Description of the variety
The hybrid is highly resistant to temperature changes and tolerates drought and heat without consequences. Skazka is grown both in open ground and in a greenhouse, depending on climatic conditions.
Distinctive features
The variety is early ripening; summer residents harvest 55-60 days after planting. The bushes are small, the vines are of medium length, the leaves are rich green.
The plant is demanding on the composition of the soil, so gardeners advise growing it in nutritious and loose soil. The tale is distinguished by the simultaneous ripening of all fruits.
Composition, calorie content and benefits
In addition to the sweet taste, Skazka melon contains vitamins B, A and C, E and H. The fruits are rich in mineral elements: magnesium, calcium, iron, phosphorus, zinc.
Eating melon strengthens the immune system, improves metabolism, saturates the body with useful substances, and also has an anti-stress effect.
100 g of product contains:
- 33 kcal;
- 0.6 g proteins;
- 0.3 g fat;
- 7.4 g carbohydrates.
Fruit characteristics and yield
The fruits of Skazka are attractive round melons of a rich yellow color. The color is even, the stalk has a white mesh. Weight varies from 1 to 1.6 kg. The pulp is soft cream color, very juicy and sweet.
From 1 sq. m gardeners collect about 3-3.5 kg of delicious, beautiful fruits.
How to choose fruits when purchasing
The Skazka melon appears on supermarket shelves in mid-July and is sold until the end of September. Experts advise buying Skazka from mid-August - it is at this time that the most delicious and high-quality harvest is sold.
To avoid making a mistake with your choice, follow these recommendations:
- Pay attention to elasticity. The melon should not be too hard or soft. Press lightly on the middle: it should be slightly softer than the edges.
- If the melon smells honey and sweet, it means it is ripe. If the smell is too strong, the fruit is overripe; If it doesn’t smell at all, it’s not ripe.
- The surface must be smooth, without dents, cracks or scratches.
- Melon Fairy Tale should be bright yellow, without veins.
- Trust only trusted places of purchase.
How to grow a variety yourself
Since the hybrid is demanding on the soil, experienced gardeners prepare nutrient beds in advance. At the end of October, they dig up the soil, burn garbage and weeds. Ash and lime are added to the soil to reduce the acidity of the soil and make it more favorable for melons.
With the arrival of spring, the beds are dug up again so that the soil is lighter and airier. Plant melon on a cool day, having previously prepared the seeds.
Landing
Skazka is planted in two ways: seedlings and without seedlings. The first method is suitable for regions with unpredictable climatic conditions, for example, the Urals and Siberia. For seedlings you will need soil and a container. Manganese-treated soil from the garden or ready-made “Universal” soil composition are suitable as soil. Any container is used as a container, for example, wooden boxes or special peat tablets.
Before planting, be sure to disinfect the seeds. Aloe juice or hydrogen peroxide are suitable for this. The seeds are soaked for 12 hours, after which they are thoroughly dried and placed in the ground. Keep the seedlings in a sunny place, water once every 2 weeks. When watering, it is important that the moisture gets directly under the root , bypassing the stem and leaves. To accelerate the growth of seedlings, use the stimulator "Kornevin", which strengthens the immunity of the sprouts.
Important ! Regardless of the planting method, the seeds must be disinfected. If this is not done, the risk of developing fungal diseases and viral infections increases.
Plant the seeds in mid-May, after the frosts have passed. In open ground, a 70×150 planting pattern is used, in a greenhouse – 70×70. Since the Fairy Tale needs shaping and pinching, a wooden peg is installed next to each bush.
After planting, the beds are covered with a layer of straw. It is necessary in order to reduce moisture evaporation and inhibit the growth of weeds. After planting, the beds are watered abundantly with filtered water; the next watering is carried out only after 7 days.
Care
Caring for the Skazka variety is traditional and does not require special knowledge and skills. Water the beds once every 3-5 days. 1.5-2 liters of water are spent on 1 bush. If the summer is dry, the amount of watering is increased, if it is humid and hot, it is reduced. Once a week, instead of water, use a nettle-based solution, which serves as an effective remedy against pests.
Watering is often combined with loosening and weed removal. Loosening improves soil quality, which is beneficial for plant development. Loosen the beds carefully so as not to damage the rhizome. Weeds are removed to prevent the risk of disease development.
Full melon care is impossible without regular feeding. Both organic matter (liquid mullein, chicken manure) and mineral complexes (“Zdraven”) are used as fertilizers.
Skazka is fertilized every 10-15 days, the first fertilizing is organized 2 weeks from the moment of planting. Foliar feeding is alternated with root feeding. It is also useful to spray the bushes with a soap solution to protect against fungus.
Features of cultivation and possible difficulties
Regardless of the place of cultivation, the Skazka variety needs to form a bush. It is necessary in order to get as many healthy and tasty vegetables as possible. Form the plant into one stem, removing all side shoots. The lashes are pinched over the 4th and 5th leaves, the remaining ovaries are removed. To ensure that the shoots grow in the right direction, they are tied to wooden stakes.
Important ! If the fruits have grown large, place wooden boxes under them to prevent rot from contact with wet soil.
When growing melon in a greenhouse, gardeners recommend regularly ventilating the room. This is due to the fact that the building has a special microclimate and high humidity, which can harm the plant. To do this, open the door and windows once a day, letting fresh air into the greenhouse. When growing Skazka in open ground, in addition to standard fertilizers, potassium monophosphate is added 1-2 times per season, which maintains water balance and has a positive effect on the quality and taste of the fruit.
Diseases and pests
The most common pest is the melon fly. She leaves her larvae inside the fruit, which is why they begin to rot. The melon fly attacks the crop at any moment of development, be it flowering or fruiting. As a preventative measure, summer residents use soap sprays (100 g of dry grated soap per 10 liters of water), and effective drugs (“Aktara” or “Iskra”) as therapeutic measures.
Another dangerous pest is the spider mite. It weaves a thin transparent web that envelops the leaves and takes all the juices from them. As a result, the bushes dry out, and the fruits lose their elasticity and taste. To combat spider mites, whey-based sprays are used. The method is safe for humans and very effective.
Note : The most common disease that affects melon is Fusarium wilt. The bushes become covered with a gray coating and wither. Potassium supplements are used as preventive measures, and a solution of 1% Bordeaux mixture is used for treatment.
Rules for growing honey melon
In the conditions of central Russia, melons of honey varieties are grown in seedlings to get an early harvest. Despite the fact that this variety rarely gets sick, it is advisable to soak the planting material for 1-2 hours in a manganese solution.
Recommended timing
When planting honey varieties, you should focus on the timing of the air temperature - it should not be lower than +20°C. In the middle zone, this temperature is observed at the end of the first ten days of April. Seedlings are transplanted into open ground at the end of May.
Site selection and soil preparation
Honey melon does not require any special soil composition for full development, however, it is advisable to place the beds in areas with neutral acidity. You should also pay attention to what plants occupied the beds last year. It is best to plant honey melons where the following crops previously grew:
- cabbage;
- potato;
- legumes
Important! Honey melon is a very heat-loving plant, so all varieties are planted in open sunny areas.
Landing rules
It is preferable to grow honey varieties through seedlings. This happens as follows:
- For sowing, they do not use a common container - planting material is planted immediately in separate cups with a diameter of about 10 cm. 2 seeds can be placed in one cup.
- Drainage is placed at the bottom of the container. A soil mixture of the following composition is placed on top of it: soil and humus in a ratio of 1:3, 1 tbsp. l. nitrogen fertilizer, 1 tbsp. l. potassium fertilizer, 3 tbsp. l. phosphorus fertilizer.
- The soil mixture is sprinkled with a thin layer of soil, the substrate is slightly moistened and the seeds are sown. They are buried 2-3 cm and the cup is covered with plastic wrap.
- The seedlings are removed to a warm place with an air temperature of about 25-26°C. After germination of the seedlings, the polyethylene is removed.
- When the seedlings form the first 3-5 true leaves, they can be transplanted into open ground. Before this, the seedlings are hardened off - taken out for a while in fresh air.
Transplantation is carried out at the end of May, when the threat of night frosts has passed. The recommended planting pattern is 50 x 50 cm. It is advisable to dig up the area shortly before planting and add humus to the soil. If this is not possible, digging can be replaced by applying fertilizer directly to the holes - 1 kg for each hole.
Advice! Immediately after fertilizing the soil with humus, it is recommended to water the soil with warm water.
When the water recedes a little, seedlings are lowered into the holes, maybe 2 in each hole. So that they do not interfere with each other, they are turned in different directions. Then the seedlings are covered with earth. If there is still a possibility that frost will return at night, the plantings are covered with film.
Harvesting and application
The Skazka melon is harvested when its fruits acquire a characteristic yellow color and a sweet melon aroma . Ripe fruits should be elastic, without cracks or dents. A cloudy, dry morning is chosen for harvesting. The melons are wiped with a dry cloth and stored in a cool, dark place. This way they are stored better and do not lose their qualities. To ensure the shelf life lasts as long as possible, the fruit is picked along with the stalk.
In addition to traditional jellies, sorbet and marmalade, interesting cold snacks and drinks are prepared from melon. For example, candied melon peels, melon cakes, cold smoothies and refreshing cocktails. The sweet taste of the fruit is perfect for jam, jam and marmalade. At the same time, compared to chocolate, melon desserts are lower in calories, so they can be safely consumed in a healthy and dietary diet.
Interesting . In Mediterranean countries, sweet melon is served with ham. The melon pulp is lightly sprinkled with black pepper and wrapped in a thin slice of ham.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
The Skazka variety is a valuable find for those with a sweet tooth . Melon has a juicy and rich sweet taste and aroma. The hybrid is easy to grow and care for, and shows stable yields both in open ground and in greenhouses. Rarely gets sick and is almost not exposed to insect pests.
Sometimes gardeners have difficulty forming a bush and pinching the top. Otherwise, the Tale has no significant shortcomings.
Greenhouse growing method
A greenhouse is not necessary for growing fruit, however, it will greatly facilitate this process for gardeners. The temperature in the greenhouse for melons should be at least 25 degrees C. during the day. Melons coexist quite friendly with other crops (eggplants, cucumbers, etc.), but gardeners prefer, if possible, to build a separate “house” for them.
Usually, seedlings that have already been grown in advance are planted in a greenhouse. The greenhouse shortens the ripening time of fruits and protects against certain types of fungi that reproduce at cold temperatures.
Reviews
The Internet is bombarded with positive comments about the Skazka variety, although there are also less enthusiastic comments among them.
Alina, Voronezh: “Our region is ideal for growing melons. I especially love the Skazka variety. The result is very beautiful and aromatic melons, some of which my family eats fresh, and some of which we process and make melon jelly and jam.”
Vasilisa, Orsk: “I grow Skazka melon exclusively in greenhouses to avoid bad weather. In general, the variety is good, the taste, as expected, is sweet. In my garden, the yield is average; I harvest 1.5-2 kg of fruit from 1 bush.”
Marina, Penza: “The Skazka variety disappointed me. 3 weeks after planting, I saw a melon fly in the beds; I removed it only after 4 days. During this time, the pest managed to ruin half of the bushes. The remaining melons grew small and watery.”
Pests and diseases
Honey melon practically does not attract pests; plantings also rarely get sick. An outbreak of any disease can occur only in the event of serious violations of agricultural technology.
The following fungal infections pose the greatest threat to this crop:
- powdery mildew;
- anthracnose;
- peronosporosis;
- late blight;
- root rot.
To combat the fungus, the fungicides “Hom” and “Fitosporin”, as well as Bordeaux mixture, are used. As a preventive measure, the beds are sprayed with a weak solution of manganese.
The main pests of all varieties of honey melon are the following insects:
- aphid;
- melon fly;
- spider mite;
- wireworm;
- scoop.
Prevention against pests involves timely cleaning of row spacing and loosening of the soil. To combat insects, any industrial insecticide is used.
