Large-fruited pumpkin fruits are valued for their good taste and a large amount of vitamins. Today, many varieties of culture are known. The largest representatives of the species can exceed 100 kg in weight, and the smallest ones do not grow up to 1 kg. You will learn about the peculiarities of growing and caring for plants when you read this article.
Large pumpkin can reach up to 100 kg
Large pumpkin
Large-fruited pumpkin has a very sweet taste
Description
Tropical America is considered the birthplace of large-fruited pumpkin. In Europe, it appeared only in the 16th century. Today this variety is popular all over the world.
Among the main parameters:
- Weight. Large-fruited pumpkin varieties are called, the weight of which can reach from 0.5 to 100 kg. On average - 50 kg.
- Bush. The leaves are large, dark green.
- Fruit. They can be round, elongated, oval. Color ranges from white to bright orange or greenish. Inside the seeds are milky or brownish.
- Taste. Usually not very sweet, but some varieties are superior to watermelons in sugar content.
- Benefit. Large-fruited pumpkin fruits are often used for medicinal purposes. They have laxative and diuretic effects. They also contain a large amount of vitamins.
- Ripening terms. Most varieties mature within 80-140 days after planting.
- Storage. These fruits have a strong, fleshy skin, making them suitable for long-term storage and long-distance transportation. They are valued for their resistance to low temperatures and ease of maintenance.
Growing features
There are several main features that should be considered when growing pumpkins.
Seed preparation
Before landing, preparation is required:
- Sorting. Go through the seeds, select only the largest. Remove damaged and empty ones.
- Heating. Spread the selected material in a layer of no more than 10 cm. Heat for about 5 hours at 40 degrees.
- Soak. Mix 1 liter of water with 2 tbsp. l. ash. Throw in the seeds and wait 10 hours.
Gardeners recommend removing the seeds in a cool place for a few hours.
You can avoid the described procedures if you take seeds that have lain for 2-3 years after harvest.
To prepare them for landing you need:
- immerse in water at a temperature of 40 degrees for 3-4 hours;
- wrap in a damp cloth and leave for 2-3 days, constantly monitoring the moisture level.
All these manipulations are needed for 2 reasons:
- Growth stimulation. Germinated seeds sprout faster.
- Protection. They become more resistant to pests.
Choosing a landing site
When choosing a place in the garden, you need to consider the following features:
- Location It is better to grow a pumpkin in an area open to sunlight and protected from the wind. A great place is the south side of the house.
- The presence of support. Most varieties are prone to weaving. Therefore, you should take care of the support in the form of a wall or hedge.
- Correct soil. The soil should be nutritious and loose, since pumpkin does not grow well in acidic soil.
Since autumn, the earth needs to be dug up, fertilizers added. You will need compost and superphosphate. For 1 square. 4 kg of compost and 30 g of superphosphate are introduced. Lime will help reduce soil acid.
- The predecessor cultures. Plant better after tomatoes, legumes or carrots.
It is not recommended to land on a bed where cucumbers used to grow.
- Neighborhood. Pumpkin grows well next to beans and corn.
Planting seeds
Large pumpkin seeds can be planted in two ways.
In open ground
This is usually done in April. Care must be taken to ensure that the distance between the plants is at least 1 m. Dig a hole 3 cm deep and plant 2-3 seeds there.
Sowing seed in open ground is more suitable for residents of the southern regions.
Seedling
The procedure is carried out 20 days before planting in the ground.
There are several stages of planting seedlings:
- Soil preparation. It should consist of peat and sand. Before and after planting, the soil is moistened.
- Capacity. Pots are better to take separate. Ideally, they should be from peat so as not to damage the roots during transplantation. If they are made of plastic, it is better to line the bottom with a layer of sawdust.
- Disembarkation. For seedlings, seeds need to be planted 2 in 1 capacity. Depth - 2 cm.
- Temperature. Within 1 week after planting seeds for seedlings, you need to maintain a temperature of about 25 degrees, then reduce it to 18.
- Care. After 2 weeks, you need to add top dressing. A mullein is suitable mixed with water in a ratio of 1 to 10.
Planting seedlings
If the seedlings are ready for planting, they meet the following characteristics:
- Stem. Thick and strong enough.
- Leaflets. At least 3-4 strong leaves for each plant.
Rules:
- before planting, the land in the garden must be watered with hot water;
- the scheme is used, as when sowing seeds, only the holes are dug to such a depth that the root of a plant or a peat pot is placed in them;
- if the seedlings grew in peat pots, you do not need to take them out, just slightly reduce the volume of the bottom and walls;
- seedlings should be deepened into the ground to the cotyledons and watered again;
- to provide protection, the seedlings are covered with foil.
Bushes
When forming bushes, they adhere to the recommendations:
- pumpkin is formed in the form of a single stem;
- to avoid overgrowth, even before the appearance of inflorescences, the upper bud is pinched;
- remove extra shoots as soon as they reach 7 cm;
- no more than 3 ovaries are left.
Proper formation will help to direct all the forces of the bush to the growth of fruits, not shoots.
Care
Care rules require special attention.
Watering
Watering the pumpkin is necessary often, especially during the flowering and fruit formation period, when the plant needs more vitality and it uses water more intensively.
Watering features:
- optimal water temperature - 20 degrees;
- 1 adult plant needs about 1 bucket of water;
- if you pour cold water on the pumpkin, it may die;
- in the heat, water the plant should be every other day;
- the level of soil moisture must be monitored constantly.
Top dressing
Fertilizers must be applied immediately after loosening the soil.
Should be considered:
- Growth rate. If the plant grows slowly, nitrogen can be added to the soil 20 days after planting. For better fruit formation, phosphate and potassium are needed.
- The weather. In rainy weather, feed the pumpkin with dry fertilizers, in dry, on the contrary, with liquid fertilizers.
- Time. During the growth period, top dressing is applied:
- 1st - is carried out as soon as the 5th sheet has been formed. Apply mineral or organic fertilizers.
- 2nd - after the formation of ovaries. Superphosphate or ash will do. Ash needs 300 g for every 1 sq. m.
Powder
This is another way to improve pumpkin growth and development. When the lashes of the plant reach 1 m, carefully untangle them and place them in one direction. Then sprinkle the lash with earth every 30-40 cm. This will help protect the stems from strong gusts of wind and provide additional nutrition.
Pollination
The pumpkin, like any other flowering plant, is pollinated by bees. But if insects rarely arrive at the site, you can carry out the procedure yourself. To do this, you should:
- pluck a "male" flower;
- remove all petals from it;
- for a few seconds apply to the "female".
It is recommended to carry out the procedure in the morning, at the time of opening of the flowers.
Protection against diseases and pests
Among the insects that can be dangerous for large-fruited pumpkin:
- Gourd aphids. It affects leaves and ovaries, causing them to twist and rot. Insects have an oval-shaped body of yellowish or greenish color.
To get rid of them, you need to pay special attention to cleaning weeds. Additionally, you can spray the pumpkin with a mild soapy solution.
- Spider mites. Insects suck the juice from the leaves of the pumpkin, making them lethargic, and then entwine with cobwebs. This leads to complete wilting of the plant.
Spraying with onion or garlic tinctures will help to cope with mites.
- Woodlice. They attack plants from the bottom.
Constant moisture control will help prevent the appearance.
- Nails They damage the leaves by gnawing holes in them.
Against pests, timely cultivation will help.
The following diseases are also required:
- Root rot. It is a fungal disease that leads to the death of the root system, stopping plant growth and wilting.
To avoid the development of the disease, it is necessary to control the quantity and quality of water, observe the optimal frequency of feeding.
- Anthracnose. The plant is covered with brownish spots, starting from the leaves. Over time, they begin to rot and crumble.
The timely removal of diseased plants will help to avoid the spread of the disease.
- Olive spot. On the surface of the bush, watery spots appear, which quickly increase in size. This leads to the death of the ovaries and a change in the shape of the fruit.
It can be prevented by spraying the plant with Bordeaux fluid.
- Powdery mildew. First, small light spots appear on the surface of the leaves, which gradually merge into one. The result of the development of the disease is the death of the leaves. Fungal spores may be present in the soil or carried by the wind.
For prevention, you need to pay attention to soil preparation and spray the plant with hay tincture.
- Mosaic. The leaves are covered with spots from white to greenish.
Insects can be carriers of the virus, so you need to take care to protect the pumpkin with insecticides.
Additional Tips
Recommendations will help protect fruits from damage:
- For hanging fruit. If pumpkin lashes climb up the fence, it is quite natural that the fruits that appear on them will hang above the ground. Due to its large size, it can damage the stems and cause the pumpkins to fall. Therefore, it is better to play it safe and place them in sturdy mesh bags, securing them to the fence before ripening.
- For lying fruits. Pumpkins lying on the ground, especially during high humidity, are vulnerable to decay and insect attacks. Problems can be avoided by placing a board or plywood sheet under the fruit.
Harvesting and storage
You need to remove the fruits from the garden before frost. It is best to do this on a dry sunny day, but if the weather is rainy, the pumpkin must be held under a canopy before being put into storage to allow it to dry.
At the same time, they adhere to the rules:
- The fruits are cut carefully with sharp scissors or a knife. Pumpkins should not be plucked. In this case, 3-5 cm from the stem should remain.
- Collecting pumpkins is recommended mature. Such fruits have a thick skin, on which there are no dents left when pressed.
- If the pumpkin did not have time to ripen, and the frost has already come, you can keep it in storage until conditions improve, and then take it outside for 20 days and leave it under the rays of the warm sun.
- The crop is stored in a cool, dry place. If all the conditions are met, it will be possible to enjoy the fruits all winter.
The best varieties
There are several of the most popular large-fruited pumpkin varieties.
Titanium
Among the characteristics of the variety:
- The size. One of the largest representatives of the described species. The average weight of 1 fruit is 100 kg, but even more can be grown under good conditions.
- Bush. Titan forms long, spreading lashes, so usually the plants are planted at a distance of 2 m from each other.
- Ripening terms. It matures, on average, within 140 days.
- Fruit. The shape is round, with several segments. The skin is usually orange.
- Pulp. It is slightly darker in color than the shell. There are few seeds inside. The taste is pleasant, but bland. Therefore, the variety is usually grown by those who want to get really large fruits.
Dawn
Parameters:
- The size. Fruit weight usually does not exceed 7 kg.
- Ripening terms. You can get a crop within 110 days after germination.
- Fruit. They have a rounded, slightly flattened shape with a segmented surface. The skin is decorated with a pattern of dark and orange stripes.
- Pulp. Bright orange color. It has a good density, but not particularly juicy. However, this does not affect the good taste. It has a large amount of vitamins.
- Productivity. It has a good yield. Subject to the growing conditions, you can collect 300 quintals of pumpkin from 1 hectare.
Baby
Variety Description:
- The size. It may weigh as little as 3 kg, but this does not make the pumpkin the smallest of its kind.
- Bush. Small, with neat leaves.
- Ripening period. Reaches maturity quickly - already 80 days after planting.
- Fruit. The shape is flattened. The color of the skin is gray with a shade of brown.
- Pulp. Orange color. It has excellent taste characteristics - crispy and sweet, contains a large amount of carotene.
- Productivity. Very small. With 1 sq. m. you can collect only 3.5 kg of pumpkin.
Paris Gold
Features:
- The size. Pumpkins can reach 15-20 kg in weight, but the average characteristic is 10 kg.
- Bush. It grows on large, sprawling bushes with long lashes.
- Ripening period. You can get a crop within 115 days after germination.
- Fruit. The shape is rounded, flattened, segmented.
- Pulp. Yellowish-orange, dense, sweetish. Its taste does not deteriorate, but only improves with prolonged storage.
- Taste qualities. The nutritional value of the fruit is quite high. Of these, juices, mashed potatoes, boil and bake can be made.
Sweetie
What is remarkable about the variety:
- The size. Compared to other members of the variety, the pumpkin is small. She weighs only 2.5 kg.
- Bush. It has many long lashes. Plants have large leaves of bright green color. Up to 8 pumpkins can be found on each bush.
- Ripening period. Ripens within 110-115 days.
- Fruit. The shape is round. The color is saturated, reddish-orange.
- Pulp. Orange color, firm, crunchy, with a lot of juice. That is why it is suitable for use in raw form.
- Productivity Harvest on chernozem soils. You can collect almost 500 quintals of pumpkin from 1 hectare.
Chit
Pay attention to the following features:
- The size. Small enough fruits, the weight of which does not exceed 3 kg.
- Bush. Medium in size with long spreading lashes and large green leaves.
- Ripening period. The crumb reaches maturity in 115 days.
- Fruit. Rounded, neat, segmented. The outer color is greenish gray. In a state of full maturity, the skin is very dense.
- Pulp. Bright orange. It has a great taste. Due to the sugar content, it can be used for making jam.
Big max
What you need to know:
- The size. In good conditions, the weight of the fruit reaches 20 kg, but on average you can grow a pumpkin weighing up to 10 kg.
- Bush. The plant is characterized by high climbing ability. The leaves are large, light green in color.
- Ripening period. You can harvest fruits 130 days after planting.
- Fruit. The shape is round, without brightly defined segments. The skin has an orange color, sometimes diluted with cream-colored spots.
- Pulp. Bright orange color. There are few dry substances in it, it is dense and sweetish.
- Productivity High enough. You can collect about 700 quintals from 1 hectare.
Little Red Riding Hood
Differences of this variety:
- The size. They grow up to 5 kg.
- Bush. Compact, with whips, the length of which can be up to 4 m. The lashes are quite tenacious, completely braiding the proposed support.
- Ripening terms. Ripen quickly, in just 100 days.
- Fruit. Due to its amazing appearance, the variety is often used as a decorative one. The fruits are shaped like a mushroom or a head with a "cap" on it.Because of this, the color of the skin is also different. The pumpkins are light at the bottom and bright orange at the top.
- Pulp. Orange. Good taste. It can be eaten in cooked dishes or raw.
Russian woman
What's interesting about the variety:
- The size. It can reach 4 kg, but more often fruits weighing no more than 2 kg are harvested.
- Bush. Compact, with small neat lashes.
- Ripening period. Early ripening. You can harvest the fruits within 100 days after planting.
- Fruit. Expanded in shape at the top and elongated closer to the bottom. The skin color is bright, orange with barely noticeable furrows.
- Pulp. Orange, dense, tasty. It is used for the preparation of various dishes and fresh consumption.
Sweet chestnut
Known facts about the variety:
- The size. Very small pumpkins weighing less than 1 kg.
- Fruit. The skin is green with whitish spots.
- Ripening terms. It belongs to the early varieties. The growing season lasts from April to August or from May to September.
- Pulp. Yellowish, has the smell of chestnut. It tastes juicy, sweet.
- Storage conditions. The keeping quality of the fruit is assessed as good.
Atlant
Grade Information:
- The size. Pumpkins usually weigh about 10 kg, but under particularly favorable conditions, it can reach 70 kg.
- Bush. The plant has only 1 main lash, it belongs to the weakly braided.
- Ripening period. Atlas takes a long time to mature. Harvest can be harvested approximately 140 days after planting.
- Fruit. They have a rounded oval shape. The skin is orange, smooth.
- Pulp. Golden orange color. Thick, slightly oily, sweetish.
- Productivity During the season, you can collect about 240 quintals of pumpkin per 1 hectare.
Pampushka
Key Features:
- The size. The pumpkin weighs about 5 kg, but sometimes the fruits can reach 10 kg.
- Bush. Plants have very long lashes, they can grow up to 10 m.
- Ripening period. The fruits reach full maturity in 110 days.
- Fruit. Rounded. The skin is greenish-gray.
- Pulp. Orange. Juicy taste.
Corkus
What is interesting in the variety:
- The size. Weight reaches 5 kg.
- Bush. Plants have 1 long lash and several short ones. Sheets are medium in size.
- Ripening period. It takes 110 days to reach full ripeness.
- Fruit. Round and neat in shape with subtle segments. The skin has a dark green color.
- Pulp. Yellowish in color. Dense in structure, sweet in taste.
- Productivity Medium - from 1 hectare you can collect about 200 kg.
Azure
The characteristics are:
- The size. Reaches 6 kg of weight.
- Bush. With 1 main whip reaching 7 m and many small ones.
- Ripening period. It matures in 115 days on average.
- Fruit. They have a rounded, slightly flattened shape. The skin is wrinkled, gray-green.
- Pulp. Bright orange color. Thick and very juicy, sweet.
Reviews
To learn more about large-fruited pumpkin and its varieties, the reviews of people who have already grown this type of culture will help:
Nina, 48 years old. For several years now I have been growing large-fruited pumpkins. I especially like Titan and Little Red Riding Hood. I chose the first one because of its large size, it goes well for fodder for livestock. And Little Red Riding Hood is not only very tasty and juicy - unusual pumpkins are a decoration of my site.
Irina, 53 years old. Recently I began to grow large-fruited pumpkins of the Zorka variety. The fruits are very tasty, juicy. I love to bake pumpkin pies and make jam. Next year I want to plant the Sweetie variety. My neighbor praised their sweetness very much.
Galina, 61 years old. I grow Malyshka and Rossiyanka pumpkins on my site. The fruits look very beautiful and neat. Usually I make porridge and jams from them, and my son loves to eat fresh.
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Large pumpkin is grown all over the world. The varieties are valued for their large size and good taste, presentation and resistance to transportation. It is easy to grow a large-fruited pumpkin on your site if you follow all the conditions of planting and care.
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