Watermelons
Watermelons
Watermelons have been cultivated for thousands of years, dating back to prehistoric times. There have been records of watermelons being grown in ancient Egypt, throughout various regions in Africa, Brazil, North America, islands in the Pacific and numerous others. Currently they’re grown on all continents throughout the warm regions of the world. Watermelons grow best in soils with high water-holding capacities, with good air and water infiltration rates and pH ranges of 5.8-6.6.
Fruit Set
Fruit set is categorized as the critical transition period shortly after fertilization as plant processes switch over to fruit formation and growth. A successful fruit set is integral to a healthy crop at harvest. This process can be improved with the addition of Cytokin® at key timings. Cytokin® contains plant growth hormones responsible for cell division, cell enlargement, and various other plant growth functions. The nature-based plant growth regulator effects help to maximize conditions necessary for fruit set and early fruit development.
Cytokin®
Cytokin® is a plant- based EPA registered plant growth regulator designed to increase crop production efficiency.
Residual Pesticide Applications
Environmental pests come in a wide variety of forms including, diseases, insects, invasive weeds and more. The methods for controlling these pests vary as well. Some solutions require a pesticide to remain active and in contact with the leaf surface for an extended period for best results. Nu-Film-17® is uniquely formulated to be combined with pesticides that require residual activity on the leaf or fruit surface. These include contact or ingestion-based pesticides that have direct activity on the target pests.
Nu-Film® 17
Nu-Film® 17 is a superior deposition, sticker, and extender adjuvant with non-ionic properties based on proprietary Miller technology containing Pinolene.
Sun Scald
Sunlight, while a necessary part of photosynthesis and healthy plant growth, can also have damaging effects on crop quality. When crop canopies are suddenly opened, sometimes because of disease or harvesting practices, exposed fruit can be damaged by sun scald. Reflections® can not only serve as a calcium supplement, but also a reflectant. This allows for reduced rates of sun damage and a protection of the quality of fruit harvested.
Reflections®
Reflections® is a blend of calcium acetate and calcium carbonate that provides 12% calcium in a soluble form.
Blossom End Rot
This nutritional disorder typically occurs when plants are growing rapidly, and the first fruits are developing. When fruit cells breakdown due to a lack of calcium, dark blemishes appear on the blossom-end of affected fruits. These may enlarge until the entire bottom of the fruit becomes dark, shrunken, and leathery. Blossom-end rot is a common nutritional deficiency caused by a lack of calcium in rapidly growing fruits or vegetables. Calcium is constantly taken up by roots, but it is first transported to growing points within the plant. Cell Force® provides a necessary boost of rapidly available calcium, potentially improving fruit quality and mitigating the risk of blossom-end rot.
Cell Force® MAX
Cell Force® MAX 6-0-0 is a liquid specialty fertilizer designed to help reduce the effects of plant stress as well as improve overall plant nutrition.
Brix Development
Uniform fruit ripening, color development, and Brix accumulation can be affected by numerous factors, such as photosynthesis, leaf age, nutrient deficiencies, and disease pressure. As plants begin to senesce—or age—closer to harvest, their photosynthesis and metabolic rates may be reduced. This can lead to uneven ripening and poor sugar development. Sugar Express® applications provide key nutrients which help aid the normal photosynthetic processes that drive Brix development. The accumulation of Brix earlier may improve ripening and color, which is necessary for uniform quality.
Sugar Express®
Sugar Express® 4-10-40 is a highly refined fertilizer with the appropriate ratio of phosphorus and potassium designed to be used close to harvest.