Useful Information

Day of Maturity: Depends on weather conditions. When talking about earlyiness we compare a variety with other varieties.

Kavun	Earliness	# of Plants per Decare
Yaren	Early	800
Sarıca	Early	700
Dilber	Middle	700
Balhan	Middle	700
Sürmeli	Middle	650
Buğra	Middle	650
Sinem	Late	600

Distance between rows: 160-200 cm

Distance of plants on the row: 70-100 cm

Germination temperature of melon and water melon is 15-25 degrees Celcius.

Below 13-15 degrees there can be problems with germination. Because of that reason for early planting seedlings are used and for late sowing seeds are suitable.

For fruit maturation 25-32 degree Celcius is good. 15 to 20 days before fruit maturation water is cut down or cut off completely. If too much water is given, the sugar ratio will be low and durability or waiting time will be lessened.

Above 35 degrees Celcius fruits burn. For that reason , in hot places sowing must be done early and harvesting must be completed before it get hot.

If the plant develops well and covers then burning damage will be less. Covering the plant well is a character of the variety and it is relevant to irrigation and fertilization during plant's growing season.

SQUASH
Squash prefers soil that is rich in organic matter, has good drainage and has high water holding capacity . When the soil temperature is low, output of the planted seeds may be reduced. For this reason, when the soil temperature is below 15 °C planting seedling and when the soil temperature is above 15 °C planting seeds are recommended. Usually spacing on rows is 60 -70cm, and spacing between rows is 100-130 cm . Drip irrigation is recommended.

MELON
Melon does not like heavy , clay soils. Ph level should be between 6-8 . Soils with high water holding capacity and good drainage should be preferred. When the soil temperature is low, output of the planted seeds may be reduced. For this reason, when the soil temperature is below 15 °C planting seedling and when the soil temperature is above 15 °C planting seeds are recommended. In general, melon is planted as spacing on the rows are 70-90 cm and spacing between rows are 170-200 cm .For early varieties and varieties which do not grow much, depending on farmers experience distance between rows and row spacing can be kept narrower.

It is recommended to plant on ridge, using drip irrigation system and using of transparent polyethylene mulch on ridge. When seeds are planted on ridges, If the soil is ventilated no water damage occurs.When using drip irrigation, less water and less fertilizer is used. Weed control is easier. Since the soil does not lose its water and stays warm, plant grows faster and earlieness is achieved.

Fertilization : For a good fertilization program, soil analysis should be made. Generally before planting 200-300kg/ha Di Ammonnium Phosphate ( 18-46-0 ) is is used. Nitrogen-rich fertilizer should be used during plant growth . During flowering , to increase the number of flowers and flowering , phosphorus -rich fertilizer should be given. In the fruit growing and fruit yielding period , fertilization rich in potassium is done .

Watering: Depending on climate conditions and soil properties anhydrous cultivation can be made , less or more irrigation can be made as well . With drip irrigation systems, watering should frequent and in less amounts. Melon needs less water compared to watermelon.

WATERMELON
Watermelon likes plenty of organic matter , sandy, sandy loam soils. Compared to melon ,watermelon can withstand better against slightly acidic soil . But if ph goes toward alkaline, development weakens.When the soil temperature is low, output of planted seed may be reduced. For this reason, when the soil temperature is below 15 °C planting seedling and when the soil temperature is above 15 °C plating seeds are recommended.In general, melon is planted as spacing on the rows 70-90 cm and spacing between rows are 170-200 cm . For early varieties and during growing season at places where the night temperature is low, because the plant grows less , the spacing on rows can be narrowed to 50-60 cm.

It is recommended to plant on ridge, to use drip irrigation system and to use transparent polyethylene mulch on ridge. When seeds are planted on ridges, If the soil is ventilated no water damage occurs.When using drip irrigation, less water and less fertilizer is used. Weed control is easier. Since the soil does not lose its water and stays warm, plant grows faster and earlieness is achieved.

Fertilizing: Watermelon requires plenty amount of fertilizer .For a good fertilization program, soil analysis should be made. Generally, before planting, 200-300kg/ha Di Ammonnium Phosphate ( 18-46-0 ) is used. Nitrogen-rich fertilizer should be used during plant growth . During flowering , to increase the number of flowers and flowering , phosphorus -rich fertilizer should be given. In the fruit growing and fruit yielding period , fertilization rich in potassium should be made.

Note: Given information is for educational purposes only and the grower should act depending on his knowledge and experience and assumes full responsibility. Verim Ziraat Ltd. Co. can not be held responsible in any way for possible problems.