How can watermelons be grown to achieve high yields?

Summary To achieve a high yield of watermelons, you must first select excellent varieties, apply sufficient base fertilizer, and the seeds need to be sun-dried and soaked to improve their physiological activity. Since watermelons require a large amount of fertilizer during their growing period, they must be fertilized regularly, and farmyard manure can be splashed around the plants. Pay attention to tidying the vines and removing weeds. During the flowering period of watermelons, inferior flowers should be removed in time. If the flowers open on sunny days, insects can carry out pollination; if there is a lot of rain, manual pollination is needed. This helps increase the yield.

1. Land preparation and fertilization

1. First, deep-plow the soil and then sun-dry it for about 15 days. About 50-75 kg of quicklime can be broadcast per mu, then rake it fine and make beds. The bed plus the ditch is about 2.5 m, the height of one side of the bed is about 40 cm, and the other side is a sloping bed of about 20 cm.

2. On the side close to the high bed, a planting ditch can be dug, about 40 cm wide and about 25 cm deep. Then apply mainly decomposed farmyard manure into the ditch, about 1000-1500 kg per mu, together with about 1.5-2 kg of borax, about 25 kg of ternary compound fertilizer, and about 4 kg of magnesium sulfate, then mix the fertilizer evenly with the backfilled soil.

2. Seed soaking and sprouting

1. Before planting, excellent varieties should be selected. In order to extend the supply period of watermelons and increase economic returns, early-, mid-, and late-maturing watermelon varieties should be selected and sown at suitable times.

2. In order to improve the physiological activity of the seeds, they should be sun-dried for about 1-2 days before sowing, then soak the sun-dried seeds in warm water at 55°C for about 5-6 hours, then remove them, wash the seed coat with 5% lime water, and rub with your hands until the seeds are no longer slippery. Finally, wash the seeds clean, air-dry the surface moisture, and place them in a greenhouse to sprout.

3. Sowing

When the sprouts grow to 1-2 cm, they can be sown. About 2-3 seeds can be sown per hole. When sowing, point the sprout tip downward, then cover with a thin layer of soil. After sowing, water to settle the roots. If it is sunny, water again after 2-3 days. When the seedlings grow 2-3 true leaves, they can be thinned to a set stand. Fill in gaps promptly, and for double plants keep the thicker and stronger one.

4. Reasonable fertilization

During the growing period of watermelons, the fertilizer requirement is relatively large, so farmyard manure should be splashed around the plants. Watermelons absorb farmyard manure relatively quickly, which helps promote rapid plant growth, so fertilization must be carried out regularly.

5. Tidying the vines

1. When the watermelon vines grow to 0.5 m long, the vines can be moved to the opposite direction and the tops of the seedlings removed. Other seedlings can also be treated in this way when they reach a certain length. In addition, to avoid nutrient loss, weeds should be removed in time.

2. During the flowering period of watermelons, excess inferior flowers should be removed in time to prevent nutrients from being consumed, which helps increase the yield.

6. Pollination

If watermelons bloom on sunny days, insects can carry out pollination, and the pollination success rate is relatively high, so there is no need for manual pollination. If there is frequent rainy weather, insects come out less, so manual pollination is needed. First shake the pollen from the male flowers onto the pistils of the female flowers. If the flowers wither, they will not set fruit.

7. Preventing fruit cracking

Generally, watermelons are more prone to cracking when they are about to mature. To keep the watermelon surface separated from the ground, you can spread a layer of wheat straw under the watermelon to prevent it from cracking from exposure to strong sunlight. A layer of wheat straw can also be covered on top of the watermelon. After spreading it, try not to touch the watermelon to prevent cracking.