Content:
Watermelon Crimson Smith is one of the unusual melon varieties that has a lot of advantages and is easy to grow. It is worth paying attention to this variety when choosing varieties of watermelons for planting.
The history of the creation of the variety
Crimson Sweet was bred by French breeders for cultivation in the warmer regions of this country. But this melon berry turned out to be so tasty, and the cultivation of this watermelon is simple even for novice gardeners, that in a few years this particular variety began to be grown by melon growers in many countries of the world.
One of the advantages of the variety is that it can grow on any soil and even in the shade. However, this varietal berry grows better and picks up sugar in sunny areas, where the planting is well ventilated by a draft.
Watermelon Crimson Sweet
And if in the conditions of the middle zone, for example, melon growers planted seedlings of this variety grown at home in open ground, then in the south of the country you can plant seeds directly in open ground.
Characteristics and description of the variety
From the moment the first seedlings appear until the ripe berries are picked, it takes 3-3.5 months, so Crimson Sweet is classified as an early ripe watermelon.
In open ground, this melon plant is planted depending on climatic conditions in the second or third decade of May. If the climate is cool and the watermelon is preliminarily grown by the seedling method at home, the seeds must be sown on the basis that the seedlings are planted in open ground 3-3.5 weeks after sowing.
Ripe fruits are harvested in the last decade of August - early September. The yield is high, and the berries ripen well even with irregular moisture application.
The shape of ripe berries is oblong, but more often round watermelons grow on lashes. The peel is smooth to the touch, matte, dark emerald color, along which longitudinal stripes of light green color pass. With proper care, fruits can weigh between 6 and 12.5 kg.
The pulp of this berry is dense, juicy, sweet. In ripe fruits, the color of the pulp is bright red. There are practically no transverse veins in its structure, and there are also no seeds (or their rudiments are found). When such a fruit is cut, the peel bursts, and the pulp exudes a honey smell, which speaks of the excellent taste of a ripe berry.
The plant is characterized by resistance to diseases and pests. The variety is resistant to most diseases affecting pumpkin and melons, both their vegetative part and ripening fruits.
Due to its excellent commercial qualities and high yields, many melon growers grow exactly Krimson Sweet for sale. Moreover, it is possible to transport the harvested crop of this melon crop to any distance, while the peel of the fruit does not crack, the appearance and great taste do not deteriorate. The harvested crop can be stored for a long period of time.
Agrotechnics
This melon culture feels great on sandy loamy soils, but it grows poorly and bears fruit on peaty and chernozemic soils (they have too much moisture for this berry).If the soil on the site is not sandy, you will have to prepare a separate place for the watermelon, into which a large amount of river sand is imported.
If the acidity index is increased, then the soil is treated with lime
It is better to prepare a plot for planting melons and gourds in the fall. Thus it is necessary to check its acidity (watermelon "loves" neutral or slightly alkaline soil). If necessary, liming is carried out during the autumn period for digging in order to lower the acidity level. Also, in the fall, all the mineral fertilizers necessary for this culture are introduced for digging;
The best precursors for watermelon are any types of cabbage, peas, beans, soybeans. Ideally, the watermelon beds should change their place every season.
In warm regions, the seeds of this variety are planted directly in open ground, the time of such planting is in the first or second decades of May. But in cooler regions, experts recommend pre-growing seedlings at home, which are subsequently planted on a prepared site. In this case, the seedlings quickly endure the acclimatization period, begin to grow faster and form ovaries. As a result, it is possible to harvest half a month earlier than from bushes planted in open ground with seeds.
It is better to buy seeds in specialized stores from well-known companies. When buying, you should pay attention to the shelf life of seeds - their age should be at least three and no more than 5 years. The seeds of the first two years will give weak bushes, may not germinate well. And germination of old seeds is almost always poor.
Planting watermelon seeds of this variety does not differ from planting seed material of other melons and gourds. When caring for these watermelons, you need to observe the watering regime: moisture is introduced only during the flowering period and the appearance of ovaries. After the fruits begin to ripen, watering is stopped.
It is necessary to weed out the weeds; mulching after watering can be omitted. You can feed watermelons twice a season: a couple of weeks after transplanting seedlings to a permanent place and during the period of active formation of ovaries.
Mulching
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
This variety has been growing on melons for many years in different parts of the world, including in our country. According to melon growers, the popularity of the Crimson watermelon consists of the following positive qualities of culture:
- high resistance to arid climate - this varietal berry develops well even in the absence of regular watering;
- thanks to a fairly thick peel, the harvested crop of watermelons calmly transfers transportation over long distances, without bursting and without losing marketability and taste;
- beautiful appearance of ripe fruits, a large amount of sugars in the pulp - these advantages favorably distinguish the Crimson Sweet watermelon among other varieties;
- this melon crop is famous for its high yield - at least 4 large sweet fruits ripen on each bush;
- the variety belongs to seedless, which is also considered by many to be an indisputable advantage;
- high plant resistance to the main diseases affecting melons and gourds, especially to anthracnose. Also has an average resistance to fusarium.
The disadvantages of this watermelon are due to improper care. The main one is the wateriness of ripening fruits. Usually, during the ripening period of watermelons, watering is practically stopped, but if it is rainy weather, or the owners forget to stop adding moisture to the soil, the fruits absorb it and become tasteless.
Another drawback of care is the introduction of too much organic matter into the soil containing nitrogen compounds (bird or cow manure in particular).At the same time, the vegetative mass begins to grow actively, foliage and lashes "fatten", and practically no ovaries appear, while ripe fruits grow much smaller in size than they should.
Despite the regular yield of Crimson Sweet watermelons, sometimes the number of fruits does not meet expectations, despite the efforts made. The reason for the low yield is the too long cultivation of this melon crop in one place, where there is too little light for the plant.
Observing all the rules for planting and growing varieties, even beginners with melon growers will be able to get a good harvest of large and sweet fruits, which will be enough not only for a family, but also for sale. And many farmers grow this watermelon variety just for sale.
