Large-fruited variety with a positive name - pumpkin "Smile": the secrets of agricultural technology for obtaining a bountiful harvest

Pumpkin is an amazing product, because not only the pulp of a vegetable is eaten, but also seeds and even flowers. Finding a pumpkin today is as easy as shelling pears, the market or store offers vegetables for every taste and color. However, they do not match the harvest, grown on our own plot.

The Smile pumpkin variety is recognized as one of the sunniest and most attractive. Let's consider further why the Smile is so valued and what are the secrets of its cultivation.

Description of pumpkin variety

The variety is early maturing, ripens in 80-90 days. Differs in high productivity and ease of maintenance. Grow pumpkin in greenhouses or in the open field depending on the weather conditions of the region.

Distinctive features

Bushes of medium size with small sticks. In total, the bush forms about 6-7 shoots, on which about 10 pumpkins ripen.

The leaves are large with a wavy pattern. The flowers on the bushes are bright yellow, with a bright sweet aroma. The smile is resistant to drought and frost, not afraid of the winds.

Fruit characteristics and yield

The weight of one pumpkin is about 900 g. The bark is dense and firm, rich orange. The pulp is tender and sugar, it tastes like a melon. The fruit has a pleasant sweet smell. Summer residents collect about 9 kg of healthy and tasty vegetables from 1 bush.

Interesting! In China, the pumpkin is endowed with a magical meaning and is considered a talisman. According to legend, a vegetable is able to collect the forces of evil and protect its owner from them.

How to grow

The quality of the future harvest largely depends on the selected seeds. We advise you to trust only trusted agricultural firms and buy material in specialized stores. In general, planting and caring for a Smile is simple, does not require much time and effort. Planted grade seedling or seedling method.

Planting with seeds

Select large seeds for planting. To check their quality, dip the material in saline and stir gently... Remove the seeds that have sunk to the bottom and dry them well. They have passed the "test" and will be used in the future.

For a good harvest, the seeds are disinfected by heating. For 5 hours, keep the seeds at 50 degrees, for example, in an oven. Do not forget to temper the material after disinfection. Place the seeds in the freezer overnight, then let them sit in the room overnight. Repeat the procedure 3-4 times, so the plant will improve its immunity.

Important! Don't forget to prepare the ground for the pumpkin. The culture loves a mixture of loamy and sandy loam soils that are well fertilized and contain organic fertilizers. The best place for planting Smiles was recognized as spacious, sheltered from the wind, areas with loose soil.

Scatter ash and compost in the fall in the area where it is decided to grow the crop. Together with melt water, they are absorbed into the soil, making the beds the most nutritious and productive. In the spring, dig up the ground and apply the mineral fertilizer "Nitrofosku" at the rate of 60 g per 1 sq. m.

On the day of planting, make grooves 3-4 cm deep in the beds, the distance between them is about 1 m.Place 3-4 seeds in one hole, sprinkle with earth on top and moisten well with warm water. To speed up the development of the plant, sprinkle the beds on top with peat chips or humus.

Planting seedlings

The seedling method is most effective, since the seeds have time to grow stronger and better adapt to external factors. After disinfection and hardening, the material is germinated by wrapping it in a warm damp cloth.

To accelerate growth, add a stimulant such as Zircon or Solution +. The preparations improve germination and saturate the seeds with useful elements. The main thing is to follow the dosage and manufacturer's recommendations.

After germination, place the seeds in a container with soil. The soil must be nutritious so that the seedlings rise faster. Use pallets or special cassettes as containers for seedlings. Place the seedlings on a warm and sunny windowsill. Water the seedlings every 7 days, and after 2 weeks, feed them with liquid organic fertilizers. When growing, be careful with drafts, as they harm the sprouts.

Important! Daylight hours should last at least 10 hours. If there is little light, arrange additional lighting with lamps.

Care

A smile is best planted after legumes or potatoes. Remember to water your bushes every 5 days. The amount of irrigation depends on the weather; during a rainy summer, water consumption is reduced. It is best to use melt water, spending about 1 liter per 1 bush. Water the bushes periodically, not with plain water, but with nettle infusion. This folk remedy has a wonderful healing effect on the plant.

The pumpkin needs fertilization with minerals, they saturate the culture with nitrogen, iron and calcium. A large content of useful elements is contained in the products "Kornevin", "Nutrivant" and in ammonium nitrate... It is advised to introduce mineral complexes every 2 weeks, alternating with organic fertilizers.

From organics, pumpkin reacts perfectly to yeast and ash. They reduce the acidity of the soil, making it more useful. Solutions that are applied directly under the root before watering are especially effective. Also, such dressings protect the bushes from diseases and harmful insects.

Features of growing about possible difficulties

Pay special attention to weeding the beds. The procedure is carried out every 10 days, combined with loosening. Loosening retains moisture in the soil and removes the crust on the top layer of the earth, which prevents the roots from accessing oxygen. It is recommended to loosen the ground after rains.

It is also important to form whips on time. When 2-3 pumpkins are formed on one, cut off the end of the lash. If this is not done, new vegetables will begin to appear, and there will not be enough nutrients for everything. Also, leave no more than four leaves on one shoot so that the pumpkins can easily access the sunlight.

If the whips are tangled with each other, untangle them and put them on the ground, sprinkling them with soil on top.

Growing tips from experienced gardeners

Many summer residents advise to water the culture only with rainwater - it is the softest and most nutritious. Collect water using a drainpipe and a barrel. You can water the pumpkin with cold tap water, but its temperature does not correspond to the desired norm. Therefore, it is better to pour it into a container in advance and leave it to bask in the sun until its temperature reaches 20-22 degrees.

Also, gardeners recommend feeding the plant with liquid chicken droppings 2-3 times per season. It is rich in phosphorus, magnesium, calcium and iron. 1 liter of manure is diluted in 20 liters of water. Before use, the mixture should be infused for 10 days.

Fertilizer is applied to the aisles, not to the holes. Otherwise, burns may occur. There is also a less aggressive, odorless, off-the-shelf biofertilizer from chicken manure. It is sold in granules, so it is easier to use.

Important! When fertilizing bushes with ash, avoid nitrogen-containing fertilizing, such as ammonium nitrate, urea, and manure. When these compounds are mixed, some of the nitrogen is washed out, and the plant does not receive the necessary nutrients. The period between fertilization should be at least 10-15 days.

Diseases and pests

As a preventive measure, spray the bushes with soapy water. 10 liters of water requires 20 g of dry grated soap. An effective and simple tool helps to avoid powdery mildew, which occurs due to improper care and excess moisture. The disease manifests itself in the form of a white coating on the leaves. Powdery mildew can also infect neighboring bushes, so we recommend that you take action immediately, as soon as you see the external signs of the disease.

Smile also falls ill with bacteriosis, which is a dangerous fungal infection and manifests itself in the form of brown dry spots on the leaves.

Bordeaux liquid helps fight infection, which you can prepare yourself or purchase a ready-made solution in the store. Treat the beds with gloves and protective clothing. Bordeaux liquid is used at least 2 weeks before harvest.

Aphids, slugs and spider mites attack pumpkin beds from pests. Pests suck out useful substances and minerals from the body, as a result of which the bushes die.

Insects appear due to lack of fertilizer or improper care. As a preventive measure, gardeners use a solution of onion husks or wood ash.

Harvesting and application of the crop

Collect Smile closer to mid-September. The stalk of a ripe vegetable is dry and tough. If the tail is green, it means that the pumpkin is not yet ripe. Also look at the peel - it should be firm and rich orange.

For long-term storage, pluck the pumpkins along with the stalk. Store the crop at a temperature of 5 to 15 degrees with an air humidity of 80%. Vegetables with scratches or dents are best eaten straight away.

Use culture in a variety of areas. In cooking, a delicate puree soup is prepared from the product and pumpkin pancakes are baked, and the vegetable is also added to nutritious side dishes and used to make sweets. pumpkin juice.

In folk medicine, the pulp of a vegetable is used as a prevention of heart disease, and sunflower seeds use to normalize the intestines. In cosmetology, rejuvenating face masks and oils for hair.

Interesting! Until now, in a number of countries, pumpkin is used as a dish or a vase. This manufacturing method appeared long before people began to make wooden or clay containers. This is a real skill that requires talent and ingenuity. Before making the pumpkin, it is dried, treated with a special substance, shaped and only then painted with an amazing ornament. It is believed that food from such dishes is healthier and more flavorful.

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

Smile is one of the tastiest and sweetest varieties. It is not for nothing that the product is widely used in cooking - it is good both fresh and after processing. It is easy to get a good harvest, the variety is unpretentious in care. The advantages of a vegetable are that it is resistant to disease, it has immunity to both frost and heat. A smile is stored for a long time and tolerates long-distance transportation without any problems.

Among the shortcomings, the need for a variety of nutrient soil is distinguished. In order for the vegetables to grow juicy, a number of preparatory measures are required and the soil is well fertilized in the fall. In the future, it is also necessary to maintain the optimum acidity and temperature of the earth, as well as disinfect the beds.

Farmers reviews

Pumpkin Smile during its existence has won the attention of many gardeners. Every year the number of her fans is growing rapidly. However, there are those summer residents who did not like the variety.

Galina, St. Petersburg: “It is important for me to get not only tasty but also healthy vegetables from my garden. Pumpkin is a wonderful product that I have been growing for over 12 years. I tried many varieties, one of the best is Smile. I love its taste and appearance. I keep vegetables until January in the garage. "

Vlada, Sochi: "I planted Smile with seedlings in early July. After a couple of weeks, the sprouts began to develop rapidly. The ovary is fast and simultaneous, which made me happy. The pumpkins turned out to be of medium size, the weight of the largest was 700 g. In general, the variety is excellent, I recommend. "

Inna, Saratov: “I really love melons and gourds, especially zucchini and pumpkins. I prefer sweet varieties, so I tried Smile on recommendation. The seedlings were very elongated, so some difficulties arose during transplantation and a couple of stems broke. The remaining seedlings developed slowly, only by the end of July the first vegetables were formed. The yield is below average, the taste is slightly watery. I expected more. "

Conclusion

The vegetable is indispensable for those summer residents who monitor their health and eat right. Pumpkin Smile is rich in vitamins and minerals, strengthens the immune system. When planted on a sunny bed, the crop shows the best yield. Care is simple, the main thing is to form whips in time and water the bushes. Also, do not forget to apply mineral and organic fertilizers, thanks to which the vegetables are tastier.