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The popularity of pumpkin is growing every year due to its beneficial properties of taste. In this regard, there is an increasing interest in growing this product in personal plots. This culture is not particularly whimsical, but you still need to know the peculiarities of its cultivation in order to get the most tasty and healthy harvest.
Pumpkin belongs to melons and gourds. This group also includes zucchini, melons and watermelons. A lover of sunlight and warmth feels great in the southern regions of Russia. But with the right choice of varieties and proper care, you can grow a good pumpkin in the middle lane. It is unpretentious to the chemical composition of the soil, but if you want to grow a really large fruit, you need to plant it in fertile soil or use top dressing.
In the south of our country, pumpkin can be planted with seeds in open ground, but in cooler climates, it is advisable to pre-prepare the seedlings.
when properly planted, a bountiful harvest
Planting pumpkin seedlings
For an earlier harvest, pumpkin is recommended to be grown in seedlings. Planting pumpkin seedlings is a responsible process. To obtain healthy and high quality planting material, it is very important to choose and prepare the right seeds. Pay particular attention to growing containers and growing times. The seeds can be purchased at the store, or you can prepare yourself.
How to choose the right pumpkin seeds
Planting pumpkin seedlings
Initially, you need a pumpkin, from which you plan to collect seeds, to plant separately from other plants. You shouldn't fertilize the soil underneath too much. This will allow the seeds to ripen properly. The fruit from which the seeds will be taken should not be too large. It is worth choosing a medium sized pumpkin with a uniform color and regular shape. It is necessary to carefully examine the entire plant and fruit in particular for the presence of pests, diseases and damage.
Remove the cut pumpkin in a warm place for about a month. After this time, you can remove the seeds.
It is necessary to cut the fruit. This should be done slightly from the side, and not in the center, this will reduce the risk of seed damage. Then you need to get all the seeds from the pumpkin cavity. Peel the pulp thoroughly and rinse well in cool water.
Then the seeds must be sorted out, leaving only large and healthy ones. After the procedures, the seeds must be dried.
Store seeds in a dry, dark and cool place. The room temperature should not be higher than 16 degrees, otherwise the seeds may begin to germinate.
The kitchen is not suitable for storing seeds because the humidity is too high. The best place would be a basement or storage room. If there are no such rooms in the house, a closet in the room would be a good option.
When to plant pumpkin seedlings
The optimal time for sowing seeds for seedlings will be the date 20 days before planting in open ground. This time approximately falls on the second half of April or the first days of May.
Preparing containers and planting seeds
A distinctive feature of the pumpkin is that it does not like transplanting. This is especially true for young plants. Therefore, it is recommended to plant the seeds in peat pots, which will then be placed in the ground together with the seedlings;
- The seedling container must be at least 7 cm wide and 6 cm high. It is better to use larger cups;
- For sowing seeds in a container, a universal vegetable soil, which can be purchased at a specialized store, is ideal. If you can't buy soil, you can prepare it yourself. It is necessary to mix peat, sawdust and humus in a ratio of 2: 1: 1;
- The soil is tamped in containers and watered. Seeds are planted in holes to a depth of 4-5 cm;
- You can plant seedlings in the garden when 2-3 true leaves are formed;
- It is advisable that crops such as peas, tomatoes, beans, potatoes or cabbage should be pre-grown on the site where the pumpkin is planted. They will saturate the soil with minerals. And also this measure will prevent infection of young seedlings.
Features of planting seeds in the Urals
A characteristic feature of the climate in the Urals is night frosts until mid-June. Therefore, when choosing a pumpkin variety, it is necessary to give preference to early and early maturing hybrids.
There are no peculiarities in the preparation of seeds in the Urals.
At this temperature, the seedlings should stand for about a week. This prevents pulling. After 7 days, the temperature can be raised again.
pumpkins in the garden
It is necessary to plant seeds or seedlings in open ground in a sunny area.
How to prepare seeds for planting seedlings at home
Preparing pumpkin seeds for sowing seedlings includes the following steps:
- Before planting, you need to sort out the seeds. It is important to remove small and damaged seeds;
- For cultivation, you can use both purchased seeds and harvested from the last harvest;
- After selection, the seeds must be soaked. This will speed up the germination process. Wrap the seeds in a damp cloth and leave in a warm place for 2 days, until sprouts appear.
How to dive pumpkin seedlings
As the plant develops, the spread and density increases. This provokes a struggle for nutrients between the shoots and, accordingly, a decrease in the quality and quantity of the crop. A pick is used to prevent this problem. In plant growing, picking is understood as transplanting plants in order to expand their nutritional area.
Pumpkin does not like transplantation and invasions of the root system. Therefore, you need to plant the plants very carefully, when the first true leaves are formed.
When diving a pumpkin, you should pay special attention to the planting depth. It is optimal that the cotyledon leaves protrude above the substrate to a height of 0.5 cm. Otherwise, the growth point can be damaged and the seedling will die.
dive pumpkin seedlings
The procedure for conducting a pick
- Make a depression in the ground with a special stake;
- With your left thumb and forefinger, take the plant below the leaves. Dig up and carefully transfer to a depression in the ground. Take into account the peculiarities of the plant embedding depth when picking;
- While holding the plant, cover the depression with soil. Only after the plant has been fixed can it be released;
- Compact the soil. Water the plant, trying to prevent moisture from getting on the leaves;
- After the moisture has been absorbed, sprinkle the area around the plant with dry soil.
After a dive, it is impossible for the plants to be exposed to direct sunlight. The area needs to be darkened. The seedlings should be in the shade until they take root.
Picking significantly increases the yield of pumpkin.
Tips and tricks for gardeners
Pumpkin is Mexican in origin.Therefore, she will like anything that remotely resembles the sultry Mexican climate. The sun, large area and fertile soil are the key to a large harvest. Sowing pumpkin directly with seeds in open ground or first growing seedlings should be decided based on the conditions in which this culture will grow. In the southern regions, the seed planting method can be used. In the Urals, Siberia and the North-West regions, seedling breeding is recommended. The optimal varieties for cultivation will be "Gribovskaya Kustovaya" and "Mozolevskaya 49". They belong to the early ripening group, so the harvest will have time to ripen. For the Leningrad and Moscow regions, the varieties "Muscat", "Large-fruited pumpkin" and "Solid pumpkin" are perfect. Pumpkin is unpretentious in terms of care.
Hard-bark pumpkin
Pumpkin is such a familiar and easy-to-grow crop at first glance. There is an opinion among gardeners and gardeners that pumpkin cultivation does not require special knowledge. But with this approach, often the result does not live up to expectations. The fruits are not at all sweet, small and poorly stored. Therefore, if a decision was made to grow the largest and sweetest pumpkin, you need to stock up on knowledge and patience. The phased implementation of all recommendations will help to grow an excellent harvest.
