Cultivating the “Ultra Cool Hybrid Watermelon” offers a rewarding experience for home gardeners. This hybrid variety combines desirable traits with robust plant characteristics, making it a popular and noteworthy addition to any garden.
What is Ultra Cool Hybrid Watermelon?
The Ultra Cool Hybrid Watermelon is a distinct variety known for its sweet, crisp, and often seedless flesh. It offers a juicy, sugary taste, similar to the Crimson Sweet watermelon. These family-sized melons weigh between 12 to 16 pounds and have a dark green rind with prominent stripes.
This hybrid produces vigorous, medium-sized plants with improved disease resistance, particularly to anthracnose. While often advertised as seedless, some growers report finding seeds, indicating a pollinizer variety like ‘Sugar Baby’ may be needed for seedless fruit production.
Growing Ultra Cool Hybrid Watermelon
Site Selection and Soil Preparation
Ultra Cool Hybrid Watermelons thrive in full sun. The soil should be well-drained and fertile, ideally with a pH between 6.0 and 6.8. Before planting, enrich the soil with organic matter like compost to improve its structure and nutrient content.
Planting
Plant Ultra Cool Hybrid Watermelon seeds or transplants after all danger of frost has passed and soil temperatures consistently reach at least 65°F. Sow seeds directly, 1 to 2 inches deep, in mounds spaced 4 feet apart. If using transplants, handle them carefully to avoid disturbing delicate root systems. Space transplants 2 feet apart within rows, with rows 4 to 6 feet apart.
Watering
Consistent, deep watering is important for watermelon plants. Provide 1 to 2 inches of water per week, ensuring moisture penetrates deeply. Drip irrigation is effective for delivering water directly to roots and conserving moisture. Reduce watering slightly as fruits approach maturity to concentrate sugars and enhance flavor.
Fertilizing
Watermelons are heavy feeders and require balanced fertilization. Before planting, incorporate a general-purpose fertilizer into the soil. Once vines develop runners and before fruit set, side-dress with a nitrogen-rich fertilizer to support vigorous growth. As fruits form, switch to a fertilizer higher in potassium to aid fruit development and sweetness.
Pest and Disease Management
While Ultra Cool Hybrid Watermelon exhibits good disease resistance, particularly to anthracnose, vigilance is still needed for common pests and diseases. Pests like aphids and cucumber beetles are managed with organic insecticidal soaps or by encouraging beneficial insects. For diseases such as powdery mildew, ensuring good air circulation and avoiding overhead watering prevents spread. Regular inspection allows for early detection and intervention, minimizing damage.
Harvesting and Enjoying Ultra Cool Watermelon
Knowing when to harvest Ultra Cool Hybrid Watermelons ensures full flavor. A reliable indicator is the drying of the tendril closest to the melon’s attachment point; when it browns and withers, the fruit is ripe. Another sign is the ground spot, where the melon rests, changing from white or pale green to a creamy yellow.
A ripe Ultra Cool Watermelon produces a dull, hollow sound when thumped, rather than a sharp, metallic one. The rind of a mature fruit loses its glossy sheen and appears dull. Once harvested, these dark green, striped melons offer a sweet, juicy, seedless experience, ideal for fresh consumption, chilling, or summer salads.