Watermelon plant grow and care – – herbaceous of the genus Citrullus, Watermelon plant annual plant grow as semi vine, can grow mediterranean, desert, subtropics, temperate or tropics climate and growing in hardiness zone 4+.in hardiness zone 4-7 need to care that will bear fruits.
Leaves color green and the leaves shape deeply lobed.
Flower color yellow, the flower has with five lobs, female contain semi fruits that looks like a little Watermelon plant, and male flower are smaller
Watermelon plant edible fruits
Fruit juicy sweet big in the color: red, yellow, orange, peel green, sometimes there is stripes or dots, is edible and mostly used for pickles, the structure of the rind smooth or rough structure.
Seeds edible color white peel and the inner green
Watermelon plant for sale – Seeds or Plants to Buy
Requirements for Watermelon plant growing and care:
Mulch keep the moist of the soil and also protect the fruits
How to care: Watering on the ground and not watering on the leaves or the fruits, need trellising
What is the best way to start growing? Seedling / Seed (explanation bellow)
Is it necessary to graft or use vegetative reproduction? No, possible to graft for better base that will be resistant for virus
Difficulties or problems when growing: Attacked easily, when the plant attacked in the base if not treatment well it will die
Planting season: Spring to summer, but better in the spring and in hardiness zone 4-7 need to start in the middle of the winter indoor, the plant need enough hot days when mature to bear fruits without, if the plant won’t be with mature fruits in the autumn or the plant won’t bear fruits or the fruits will die before fully ripen, also better to choose cultivar that bear the fruits faster.
How to plant: Planting in well ventilated soil, dig bigger hole than the plant and put organic matter, humus and dead leaves
Pests and diseases: Powdery mildew, aphids
Pruning season: All season
How to prune: No need to prune
Size of the plant? 1-2 m, 40-80 inches
Growth speed in optimal condition: Fast growing
Water requirement: Big amount of water
Light conditions in optimal condition for growing: Full Sun
Is it possible to grow indoor as houseplant? No
Growing is also possible in a planter /flowerpot / containers: Yes, planting in containers need to be at least 10-20L (2.5-5 gallons) depend on the cultivar, well-drained soil, the plant not react well to overwater, need to make enough holes in the container for good drainage also choosing soil for container important and need to be soil well ventilated, can be potting mix or peat soil with perlite, when use bottom for the pot need that it will dry in the same day.
Bloom season: Late spring to summer
General information about the flower Yellow flower with five lobs, female contain semi fruits that looks like a little Watermelon plant, and male flower are smaller
Thinning the bloom: Sometimes happened because disease or not enough water
Pollination is done by: Bees and more pollinators, by hand
Fruit harvest season: Summer to autumn
Fruits pests or diseases: Powdery mildew
What can be done with big quantities of Watermelon plant fruits? Fruit: eaten raw, juice. Rind: pickles, Seeds: salad, raw
Work requirements on the fruit: Sometimes to space it from the ground
How long does it take to bear fruit? 80-120 days
Grow from seeds
Sowing requirement: Easy to sow no special treatment, sowing temperature 15-40C (65-104F) but better to sow in 21-25C (70-77F)
Saving seeds until sowing: Room temperature, dry place
Sowing season: Spring (but in warm weather possible in the summer) and in cold climate start in the winter indoor
How to plant: Better to plant it in light soil that will be well ventilated and keep the moist like vermiculite
Planting spacing – How far apart to plant: Depend if trellising 40*50cm (16*20 inches) when crawling 1*1.25m (40-50 inches), sowing to transplanting 5*5cm (2*2 inches)
Germination time: 4-20 days
Conditions for seeds germinate: Moist soil, full sun
Watering requires for Seeds: Average amount of water, don’t let it dry
Germination time: 5-20 days
Condition of seedling: Warm weather, big amount of water, full sun, place to trellising
Crimson Sweet – a dark striped Watermelon plant that weighs around 20 to 25 lbs and has red, juicy flesh. Crimson sweet is a very sweet Watermelon plant with a high sugar content. The flesh contains small seeds and it is known to resist various diseasses that can plague Watermelon plants. 85 days to maturity.
Sugar Baby – the number one red icebox sized Watermelon plant.
Orangeglo – an unusual and great tasting orange Watermelon plant.
Blacktail Mountain – one of the earliest red Watermelon plants.
Cream of Saskatchewan – a cream colored tasty Watermelon plant.
Sweet Siberian – a very sweet and juicy apricot colored Watermelon plant.
Black Diamond – a classic Watermelon plant with a dark rind with red flesh.
Moon & Stars – a deep green skinned speckled Watermelon plant with golden yellow stars and moons.
Georgia Rattlesnake – a southern favorite Watermelon plant with stripes that resemble a rattlesnake.
Osh Khirgizia – a sweet pink russian variety with yellow-green and jagged dark green stripes.
Ali Baba – a light colored Iraqi Watermelon plant with excellent taste.