Detailed Explanation of Key Points for Late-Maturing Watermelon Cultivation Techniques

Late-maturing watermelons are an important source of supplementing the shortage of watermelons in the market around the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day. Autumn-extended watermelons have the advantages of excellent quality, good taste, low input and high benefits. Now let's learn about its cultivation techniques together with the editor!

Late-Maturing Watermelon Planting Techniques

First, site selection and land preparation. Choose fertile soil, slightly elevated terrain with a slope, convenient drainage and irrigation, and sandy loam that has not been planted with cucurbit crops. After the previous crop is harvested, plow and sun-dry the soil in time. Apply 2000-2500 kg of organic fertilizer or farmyard manure, 30 kg of urea, and 30 kg of potassium sulfate per mu as base fertilizer. Spread them into the plowed and sun-dried field, then rake it level and make small beds. The bed surface width is 60-70 cm, and the bed height is 15-20 cm.  

Second, select excellent varieties. Choose varieties that are mid-to-early maturing, disease-resistant, tolerant to high temperature and high humidity, and suitable for transport.  

Third, sow and transplant at the right time. In order to reach the market during the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day period, sowing and seedling raising are generally carried out around July 20-25, and transplanting is done in early to mid-August. Seed soaking and germination. One day before soaking, sun-dry the seeds for two hours, then place the seeds in 30°C water and soak for 4 hours. When removing them, rub and wash off the sticky matter on the seed coat, wash clean, drain the water, and place them in a 25°C-30°C environment to germinate. Cultivate strong seedlings. The seedbed is 80 cm wide, and 10×10 cm nutrient cups are used for seedling raising. Nutrient soil preparation: 6 parts soil, 4 parts high-quality decomposed cow or pig manure, add 0.5 kg urea, 0.5 kg diammonium phosphate and 0.5 kg potassium sulfate per square meter of nutrient soil, mix thoroughly, fill into nutrient cups, and then sow. To ensure a high seedling survival rate, the seedbed uses a small arch shed covered with weeds for rain protection and sun protection measures. Transplanting. In early to mid-August, transplant in the field with a row spacing of 1.6 m and a plant spacing of 0.4-0.5 m, planting 800-900 plants per mu. If plastic film is used after planting, it can improve the field microclimate and play a role in drought prevention and shading.  

Fourth, strengthen field management. Autumn-extended watermelons have a short growth period and fast growth, and management should pay attention to the following points.  

1. Multi-vine pruning. Use two-vine or three-vine pruning. Keep 1-2 robust side vines at the 3rd-5th nodes of the main vine base, and remove all other extra vines. When pruning, do not pinch with hands; use scissors dipped in thiophanate-methyl solution to cut the vines to prevent disease transmission.  

2. Artificial pollination. The flowering and pollination period of autumn-extended watermelons coincides with the rainy or dry season, and because the female flower nodes are low, fruit setting is difficult. Using artificial pollination can increase the fruit-setting rate. Pollination is carried out from 6-9 a.m., and pollination time markers should be made at the same time so that the melons can be identified when harvesting.  

Efficacy and Effects of Watermelon  

1. Watermelon can clear heat and relieve summer heat, and remove restlessness and quench thirst: watermelon contains a large amount of water. During acute febrile disease with fever, thirst, much sweating, and restlessness, eating a piece of sweet, sandy, and juicy watermelon will immediately improve the symptoms.  

2. The sugar and salt contained in watermelon can promote urination and eliminate kidney inflammation. Protease can convert insoluble protein into soluble protein, increasing nutrition for patients with nephritis.  

3. Watermelon also contains substances that can lower blood pressure.  

4. After eating watermelon, urine volume will increase significantly, which can reduce the content of bilirubin and make bowel movements smooth, and has a certain effect on treating jaundice.  

5. Fresh watermelon juice and tender watermelon rind increase skin elasticity, make people look younger, reduce wrinkles, and add luster.

3. Timely prevention of pests and diseases. Autumn-extended watermelon is in a season with high temperatures and many pests and diseases. Common diseases include anthracnose, Phytophthora blight, downy mildew, Fusarium wilt, and viral diseases. 

Environmental Conditions for Watermelon Growth  

1. Temperature: Watermelon is a thermophilic crop, tolerant to heat and afraid of low temperatures. Throughout its entire growth process, it requires relatively high temperatures. Its optimum temperature is 25-30°C. Below 12°C, the normal physiological functions of watermelon are destroyed. Below 5°C, frost damage may occur. Around 40°C, it still has relatively high photosynthetic capacity. Watermelon seeds begin to germinate at 15-16°C, the optimum germination temperature is 28-30°C, and above 40°C very few germinate.  

2. Light: Watermelon is a light-loving crop. Its light saturation point is 80,000 lux, and its light compensation point is 6,400 lux. Longer sunshine hours and stronger light are extremely favorable for watermelon growth and development, yield formation, and quality improvement. Under sufficient light conditions, the plant grows normally, showing thick stems, short internodes, thick leaves, and dark green color, and it is easy to set fruit with high yield and good quality.  

3. Water: Watermelon has a well-developed root system and can penetrate 1.5-2 m deep into the soil. It has strong water absorption capacity. Watermelon leaves have many lobes and are covered with fine hairs to reduce water transpiration, so watermelon has relatively strong drought tolerance. Watermelon requires loose and well-aerated soil. Excessive rainfall or compacted soil is unfavorable to its growth. Its root system is extremely intolerant to waterlogging. Especially when there is excessive rainfall at the seedling stage and waterlogging on the ground, it will seriously affect the growth and development of watermelon seedlings, and then significantly delay the growth period. Excessive rainfall during the vine extension stage will cause excessive vegetative growth, making fruit setting difficult and significantly reducing yield.  

4. Soil and soil nutrients: Watermelon prefers sandy loam with good aeration, fast heat absorption, loose and fertile soil, and deep soil layers. This kind of soil has good air permeability and is conducive to the deep development of the root system, which can significantly improve the drought resistance and absorption level of watermelon. Sandy soil has a small heat capacity, absorbs heat quickly during the day, warms up early in spring, dissipates heat quickly at night, and has a large diurnal temperature difference. This not only facilitates the growth and development of the watermelon root system and the absorption and transportation of mineral fertilizers, but also facilitates the accumulation of organic nutrients, can increase the sugar content of the fruit, and is conducive to high yield and good quality.

Watermelon cultivation is very common in our country, especially in summer when the demand for watermelon is very large. When thirsty and unbearable in the hot summer, eating a piece of watermelon can not only relieve heat and summer heat, but also make people feel refreshed and happy.