When Is the Latest Month to Plant Open-Field Melons? Plus Cultivation Techniques

Melons are very common in daily life, and for most people this fruit is not only delicious but also rich in nutrients, suitable for many groups of people to eat. At present, melons sell very well on the market, so many people have set their sights on this business opportunity and even treat it as a choice for making a fortune. What are its cultivation methods like? Let us learn about them together.

Open-Field Melon Cultivation Techniques

1. Seed soaking. After selecting a good variety, you can sun the seeds appropriately on a fine day, then sort them. For warm-water seed soaking, soak in 55 degree water for 1 minute, then cool to 25 degrees; after 6 hours, remove and dry briefly, then germinate them (keep the germination temperature at around 28 degrees). When the seeds sprout and turn white, sow them promptly.

2. Raising seedlings. For seedling raising (average temperature above 15 degrees), the seedling age is about 35 days. When the seedlings reach the 3-5 leaf stage, they can be planted in the field.

3. Field planting. Transplant in early to mid-May; planting density can vary by variety. After transplanting, pay attention to water management and shorten the seedling recovery period as much as possible. Water into the holes, which can both preserve ground temperature and supply sufficient water for seedling recovery. Cover with plastic film to retain moisture and increase ground temperature. When transplanting, a water-retaining agent can also be used to reduce the number of waterings; during the entire growing period, water can be given 1 more time.

4. Fertilization. Apply sufficient base fertilizer at one time. Open a furrow 30 cm from the plants and apply 50-100 kg of potassium sulfate compound fertilizer per mu, or 2-3 cubic meters of decomposed livestock and poultry manure. In the middle and late stages, spray potassium dihydrogen phosphate and other supplements on the leaves to regulate, which can also balance vegetative growth and reproductive growth and increase the fruit-setting rate.

5. Pesticide use. Along with the pots and fertilizer, broadcast 2-4 kg per mu of phoxim or avermectin, etc., to control underground pests, nematode disease, or soil-borne diseases; during planting and management, strengthen the prevention of viral diseases and spray on the leaves once about every 10 days.

6. Watering. Usually water less; seize key periods such as the fruit-swelling water, and at the same time apply quick-acting compound fertilizer as a top dressing to ensure sufficient nutrients for the melons. Water promptly in case of drought.

7. Management. Choose an appropriate pruning and vine-training method according to variety characteristics. For example, Xiangmi 900 does not need pruning or side-shoot removal and can be allowed to grow naturally; the Shabai series of melons, however, requires five-vine pruning and leaving 3-4 melons.

The Latest Month to Plant Melons

Melon is a spring-sown crop and does not have strict soil requirements. It is a light-loving and warmth-loving crop and can withstand sun exposure fairly well, but it does not like water and fears waterlogging. The longer the sunshine, the better it grows. It is generally planted in temperate and tropical regions, and there are many varieties. Spring is the most suitable period for planting melons, generally sowing between February and April. Therefore, planting must begin at the latest in April.

How to Prune and Pinch Melons

1. Single-vine pruning, without pinching the main vine: select and keep the middle secondary vines above the 4th-5th node to set fruit. Leave 2-3 leaves before the fruit and pinch the secondary vine; the upper secondary vines can be left to grow freely according to field growth conditions, pinched in due time, or thinned as appropriate. This is used for early-maturing varieties in northwest China and in dense planting cultivation.

2. Double-vine pruning, one of the commonly used forms in melon production: when the main vine has 3-4 true leaves, keep 3 leaves and pinch; when the secondary vines are about 15 cm, select and keep 2 strong secondary vines and remove the rest from the base. When the secondary vines are 35-40 cm long and have 7-8 nodes, pinch them and keep the tertiary vines to set fruit. For tertiary vines, pinch 2 leaves before the female flower 2-3 days before it opens. For tertiary vines on secondary vines that do not set fruit, keep 2-3 leaves and pinch. After fruit setting, the tertiary vines above the secondary vine can be allowed to grow freely.

3. Three-vine pruning, the most common form in thick-skinned melon cultivation in North China: there are more secondary vines, the field leaf area index increases quickly, there are more fruit-setting nodes, and fruit sets early and neatly, which is conducive to early maturity. For early-maturing varieties in which both secondary and tertiary vines can set fruit, the pruning method for early-maturing cultivation is: pinch the main vine at 4 leaves, select and keep 3 strong secondary vines, and pinch at 6-8 leaves. Each node of the secondary vine can grow tertiary vines, and the vast majority of tertiary vines can produce female flowers and set fruit at the 1st and 2nd nodes, but the fruit on the 3rd and 4th tertiary vines on the secondary vine develops better and matures earlier.

Precautions for Pruning and Pinching Melons

1. Pruning and pinching should be arranged after 10 a.m., when the stems and leaves are softer, so unnecessary damage can be avoided during operation. At the same time, doing it when the temperature is higher after 10 o'clock allows wounds to heal quickly and reduces infection by pathogens.

2. Pruning should follow the principle of being tight early and loose later. The main vine must be pinched in time; when pinching, only remove a tiny bit of the growing point so as not to affect the number of secondary vines produced. During the rapid elongation stage of secondary vines, pruning must be done in time; this is an important step in promoting the growth of tertiary vines and early fruit setting.

3. In the south, melons are generally planted in deep furrows and narrow beds, with relatively high density and a relatively small nutritional body per plant, and with 4-5-vine pruning, fruit setting is relatively neat and uniform. If too much fruit is set, nutrients will be insufficient, resulting in small fruit and poor market quality, so it is best to select and keep 4-5 young melons per plant with good fruit-setting nodes and regular fruit shape, and thin out the rest.

The open-field cultivation method for melons not only has relatively low input costs but is also relatively easy to manage, so friends in need can consider it. During the melon cultivation process, attention should also be paid to timely pruning and pinching, which can increase the fruit-setting rate.