A Detailed Guide to Melon Seed Planting Methods and Technical Key Points
SummarySelect plump, uniformly sized seeds and sun them under direct sunlight on a sunny day, turning them occasionally to ensure every seed gets exposed to the sun. Place the sun-dried seeds in hot water at about 55-60°C, stirring for disinfection for about half an hour, then drain off the water. Next, put the seeds into a container filled with warm water at about 20-30°C to soak, then place them in a spot at about 25-35°C for germination. Once the seeds have grown to about 1-2mm, they can be sown.
Melons have a fresh, sweet taste and are one of the fruits most consumed by people in China during summer, as well as one of the fruits planted on a large scale in China. They come in many varieties; for example, Hami melon and honeydew melon both belong to different strains. They have the effects of relieving summer heat and reducing toxicity, inducing vomiting, removing dampness and reducing jaundice.
Melon Seed Planting Methods
1. Seed selection: Place the seeds to be sown in a clean spot for selection; it is best to choose plump, uniformly sized seeds.
2. Sunning the seeds: On a sunny day with ample sunlight, spread the selected seeds evenly on paper or a straw mat and let them sun for a period. To ensure all seeds get sunlight, turn them every so often.
3. Disinfection: Put the sun-dried seeds into hot water at 55-60°C, and use your hand or another tool to keep gently stirring the water in the same direction. If the water temperature drops, add new hot water to ensure the water soaking the seeds stays between 55-60°C. After half an hour, scoop out the seeds and drain off the water.
4. Soaking the seeds: Place the disinfected and drained seeds into a container, pour in warm water at 20-30°C and soak the seeds for about 5-6 hours, then pour them into a larger container and rub off the mucus on the seeds. After rubbing them clean, rinse them thoroughly.
5. Germination: Shake off the surface water from the soaked seeds, wrap them in a moist cotton cloth, then put them in a plastic bag and place them in a spot at about 25-35°C for germination. Once the radicle of the seeds has grown to about 1-2mm, they can be sown.
6. Raising seedlings: Place the germinated seeds, 2 per pot, into nutrient soil in nursery pots, then sow them into the planting field for film-mulched seedling raising. After the seeds grow into seedlings, select them according to their growth condition and keep the stronger-growing seedlings for final planting.
Melon Growth Habits
1. Soil: Deep soil layers rich in organic matter, fertile and with good air permeability - loam or sandy loam - are the most suitable soil for melon growth and development. Generally, soil with solid, gas and liquid phases each accounting for 1/3 is optimal.
2. Humidity: Melons can tolerate drought but not waterlogging. When planting, do not water too much. If too much rain causes excessive standing water, drain it promptly. Their root system is very shallow, so they have relatively high requirements for soil moisture, but not very high requirements for air humidity. Generally, keeping relative air humidity at around 50% is appropriate.
3. Temperature: 18-25°C is the temperature suitable for melon growth and development, and 22-25°C is the temperature suitable for their flowering and fruiting. They have strong adaptability to the environment, and their ability to withstand low temperatures is also relatively good.
4. Light: Growing melons requires ample sunlight, with at least 10-12 hours or more of sunshine per day. If the light duration can be maintained at 14-15 hours/day over the long term, then the growth speed and quality of the melons will both be better.