Crimson Sweet is a popular high-yielding watermelon. Berries are distinguished by high taste and lack of veins. The article describes the advantages and disadvantages of the Crimson Sweet, especially planting and care, as well as the characteristics of the main hybrids of this variety.
a variety of watermelon “Crimson Sweet”
watermelon seeds “Crimson Sweet”
Watermelon variety “Crimson Sweet” has a juicy, refined pulp, delicate and rich taste and a sweet aftertaste
Selection history
Watermelon Crimson Sweet is a varietal type of crop. He was bred by world-famous breeder Charles W. Hall at the very beginning of his career at Kansas State University. For more than 10 years, the scientist worked on improving the characteristics of the variety, and only in 1963 introduced the Crimson Sweet to the public.
In 1964, this variety received the title "All-America Selections", the field of which became the most popular among American farmers. After several decades, Crimson Sweet came to Europe, where he also received widespread recognition and began to be grown everywhere.
Region of growth
At home, this gourd is grown in almost all states, since the variety has not lost popularity for many decades. Also, Crimson Sweet has long been considered the standard among sugar watermelons in European countries.
Sweet berries are also grown in Russia, especially the variety is popular among gardeners in the middle lane. In regions with a cooler climate, watermelons fruit well in greenhouses, but in this case, the Crimson Sweet is grown in seedlings.
Description and characteristics of a variety of watermelon Crimson Sweet
Many watermelon lovers avoid buying early berries, as they consider them grassy and tasteless. This definitely does not apply to the Crimson Sweet variety, because even the name of the culture translates as “Raspberry Sweetness”. Berries are high in sugar, tender pulp and juiciness.
Crimson Sweet is one of the best early ripening varieties. The growing season is only 70-80 days. The berries are very juicy, have a rich, sweet taste. The peel is medium in thickness, does not crack when squeezed.
Watermelon has a rounded, slightly elongated shape. The skin color is dark green, with longitudinal lighter stripes. Surface without roughness, matte. The pulp is bright crimson in color, practically has no veins. Seeds are dark brown, medium in size. Subject to agricultural technology, the weight of a ripe watermelon can reach 12 kg.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
The positive characteristics of the early berry are noted by all gardeners who have at least once grown this variety in their home garden. The main advantages of Crimson Sweet include:
- high taste;
- marketable condition;
- high productivity;
- drought tolerance;
- good transportability;
- resistance to anthracnose.
A short growing season allows you to grow watermelons in various climatic zones without any difficulties.
Despite the obvious advantages of Crimson Sweet, this variety has its disadvantages:
- watery taste when waterlogging the soil;
- lack of immunity to fusarium;
- smaller berries with an excess of nitrogen in the soil.
Compliance with the rules of agricultural technology will help to avoid such problems, and early berries will please with their size and sweetness.
Landing features
This variety can be grown in both seedling and seedling methods. In areas with warm, dry summers, the seeds of Crimson Sweet are sown immediately in open land in May. About planting watermelons in the open ground more is written here.
In the central and western regions, watermelons are mainly grown through seedlings. This will not only allow you to prepare plants for changing weather conditions and temper them, but also to harvest 12-15 days earlier.
Regardless of which method of growing watermelons you choose, the site for planting should be prepared in the fall. The culture is photophilous, therefore the territory should not be obscured by a fence or a crown of trees.
Crimson Sweet bears fruit better on sandy soils with neutral acidity. Chernozem and peat are not suitable for the cultivation of gourds.
You should not choose for planting watermelons areas with a high occurrence of groundwater. Constant overmoistening of the root system leads to its decay and death of plants.
The best precursors for watermelons are legumes, carrots, onions and cabbage. It is not recommended to plant Crimson Sweet in areas where other gourds grew before: zucchini, pumpkin, melon.
In the fall, before the cold weather, the selected area should be dug up and brought to the square. m half a bucket of compost or rotted manure. A week before planting, the soil is fertilized with potassium chloride, superphosphate, and also ammonium sulfate in a proportion of 20:40:30 g per square meter. m. After fertilizing, the site must again be dug up, loosened and watered.
Sowing seeds for seedlings
To obtain seedlings, the seeds of Crimson Sweet are sown in early May. It is advisable to use a special soil mixture for melons and gourds. If this is not in the nearest store, choose a soil with a high sand content. Prepare containers for planting with a diameter of at least 10 cm in advance.
For sowing, choose seeds harvested 3-4 years ago, since they give the largest number of plants with female flowers, on which the fruits are formed. Remove all broken, empty and small seeds.
Seeds can be soaked before biting, which will reduce the period of emergence of seedlings.
Sow the seeds as follows:
- 2/3 fill the container with soil mixture;
- moisten the soil using a spray gun;
- with a pencil, make holes 1-1.5 cm deep;
- dig the seeds into the ground, planting 2 seeds in 1 pot;
- sprinkle planting material with soil;
- spray the soil again with water;
- cover the container with foil and put it in a warm place (about 25 degrees).
The film needs to be slightly opened and aired a couple of times a day. As soon as the first shoots appear on the surface, remove the film and expose the pots to the light.
Seedling Care
In order to get strong and healthy seedlings, it is necessary to maintain the correct temperature regime. In the daytime, the temperature of the content of young seedlings should not be higher than +22 degrees, at night +20. On cloudy days, seedlings are illuminated with special phytolamps or the temperature is lowered to +18 to avoid sprouting.
As the seedlings grow, add soil to the container, which will stimulate the formation of new lateral roots. A week later, after the appearance of the first shoots, top dressing is performed. Complex mineral fertilizers (15 g per 5 liters of water) are suitable. A week later, infusion of mullein, diluted with water in a proportion of 1:10, is introduced.
Landing in open ground
Seedlings are considered ready for planting when 3-5 real leaves appear on it. This usually occurs 20-23 days after emergence. By this time, the soil temperature should warm up to +15 degrees.
In order for plants to better take root in a new place, they should be hardened before planting. To do this, the pots are taken out into the street under direct sunlight, first for a couple of hours, and then for the whole day. 3 days before planting, watering seedlings must be stopped.
The procedure for planting seedlings in open ground is carried out according to the following scheme:
- In the prepared area, make holes 10 cm deep in a checkerboard pattern at a distance of 1.5 m from each other.
- Pour water over the wells liberally.
- Remove the seedling from the pot with a lump of earth and set it upright in the hole.
- Sprinkle with soil, tamp.
Growing and Care Conditions
Watermelon can not be called a whimsical plant, however, to get a quality crop you will have to regularly take care of your plantings. After the appearance of the 5th leaf, the bushes should be spudded and gently loosened up the soil, being careful not to touch the additional roots. Thoroughly remove weeds, as they remove nutrients from the soil and most of the moisture, inhibiting the growth of melons.
The Scrim Crimson Scourge is not advisable to let spread along the ground, it is recommended to tie them vertically to the support. In this case, the plant will receive more light, and the root system will have additional space for full development.
Watermelons develop well at a temperature of + 22-26 degrees. If the night temperature drops below +10, install arcs over the bushes and cover overnight with any non-woven material.
Watering
Melons and gourds consume a lot of water, so they should be watered abundantly 1-2 times a week. This will allow young roots to grow faster and go deeper into the soil. Try to watermelon in the evening so that the water evaporates more slowly.
When the green mass begins to grow, you need to water the plants as the top layer of the earth dries. After the beginning of flowering, watering is reduced to 1 time in 7-10 days. During the formation and ripening of berries, watering is recommended to be completely stopped.
Top dressing
Seedlings are fed 2 times during the growing season. 2 weeks after transplanting seedlings into the soil, the plants are watered with a solution of mullein or chicken droppings in a ratio of 1:10. After 10-15 days, a second top dressing with nitrogen-containing fertilizers is carried out. It is better to use ammonium nitrate by dissolving 20 g of the drug in a bucket of water.
Breeding
Watermelons reproduce exclusively by seed. To correctly gather the seeds of the Crimson Sweet, do the following:
- select large fruits for seeds in the stage of biological ripeness;
- having cut the watermelon in half, with a spoon, get the central seeds along with the pulp and put them in a plastic or glass container;
- leave the future planting material for 2-3 days in a warm place for fermentation;
- rinse the seeds thoroughly under running water;
- Store planting material in glass containers or in paper bags.
Diseases and Pests
Crimson Sweet is a disease-resistant variety, but under adverse weather conditions you may encounter some fungal diseases. Most often, plants are affected by powdery mildew, root rot, bacteriosis and fusariosis.
The main diseases of Crimson Sweet watermelon and methods of dealing with them:
Disease name | Symptoms | Treatment methods |
Powdery mildew | Small whitish spots on the leaves and stem, which lead to deformation and drying out of the affected areas of the plant. | Spray the affected bushes with a three-day infusion of mullein, which must be diluted with water in a ratio of 1: 3, with the addition of 1 tsp. copper sulfate. |
Root rot | Brown spots appear on the lower part of the stem and nearby leaves, the upper part of the bush turns yellow and fades. | Sprinkle the root necks of the plants with ash and spray the plantings with 0.1% foundationazole. |
Bacteriosis | At the beginning of the disease, whitish spots appear on the leaves, which eventually turn into holes. The plant is poorly developed, the berries are smaller. | The disease cannot be cured. Remove the affected bushes from the site and burn. |
Fusarium | The leaves lose their turgor, acquire a pale green tint, wither and wither. The root neck is covered with dark spots. | Sick plants can be tried to be saved if, at the initial stage of the disease, feed them with a solution of chicken droppings with ash. |
An early variety is also affected by some pests, such as a sprout fly, aphid and wireworm. The larvae of the sprout fly cause irreparable harm to plantings, damaging the roots of young bushes and gnawing through the chambers in the stems. To kill the pest use the drug "Karbofos".
Melon aphids can most often be found on the wrong side of the leaves. Adult greenish individuals and their larvae feed on plant sap, destroy flowers and ovary. Against aphids, such drugs as Actellik and Fitoverm are effective.
No less dangerous is the wireworm, which feeds on the roots of agricultural plants, causing their death. Larvae can also climb into the stems of the culture. For their capture make special traps. A plant is dug a hole near the plant and a flat container with vegetable waste is placed in it. The wireworms slide into the trap, attracted by the smell. After a couple of days, the trap is taken out and the contents are burned along with the pests.
Variety hybrids
Crimson Sweet is a varietal watermelon with many positive characteristics. However, the breeders continued their work and derived on its basis several cultures resistant to Fusarium, while preserving all the advantages of the ancestor. Thus, 2 more popular hybrids were born:
- Crimson Ruby F1;
- Crimson Wonder F1.
Crimson Ruby F1
A high-yielding hybrid of early ripening is suitable for cultivation in most climatic zones of Russia. The culture is distinguished by its ability to quickly build up green mass and form ovaries, even in adverse weather conditions.
On each lash, 2-3 fruits are formed, which in biological ripeness can reach a weight of 10-12 kg. The first fruits can be expected after 60-65 days after the emergence of seedlings.
Crimson Ruby is popular due to the high taste and marketability of berries. In addition, it tolerates heat and drought, as well as sudden cooling, equally well. A feature of the hybrid is its resistance to fusarium.
Crimson Wonder F1
Watermelon Crimson Wonder refers to mid-early hybrids, the ripening of which ranges from 85 to 90 days. The fruits are large, weighing 9-12 kg. Crimson Wonder has a friendly return on harvest. The dark green peel with light stripes is quite thick and strong, which ensures good transportability of the berries.
The pulp has a dark red hue, the taste is sweet, pleasant. The culture is resistant to Fusarium, Anthracnose and powdery mildew. Easily adapts to various environmental conditions, gives a bountiful harvest even in dry season.
Gardeners reviews about the watermelon Crimson Sweet
If you still have doubts about whether or not to grow a Crimson Sweet watermelon in your home garden, the feedback from experienced gardeners will help you make the right decision.
Igor Borisovich, 54 years old, summer resident, Moscow region.I often experiment with hybrids, try to keep up with the latest, but always allocate space for planting 5-6 bushes of this particular watermelon. With proper care, I have good yields every year.
Olga, 40 years old, amateur gardener, Krasnodar.I prefer to grow early ripe varieties of watermelons, Crimson Sweet is one of my favorites. The berries are tasty, sweet, about 8-9 kg.
Marina, 65 years old, summer resident, Rostov-on-Don.I have been growing this variety in my dacha for 5 years now, I am happy with the size and taste of the fruits. To make the watermelon as large as possible, I advise you to pinch the whips and remove the side shoots. So the plant spends all its efforts on the development of the berry, and not on the growth of tops.
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Crimson Sweet is a universal variety that shows consistently good results from year to year. Its popularity is due to its high palatability, yield and disease resistance. The culture easily adapts to adverse weather conditions, which allows it to grow in various climatic zones.