People associate summer season with fresh vegetables and berries. But experienced gardeners and summer residents were interested in tests carried out in Japan more than 20 years ago. These figures brought out watermelons of an interesting shape - square. And this is not only a decor, but a completely edible berry that brings a lot of income. How to do and how to grow such fruits will be discussed in this article.
The history of the origin of square berries
For the first time, the secret of Japanese farmers was solved by Oktyabrina Ganichkina, who had the status of a candidate of agricultural sciences and the author of books on gardening and horticulture. She believes that the Japanese tried to solve the problems of transportation, but the results obtained surpassed all the results and wealthy citizens became interested in the square berry.
The first experiments were carried out in the city of Tingsu. The farmers placed the watermelon buds in individual square containers and the berries took on their shape.
It turned out that such a product is easier to stack, store and transport, as well as to transport in large volumes. And the high demand for the product encouraged farmers to make further discoveries. And soon the light saw square melons and tomatoes.
Why and who needs square watermelons?
All farmers and industrialists immediately appreciated the value of the discovery.
First, it is convenience and economy of transportationas well as storage. Secondly, this fruit is conveniently placed on a plate and cut into standard neat slices.
Thirdly, prices are significantly higher than standard round or oval watermelons. Therefore, the secrets of growing such watermelons began to seep and spread throughout the world.
Advantages and disadvantages
The inner contents of a watermelon are no different from the mouth of a standard-shaped berry. True, they may be inferior in taste standards. But these berries have a number of distinctive features:
- convenient to store and transport, minimizing transport costs;
- convenient to place on the dining table and in the refrigerator;
- square shape makes it easy to cut neatly;
- high cost in the market.
But the transformation affected only the external forms of the berry and did not affect the taste characteristics. For inexperienced farmers, berries ripen unevenly or do not have time to ripen, therefore, in terms of sweetness and richness of taste, they are inferior to their oval counterparts.
And also every striped berry needs to be monitored and looked after daily so as not to spoil the appearance and commercial appeal.
These two factors can be safely attributed to the disadvantages that prevent the launch of the large-scale production process and displace the watermelons of the usual shape.
Growing features
Cultivation will give a positive result only in southern regions with a stable warm climate. To implement the plan, you will need to choose the right type of watermelon. It is better to give preference to hybrids with a short growing season.
All activities should be broken down into stages.
- Sowing seeds. The optimal sowing time will be the end of spring. Otherwise, the fruits will not have time to ripen. Seeds need to be germinated in wet soil or sand with good lighting.
- Planting in open ground should be carried out when the threat of return frost has passed, and the soil warms up to 15 degrees.
- After planting, watermelons should be given standard care., which consists in regular watering, loosening the soil and harvesting weeds.
- Formation of the fetus... When the watermelon ovaries reach the size of a medium apple, it is placed in special cube molds. Place the fruits so that all stripes are vertical. Further care is no different from usual. You just need to regularly ventilate the forms and cover them in extreme heat. When the berries grow and no longer fit in the houses, the forms can be removed and the watermelons can be checked for ripeness.
Watermelon seeds will sprout in a week and a half after placing them in a comfortable environment. To increase the germination of seed, it is recommended to place it in water heated to 50 degrees for 10-15 minutes.
Before the emergence of seedlings, the seedling containers should be kept at room temperature, and with the appearance of seedlings, move to a cooler place where the air temperature will not exceed 17 degrees.
The appearance of the fifth full-fledged leaf serves as a signal for transplanting seedlings into open ground.
Making a square shape with your own hands
A number of materials and tools are required to make molds.
- Solid sheets of transparent material, 0.5 - 0.8 mm thick (plastic, polycarbonate or glass).
- Screws with nuts and corners for fastening the walls.
- Furniture hinges for lid mobility.
- Hacksaw or jigsaw.
- Drills, screwdrivers, rulers and markers.
When all the tools and materials are prepared, you can begin the process of assembling the mold for watermelons.
- Cut 20x20 cm squares from sheets of transparent material.
- Fasten the blanks with screws, forming a square.
- On one side, make a hole for the vine.
- Fix the upper part (cover) to the furniture hinges.
The finished form turns out to be reliable and durable and is able to withstand the onslaught of the growing berry, forcing it to take the desired shape.
Harvesting and storage
Watermelons should be removed from the vine at the first stage of ripening., because fully ripe berries are not intended for long-term storage. Unripe fruits will not be stored either, because they cannot ripen after harvesting.
You can determine the degree of ripeness of watermelons by the pink color of the pulp and the dark color of the seeds. HThere are several ways to determine the maturity of watermelons "on the vine":
- by skin color - when ripe, it becomes shiny, acquiring gloss;
- peel strength - if the rind of the watermelon is tough and cannot be pressed with a finger press, then this indicates the removable ripeness of the striped berry;
- by the stalk, which dries out when the berries ripen and indicates that the watermelon has accumulated all the necessary nutrients;
- on the bedsore - it is formed at the point of contact of the berry with the ground and has a yellow color;
- by sound - when tapped, ripe watermelons emit a pronounced muffled sound.
Late-ripening watermelons with thick skin and genetic resistance to damage are suitable for long-term storage. Such fruits are removed from the vine with a pruner or knife, leaving the stalk at least 5 cm long.
Only healthy watermelons are put into storage, without mechanical damage. Fruit should be stacked on racks with soft straw bedding. During storage, you need to regularly inspect watermelons and remove spoiled ones.
Square watermelons can also be stored in earthen trenches. At the same time, each layer must be overlapped with straw or shavings, and a layer of soil should be poured on top, at least 35 cm thick.
With any method of storage, watermelons should not be overcooled - this will lead to damage to the pulp, loss of taste and damage to the fruit.
How much does a square watermelon cost?
Growing square watermelons with your own hands is troublesome, but profitable. How much does one berry cost? The cost of one fruit on the market often reaches twenty thousand rubles. But not all Russian stores are ready to sell these products. After all, they are much inferior in taste to standard berries and are best used as an entourage at holidays and celebrations.