How to grow toy pumpkins? A detailed explanation of the key cultivation techniques
Toy pumpkins, as the name suggests, are a type of pumpkin mainly grown for people to view and play with. Although toy pumpkins have no edible value, their popularity on the market is no less than that of other pumpkins. Many people are pondering the cultivation methods of this rather novel plant, and next the editor will give you a detailed introduction.
How to grow toy pumpkins
1. Seed soaking and sprouting
Before sowing, sun the seeds for 1-2d, then soak them in warm water at 55°C for 15-20min, let them cool naturally, then soak them in clean water for 4-5h, remove them, wrap them in gauze, put them in a germination box, and sprout them at 28°C. Check twice a day and rinse the seeds with warm water. Once the seeds show white, they can be sown. For open-field cultivation, they can be sown directly without sprouting, but when the seedlings emerge, the film must be broken in time to help the seedlings out. The seed rate is 200g per 667 sq m.
2. Prepare the seedbed
For raising seedlings, containers such as nutrient pots or plastic tubes with a diameter of 10cm can be used. If sowing earlier when the temperature is low, electric heating wire should be used for seedling raising, with nutrient pots arranged on top. As the sowing date is delayed, cold beds can be used for seedling raising. For the nutrient soil, use 6 parts of fertile surface soil from paddy fields or garden soil from vegetable plots where cucurbits have not been grown for more than 3 years, 3 parts decomposed barnyard manure, 1 part burnt mud ash, add 0.2% ternary compound fertilizer, mix well, spray with 20% tolclofos-methyl EC at 1000 times dilution for soil disinfection, sieve, and fill the pots.
3. Sowing management
Place the sprouted seeds flat in the nutrient pots, 1 seed per pot, cover with 1cm of nutrient soil after sowing, then cover flat with plastic film for heat-preserving seedling raising. When about 70% of the seeds have their cotyledons emerge from the soil, remove the plastic film and continue heat-preserving seedling raising. From sowing to cotyledon emergence, keep the soil temperature at 25-30°C. After the cotyledons emerge, keep the soil temperature at 20-25°C during the day and 15-20°C at night. After the first true leaf unfolds, provide as much light as possible and water less to prevent the seedlings from crowding. 5-7d before transplanting, strengthen hardening off to adapt to the external environment.
Toy pumpkin cultivation techniques
1. Variety selection for toy pumpkins
Ornamental pumpkin varieties include Flying Saucer, Panda, Microphone, Hualian, Golden Egg, Silver Egg, Hydrangea, Golden Boy, Jade Girl, Incense Burner, White Jade, Golden Edge, Half Sky, Lace Edge, A Dot of Yellow, Small Pillow, Small Gourd and dozens of others. Growers had best buy mixed packets of seeds, that is, mixed seeds of ornamental pumpkins ranging from a dozen to several dozen kinds, so that the products grown will have many patterns, the viewing effect will be good, and the product pumpkins will also be easy to sell. This is a new feature in sightseeing agricultural parks.
2. Cultivation season and cultivation methods for toy pumpkins
In northern regions, cultivation is generally in spring, while in regions cool all year round, they can be cultivated throughout the year. Ornamental pumpkins mostly set fruit on the main vine, with very few fruits on side vines, and because their product pumpkins are not large or heavy, they are more suitable for vertical (trellis or wall) cultivation. In order to improve the appearance of the product pumpkins in shape and color, protected cultivation is advocated, though open-field vertical cultivation is also possible.
Cultivation conditions for toy pumpkins
1. Time
Sowing period: spring-summer; flowering period: July-September.
2. Temperature
Suitable temperature for germination: 20-30°C; suitable temperature for growth: 15-30°C.
3. Light
The same as growing ordinary pumpkins: choose a place with good sunlight, sow 3-4 seeds per hole, and cover with about 2cm of soil. Plant spacing is 30cm, or transplant elsewhere when there are 3-4 true leaves.
4. Fertilizer
Use compost and compound fertilizer as base fertilizer, and apply topdressing 2-3 times during the growth period, slightly increasing phosphorus fertilizer and potassium fertilizer to facilitate flowering and fruiting. If artificial pollination can be used during the flowering period, the yield will be even better.
What precautions are there for growing toy pumpkins
1. Please store the seeds in a cool, dry place.
2. No economic liability beyond the price of the seeds is accepted for losses caused by climatic conditions or improper cultivation techniques.
3. The thickness of soil covering the seed surface is 2-3 times the diameter of the seed.
4. This variety has a complex genetic background and cannot be kept for seed use again.
That is all for the introduction to the cultivation methods and some experience with toy pumpkins. We hope it is helpful to everyone. The cultivation prospects for toy pumpkins are very good, but if you want to gain profits through this method, you still need to be good at management during cultivation.