Planting and care of watermelon fruit

Watermelon is a sweet and juicy tropical fruit claimed to the richest source of potassium, magnesium, iron, folic acid, vitamins, acids and pectin substances and has varieties such as the black diamond, crimson sweet, Congo etc.

It thrives best on a fertile well-drained sandy loamy soil, and on a flat slope.

The sweetest watermelons are produced during the dry season.

Watermelon is best planted at the onset of the rainy season or when the rainy season is almost over. It performs optimally at a low or moderate rainfall with high sunshine.

In the south, early planting starts from late February to first week of March, while late planting period begins in late August to early October.

While in the north, early planting is around May while late planting is in July, but can be planted all year round with adequate irrigation.

Planting should be done preferably on ridges at a depth of 30cm, and rows 2m apart.

Seeds should be dipped in soil solution prior to planting and those that sink at the bottom are the ones to plant.

Farm weeds need to be cleared in order to ensure your watermelons grow very well.

Plant care: soil need to be kept moist, but not waterlogged and fertilisers high in nitrogen should be applied regularly until flowers begin to form, that is when you switch to fertilisers high in phosphorus and potassium.

Watermelons needs at least 6 to 8 hours of sunlight daily and moderate amount of mulch, manure or compost should be applied when planting.

Generally, watermelons are ready for harvest between 75days and 95days after planting.

Signs to look out for before harvesting include; colour change of the ground spot from white to rich yellow, dried spiral coil on the stem and hollow sound when hit with knuckle among others.

Watermelons do not store for a long period, not more than two to three weeks.

In order to avoid rot within that period, the fruits should be kept under low temperature of 11oC to 15oC. Watermelons do not store well under hot temperatures or when exposed to direct sunlight.

Source: agriculturenigeria.com nigerianfinder.com

Planting: Weed control: Harvesting: Storage:

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