Growing watermelon seedlings, the gardener may face a number of difficulties. A common problem is that the seedlings of watermelons are stretched out, what to do in this case and how to plant them in the ground, we will figure it out in this article.

Why seedlings are pulled

There may be several reasons:

  • Wrong landing time. If the seeds are sown too early, the seedlings will appear much earlier than they can be planted in the ground. As a result, they continue to lengthen, outgrowing the parameters acceptable for seedlings. When it comes time to board, they are already hopelessly stretched out.
  • Lack of light. Since this melon culture is a photophilous one, with a lack of lighting, it begins to stretch upward. Lack of lighting can be related to the above mistake (placing seeds too early in the ground), but it is also possible when planting on time. Even in April, cloudy weather is a frequent occurrence, and for March and February it is even more typical.
  • Unsuitable temperature. Watermelon is a thermophilic berry, but the optimum temperature for seedlings depends on the stage. After the seeds are laid in the ground, a warm microclimate should be maintained around the clock. The temperature cannot be lower than + 25 ° С, since in this case the appearance of the inputs will slow down. The optimal indicator is +30 or even 32 ° С. If it falls below + 20 °, the seeds will not germinate. In order not to think about what to do in the future, if the seedlings of watermelons immediately after germination are strongly stretched, it is required to maintain a suitable temperature from the very beginning.
    Other recommendations for the stage when the seedlings have already made their way into the light. During the day, the sprouts prefer a temperature higher than the room, namely + 23-25 ​​° C. The optimal indicator at night is in the range between 15 and 18 °, although there are opinions that it may even be slightly lower. Thus, when grown in an ordinary room, if the temperature is not reduced there at night, the seedlings will feel overheated and will also stretch out. On the contrary, at a temperature of around + 15 °, they will harden, the shoots will be short and thick, the plant will form a stem of the required parameters.
  • Abundant watering of melons, including in combination with increased indoor temperatures. If the temperature is above + 18 ° C, the soil in the container with seedlings dries out rather quickly. As a result, the gardener can increase the amount of water that moisturizes the plant. As a result, it will not strive to form any developed root system. Using readily available moisture, it will direct all vitality to the vines.
  • Improper feeding, excessive amounts of nutrients. Also, the problem may be that they are laid in the ground in the wrong proportion or in violation of the proper order.
    On the contrary, the lack of the required compounds leads to the fact that plants cannot form stems of sufficient thickness. Therefore, they remain thin, develop only in length. As a result, top dressing must be carried out on schedule, without overfeeding, but not underfeeding seedlings, any deviation from the schedule can cause damage.
  • Increased seedling density. If the plants are pressed against each other, they form a shadow, preventing light from entering each other. The shoots begin to reach for its source, which makes the shoots thinner.

Seedling watermelon

What to do

To prevent stretching, the seedlings must be placed in separate containers, preferably round, at least 9 cm in diameter. In this case, it is required that the leaves of plants are in minimal contact, this improves the process of photosynthesis of seedlings. The room maintains an optimal temperature regime, overheating of the air is not allowed.

Important! In the very first days, an elevated temperature is maintained so that the seeds germinate well.

The room needs to be regularly ventilated, watered correctly: not too often, but abundantly, keeping pauses. Be sure to provide the seedlings with a proper lighting regime.

If the elongation of the stems of the seedlings has already occurred, it is required to determine which of the above rules was violated and to correct the situation. Determining what to do if the watermelons are already stretched out is easy by analyzing the situation.

Watermelon seedlings stretched out

  • if the source of the problem is excessive temperature, it is necessary either to move the plants to the loggia, or at least overnight to take them out to a cooler room, for example, in the corridor. Or move to another room, setting the proper microclimate there, for example, opening a window.
  • if the gardener believes that the source of the problem was a lack of light, it is required to install phytolamps that give light similar to daylight;
  • when the problem is over-watering, it is reduced;
  • if the plants are too dense, they need to be transplanted or thinned out.

Is it possible to deepen seedlings into the hole when planting in open ground

You should not deepen the seedlings. If you do this, it is possible that the hypocotal knee will begin to rot. It is recommended that the seedling ball protrude 1-2 centimeters above the surface of the garden.

Seedling watermelon

Tips and tricks for gardeners

There are a number of recommendations for gardeners who want to grow this crop:

  • choose a variety according to the region of residence. In the Krasnodar Territory, it is allowed to grow berries characterized by medium or late ripening. If the gardener lives in a more northern, and even more so non-chernozem region, only varieties that have an earlier ripening period are suitable for him. There are varieties in which the berries ripen only 60–70 days after germination, and you need to be guided by them;
  • a place in the greenhouse must be prepared in advance, from autumn, in order to plant watermelons next spring. In this case, it is required to change the soil, at least alternating areas (planting a berry in one place in a year). Welcome if the land gets a longer rest;
  • in any case, it is desirable that the zone allotted to this plant be bright, sunny and not too windy;
  • watermelon grows well on compost;
  • if it is planted in a garden bed, it is important to avoid contact of the roots of the berry with groundwater. To do this, the bed is formed raised by 15 centimeters and a slope is made to the south to drain the water;
  • before planting seedlings, an additional small amount of manure is added to the previously fertilized soil.

Seedlings should be planted in a greenhouse in a temperate climate no earlier than mid-May (starting from the 15th). Earlier than this time, even in warm weather during the day at night, frosts are not excluded, which will become fatal for this thermophilic berry.