Detailed Explanation of Kirin Watermelon Cultivation Techniques and Management Methods

Kirin watermelon is a high-tech method that uses greenhouse coverage throughout the entire growth period, drip irrigation and fertilization, achieving early maturity, high yield, excellent quality, and multiple harvests from one planting. In recent years it has developed rapidly in Shangrao City and is a major highlight in agricultural production, every year creating a group of new-type farmers with incomes of 100,000 yuan or several hundred thousand yuan. Because Kirin watermelon grows in greenhouses, it avoids damage to the watermelon leaves from rain, has a very long growth period, and can be harvested multiple times from one planting; moreover, it is incomparable to ordinary watermelon in terms of disease resistance, quality, and economic benefit.

Kirin Watermelon Cultivation Techniques

1. Variety selection. There are very high requirements for selecting Kirin watermelon varieties for planting. First, they must tolerate low temperatures, generally about 10 degrees C stronger in low-temperature tolerance than ordinary watermelon; second, they must have small growth volume and generally do not need pruning; third, they must tolerate high temperatures and can still grow normally at 80 degrees C inside the greenhouse; fourth, they must have excellent quality, uniform size, thin rind, few seeds, mostly white seeds, and high sugar content. Suitable varieties for planting include L¨¹xiang Brand 8424 and Quanyin Bingtang Kirin Wang, etc.  

2. Field selection and land preparation. Choose fields with sandy loam soil, deep soil layers, drainage and irrigation capacity, and concentrated contiguous plots. Plow and harrow into beds at a width of 4.6m, dig ditches 30cm deep, divide into 2 beds inside, each bed 2m, with a 30cm-wide walkway in the middle.

3. Heat-preservation seedling raising. Every December, build seedling greenhouses 2m high and 4.6m wide, build 2 small sheds 2m wide inside the greenhouse, use nutrient pots filled with a mixed soil of 30:1 melon garden topsoil and 45% compound fertilizer, and raise seedlings with heat preservation inside the small sheds. After sowing, the nutrient pot soil should be sprayed wet in the evening with 600-fold Dexon solution. Whenever the topsoil turns white, spray this solution once to prevent disease and strengthen seedlings. After 30 days of seedling age, select strong seedlings with 3 leaves and 1 heart for transplanting.

What Is Kirin Melon  

Kirin melon is a new scientific research variety developed through cultivation. It has very high requirements for the growing environment, soil, and sunlight, but because it takes only about 60 days from planting to flowering and from flowering to harvest, even though cultivation is demanding, farmers in Wenzhou and Hainan are still very willing to grow it because of the short cycle, good taste, and quick returns.

Greenhouse Management of Kirin Watermelon   

1. Build greenhouses. Prepare special film for watermelon greenhouses produced in Zibo, Shandong, and bamboo strips, build greenhouses 2m high and 4.6m wide, install 1 greenhouse rib every 80cm, compact both sides with soil after covering the greenhouse with film to prevent strong winds from tearing it, orient the greenhouse north-south, and in the high-temperature season from June to August only open the greenhouse entrance for heat dissipation.   

2. Bed surface treatment. Evenly broadcast 50kg of 45% compound fertilizer per 667 sq m onto the bed surface, then place 1 drip irrigation hose on top, and finally cover the bed surface with agricultural film to prevent weeds and help loosen the soil. Plant 1 plant at a spacing of 80cm, planting 300 plants per 667 sq m.   

3. Fertilizer and water management. Start irrigating with fertilizer water once 10 days before picking the first batch of melons, using 15kg of 48% compound fertilizer per 667 sq m, dissolved and filtered of residue, mixed with 100kg of water, and drip-irrigated into the field with a water pump; afterward, drip-irrigate fertilizer before each melon harvest and during the young melon expansion period, for a total of 10-12 drip irrigations.  

4. Artificial pollination. After the watermelon flowers bloom, use a writing brush to first touch the male flower, then touch the female flower, and mark it with a red line so as to distinguish it from unpollinated female flowers.   

5. Pruning. Generally Kirin watermelon does not need pruning; only remove diseased and dead vines and diseased and dead leaves.  

6. Disease and pest control. Kirin watermelon diseases include anthracnose, fusarium wilt, and gummy stem blight; pests include aphids and red spiders. Generally, disease and pest control chemicals can be used together with fertilization. For disease prevention chemicals, 600-fold Dexon solution is the main one.   

Digging Ditches and Making Beds  

1. Digging ditches: Dig drainage ditches around the greenhouse, requiring a ditch depth of 50 cm and a width of 30-50 cm. The drainage ditches between greenhouses should be 25 cm wide and 25-30 cm deep. In heavy rain, water in the greenhouse ditches must be able to drain along the ditches, and water accumulation must not occur, otherwise it easily causes watermelon root rot.  

2. Soil improvement: When watermelon plots are idle in winter, the soil should be deeply plowed, and the soil should be exposed to the sun and frozen. When the soil is too acidic, quicklime can be used to neutralize the acidity. Generally, spread 100-150 kg of quicklime per mu on the ground, then plow the land.  

3. Making beds: Watermelon is suitable for cultivation with deep ditches and high beds. Generally, a 4.5-5 m wide greenhouse is arranged into 2 beds, each about 2.3 m wide, roughly in a turtle-back shape. Each greenhouse only has one ditch opened in the middle, about 40 cm wide and 20 cm deep, with no ditches on either side.  

4. Applying base fertilizer: One month before planting, apply 2000 kg of decomposed organic fertilizer, 25 kg of calcium magnesium phosphate fertilizer, 15 kg of potassium sulfate compound fertilizer, and 50 kg of rapeseed cake per mu. For soil lacking boron, supplement boron fertilizer, applying 1.5 kg of borax per mu. The base fertilizer should be applied in a ditch opened in the middle of the bed and covered with soil after application.  

5. Laying drip irrigation pipes and plastic film: Half a month before planting, level the bed surface, lay the drip irrigation, and cover with plastic film and greenhouse film to increase temperature. The ground temperature must be above 15 degrees C before planting.

Kirin watermelon cultivation techniques are currently not yet very complete and still need to be summarized and improved in the future, especially how to overcome the seedling death phenomenon caused by prolonged rain and low temperatures during the seedling stage, which should be further explored. Only in this way will Kirin watermelon be grown better and better.