Pumpkin "Volzhskaya gray" conquers gardeners with large tasty fruits and excellent keeping quality. We will learn how to plant and grow this old, time-tested variety, and how to achieve high yields.
Volga gray pumpkin gives a high yield
Volzhskaya gray pumpkin is well stored
Volga gray pumpkin
Description and characteristics of "Gray Volga pumpkin"
Volga Gray 92 is a mid-season and large-fruited variety bred in 1940. The recommended cultivation regions are the North Caucasus, the Lower Volga Region, and some parts of the Urals.
The plant is medium in size. There is a thick central shoot from which thinner lateral shoots branch off. Moderate leafiness. Leaves tend to dry out. With good watering, the foliage is raised and covers the pumpkins, protecting them from the scorching sun.
The flowers in this variety are medium in size, pale yellow, slightly pubescent on the outside.
Description of fruits
It is easy to recognize the "Volga gray" pumpkin by the gray color of the pumpkins. Even in a state of saturated ripeness, the crust does not turn yellow.
Description of fruits:
- The form. The fruits of the Volga Gray are rounded, slightly flattened above and below.
- Crust. Smooth, dense, segmented. Without picture.
- Colour. The ripe fruit has a light gray crust. Sometimes with a greenish tint.
- Pulp. Inside, the fruit is cream or yellow, when fully ripened, the flesh becomes orange. Density and sweetness are average. The thickness of the pulp layer is 4-5 cm.
- Seeds. Semi-oval, pronounced taste, pumpkin. They are eaten raw and fried.
The average weight of pumpkins is 10 kg. Some specimens reach a weight of 20 kg. 2-3 fruits grow on one bush.
Main characteristics
The Volga Gray pumpkin is sun-loving, but its leaves are afraid of sunburn. It can grow in shaded areas if diffused sunlight steadily enters it.
The main characteristics of the pumpkin "Volga gray":
Characteristics / parameters | Description / Meaning |
Ripening time | 3.5-4 months (mid-season) |
Cold resistance | Withstands temperatures as low as +10 ° C |
Drought tolerance | High |
Pest resistance | Average |
Yield | 15 kg with 1 sq. m |
Appointment | Universal |
Transportability | Good |
Keeping | Great |
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
Advantages of the Volga Gray Pumpkin:
- It is able to tolerate prolonged droughts, provided that the ovaries have already formed.
- Consistently high yield.
- Large fruits.
- High taste.
- The fruit pulp contains a lot of beta-carotene, potassium and iron.
- Due to its dense crust, it has good keeping quality. During storage, the fruits do not lose color and taste, do not rot.
Disadvantages:
- Increased demands on top dressing. To get many large fruits, the culture needs regular replenishment with mineral and organic fertilizers.
- Low cold resistance. The variety is more suitable for the southern regions.
Features of planting and growing
Pumpkin of this variety is grown by direct sowing of seeds in the soil or seedlings. A lot of factors influence the future crop - the quality of seeds and seedlings, planting dates, soil, plot features and much more.
About the timing
The timing of planting a pumpkin depends on two factors:
- The growing region, its climate and current weather conditions.
- Growing method - planting dates for seeds and seedlings are different.
In the southern regions, seeds are sown in open ground in mid-May, in cooler regions in early summer.
When choosing the timing of disembarkation, they are guided by the weather. Pumpkin is planted when the soil warms up to + 14- + 17 ° C. If you plant seeds or seedlings in colder soil, they will start to rot.
The timing of sowing seeds for seedlings is calculated taking into account the rule - seedlings transplanted into the soil should be about 1 month.
Choosing a landing site
Site Requirements:
- Well lit place. A slight shading is possible.
- Deep bedding of groundwater. You cannot plant a pumpkin in the lowlands - the fruits will not be sweet, watery.
- Soils are loamy and sandy loam, loose and well fertilized with organic matter.
- Neutral level of soil acidity.
- Tall plants should not grow nearby.
- The best soils are loam and sandy loam. Clay soils for growing pumpkins are not suitable - the fruits form a thin and hard flesh.
- Optimal predecessors are onions, green manure, cabbage, legumes, radishes. Do not plant pumpkin after potatoes, sunflowers, zucchini, squash, cucumbers, melons and watermelons.
The optimum temperature for the growth and development of the Volzhskaya gray pumpkin is +25 ° C.
Site preparation
Soil preparation begins in autumn:
- The site is dug up, making compost or rotting manure. The rate of manure is 1 bucket per 1 sq. Km. m.
- Additionally, mineral fertilizers are applied - 50 g of potassium salt and 80 g of phosphorus per 1 sq. m.
- In the spring, before re-planting, they re-dig the site.
Many gardeners plant pumpkins directly on compost heaps, then feeding will not be needed throughout the entire growing season.
Seed preparation
Pumpkin seeds are prepared for planting as follows:
- Soak in a weak solution of potassium permanganate - 60 minutes. The procedure is aimed at disinfecting seeds.
- Wrap in a damp cloth to hatch. From time to time, moisten the cloth with water - for example, using a spray bottle. Sprouts appear in a few days.
Gardeners have another method for preparing seeds:
- The seeds are kept in an oven at a temperature of +40 ° C.
- They keep for 12 hours in gauze soaked in an ash solution.
Sowing seeds
Planting pumpkin seeds in open ground:
- Prepare wells in advance. The distance between adjacent holes is 60-80 cm, between the rows - 1.5-2 m. The pumpkin needs space, so you should not shorten the gaps.
- Pour 1-2 liters of warm water heated to +50 ° C into the holes.
- Wait for the water to absorb, and burrow the seeds with the sharp ends down. Put 2-3 seeds in one hole. When shoots appear, leave the strongest sprout, pinch the rest.
- Sprinkle the seeds with soil - a layer of 6-7 cm. If the soil is heavy, 3-4 cm is enough. Mulch the crops with peat or compost.
- Cover crops with foil if there is a risk of frost. Thanks to the greenhouse effect, seedlings will appear faster.
Seedling care
Seed germination can take up to 10 days. Another 30 days will be needed to grow seedlings. Count 40 days from the expected planting date and soak the seeds on that day.
The order of growing pumpkin seedlings:
- Prepare landing tanks. The best option is peat glasses, since the pumpkin does not like transplants, and this "container" can be buried in the ground along with the roots of seedlings.
- Plant the sprouted seeds in peat containers. If not, use glasses filled with a mixture of turf, humus, peat and mullein (1: 3: 5: 1). Planting depth - 4-6 cm. Before sowing, do not forget to water the soil well.
- Cover crops with foil. Ventilate crops regularly. The optimum daytime temperature is +25 ° C, nighttime temperature is + 15- + 18 ° C.
- When shoots appear, remove the film. To prevent the seedlings from stretching, place them in a well-lit place. First, lower the daily temperature to + 15- + 18 ° C, and after 5 days, raise it again.
- Water the seedlings as the soil dries.
- A week after the emergence of seedlings, feed the seedlings - 15 g of nitrophoska per 10 liters of water, or mullein (solution 1:10).
- When the seedlings reach 15-20 cm, you can plant them in open ground.
Transplanting seedlings
As soon as the pumpkin seedlings reach the condition, and favorable conditions are created, they are transplanted into open ground:
Seedling transplant order:
- On a pre-prepared site, dig holes in the same way as when planting seeds - 60-80x150-200 cm.
- If the seedlings are grown in peat pots, destroy the dense outer walls. If the seedlings grew in the substrate - in glasses or in containers, water them in advance to make it easier to transfer to the hole.
- Plant seedlings in cloudy weather or in the evening. Try to transship it with the ground so as not to damage the roots.
- Abundantly water the seedlings and pritenite for the first time.
- Mulch the soil and make a border around each seedling so that water does not spill out when watering.
Rules for the care of the "Gray Volga Pumpkin"
It is not enough to plant a pumpkin correctly, you also need to provide it with decent care - the size, taste and number of fruits will depend on this.
Watering volumes and regularity
The crop depends on the regularity and volume of watering the pumpkin - its quantity, as well as the size and taste of the pumpkin.
Watering Rules:
- Pumpkin evaporates a lot of water through large leaves, so it needs abundant and regular watering.
- Pumpkin is watered especially abundantly during flowering and fruit formation.
- For irrigation use warm, settled water, not cooler than +22 ° C. Water can be heated directly in the sun - in large containers.
- Do not pour cold water on the pumpkin. This is especially dangerous in the heat - plants can die.
- At the beginning of the growing season, the irrigation rate is 2 liters per bush, subsequently the rate is increased to 10 liters.
- At the beginning of the growing season, the frequency of watering is greater. Seedlings are watered every 3-4 days. Subsequently - as the soil dries up.
- When pumpkins bloom, they first loosen the soil, remove weeds and only then water it - during this period, the plant needs more water.
Increased moisture consumption is observed during fruit formation.
Feeding pumpkin
The "Volga gray" pumpkin is fed three times:
- The first feeding. When 3-5 leaves appear, a mullein is introduced - 1/2 l of liquid fertilizing is dissolved in a bucket of water. Watered under the root. Norm - 10 liters per 5 bushes.
- Second feeding. During the growth of the lashes. Mullein is used, but 1 tbsp. Is added to each bucket. l. nitrofoski.
- Third feeding. Carried out during the formation of the fruit. A glass of ash and potassium sulfate are added to the mullein solution - 2 tbsp. l.
Loosening and weeding
The purpose of loosening is to increase the moisture and air permeability of the soil. Loosening features:
- During loosening, weeds are simultaneously removed - they drown out crops, take away moisture and nutrients from the pumpkin.
- The soil is loosened until the root collars are clearly visible. When the leaves of the pumpkin grow large, they themselves drown out the growth of weeds, and weeding becomes unnecessary.
- The soil must be loosened after watering and rains.
- The first time the soil is loosened 15 cm deep, then the depth of loosening is gradually reduced. After a month, the soil is loosened no more than 8-9 cm, so as not to damage the roots of plants.
- To prevent moisture evaporation and weed growth, the soil is mulched with peat or humus.
Bush formation
To get large fruits, "Volzhskaya Seroy" requires the formation of a bush:
- At the beginning of growth, in order to increase bushiness, pinch the apical shoot when 2-3 pairs of leaves appear.
- A plant is formed with 1-2 lashes, each of which has several flowers. To get larger pumpkins, they form a plant in one lash.
- Excess inflorescences are removed, leaving several flowers in the near-stem zone.
- On the main stem, on each side, after 4 leaves, leave one shoot, the rest are removed.
- The tops of the lashes are positioned so that they are in the sun, otherwise the fruits will be small.
Harvesting and storage
Rules for the collection and storage of pumpkins:
- The fruits are harvested before the frost begins.
- The ripeness of the fruit is determined by the stalk - it should darken and dry out.
- After harvesting, the fruits are dried in the sun or in a dry room.
- They store pumpkins in the basement, cellar, on the glazed balcony.
- The fruits of this variety can be stored for a whole year. To do this, they are placed in a well-ventilated room with a temperature of +6 ° C and a humidity of 70%. Pumpkins are laid on shelves covered with dry straw.
- In an apartment, fruits can be stored for up to 5 months.
- Pumpkin can be stored frozen. It is peeled from the crust, cut into portions, placed in a hermetically sealed container and placed in the freezer.
Diseases and Pests
The variety was bred long ago, therefore it is unstable to many diseases and pests. The greatest danger to him is represented by fungal diseases.
The most common diseases and pests of the Volzhskaya Seraya pumpkin variety:
Diseases / Pests | Signs of defeat | How to fight? |
Bacteriosis | The leaves have brown spots that dry out over time. Holes appear at the spot. | The affected shoots are removed and destroyed. Spray for prophylaxis with a 1% solution of copper sulfate. |
White rot | Leaves and fruits - white bloom. They soften and rot. | The affected parts are removed and burned. The cut areas are sprinkled with charcoal. |
Powdery mildew | On the leaves - a grainy white bloom. Gradually, the plant dries and dies. | The affected leaves are cut off. Sprayed with gray colloidal - take 20 g for 10 liters. |
Aphid | It affects foliage and inflorescences. May destroy the entire crop. | Sprayed with a 10% solution of malathion. |
Spider mite | The leaves are covered with spots, a whitish spider web entwines the back of the leaves. | Weeds are removed in time, crop rotation is observed. For spraying, a 20% solution of chloroethalone is used. Or prepare a decoction of varnish husk - take 10 g per 10 l. |
Possible growing difficulties
Gray pumpkin is unpretentious, but the following problems can occur when growing a variety:
- The variety does not like damp and cool weather. Under such conditions, the plant is affected by fungal diseases.
- If you do not feed the pumpkin in time, the yield decreases, and the size of the fruits decreases. It is important that in the diet of the vegetable all three main elements of feeding are present - nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus.
- The variety is capricious in terms of growing conditions - if there is poor lighting on the site, groundwater is close, or unwanted predecessors grew, the crop sharply reduces the yield.
Secrets of Successful Pumpkin Growing
Experienced gardeners advise beginners:
- When preparing seeds for planting, discard moldy and mechanically damaged specimens.
- Do not plant pumpkins on wet and acidic soils.
- Enrich the soil with humus and add peat or sand for loosening.
- Do not be lazy to remove weeds and plant debris - this will prevent many diseases.
Reviews about the "Gray Volga" pumpkin
Vasily, 40 years old, amateur gardener, Novocherkassk. I have been growing pumpkins for many years, “Volga Gray” is one of my favorite varieties. It is very well stored, therefore it is provided with pumpkin until summer. Of course, she is not as beautiful as the orange varieties, but I do not pursue beauty.
Nina, 50 years old, summer resident Novy Oskol. I love the variety "Volzhskaya gray" very much - it grows well, never leaves without a crop. It was possible to grow pumpkins up to 15 kg. The pulp is sweet, suitable for any dish, goes well with various products.
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It is not difficult to grow "Volga gray" pumpkin, the main thing is to water, feed, pinch the bushes correctly and not forget about disease prevention. The variety is so good that, despite its long history and many new competitors, it remains one of the most popular among gardeners.
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Russia. City Novosibirsk
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