How to water pumpkin outdoors

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Proper watering of the pumpkin will ensure fast and correct growth, it depends on the stage of development: with different intensities you need to water the bush during flowering and fruiting. The planting of the pumpkin and the size of the plot are taken into account. Choosing the right sprinkler will ensure a good harvest during dry or rainy seasons.

Watering pumpkin outdoors

What water is needed

Even in open ground, pumpkin must be watered with clean water, in which there is no fermentation process or the accumulation of dangerous pathogenic microorganisms.

Watering with dirty water leads to the development of fungal diseases that destroy the entire crop. Liquid with an unpleasant odor or with a small amount of salt is not used. Such watering is more harmful.

This water is suitable:

• rain;
• from the tap;
• spring - taken from sources;
• river or lake.

Any water that is used for irrigation is pre-settled. This process allows you to weed out foreign particles and notice the formation of films (evidence of the presence of toxic substances).

Rainwater

Watering the pumpkin is best done with rainwater. By its composition, it is soft, therefore it is safe for garden crops.

It is important in which region the land plot is located: if there are factories or other environmental pollutants nearby, then rainwater cannot be used.

Collecting liquid for irrigation using a drain pipe and a clean container.

Tap liquid

The most convenient method of watering involves the use of a plumbing. With its help, the liquid immediately flows to the pumpkin bushes.

The disadvantage of such irrigation is that the liquid is always at the wrong temperature.

For this reason, it is pre-collected in large containers and heated: if left in the sun, then after an hour it can be used. The optimal temperature regime is room temperature.

Spring irrigation

The water from the spring must not be directed immediately for irrigation.

It is necessary to warm it up, and only then irrigate all the pumpkin bushes. Together with such water, useful substances penetrate into the rhizome, which contribute to the rapid growth of the culture.

The situation is similar with natural waters. They are useful, but before using them, you need to check the composition so as not to infect the plant with dangerous microorganisms. Lakes and rivers can contain toxic substances.

Irrigation methods

When watering, try not to get water on the leaves

Before planning irrigation work, you need to take into account the peculiarity of crop growth.

You need to moisturize at the root. Immediately after planting, when the bush begins to grow, a small trench is created around the rhizome - the work is carried out carefully - so as not to damage the roots. Watering is also done carefully so as not to wash the roots.

It is not recommended to water the pumpkin often: it is better to do it rarely, but with a lot of liquid. Irrigation 2 times a day, morning and evening, will be sufficient.

The temperature range is about 20 ° C. First, you should slightly loosen the soil. The middle layer should be at least 3 cm. A good option for rapid growth of the bush is to mix water and fertilizer.

In hot weather, due to moisture on the leaves, severe burns are formed. As a result, this will lead to the death of the culture.

Watering pumpkins in the open field is carried out in three ways:

• manual;
• automatic;
• semi-automatic.

Each technique has its own advantages and disadvantages.

Automatic method

The easiest and most correct maintenance is automatic. It consists in the fact that water is independently sprayed on the garden bed. The gardener is only installed by the sprayers and the time after which the irrigation takes place. The timer can be set to several modes.

Modern systems consist of regulators that are sensitive to moisture levels or changes in the weather: they automatically regulate irrigation - as the humidity decreases, the beds are watered more often.

A convenient irrigation method is combined with a high installation cost. For small plots of land, there is no need for a complex system. Increased load on the power grid is another significant drawback of the automatic technique.

Semi-automatic method

Feeding of pumpkin crops is carried out with semi-automatic systems. Unlike automated devices for the installation of such sprinklers, the gardener will have to spend time and effort.

The first step is to loop the pipeline. And only after that, take the pipes from it to each bed in order to feed the plant, regardless of its location and proximity to the source of moisture.

Holes are made along the length of the pipes: they are created small in size, because water will flow out of them constantly.

To minimize the amount of water spent per day, you will have to correctly calculate the distance between the holes.

The direction of the jet is adjusted correctly. Do not allow water to fall only on the top of the bush or wash out the rhizome. The height of the hole determines the quality of the irrigation. The flow of water through a common pipe is regulated by taps - they must be installed immediately.

The complexity of the technique is that the gardener will still have to monitor the process and check the watering of the beds.

Rain method

Pumpkin can be watered less frequently during the rainy season.

The simplest, but not the most basic, method of watering outdoors. The gardener cannot rely only on weather conditions, even in regions with regular rainfall.

The rain method is considered as an additional source of moisture. If the rainy season begins, artificial irrigation is minimized but not completely removed.

Manual method

The most difficult type of irrigation is the first, which excludes any help to the gardener. The larger the plot of land, the more difficult it is to provide manual irrigation. Additionally, a watering can or a hose is used.

If a watering can is chosen, then a special nozzle is bought for it: you cannot pour over the bushes with one strong stream, so as not to damage the stems, leaves and fruits. It is especially important to have a nozzle for seedlings and immature crops.

The drip method is difficult and time consuming. The gardener has to raise the watering can above the bush in order to properly distribute the moisture. And even in this case, the manual technique does not guarantee complete irrigation of the crop.

It is easier to water the beds with a hose, but this method also has its drawbacks. The stronger the water jet, the more the soil is washed out. In this case, the gardener must clamp the end of the hose in order to distribute the stream in several directions. A nozzle is purchased for the hose, which simplifies the whole process.

Replenishment during the flowering period

During the flowering period, the pumpkin is whimsical and very sensitive - it immediately reacts to inappropriate conditions. Only warm water is used, if you water the bush with cold liquid, the ovaries can quickly fall off. In the same period, all weeds are destroyed before irrigation. If this is not done, the quality of irrigation will decrease by 2-3 times.

During flowering, more water is needed: there is no need to be afraid of abundant irrigation, because it will not harm the culture.

If the bloom coincides with the rainy season, it is better to reduce the amount of irrigation. Such an excess of moisture will give the opposite result - the bush will begin to rot, and fungal diseases will spread. The warmer the weather, the more humus needs to be added to the topsoil before watering. Combined feeding will help speed up the growth of the ovaries.

Watering during fruiting

Immediately after the formation of the fruit, the care of the pumpkin changes. The best irrigation method in this case is drip irrigation. It helps to moisturize the soil evenly without letting the entire system dry out. With its help, the formation of dry earth lumps and crusts is excluded. The drip technique does not erode the fertile soil and more nutrients enter the pumpkin rhizome.

Drip irrigation is provided by a semi-automatic system.

Water is consumed economically, and irrigation is ongoing. The disadvantages of the system include the fact that surface runoff occurs. It does not threaten the pumpkin, but the neighboring crops. The drip technique requires complex installation and large cash costs.

During fruiting, a manual technique is suitable, but it is less effective. The pumping method is also suitable. It allows you to water large areas at the same time. The disadvantage of this technique is that it is impossible to adjust the moisture level, and during the fruiting period such an oversight leads to loss of yield.

Irrigation in hot weather

In hot weather, the plant needs abundant watering.

In the open field, the pumpkin needs abundant watering, and the hotter it gets, the more moisture the bush requires.

During the period of ovary formation and before the formation of fruits, drought can become a decisive factor - it can destroy the entire crop or make it of poor quality. High ambient temperatures affect moisture levels and soil conditions. These two factors also affect how ripe pumpkins look.

The first signs of drought are reflected in the appearance of the bush:

• leaves begin to fade;
• the stem sinks to the ground - it looks withered and devoid of moisture;
• the top layer of the soil dries up, cracks appear on it.

If these symptoms appear, and the ambient temperature rises, you need to increase the amount of moisture. Such changes are carried out gradually, so as not to "flood" the rhizome of the bush. With an increase in watering, the gardener observes the condition of the bush more.

Even in the driest weather, it is best to water the pumpkin after sunset.

With the advent of coolness, the plant absorbs moisture better. In this case, the entire bush is irrigated. A watering can with a nozzle or a hose is used. During this period, you cannot injure the bushes or give them a heavy load. Fertilize carefully.

How often to water

There are 4 stages of irrigation, they depend on the vegetation of the plant.

1. Immediately after planting and before hilling. Watering is carried out weekly. In total, irrigation is carried out 1 or 2 times during seven days. On average, one watering takes up to 10 liters of liquid per bush. The number of irrigation works increases up to three times a week only in extreme cases, when the plant has suffered a disease or the ambient temperature has risen sharply - a drought has begun.
2. As soon as the sprouts appeared. From this moment, exactly three weeks are calculated when watering is not performed. Regardless of the weather conditions and the condition of the sprouts, it is impossible to add moisture. At the same time, feeding with the help of nutrients stops.
3. Fruit formation period.During this period, the amount of moisture increases, but the number of irrigations decreases. A break is set, which is at least 10-11 days. You cannot feed pumpkin bushes more often. The amount of added moisture must be at least 12 liters of purified liquid.
4. One month before harvest. This is the final but very important stage. The fruits are already formed, so excess moisture can negatively affect their quality. To prevent this from happening exactly 30 days before the scheduled date of harvesting pumpkins, watering them completely stops. Fertilizers are no longer applied, but only the upper layers of the soil are fluffed. All that is required from the gardener is to monitor the health of the bush.

If you adhere to this watering scheme, there will be no problems with the formation and collection of fruits.

Irrigation errors

Each gardener has his own secrets of growing crops. General watering recommendations ensure stable crop growth.

1. It is not necessary to stop watering after the sprouts have formed. If you neglect this rule, the bush will not be able to grow properly. The created period of 2-3 weeks without the introduction of moisture allows you to strengthen the root system. It starts growing, which ensures the active growth of the bush itself in the future.
2. If you continue to water the plant until harvest day. With the desire to get the best harvest, the gardener often does not stop irrigation - according to gardeners, the more moisture, the better the quality of the pumpkin. The end of August coincides with the time when the moisture stops, and in a month the whole crop is harvested. If this is not done, the vegetable will not be able to pick up sugar, and its taste will not please the gardener. Moisture in this case harms the taste of the product.
3. The soil is not loosened before watering. Many gardeners neglect this rule, because they believe that water independently moisten the entire soil layer to the root system. This rule is important for small bushes, the rhizome of which has not yet grown and for large plants, whose root system is submerged below. If the soil is not loosened, only the soil will be moistened, and moisture will not reach the rhizome.
4. Watering by quantity, not by period. This recommendation is useful for any culture. There is no single number of correct watering. The frequency of irrigation depends on weather conditions and related factors - only according to them, you can establish the amount and abundance of irrigation.