Especially for watermelon and melon , the quality of production is the key factor for obtaining adequate profitability from cultivation and is greatly influenced by the practice of fertilization.
Cucurbits have important water needswhich must be satisfied throughout the production cycle with the administration of significant volumes of water but, at the same time, suffer from water stagnation which causes vegetative arrest and predisposes the plants to attack by dangerous telluric fungal parasites which can compromise the success of the culture.

For this reason they prefer structured, well-drained, fresh soils rich in organic matter with considerable availability of nutrients. In fact, the removal of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium as well as calcium, magnesium and microelements, among which iron and boron stand out, are very high.

Unimer makes a wide range available to the horticulturistof soil improvers, organic and organo-mineral fertilizers to best meet the particular needs that the cultivation of cucurbits requires, starting with Supermanure , a soil improver based on bovine and horse manure which undergoes an industrial composting treatment followed by a long period of maturation , in order to obtain a high degree of humification of the organic substance which is therefore particularly rich in humic, fulvic and humin acids capable of improving the physical-chemical conditions of the soil. Microlife

joins Superstallaticowhich adds to the high quality of the humified manure, the biostimulant activity of the inoculum of the consortium of fungi and bacteria of the rhizosphere, which significantly improves the activity of contrasting soil tiredness phenomena of the Humified Organic Substance and, at the same time, stimulates the growth and efficiency of the root system and improves the availability of nutrients in the soil, thanks to the greater synthesis of enzymes and organic acids.

For organic productions intended to meet the needs of particular categories of consumers , Green Power can be usefully employed, soil improver produced from organic matrices of exclusive vegetable origin, suitably composted to obtain the high degree of humification which characterizes Unimer products.

The humified organic substance also represents the basis for the production of the vast range of Unimer organo-mineral fertilizers, able to guarantee the protection and the best yield of the mineral nourishing elements used in their formulation, thanks to the action of the humic and fulvic acids.

Unimer recommends the use of Diablo S  for the pre-transplant fertilization of cucurbits, NPK (Ca-S) 9-12-18 (8-15) high title organo-mineral fertilizer with calcium, sulphur, boron, iron and zinc , able to satisfy the considerable nutritional needsof these crops. Characterized by the high quality of the raw materials used in its formulation, it offers a particularly complete nutritional profile thanks to the significant content of:

  • nitrogen : plastic element par excellence, essential for protein synthesis is necessary to obtain an optimal development of the plant with a regular expansion of the leaf apparatus to support fruit growth;
  • phosphorus : a fundamental element to supply the energy necessary for the metabolic processes of the plant to take place, it has a positive effect on the growth of the root system and on the flowering and fruit setting of the flowers;
  • potassium : present in the most assimilable and valuable form of potassium from sulphate, it regulates plant transpiration by optimizing the exploitation of water resources and participates in numerous enzymatic and metabolic processes which lead to the production of sugars and pigments which influence the organoleptic characteristics of the fruit. Its availability is essential to obtain the high quality productions required by the market;
  • calcium : main component of cell membranes, it is particularly important for obtaining more firm and resistant fruit to overripening and handling during the harvesting and transport phases. Its lack or difficulty of assimilation by the plant can favor the abortion of fruits even in an advanced stage of development or their splitting during the phases preceding the complete ripening;
  • sulfur : like nitrogen, it enters protein synthesis and contributes to the regular development of the plant and its metabolic activities;
  • boron : it is a particularly important microelement for cucurbits, it improves pollen fertility and consequently fruit setting, moreover it enters the mechanisms of synthesis and transport of the synthesized sugars towards the reserve organs of the plant and therefore its correct availability affects considerably on the quality of the production and in particular on the quantity of sugars present in the fruit (Brix degree);
  • iron : element that participates in the enzymatic reactions that regulate chlorophyll photosynthesis , it is particularly important for the general metabolism and improves the coloration of the fruit pulp which represents another important qualitative parameter in the production, in particular of watermelons and melons as well as pumpkins;
  • zinc : microelement that enters the synthesis and regulation of various plant hormonal substances and is particularly important for the regular metabolic activity of the plant.

Naturally Unimer also has other fertilizers for the cultivation of cucurbits in different soil environments, such as for example Le Mans S NPK (Mg-S) 8-5-12 (2-20 ) with boron and iron, Victory S NPK (Mg- S) 4-8-16 (2-14) with boron and iron or again Challenge S NPK (Mg-S) 5-12-12 (2-10) with zinc of the Siapor and Unimax NPK line (S) 9-6 -12 (22) with boron and iron from the Avantage line, all organic-mineral fertilizers with a low chlorine content.

In the case of soil conditions that require particular administration of microelements to compensate for more or less evident deficiencies, the basic fertilization can be integrated with the products of the Microsol line, which can also be used in organic cultivation conditions. In particular Microsol Ferromax , NP organic fertilizer with a high content of sulfur and iron protected by the humified organic substance from insolubilization phenomena due to unfavorable pH conditions or chemical imbalances in the soil or Microsol Kompost, (Mg-S) (7-15 ) with boron, iron, manganese and zinc, NP organic fertilizer with a high content of magnesium, sulfur and microelements.

It is available for productions subject to organic cultivation regimeArmony S NPK (Mg-S) 4-8-10 (2-8) or Bacchus S NPK (S) 3-6-14 (13) with iron, organo-mineral fertilizers with potassium from sulphate, supported by Endurance  organic fertilizer nitrogenous, useful to satisfy the important needs of this element of the cucurbits.

All Unimer products guarantee maximum safety as they undergo a sanitization process in an industrial ovenwith heat treatment at 70° C for at least one hour in compliance with EC Reg. 1069/2009 and 142/2011 and subsequent amendments and additions. This also allows to obtain formulations with always very low and constant humidity, which favors their mechanized application with the most common fertilizer spreading machines, an operation facilitated by the formulation in mini-cubes, compact and small in size, which ensure excellent flowability of the products .