Home › Flower Cultivation › Article

Balcony Potted Watermelon Growing Methods and Tips: What Fertilizer Is Best for Home Growing

Flower Cultivation By Grace Miller 0 views
Want to grow watermelons on your balcony? As long as you master the methods, growing watermelons on a balcony is entirely achievable. 1. Variety Selection Balcony space is limited, so give priority to varieties with small fruit and a short growth cycle. Black Beauty: classic black skin with red flesh, high sweetness, good storage life, and strong disease resistance, suitable for beginners. Yellow Little Jade: golden-yellow flesh with extremely high visual appeal, and its flavor

Want to grow watermelon on a balcony? As long as you master the method, growing watermelon on a balcony is entirely achievable.

Image

I. Variety Selection

Balcony space is limited, so prioritize varieties with small fruit and a short growth cycle
 
Black Beauty: a classic black-skinned, red-fleshed variety with high sweetness, good storage life and strong disease resistance, suitable for beginners.

Huang Xiaoyu: golden-yellow flesh with extremely high visual appeal, crisp, sweet and juicy, great for both+ornamental and edible use.

Early Spring Red Jade: thin skin and tender flesh, single fruit weight1.5-2kg

Pitfall warning: avoid choosing large watermelon varieties, as they not only take up a lot of space but are also harder to fruit!

Image

II. Flower Pots and Tools

Pot size: diameter≥40cm30-40cm

Material choice: ceramic pots have excellent breathability but are heavier, suitable for fixed placement; gallon pots/Aoyama pots are lightweight and durable, with many drainage holes at the bottom and good value for money.

Essential tools: small trowel, gardening scissors, bamboo poles for trellising/climbing net, watering can.

Image

III. Soil Mix and Base Fertilizer

Recipe ratio: peat soil 3parts+rotted garden soil 2parts+rice husk charcoal/perlite 1part+a moderate amount of rotted organic fertilizer (chicken manure or sheep manure is best, add1-2handfuls per pot).

Key steps: mix all materials evenly and sun them for3days to sterilize; when potting, first lay a layer of clay pebbles at the bottom of the pot, then fill with soil, leaving5cmof rim space for easy watering.

Image

IV. Planting Process

Method1: sowing seeds

1.Soaking seeds to sprout: soak the seeds in55℃warm water for15minutes to sterilize, then soak at room temperature for6-8hours, wrap in a damp paper towel and place in a25-30℃environment to sprout, and sow after the seeds show white.

2.Sowing: sow2-3seeds per pot, cover with1cmof soil, water thoroughly, cover with plastic wrap to retain moisture, and remove the wrap after sprouting.

Method2: buying seedlings
 
Buy watermelon seedlings with2-3true leaves directly online or from a flower market; when transplanting, carefully plant them with the soil ball intact, water with a settling-in watering, and after3-5days of recovery you can care for them normally.

Image

V. Daily Care

Light: 6-8hours of direct sunlight per day, with a south-facing balcony being best; use a shade net at midday in summer to avoid leaf scorch; rotate the pot regularly to ensure the plant receives even light.

Temperature: optimum growing temperature: 20-32℃ below15℃growth stalls, and below10℃the plant needs to be moved indoors for warmth; in hot weather, increase ventilation to avoid root suffocation.

Watering: follow "water when dry, water thoroughly when you do" water sparingly during the seedling stage, keeping the soil slightly moist; increase the amount of water appropriately during the vine-growing stage; the flowering and fruiting stage has the highest water demand, so keep the soil moist; during the ripening stage, withhold water for7-10days before harvest to boost sweetness.

Fertilizing: organic fertilizer was already added when potting; during the growing period, apply a diluted compound fertilizer once every10days1time (such as Peter's Professional1); switch to a phosphorus-potassium fertilizer during the flowering and fruiting stage to promote fruit set.

Trellising and pruning:
 
1. Trellising: when the vine reaches30cm, use bamboo poles to build a"人"-shaped trellis or set up a net to guide the plant's climbing.

2.Pruning: single-vine pruning keeps only the main vine, suitable for small spaces; double-vine pruning keeps the main vine+1strong side vine, removing the remaining side branches and tendrils to reduce nutrient consumption.

Image

Related Articles