Black Beauty watermelon: origin, planting time, planting methods and suitable regions

Black Beauty watermelon is one of the sweeter-tasting watermelons, widely planted because of its thick bright red flesh, good yield and wide adaptability. So where does the Black Beauty melon come from? When is the best time to plant it? How do you plant it? Which regions are suitable for growing it?

Origin introduction:

Black Beauty watermelon is grown in several places in China, the most famous being Nanning in Guangxi, Hainan, Yinchuan in Ningxia and Weinan in Shaanxi.

Planting time:

For the spring crop, February to April is best; for the autumn crop, June to the end of August is best. In the spring crop, the early growth period falls in the low-temperature season and the late growth period in the high-temperature season; the autumn crop is the opposite. The spring crop needs more days than the autumn crop, and its fruits are also larger with deeper flesh color. When sowing in the low-temperature season, to guard against the cold, it is best to use tunnel sheds for heat preservation during seedling raising; once 1 to 2 true leaves have unfolded, the seedlings can be transplanted to the field.

Planting techniques:

I. Sowing and seedling raising

1. Preparing nutrient soil: use nutrient cups for seedling raising; each mu needs 150-180 kg of nutrient soil. The nutrient soil is made by sieving and mixing 70% pond mud, 20% decomposed organic fertilizer and 10% pure red mud. Each bag weighs about 0.5 kg, and 6-7 granules of compound fertilizer are placed in the middle of each nutrient bag. The raw materials for mixing the nutrient soil must not be soil that has previously grown watermelons.

2. Sprouting and sowing: disinfect the seeds by soaking them in a 500-fold dilution of 50% carbendazim for 30 minutes, then soak them in clean water for 4 hours, take them out and sprout them until 70% of the seeds have split their coats, and then sow. When sowing, first drench the nutrient soil with a 500-fold dilution of carbendazim, place the seeds flat at a depth of about 1 cm with the sprouts pointing down. After sowing, cover with nylon film to keep warm during seedling raising and keep the nutrient soil moist. Generally, seedlings emerge 5-7 days after sowing; after emergence, remove the seed shells by hand to encourage the cotyledons to unfold as quickly as possible.

3. Cultivating strong seedlings: spray the seedlings once every 7-10 days with a 800-fold dilution of 50% dimethoate and a 500-fold dilution of 50% carbendazim. When the first true leaf grows, begin watering with decomposed human manure and urine diluted 10 times with water, once every other day. On clear days, the film can be opened in the early morning for hardening off the seedlings, and covered again in the evening. When the seedlings grow to 2-3 true leaves, they can be transplanted.

II. Land preparation and transplanting

1. Site selection and land preparation: choose a sandy plot with ample sunlight, convenient drainage and irrigation, and deep, loose soil, and build raised beds for planting. The bed width is 3 m, the ditch width is 0.5 m, and the bed surface is slightly arched. During land preparation, evenly scatter 50 kg of quicklime per mu, which both disinfects and neutralizes soil acidity. Apply 1000-1500 kg of decomposed pig and cattle manure, 20-25 kg of superphosphate, 30 kg of compound fertilizer and 10 kg of potassium sulfate per mu as base fertilizer, placing them into the planting holes and mixing them evenly with the soil.

2. Transplanting: transplant when the seedlings grow to 2-3 true leaves, with a plant spacing of 0.5 m and 300-330 plants per mu. After transplanting, use a 500-fold dilution of 50% carbendazim as the rooting water. Then lay a strip of film on each side of the seedlings on the bed surface, keeping the film tightly against the bed surface and pressing it down so it will not be flipped up.

Suitable places for planting:

Black Beauty watermelon has wide adaptability and can be cultivated all year round in South China. Cultivation in the high-temperature period can better bring out the advantages of this variety, and the fruits are also larger. This variety is suitable for cultivation in all kinds of cultivated soil.