Who said that watermelons grow only in southern melon fields?
The secret to sweet fruits on the balcony is hidden in a pack of soda that is gathering dust in your kitchen.
Start by choosing a variety - mini-watermelons (Sugar Baby, Lunar) will do.
Soak the seeds overnight in a soda solution (1 teaspoon per glass of water). This will soften the shell and kill the fungi.
Plant in 20-liter pots with drainage holes. Add expanded clay to the bottom, then a mixture of garden soil, sand, and humus (2:1:1).
When planting, add 1 tablespoon of soda mixed with a handful of ash to the hole. Soda will reduce the acidity of the soil, which is critical for watermelons.
When 3 true leaves appear, spray them with a soda solution (1 teaspoon per 3 liters of water) - this will prevent powdery mildew.
Water only with warm water at the roots, avoiding the leaves.
When forming vines, install a trellis made of wooden slats - the watermelons will curl upward, saving space.
Pollinate the flowers by hand: pick a male flower (without the thickening at the base) and apply it to the female one.
After the fruit sets, feed the plants with banana peel infusion: pour 3 peels with a liter of water, leave for 4 days. Dilute 1 glass of infusion in 5 liters of water and water.
To prevent the fruits from bursting, place a net under them, fixed to a trellis. Stop watering a month before ripening - this will increase the sugar content.
Harvest watermelons when the tendrils at the stem have dried out and the rind has become matte.
Keep them cool, wrapped in newspaper. But remember: too much soda causes chlorosis of the leaves. If they turn yellow, rinse the soil with clean water and add iron chelate.
Author: Kurchev Anton