How to Grow Crown Prince Squash? A Detailed Guide to the Key Cultivation Techniques
SummarySite selection and land preparation: Crown Prince squash has strong drought tolerance, so choose a plot with high terrain and good drainage for planting, then deep plow and apply farmyard manure as base fertilizer. Sowing methods: You can choose direct sowing or transplanting. For direct sowing, sow the seeds in holes at a row spacing of 2-3m and a plant spacing of 50-70cm, then cover with soil. For transplanting, first raise the seedlings, and when they reach a height of 5-10cm, transplant them and water. Later management: Carry out fertilization, hand pollination, topping, trellising, vine pressing and other tasks.
I. Introduction to Crown Prince Squash
1. The Crown Prince squash is not very attractive in appearance. It is hammer-shaped, pointed at both ends and round in the middle, with a grayish-green skin and orange-yellow flesh. Its texture is mealy, waxy, sweet and fragrant, similar to the flavor of chestnuts, yet mealier and sweeter than chestnuts. Crown Prince squash is also known as Golden Chestnut King. It originated in the Junggar Basin of Xinjiang, and is considered the finest among squash.
2. It is easy to digest and absorb, and is also rich in iron, phosphorus, cobalt, carotene, vitamins and others, which can promote metabolism and hematopoietic function. Crown Prince squash is quite popular to eat now, and a Crown Prince squash weighing four to five jin each sells for several dozen yuan on the market.
3. The cultivation method of Crown Prince squash is not complicated, and is similar to growing ordinary squash. It does not demand much from the soil, but when grown in fertile, neutral or slightly acidic soil, the Crown Prince squash tastes even better.
4. When sowing Crown Prince squash, hole sowing can be used, placing 1-2 seeds per hole. The entire growth period is 110-120 days. During the flowering period, artificial pollination can be carried out to ensure the fruit-setting rate. Each plant sets 3-4 fruits, and it takes about 40 days from flowering to harvest. Once the fruit stalk becomes woody, it can be harvested. Crown Prince squash stores relatively well; the longer it is kept, the mealier it becomes and the higher its sweetness. Whether for home growing or large-scale commercial planting, Crown Prince squash is well worth trying.
II. Cultivation Techniques for Crown Prince Squash
1. Site selection and land preparation
Crown Prince squash has relatively strong drought tolerance, so when selecting a site, you can choose land with high terrain and convenient drainage and irrigation. It should not be planted in soil that easily accumulates water or drains poorly. During land preparation, deep plowing should be carried out as much as possible, and an appropriate amount of farmyard manure should be spread as base fertilizer to ensure sufficient soil fertility and favor the healthy growth of Crown Prince squash.
2. Sowing methods
(1) There are 2 sowing methods for Crown Prince squash. The first is to sow the seeds directly into the soil. In a well-plowed field, at a row spacing of 2-3 meters and a plant spacing of 50-70cm, place 1-2 seeds per hole, and after sowing, cover with a small amount of soil.
(2) The second method is to transplant seedlings. First raise the seedlings in the field until they grow to 5-10cm, then they can be transplanted. After transplanting, watering is needed until the seedlings grow new roots.
3. Sowing techniques
Crown Prince squash can be grown by the method of joining multiple plants together. When the Crown Prince squash seedlings grow to 50-60cm, use a small knife to cut off the tips of the main stems of two adjacent seedlings, then tie the two seedlings whose tips have been cut tightly together. Generally, after about 2-3 [days], new shoots will grow at the joint. When the new shoots grow to 50-60cm again, join the seedlings again, and so on. At the same time, remove excess vines.
4. Later management
Fertilization: Generally, fertilize after planting and when the vines grow to about 20cm.
Pollination: To increase the fruit-setting rate, hand pollination can be used.
Trellising: When the seedlings grow to about 2 meters, the tops of the vines need to be removed in time to encourage more vines to grow, which helps increase yield. At the same time, supports can be set up to guide the seedlings onto the trellis and grow upward along it. This can also reduce pests and diseases and increase the fruit-setting rate.
Vine pressing: After the first batch of fruits has set and some vines turn yellow, vine pressing can be carried out to encourage new vines to grow, thereby increasing yield.
5. Disease control
A common disease of Crown Prince squash is powdery mildew, which affects its normal growth and leads to poor quality. Generally, spraying 200-fold agricultural antibiotic 120 aqueous solution, 1500-fold Tuzet, or 2000-fold triadimefon emulsifiable concentrate can be used for control.