Arbūzs Citrullus lanatus "Sinrubita H" (Žalia stotelė sēklas, 5 sēklas)

• Type: melon crop, F1 hybrid, seeds
• Botanical name: Citrullus lanatus "Sinrubita H"
• Producer: Žalia stotelė (Agrofirma Sėklos, Lithuania)
• Sowing: indoors and in greenhouse III–IV, 2.5–3.5 cm deep
• Germination: at 25–30 °C
• Planting out: late V – early VI, spacing 100 × 50–70 cm
• Fruit: round, 4–6 kg, red seedless flesh; harvest VII–IX
• Light: full sun, warmth
• Soil: light, warm, fertile
• Size: packet 5 seeds

Planting. In late March–April sow seeds singly in 8–10 cm pots, 2.5–3.5 cm deep, and keep at 25–30 °C. Seedless hybrids germinate less readily than ordinary ones, so do not keep the compost too wet. In late May or early June plant out in a greenhouse or warmed bed at 100 × 50–70 cm without burying the stem deeper.

Watering and feeding. Water moderately at the base with warm water, more while the fruit swells, then cut back two weeks before ripening for sweeter flesh. Feed every 2 weeks with a balanced fertiliser and with potassium once fruit has set.

Care. Pinch out the main stem above the 5th–6th leaf and keep 2–3 side vines. Leave 2–3 fruits per plant and remove the rest. Put a board under each fruit and ventilate the greenhouse regularly.

Gardener's tip. Seedless (triploid) watermelons produce little pollen, so grow one ordinary seeded watermelon nearby as a pollinator. A ripe fruit has a dried tendril next to the stalk and sounds hollow when tapped.