popularity is increasing day by day. Plant watermelon from late spring to early summer,
Watermelon Planting and Care Watermelon is not very difficult to grow and much depends on climate and weather conditions. There are nine stages of watermelon seedling growth which is why it is important for us as gardeners to understand these stages. Because they are essential for proper care of this fruit. It is a bushy and trailing creeper plant. The fruit is initially borne with green pods and yellow flowers. Watermelon is a sweet and delicious fruit that everyone likes to eat. Eating this kind of fruit also helps to hydrate you especially on hot days. Is assumed the average watermelon weighs a minimum of 10-15 pounds, but the world record is 350 pounds. Below are the stages of watermelon growth shared with you.
Watermelon Growing Stages
Planting
Without planning it is impossible to expect good results’ and so at the very beginning you need to make a plan about what type of watermelon you want to plant. Because there are many
varieties of watermelons available in the world, choose the variety that you want to plant. you might want to go with an early-season variety because watermelons have a long growing season and need all the sunny days they can get. And one more important thing is that if you live in a warm climate, don’t plant watermelon seeds in early spring because there will be warmer days.
We should consider seed cheating, which causes them to take root before planting. And to do this take some watermelon seeds on a damp paper towel, put them in a bowl and cover them with plastic wrap. The seeds will form roots in 2-3 days. This allows you to plant only viable seeds, which will save you trouble and ensure a big yield.
We then plant the seeds one inch (2.5 cm) deep and about six feet (1.8 m) apart, to give them the space they need to grow and spread, or use a trellis to plant them vertically. We also need to make sure that the planting medium is loamy and well-drained and that the place we choose for our watermelons gets 7-11 hours of sunlight.
Seed Germination
Seed germination is the most crucial part of watermelon growing stages .When you decide to plant watermelons you must select and buy good varieties of seeds as the watermelon seeds that germinate will have a higher germination percentage if the seeds are of good quality. Seeds that are developed and able to grow are considered high quality.
How to grow seedlings from watermelon seeds
Watermelon seeds are small, black in color, hard, smooth. Our first step is to take the seeds out of the packet and soak them for 8 to 10 hours. In this case, if you want, soak it the night before and strain the water the next morning. Then take a container of such a type that the air does not come out from the inside. Soak a piece of white cloth well and wring out the water. Then spread the cloth over the container well. The next step is to spread the soaked seeds one by one on the cloth. While placing the seeds, be careful not to let one seed stick to another. When the seeds have been laid, close the mouth of the container with another piece of cloth, separate from the top.
The next step is to leave this container in a shaded place for three days. After three days you will open the container and remove the cloth to see that the seedlings have grown from the seeds. It is good to make one thing clear here that not all the seedlings that you keep may not grow into seedlings, one or two may be left out and there is no reason to stress. Now your job is to fill small polythene bags with sand and rotted dung manure and sow 1 seed in each polybag and after placing one seed cover it again with some soil. Then spray a small amount of plain water on the pots and then keep these pots in a shaded place where there is no sunlight but there will be light and air. .Later 1 seedling with 5-6 leaves of 30-35 days age should be planted in the soil.
Young Seedling
The seedling stage is the first stage of growth. The watermelon is a little plant with sprouting roots and a couple of leaves.
Watermelon seedlings require extra attention due to their delicate stems. Miss care has the ability to cut its stem, causing it to dry out and stop growing. It would be beneficial if you protected it from the strong winds and animals. The leaves are edible to animals.
When watermelon seedlings germinate properly, they are fantastic. Watermelon seedlings can be transplanted when they have more leaves and are 6 to 10 inches long. It will be able to flourish in this manner. It requires sufficient water to thrive.
Vegetative Growth
After the seeds have germinated and sprouted, you will notice that the plant grows faster and faster. The first set of true leaves should appear within 5-10 days, and you’ll see how they differ from embryonic leaves.
These first true leaves start photosynthesizing so the plant gets the food and energy necessary for its growth. You’ll notice rapid growth within two weeks, and as time passes it will get longer and the leaves will become more prominent.
The vine usually grows to about 12 feet (3.6 m) long, and one month after planting you’ll notice new vines.
Flowering
A watermelon produces male and female flowers around two weeks after it is harvested. The male flowers are the first to bloom. Pollen is produced, but no fruit is produced. The female flowers appear after the male blooms have bloomed. Because watermelon blossoms only endure one day, a sufficient number of bees and other pollinators must be present when the blooms are viable.
Hand pollination may be necessary if your garden is in a location where bees are few. Remove the male flower’s petals to reveal the pollen-covered anther. To pollinate the female flowers, brush the pollen from this onto the center of the female flowers.
The Setting Of Fruit
If the flowers are pollinated properly, the fruit will begin to form. First, you’ll notice a small bulge behind a female watermelon flower, which will slowly swell and become larger, producing the watermelon fruit as we know it.
Once the fruit starts growing, you can fertilize your plant with a low-nitrogen fertilizer such as 5-10-10. At this stage, you’ll also want to reduce watering to an inch of water (2.5 cm) a week, as you don’t want the fruit to get a watery taste.
Harvesting
It takes about a month for the fruit to mature, but there are some signs of ripeness that can help you know when to harvest watermelons.
A yellow spot on the rind is the first thing we’re looking for when picking watermelons, as they are a sure sign that the fruit is ripe. Also, if you notice that your fruit is webbed you should be happy, as they are believed to be a sign of sweetness.
Dark green and oblong watermelons that produce hollow sounds are said to be the sweetest ones (although we can never tell whether the sound is hollow or not).Its the sweet part of watermelon growing stages.
Drying
Drying is the last part of watermelon growing stages. Everything has its end, and so does a watermelon’s life cycle. After harvesting, watermelon vines begin to dry and die out.
Don’t let it get to you. You can save the seeds from the fruit (unless you’ve grown seedless watermelons) and let them dry. The seeds can be planted once they harden, but you might want to wait until spring to do so.
How can watermelon be cultivated?
- There are various methods of watermelon cultivation such as in tubs, in the field and on rooftops.
Now let us know the health benefits of eating watermelon
- As a result, there are a lot of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, antioxidants, etc. Apart from this, watermelon is very helpful in filling the deficiency of water in the body. So if the amount of sweating increases in summer and there is a shortage of water, watermelon can help keep you healthy. Watermelon is rich in various nutrients and minerals. Eating watermelon fills the water deficiency in our body. Watermelon increases the immune system of our body.