In order to grow Sugar Baby variety on your plot, you need to know some of the subtleties of the process. About the features of watermelon, the rules of growing in different regions, the conditions of collection and storage, as well as other useful information - hereinafter.
watermelon variety “Sugar Baby”
watermelon “Sugar Baby” has a high taste
universal variety “Sugar Baby” is popular among gardeners, both professionals and amateurs
General characteristics and history of the variety
Sugar baby or Suga Baby is one of the oldest and most popular varieties. It was bred by foreign breeders in the 50s of the last century. In 2008, it was included in the State Register for the Central Black Earth Region of the Russian Federation, which includes Belgorod, Kursk, Lipetsk, Oryol, Tambov and Voronezh regions.
This is an early ripe variety of watermelon, that is, the fruits are removed already 75-85 days after emergence. The plant is climbing. The main lash does not exceed 1.8 m in length, so it can be grown in a greenhouse on trellises. The leaves are medium gray-green in color, strongly dissected. The fruit is most often in the shape of a ball, smooth. The bark is thin, but dense, painted in a deep dark green color.
Nearby, strips of a darker color than the main color become visible over the entire surface of the strip.
Weight depends on the region of cultivation. In warmer areas, with a large number of sunny days, the weight reaches up to 6 kg, on average 3-4 kg. In greenhouses, a ripe fruit can weigh about 1 kg. The dark red flesh is juicy, grainy, sweet and tender. However, in low light, its taste deteriorates. It becomes watery and tasteless. Seeds are small, brown. On their surface there is a characteristic spotty pattern.
Advantages and disadvantages
The benefits of watermelon Sugar baby include:
- early ripening;
- high commercial quality;
- thin peel;
- fruit transportability;
- long-term storage;
- unpretentiousness;
- resistance to spring temperature drops;
- drought tolerance;
- immunity to various diseases, including fusariosis.
The disadvantage is the small size of the fruit and long ripening in a humid climate, so you need to responsibly approach the choice of place of growth of the plant.
Features of growing in different regions
To get sweet ripe fruits, you definitely need good lighting. Watermelon should be at least 8 hours in the sun. The place is chosen open, sunny. Shadow from nearby buildings, trees or tall plants should not fall on it. The best option is to plant a watermelon on the southern and southeastern slopes.
The subtleties of growing in other regions:
- In cooler climates, gardeners mulch the soil with a black film that accumulates heat.
- In areas with a short summer, experts recommend planting watermelon seedlings. Landing in open ground is also possible, but it does not always end successfully. At low summer temperatures, the seeds may not germinate.
- In the northern regions, watermelon is grown in polycarbonate or film greenhouses. If necessary, use additional illumination.
The plant is pollinated by insects. However, if the windows in the greenhouse are all closed due to cold weather or the weather is cloudy, pollination is carried out manually.
Preparing the soil for planting
Watermelon does not tolerate peat soil, as well as soil with a large amount of clay and black soil. So that the plant grows well, it is planted in a light, loose substrate enriched with minerals.
The best precursor to culture is radish. In this case, you can not be afraid that a spider mite will attack the watermelon. But after pumpkin representatives it is better not to grow it, since they have common pests and diseases.
Growing methods
There are 2 main methods of growing watermelon - seedlings and seedlings.
Reckless
It is suitable for warm, sunny areas where there is no return frost and the summer is long and hot. Before sowing, the seeds are prepared:
- First they are sorted and rejected. "Dummies" are easy to identify if the seeds are placed in a glass of salt water. 10 minutes are enough for high-quality seed material to sink to the bottom, and hollow seeds emerge to the surface.
- The selected seeds are then lowered into a weak pink solution of potassium permanganate for several hours to disinfect.
- The next step is to fill them with hot water (50 ° C) and leave for a day. This procedure accelerates seed germination.
- Then the water is decanted, the seeds are blotted with a dry rag and sown immediately in open ground.
Planting is carried out as soon as the soil warms up to + 15 ° C at a depth of 10 cm. The holes are dug at a distance of 1 m from each other. The row spacing is 1.5 m. Seeds are planted to a depth of 3-5 cm. Sowing is usually done at the end of April.
Seedling method
It is used in the temperate climatic zone, as well as in areas with short summers. Usually seedlings are planted in a greenhouse. In this case, there is a high share of the probability of obtaining a ripe quality crop. Seeds for seedlings are sown in mid-spring. Loose soil is prepared with a large amount of sand and mineral fertilizers (the latter can be replaced with wood ash and humus).
Before sowing, seed material is prepared as well as before planting in open ground. Sow them immediately in separate containers so that the delicate roots of plants do not intertwine and are not injured during transplantation. The capacity should be no more than 8 cm deep.
The seeds are deepened by 2-3 cm. The glasses are kept constantly warm, in a well-lit place, the earth should not dry out. It is planted in a permanent place when the 3rd true leaf is formed. After transplanting on cold nights, seedlings are covered with cropped plastic bottles or foil.
Sugar Care
Care for the variety implies compliance with the rules of irrigation, timely application of fertilizing and some additional features.
Watering
Plants are rarely watered, but abundantly. When watermelons ripen, watering is completely stopped, otherwise they can crack. For irrigation always use only warm water. The procedure is carried out in the evening, when the heat subsides.
After irrigation or precipitation, the soil is always loosened until the lashes have grown.
Top dressing
Fertilizers are applied in several stages:
- When 2-3 leaves appear, watermelon is fed with nitrogen fertilizers. This will give impetus to the growth of green mass. After 15 days, top dressing is repeated.
- With the formation of ovaries and ripening of the fruit, mineral fertilizers are applied - potassium-phosphorus. Particular attention should be paid to potassium fertilizers. They contribute to the greater formation of female flowers, increase the immunity of plants, and improve the palatability of fruits.
Extra care
Around young plants, all weeds must be removed. During prolonged rains, the resulting fruits are covered on top and stacked on cardboard, bricks or wooden boxes to prevent them from decaying. If watermelon is grown on a trellis, then as they ripen, they are tied with a grid. The gardener directs the growing lashes in the direction he needs, and the root sprinkles with earth to form additional roots.
When attacking pests or developing diseases, appropriate insecticides and fungicides are used. Solutions are prepared and processed strictly following the manufacturer's instructions.
Ideally, of course, you can completely dispense with chemical preparations, since a watermelon tends to accumulate nitrates and other substances.
Optimal conditions for growing in Siberia
In Siberia, watermelon Sugar baby is grown by seedling. Seeds for seedlings are sown in late April - early May. When growing on the street, it is better to play it safe and make shelters in the form of arcs or cover the plantings with covering material. On cold nights, plants also shelter. In general, the care is the same as when grown in other areas.
We recommend reading an article on how to plant and grow a watermelon in Siberia.
Collection and storage
There is no exact date for harvesting watermelon, as in each region they are different and ripening depends on weather conditions. However, there are a number of external signs that indicate the ripeness of the fetus:
- dry ponytail;
- a dull sound when tapped;
- fading leaves and stems;
- characteristic crackle.
Store watermelon in the refrigerator, basement and cellar at a temperature of +2 to + 5 ° C. The main thing is that the peel of the fruit should be without damage - scratches, dents or cracks. The optimal weight of watermelons for storage is 4-5 kg.
In the video below, the gardener conducted a tasting of the Sugar Baby melon variety grown by himself:
Gardeners reviews
About Sugar Kid reviews are only positive, as the variety is early ripe and unpretentious.
Olesya, 35 years old, Moscow region. I’ve been growing sugar for 5 years. I like it for its precocity, small size and sweet taste. In addition, it is practically not sick. Lost bushes a couple of times just because of rot, and then in the rainy summer.
Makar, 48 years old, Rostov Region. I just started to deal with watermelons. A variety of varieties is such that the eyes run wide. He took a few, one of them - Sugar baby. In size, of course, inferior to the others, this is the smallest of all mine, but the very first ripens. It tastes nice, sweet honey.
Hide
Add your review
Sugar baby pleases unpretentiousness in care and resistance to diseases. Its advantages include ultra-early ripeness, which allows you to harvest not only in areas intended for cultivation, but also in a temperate climate, and through planting seedlings in the Siberian district.