We fertilize the pumpkin correctly. Timing and methods of fertilizing for crops

Pumpkin is an unpretentious plant, as are zucchini and other melons. But at the same time it loves a lot of light and warmth. The fruits of this vegetable, rich in vitamins and minerals, are used to prepare many dishes.

They are also used for medicinal purposes, as are the seeds. But in order to grow full-fledged, mature, healthy fruits, you need to know what and when to feed pumpkins. Many gardeners believe that pumpkin does not need fertilizer, but this is not true.

Why are fertilizers needed?

Pumpkin has a well-developed root system; individual roots can go one and a half to two meters deep into the soil. Many gardeners believe that with such coverage, the plant will find its own nutrition in the deep layers of the soil. But that's not true. After all, pumpkin is also very “gluttonous” - that is, it greatly depletes the soil. The soil where the pumpkin grew becomes depleted in one season, so it is necessary to feed the pumpkin during cultivation. Fertilizer affects both growth and fruit set, and their usefulness.

There is a recommendation to grow pumpkins on a compost heap. With this method, the plant itself will take everything it needs.

What needs to be done for feeding to be beneficial?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfydpVjdhBI

Growing a pumpkin in a summer cottage is not as easy as it might seem at first glance. There are secrets and tricks here to get sweet pulp and keep it intact until spring.

First, you need to decide which variety is intended for what. There are many options:

cook porridge or put in pies;

preserve the juice for the winter.

Pumpkin comes in different flavors. There are even varieties that resemble potatoes. It is used in dietary nutrition and in preparing dishes for children. Pumpkin is recommended for complementary feeding to infants because it contains the least allergens and is easily digested by the digestive tract of infants.

But in order for a vegetable to release all its beneficial nutrients, it must first obtain them from the soil and assimilate them. And for this they use various fertilizers.

Feeding pumpkin in August is of great importance, when the vegetable gains weight and taste. In order not to miss this moment, you need to find out in advance what the vegetable likes, when to fully ripen, when to apply the last fertilizer to the pumpkin and after what time to harvest.

What to feed

Feed the pumpkin with organic and mineral fertilizers. The former include compost, chicken manure, rotted manure, ash, and vermicompost. Mineral - potassium, phosphorus, nitrogen, or complex, providing optimal nutrition for the vegetable.

The following fertilizers are used in form:

• liquid;
• dry;
• foliar.

You can feed pumpkin in open ground with organic and mineral compounds either separately or together - but in a smaller dosage.

How to replenish the soil in the fall?

During the autumn digging of the soil for growing pumpkins, either organic, mineral, or complex fertilizers are applied, the rates of which are given in the table.

Fertilizer type	Type/name	Application rate (per m2)
Organic	Manure	4-5 kg.
Mineral	Potash	12-20 g.
	Phosphorus	25-30 g.
Complex	"Sotka Autumn"	50-60 g.

Green manure plants are also sown as organic fertilizer in the fall.

When to feed

On fertile soils, several feedings per season are sufficient:

• after planting in open ground;
• on the eve of flowering;
• during flowering;
• during fruiting.

You also need to apply fertilizer when preparing the bed: in the fall or spring and when planting the plant in the ground. With the seedling method of growing, the first feeding for pumpkin is carried out a week and a half after planting in open ground. After planting the seeds in the ground, you will need to feed them when 5-6 true leaves appear on the bush.

What to feed pumpkins and how often depends on the soil. For poor, infertile bushes with weak or slow development, three or four feedings per season will not be enough. You will have to fertilize every ten days, alternating organic matter with mineral compounds.

Why do you need to fertilize a pumpkin?

If you want to know how to grow a big pumpkin, then the recommendations in the article will be useful for you. This wonderful vegetable has a very good appetite, thereby absorbing a large amount of minerals and nutrients from the ground. Therefore, light and very fertile soils will be suitable for pumpkin, but if the soil is poor, you are unlikely to get a good harvest. It is because of this that timely application of fertilizing is very important, not only when planting, but also in preparation for planting.

This is a fairly powerful plant with a developed root system and therefore they need a large feeding area, otherwise the fruits will not gain weight and set poorly. This is why fertilizing is so important, it will fill the pumpkins with the necessary minerals and thereby increase the yield, thanks to this the vegetable will grow faster and will be ripe, juicy and sweet.

On a note! It is best to plant pumpkin in open ground after onions, root vegetables, legumes and cabbage.

How to fertilize pumpkin

Of course, an important point in growing this vegetable is watering and feeding the pumpkin. Like any other vegetables grown by our gardeners, pumpkins need two types of fertilizer:

• Mineral,
• Organic.

This orange fruit loves additives such as nitrogen and potassium, so do not forget about this when choosing fertilizers. These substances should be in increased quantities.

It is best to give preference to nitrogen in the initial period, and when the formation of ovaries and flowers and fruiting occurs, potassium and phosphorus should be included. Don't be afraid to use manure when applying organic fertilizers. You can also use:

• Compost,
• Chicken droppings,
• Peat
• Ash.

Of the mineral fertilizers, it is best to use nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium; gardeners also do not neglect complex fertilizing.

It is also very often used in practice as fertilizers, as in folk recipes:

• Ammonia,
• Yeast compounds,
• Herbal infusions and much more.

Green manure is also used as organic fertilizer; it is planted on prepared beds in early spring or autumn, and then pumpkin is planted after green manure.

On a note! If you use all types of fertilizers, then you must alternate organic with mineral substances.

It is recommended to add fertilizers to moist soil; this is the only way to achieve the desired effect. Therefore, it is best to combine fertilizing with watering. It is recommended to do this in the morning or in the evening.

Number of pumpkin fertilizers per season

Now do you understand how to feed the pumpkin? However, this is not all about this topic. Among gardeners there is a question about the number of fertilizing. Of course, this issue is controversial since the number is influenced by very different factors.

For example, on fertile soils, the pumpkin can be fed only two or three times during the entire season.

But on scanty, poor soils, this amount will be sorely lacking, so such pumpkins will need to be fertilized, best of all, every 10-14 days.

Also, long-climbing, powerful pumpkins need more nutrients than ordinary ones, so gardeners advise, in addition to fertilizing, to root the vines, for this you need to sprinkle the vines with soil.

In addition, you should always observe the appearance of the pumpkin so that you can immediately recognize what elements it lacks and feed the vegetable with the missing elements.

• Recognizing these factors will not be particularly difficult. If the pumpkin grows slowly and the leaves do not begin to turn yellow and shrink, and then completely wither and fall off. This is a sure sign of nitrogen deficiency.
• A lack of phosphorus also manifests itself in poor growth; the leaves wither, the bottom becomes purple-black in color, and they fall off.
• If there is not enough potassium , then the edges of the leaves begin to dry out and turn yellow, this happens because potassium is very necessary during fruit set and flowering, so it is important to monitor this during these periods.

Important to know: When you are going to plant pumpkin or pumpkin seeds, you should maintain a certain distance between vegetables among the beds. For bush varieties 70 by 70 cm, or 100 by 100 cm and 200 by 200 or 300 by 300 cm for long-climbing varieties.

14 days before the expected harvest, usually this period falls at the end of summer or beginning of autumn, you should stop fertilizing. If this is not done, the pumpkin may lose its taste and the pulp may become fibrous and tough.

Duration of feeding

How to fertilize pumpkins? Perhaps this is also an important issue in growing this vegetable.

• The first feeding should be when sowing seeds in the ground, when the pumpkin already has 4-5 leaves.
• The subsequent one should be carried out at the moment of formation of the loop.

If you grow in seedlings, then the amount of fertilizing should be many times greater:

• The first fertilizing is applied after 10 days from the moment the sprouts appear in the pot.
• The second feeding should be given approximately 5-6 days before planting the seedlings in the beds.
• The third feeding should be done 2 weeks after planting the seedlings in the garden.
• The fourth application of fertilizer should be done when the first loops appear on the plant.

All these recommendations should be followed together, and do not forget about weather conditions.

How to prepare beds for planting pumpkins:

Fertilize the pumpkin correctly! These calls can be seen anywhere and everywhere. But how to do this correctly? Let's give some simple tips.

It is worth starting fertilizing in the autumn when digging the soil. Suitable supplements include:

• Superphosphate - 20-30 grams.
• Any potassium fertilizer - 20 grams.
• Organic fertilizers: compost, manure. Ash.
• Complex fertilizing (following the instructions).

On a note! The approximate amount of fertilizing per 1 square meter is given.

Fertilizing beds for planting pumpkins

It is best to prepare the bed in the fall; fertilizers are applied during digging or plowing. Per square meter this is 5-10 kg of cow manure or 2-3 kg of poultry manure, 5-6 kg of compost, 30-35 g of superphosphate, 20-25 g of potassium sulfate or chloride, 200-250 g of lime or dolomite flour. For acidic soil, it is necessary to increase the proportion of lime, dolomite flour or chalk to 0.5 - 0.7 kg. If the soil is too heavy, you can increase the amount of compost or humus by adding 2.3 buckets of washed sand.

In the spring, when digging, you can add humus and nitrogen fertilizers. Fresh cow dung should not be used.

Preparing beds before planting

To get a good harvest, feeding the pumpkin during cultivation may not be enough. Many experts advise adding fertilizers to the garden soil in the fall, when digging the soil. For this you can use:

• organic fertilizers - manure or humus is most often used;
• potash fertilizers;
• superphosphates;
• complex fertilizers.

It is very useful to add wood ash to heavy soil in the fall, since this component significantly increases the fertile properties of the soil. On light soils, a similar procedure is recommended in the spring.

Mineral fertilizers

Mineral fertilizers are applied according to the following scheme:

1. Before planting seeds in open ground. It is necessary to make a hole 10-15 cm deep and add ammonium sulfate or superphosphate (10-20 g/bucket of water), potassium salt (10 g/bucket of water) there. The finished solution needs 1 - 1.5 liters per well.
2. In the phase of appearance of 2-3 true leaves or one and a half weeks after planting the seedlings. You need 10 grams of urea per bucket of water. The solution consumption is 2 liters per plant.
3. Before and after or during flowering. A bucket of water requires 15-20 grams of superphosphate and potassium sulfate (1 liter of solution per bush). It is also possible to fertilize with complex fertilizer. The main thing is that it contains potassium, which is necessary for fruit set and, accordingly, productivity.
4. During fruiting. A bucket of water requires 10 grams of potassium chloride or sulfate, 15 grams of superphosphate (2 liters per pumpkin).

You can also use complex ready-made fertilizers. For example, “Nitrofoska”, “Uniflor-micro”, “Oracle”, “AVA”, “Kemira-universal” and “Kemira-lux”, “Junona”, “Solution”. They are used according to the scheme specified in the instructions.

Spraying pumpkin with boric acid

Spraying with a solution of boric acid will help the fruit set and protect pumpkins from diseases. How to prepare it:

• pour 2 g of boric acid (1 sachet) with hot water;
• stir until the crystals are completely dissolved;
• pour into 10 liters of water.

Treatment is carried out in the evening or during the day in cloudy weather. You need to spray flowers and leaves. The first fertilizing with boric acid is carried out at the beginning of budding, then during flowering. This treatment is especially necessary if the pumpkins are blooming but there are no ovaries. At least 10 days should pass between sprayings.

Learn more about the benefits of boric acid for plants in the garden.

Organic fertilizers

Organic matter can be applied in dry form to fertilize the soil before planting seedlings. A handful of fertilizer is poured into the hole and mixed with the soil. This applies to rotted manure, compost, bird droppings or ash. Also, during planting and during the further growing season, organic matter can be added in liquid form: one part of cow manure or half of a bird’s manure is diluted with ten parts of water. Manure can be applied along with ash. It contains potassium, which is especially useful on the eve of fruiting. A total of 3-4 fertilizing with organic fertilizers per season is required.

Caring for pumpkin vines

For long-climbing pumpkin varieties, the shoots should be sprinkled with soil when they grow more than a meter. This is done in order to additionally provide the plant with nutrition, as well as for greater stability of the bush.

The lashes can be carefully pinned to the garden bed, or simply sprinkled with soil. After a short period of time, they will put out roots (just don’t forget to water these places), and will also “feed” the powerful plant.

As the practice and experience of gardeners shows, with good care and the right choice of varieties, everyone can grow pumpkins. So all that remains is to wish you good luck!

Folk remedies

You can also feed the pumpkin using folk remedies. For example, herbal infusion. Any weed will do for it (wheatgrass, sedge, woodlice, quinoa, shepherd's purse, etc.), but the most effective is nettle infusion. In addition to nutrition, it also protects against pests. Nettles are harvested from early spring to late autumn. The grass must be compacted into any container to half its volume and filled with water. Then cover with a lid for 5-6 days, stirring occasionally. The finished infusion is suitable for watering plants when diluted tenfold. You need half a liter of diluted infusion per bush.

“Brazhka” for plants is a popular fertilizer that can be prepared at home. It is also suitable for seedlings. A bucket of water requires 100 grams of fresh (not granulated!) yeast and the same amount of sugar. Mix thoroughly and leave to ferment in a warm place for several days until the fermentation process stops. This composition is diluted with water 1:1 and watered two liters per bush.

To enrich with potassium, you can add banana peel to the herbal infusion (it can be dried in the oven or vegetable dehydrator and saved until the garden season), and ash can be added to the yeast feeding.

Answers to frequently asked questions from gardeners

Question No. 1 : after feeding with mullein, the pumpkin leaves became covered with brown spots. Does this indicate a high concentration of fertilizer?

Answer: not always. Leaf burns are often caused by fertilizer solution getting on them. Fertilizer is introduced only into the ground, around the roots of plants.

Question No. 2 : I fed the pumpkin systematically. By the end of the season, the fruits had rotted in places. Did I overfeed the plant?

Answer: The reason here is not the concentration of fertilizers, but rather the high soil moisture. With frequent rainfall, the soil does not have time to dry out, and the fruits on it rot. In this case, a dense base is placed under the fruit - a board or slab. For the same reason, you should not flood the plants. Watering should be plentiful, but not frequent, so that the soil has time to dry out.

The photo shows that the moisture spread far under the bush. As the vines grow, this will lead to increased humidity under the leaves and rotting of the fruits. To avoid this without damaging the pumpkin, make holes under each bush with a diameter of at least half a meter and with “sides” made of soil.

The photo also shows a crust on the soil, which enhances the evaporation of moisture. To eliminate this, they resort to mulching.

Question No. 3: An excess of what fertilizer led to cracking of the pumpkin fruits?

Answer: It's not about fertilizers. Cracking occurs due to uneven watering: after a long drought, the plant is flooded with water. It is correct to water the pumpkin abundantly, 10 liters per square meter, but the interval between waterings is 6-7 days, in extreme heat - 3-4 days.

Question No. 4 : why did not many fruits form on the pumpkin if all the necessary fertilizing was carried out?

Answer: Pollination affects the number of fruits. In hot and rainy weather, plants are practically not pollinated. In this case, the plants are pollinated by hand.

During artificial pollination, the male flower is picked, the petals are removed, the female flower is brought to the pistil and the pollen is carefully shaken off onto it. They do this in the morning, in dry weather. The photo shows moisture. Here the pollen is more likely to stick to the flower rather than to the pistil

Question No. 5 : I have two extremes in one garden bed: on one end the fruits are small, on the other – rotting and cracked. How can there be such a difference in nutrition in one area?

Answer: this happens if your site itself is not level, but located on a slope. Then on one side there is not enough nutrition and moisture, but on the other there is an excess, because all the moisture with fertilizing flows here. Next time, before sowing, first level the soil surface.

Foliar feeding

You can fertilize a plant not only by adding it to the soil in dry or liquid form. This method can be alternated with foliar feeding - that is, spraying over the green part of the plant. The following compositions are used:

• universal fertilizers suitable for foliar feeding - according to the scheme;
• 10 grams of urea per 10 liters of water;
• 15 g of potassium salt, 40 g of superphosphate, 30 g of ammonium sulfate per bucket of water.

Fertilizing the green part of the plant with vitamin compounds is especially useful during prolonged periods of bad weather or after it ends.

Fertilizing pumpkin, even in open ground, is necessary, since this vegetable greatly depletes the soil. The best option is alternating different types of fertilizers: organic, mineral, root and foliar. It is imperative to prepare the bed by applying the necessary fertilizers. After the pumpkin, you can plant green manure plants in the garden bed, which will help the soil recover faster.

Source

Seedling method

In the southern regions of the country, you can plant seeds directly in open ground. But for northern latitudes, preference is given to the seedling method of growing pumpkin plants.

Checking and preparing seeds:

1. Since pumpkin seeds are large, checking them is not difficult. It is necessary to select complete elements for planting. If there is no time to do this manually, the seed material is soaked in water. Floating grains are considered unsuitable because they are empty.
2. For quick germination, seeds are immersed in water at a temperature of no lower than 40 degrees, no higher than 50 degrees. Keep for about 4 hours.
3. After this time, the seeds are placed on moistened gauze (can be replaced with a piece of cotton fabric).
4. The elements rolled up in fabric are placed in a container and left to germinate in the room. To prevent the fabric from drying out, moisten it 1-2 times a day with warm water (room temperature).
5. After sprouts form, the wrapped seeds are transferred to the refrigerator (temperature +3 degrees). Keep for 3 to 5 days.

Rules and terms of landing:

1. It is recommended to plant seedlings in open ground at the age of 22 days. Therefore, depending on climatic conditions, if the seedlings are planted in open ground, for example, on May 25, the seeds are sown on May 3, if transplantation is planned for June 6, then the seeds are planted on May 15.
2. If night frosts are expected during these periods, experienced gardeners and summer residents recommend setting up local greenhouses. For this, ordinary plastic bottles corresponding to the size of the seedling bush are used. After planting, the bush is covered with a bottle with a cut bottom, which is slightly deepened into the ground.
3. It is advisable to plant seeds in peat cups. This is necessary due to poor tolerance of transplantation measures. The minimum size of the cup should be 10x10 cm.
4. The soil for seedlings is peat mixed with sand.
5. Rules for planting hatched seeds: pour earthen substrate into a glass so that 3 cm remains from the top edge, pour water on top, place the seed, add soil, moisten again.
6. For the first 3-4 days after planting the seeds, the air temperature should not be below 25 degrees. Further, the temperature can be reduced to +18. After a week of growth, the temperature drops another 3 degrees. This is necessary for further adaptation of the plant to the open air.
7. It is advisable to plant 2 seeds in one glass. When both grains germinate, one sprout is removed by pinching at the very root.

Feeding and watering:

1. The plant needs to be watered regularly - the soil should not be dry or too wet.
2. When it comes to feeding, preference is given to a solution of water and mullein in a ratio of 1:10. Fertilizer should be applied 12-14 days after planting the seed.

Ringing of seedlings is carried out 10 days after planting the seeds. During this period, the soil will shrink a little, so it is necessary to fill the pots with additional substrate. An additional layer is created around the stem in a circle.

Planting in open ground:

1. Seedlings should be replanted after 21-22 days. By this period, three full-fledged leaves should have formed, having a rich green tone.
2. Planting is carried out in rows in which holes are made 30-35 cm deep.
3. The distance between rows is 40 cm.
4. After creating the holes, fertilizer made from potassium sulfate and superphosphate is placed on their bottom. Additionally, soil mixed with peat and wood ash is filled in. Ordinary soil is sprinkled on top, after which watering is carried out (about 2 liters of water), and seedlings are planted.
5. Before planting, the bottom and walls of the peat glass are slightly cut.

So, what are the benefits of pumpkin for a nursing mother?

Pumpkin is a healthy product, rich in vitamins, microelements and minerals. This vegetable is recommended to be included in the diet of babies, as well as pregnant and nursing mothers.

Click and get a nutrition chart for a nursing mother to protect your baby from allergies, colic and abdominal pain.

1. Pumpkin improves intestinal function, normalizes digestion and removes excess fluid from the body.

2. This tasty product helps enrich the body with vitamins C, B1, B2, PP1, as well as potassium, iron, copper, zinc, magnesium, phosphorus and calcium. Pumpkin contains fiber.

3. Pumpkin is 90 percent water, so it has diuretic, diaphoretic and anti-inflammatory effects.

Pumpkin should not be consumed by those who are allergic to carotenes, which are contained in large quantities in this vegetable. A nursing mother should not abuse this product.

4. The absolute advantage of pumpkin is its low calorie content. 100 grams of this vegetable contains only 23 calories, so its use is recommended for mothers who want to lose weight after childbirth.

Pumpkin seeds are rich in protein, zinc, other vitamins and microelements. The composition of pumpkin oil includes fatty acids that strengthen blood vessels and nerve cells, and improves immunity.

Landing dates

In central Russia, mainly large-fruited and hard-bark pumpkins are cultivated, in the south - nutmeg. Types of pumpkin differ quite significantly from each other. In hard-barked pumpkin, the bark of mature fruits is woody, while in other types it is soft. This pumpkin is characterized by the greatest early ripening. Large-fruited pumpkin is the most cold-resistant and productive. The hard-barked pumpkin is also quite resistant to low temperatures; the most demanding of heat and also late-ripening is the nutmeg pumpkin.

Thus, it turns out that in the middle zone, without growing seedlings, you can only be guaranteed to get a harvest of hard-barked pumpkin, while nutmeg may not grow even using the seedling method. In the southern half of the country, any pumpkin can be grown, but nutmeg varieties, even in the south, are sometimes grown through seedlings.

Butternut squash is the most delicious, but also the most capricious

Pumpkin seeds germinate in soil heated to 13–14 °C, and its seedlings are very sensitive and die at 1–2 degrees below zero. The best temperature for normal growth and development of plants is 20–25 oC. If you sow it in the ground with the onset of heat, you may not wait for ripe fruits, which require from 115 to 130 summer days. Therefore, you often have to start growing pumpkin from seedlings. To do this, pumpkin seeds are sown in peat pots at the end of April. The pots must be large, at least a liter in volume.

The time for planting seedlings in the garden is approximately the same as for tomato seedlings. In the regions of central Russia this is usually the end of spring (depending on the actual weather), and in the north it can be mid-June.

When pumpkin is grown by directly sowing seeds in a garden bed, they are sown in mid-May and it is better if holes are made for this so that they can be covered with glass. It has been noticed that slugs react very early to the emergence of pumpkin seedlings by gnawing their stems. To catch slugs, pieces of boards are laid out next to the seedlings and checked every morning.

Can breastfeeding mothers eat pumpkin?

Vasilisa the Wise

Of course, like zucchini. You won’t chew it raw, but after heat treatment, in millet porridge, for example.

Short-lived *

Need to!

ﮯDaŕk Šiđe ڪ

Pumpkin

Pumpkin is one of the healthiest vegetables during pregnancy. Actively normalizes digestion, improves intestinal function, and promotes the removal of excess fluid from the body. Pumpkin is rich in vitamins and minerals.

Pumpkin is a wonderful storehouse of various vitamins, minerals and trace elements. This vegetable consists of 90% water, therefore, like watermelon, it has good diuretic, anti-inflammatory and diaphoretic properties. Pumpkin has a beneficial effect on the body of a pregnant woman: it improves the digestion process, removes excess fluid from the body, and saturates the body with various beneficial microelements and vitamins. Vitamins during pregnancy help ensure that the baby’s body receives a balanced set of nutrients. Having tasted delicious pumpkin, you enrich yourself with vitamins C, B1, B2, PP1, as well as beta-carotene, iron, potassium, copper, phosphorus, zinc, calcium, magnesium.

But the only point that a pregnant woman needs to pay attention to is a possible allergy to carotenes, since pumpkin contains them in huge quantities. If the expectant mother diligently monitors the caloric content of her diet, she should not worry about eating pumpkin. Pumpkin is a completely “light” product. 100 g of this vegetable contains only 23 kcal. And from 6.5 months, pumpkin juice can be given to infants.

Lydia

If you are breastfeeding, I do not recommend it. The baby will have gas.

Irena

Can

Victoria Kulikova

Yes

Alina Malina

Recommended nutrition preserves and enhances the potential of a nursing mother’s body.

Baked pumpkin with honey. Baked apples with honey + a little lemon. Goat milk + sesame seeds. Take 2 hours before and after eating other food. Sea kale + grape or apple cider vinegar (1 teaspoon per serving) + 2-3 teaspoons pumpkin oil (milk fortification). The first month after the birth of the child

Can:

Low-fat meat and fish Porridge Hard cheese Cottage cheese casserole (without sugar) Green tea Black tea (weak brew) Pasta Baked apples, bananas and pumpkin (all without sugar) Boiled light-colored vegetables Soup without frying Potatoes