How to Grow Hami Melon? Detailed Explanation of Planting Techniques and Management Methods

The arrival of summer is also the time when many fruits hit the market, such as Hami melons, watermelons, peaches, red grapes, grapes and many other fruits that are deeply loved and welcomed by people in summer. Many people want to grow some Hami melons at home, after all, the fruit you grow yourself is not only healthy but also very safe. So next, the editor will also teach everyone some planting techniques for Hami melons and management methods for Hami melons.

Planting Techniques and Management Methods for Hami Melon

I. Planting Techniques for Hami Melon

1. Sowing: Hami melons generally emerge 5-7 days after sowing. Within 3 days of emergence, you should immediately check the seedlings and replant missing ones. The replanted seeds should be disinfected, then soaked to promote germination, and can be replanted once the seeds show white.

2. Thinning and final singling of seedlings: Begin thinning when there are 1-2 true leaves, leaving 2 plants per hole, and be careful to remove weak and diseased seedlings when thinning. When there are 4-5 true leaves, do final singling, leaving 1 healthy seedling per hole. If precision sowing is used, thinning and final singling can be completed in one go at the 4 true-leaf stage.

3. Cultivation and weeding: Cultivating and loosening the soil can raise soil temperature, conserve moisture and eliminate weeds. In melon fields not covered with plastic film, after the melon seedlings have all emerged, you can use a hand trowel to loosen the soil around the seedlings and build up the ridges, while also removing weeds. The cultivation depth should be more than 20 cm. Before the melon vines spread, cultivate and weed 2-3 times. Along with cultivation, pull out weeds around the sowing holes and seal the hole openings tightly at all times.

4. Vine turning: When the plant reaches 5-6 true leaves, carry out vine turning. When turning the vines, gently scrape away the soil on the side of the root crown facing into the bed to form a small groove 5-7 cm deep, then lay the melon vine into the groove, and remove the first and second lateral vines at the base of the stem. At the same time, mound 10-20 cm of loose dry soil around the base of the root crown.

5. Vine training and fruit setting: The vine training and fruit setting of Hami melons depend on the variety. For early and mid-season varieties, such as Hongmibao, Hongtaihou, Xinmi No. 15 (Xiangfeimi), Xinmi No. 13 (Xinhuanghou), etc., the single-vine pruning method can be used. For mid-late season varieties, such as Xinmiza No. 7 (8601), Xinmi No. 11 (86-1), Xinmi No. 23 (Jinmibao), etc., the double-vine pruning method is used. The specific pruning method can be determined according to local melon-growing habits.

6. Vine pressing: Combined with pruning, you can press the melon vines with clods of soil or by the crossed-branch method. To press vines with clods, first cut a small groove in the soil at the pressing point, lay the melon vine into the groove, then press on the clod. Press the vines 2-3 times over the whole growing period, until the rows are closed.

7. Topdressing: Melon fields cultivated with plastic film mulching generally do not receive additional organic fertilizer. If the base fertilizer is insufficient, some cake fertilizer or chemical fertilizer can be applied as topdressing. Topdressing must be done before the female flowers open. Between two melon seedlings, dig a hole 20 cm below the edge of the furrow, and apply per mu 20 kg of diammonium phosphate, 5 kg of urea, and 150 kg of oil residue. After the first fruit harvest, a second topdressing can be carried out. For foliar topdressing, you can use: 200 g of monopotassium phosphate plus 300 g of urea, respectively made into 2 per thousand and 3 per thousand solutions. 30-50 g of fulvic acid, made into a 3 per ten thousand to 5 per ten thousand solution. 5 ml of Pen Shi Bao plus 50 kg of water. Spray the above solutions evenly on the leaf surface in the early morning and evening.

8. Harvesting: Harvest Hami melons in time according to requirements, and leave a 10 cm T-shaped stem when harvesting.

II. Planting Management Methods for Hami Melon

1. Temperature management

Spring seedling raising emphasizes heat preservation and disease prevention. The seedbed uses multi-layer film covering, and electric heating wires are laid on the ground. Use the “two high, two low” variable temperature management method, that is, before emergence, the seedbed temperature should be maintained at 30-32°C during the day and 18-20°C at night to promote uniform emergence; before the first true leaf unfolds, the bed temperature should be appropriately lowered, maintained between 25-28°C during the day and 15-16°C at night to prevent leggy seedlings; until the third true leaf appears, the bed temperature should be appropriately raised, maintained between 30-32°C during the day and 18-20°C at night to promote early true leaf emergence; one week before planting, carry out low-temperature hardening so that the seedlings gradually adapt to field conditions.

2. Water management

During the seedling stage, water should be strictly controlled. Depending on the dryness or moisture of the seedbed pots, water an appropriate amount before noon on sunny days. After watering, wait until the moisture on the plant surface and soil surface has evaporated and the water marks have dried before covering with plastic film again.

3. Humidity and light management

Ventilation to reduce humidity is the key to preventing seedling diseases. Therefore, after uniform emergence, within the range allowed by bed temperature, the plastic film of the small hoop shed should be opened as much as possible to increase ventilation and reduce the air humidity of the seedbed. In cloudy and rainy weather, short periods of ventilation to reduce humidity and increase light should also be carried out around noon.

Disease Control Methods for Hami Melon Planting

I. Damping-off

1. When seedlings are affected, spray copper-ammonium mixture solution. The formula is: 2 parts copper sulfate, 15 parts ammonium sulfate, 4 parts slaked lime, fully mixed and sealed for one day and night before use. When spraying, take 1 part of the powder and add 400 parts water for spraying.

2. Spray with 70% thiophanate-methyl 500-800 times solution.

II. Fusarium wilt

1. Root drenching with medicinal solution: drench roots with 70% thiophanate-methyl or 40% ultrafine carbendazim 300 times solution. With the base of the plant as the center, dig a small round pit 10 cm deep and 8-10 cm in diameter, expose the main root base outside, fill the pit with the medicinal solution, and do not seal the pit after drenching, so that the roots are hardened and become disease-resistant.

2. Smearing: Use 1 part 70% dexon plus 20 parts flour, add water to make a paste, and smear it on the base of diseased plants. The control effect is very good.

Growth Period Management of Hami Melon

1. Fertilization

Hami melon plants grow vigorously, so the relationship between stem and leaf growth and fruit setting should be coordinated to prevent excessive growth and vine drop. When topdressing, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium should be reasonably combined. Never apply fertilizer all at once or over-apply nitrogen fertilizer, and avoid chlorine-containing fertilizers. Hami melon needs little nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium during the seedling stage, but needs more fertilizer during the fruit-setting stage. Before flowering, during the young fruit stage, and during the fruit expansion stage of Hami melon, spray “Guaguo Zhuangdiling” to strengthen the transport system, increase nutrient supply during the flowering and fruiting period, strengthen flowers and fruits, promote fruit expansion, and produce an obvious yield-increasing effect. It is non-toxic and pollution-free, and is a highly efficient product for producing pollution-free fruit.

2. Watering

For melon fields cultivated with plastic film mulching, irrigate for the first time at the beginning of flowering; during the flowering and fruit-setting period, generally irrigate 2-3 times. During the fruit expansion period, generally irrigate once every 7-10 days. At this time the temperature is relatively high. To reduce the occurrence of Phytophthora blight, avoid watering at noon, and water less. Irrigation must stop 10 days before fruit harvest.

3. Prevent freezing injury in advance

Winter temperatures are relatively low, and early-maturing Hami melon seedlings are prone to snow, ice and frost damage, thereby delaying the maturity period. Therefore, prevention should be carried out in time. Spray the plant protectant “Xingaozhimo” on Hami melons to form a protective film on the seedlings, which has disinfecting and protective effects and prevents Hami melons from suffering freezing injury.

Simple Plastic Shed Cultivation Techniques for Hami Melon Planting

I. Cultivation Facilities for Hami Melon Planting

1. Use simple steel pipe sheds: shoulder height 1-7 m, top height 2-5 m, surrounded by insect-proof gauze, and covered with shed film. Inside the shed, the bed width is 0-8 m and height 0-2 m, drip irrigation with clean water is used through a hose system, and the bed surface is covered with plastic film.

2. Use one-time fertilization technology: all fertilizer is applied before planting together with land preparation, and no more topdressing is done during the growth period. The fertilizer formula is: 80 kg/mu compound fertilizer, 50 kg/mu superphosphate, 10 kg/mu potassium sulfate, 45 kg/mu peanut bran.

II. Cultivation Management for Hami Melon Planting

1. Variety selection: Choose the Pearl Hami melon produced by Huizhou Lihe Company. Pearl Hami melon can adapt to local climate and soil conditions, has strong resistance to Fusarium wilt, and a single fruit weighs 2.5-4 kg. It has high yield, good quality, and sells well on the market, with relatively high economic value. It can be used for year-round cultivation in warm sheds, and can also be cultivated in open fields in autumn.

2. Seedling raising: Mid-January to mid-September is the suitable sowing time. For seed treatment, soak seeds in warm water for 4 hours, then disinfect with 1‰ potassium permanganate solution for 30 minutes, remove and rinse clean with water, wrap in a wet cloth and place at 30°C to promote germination. After the seeds germinate, use nutrient bags for seedling raising, and control water, fertilizer, temperature and light well during the seedling stage to cultivate strong seedlings. When the seedlings grow to 2 leaves and 1 heart, it is the most suitable period for planting. Planting is done in double rows, with a plant spacing of 0-5 m, and 1300 plants per mu.

III. Management

1. Vine guiding: When the plant has 5-6 leaves, you can begin setting up trellises and guiding the vines.

2. Vine pruning: Use the double-vine single-fruit pruning method, that is, keep the main vine and select and keep one strong secondary vine, and on the grandson vines between the 10th-15th nodes, leave 2 leaves and pinch the tip as fruit-bearing vines. All other secondary and grandson vines are removed. When the main vine grows to 23-26 leaves, pinch its tip together with the retained secondary vine.

3. Pollination: During flowering, carry out artificial pollination from 8-10 a.m. When the melon grows to about 100 g, select and keep one melon and cut off the rest of the melons together with their vines. When the melon grows to 500 g, hang the melon.

4. Water control: During the post-flowering expansion period, supply a large amount of water to promote fruit expansion. In the netting formation period after the expansion period, water must be strictly controlled to improve quality and promote net formation. In the later stage, spray leaf fertilizer appropriately to prevent premature aging of the plant.

5. Harvest at the right time: Harvest about 45 days after pollination.

In the above article, the editor also taught everyone some planting techniques and management methods for Hami melons. In fact, Hami melons are relatively easy to grow, and people do not need to put too much thought into caring for them. If conditions at home allow, you can actually grow some fruit appropriately.