How to pinch melon tips to increase yield

The main vine of the melon is relatively weak, while the side vines grow very vigorously, so melons generally bear fruit mainly on secondary vines and tertiary vines. Therefore, pinching, pruning and tip removal are very important. So how do you pinch melon tips?

1. How do you pinch melon tips?

Generally, pinch the growing tip when the seedlings reach 4-5 true leaves to promote side branch growth. After the young fruit sets, pinch the secondary vines again to promote nutrient transport to the young fruit and encourage it to swell. The pruning method for melons should be based on the fruiting habits of different varieties.

1. Two-vine tip pinching: suitable for greenhouse and plastic tunnel melon cultivation with hanging vines. Pinch the tip when the main vine has two leaves and one heart to three leaves and one heart, keep two strong secondary vines at the lower part and hang them up, keep one fruit on each secondary vine, and before the fruit select and keep two side branches (tertiary vines), pinch each tertiary vine after three leaves to ensure an average of 7-9 functional leaves to promote fruit development. Each secondary vine can keep at most 4 fruits, and the whole plant can keep 8 fruits.

2. Three-vine tip pinching: pinch the tip when the main stem has three leaves and one heart to four leaves and one heart, keep three strong secondary vines per plant. The first secondary vine can keep one fruit at the third leaf, the second secondary vine can keep a fruit at the second leaf, and the third main vine can keep a fruit at the first leaf. Keep 3-4 tertiary vines on each secondary vine, pinch each tertiary vine after 3 leaves, and keep 3 fruits per plant, so fruit ripening and marketing are relatively concentrated. The whole plant has more than 50 leaves, with an average of 17-20 functional leaves per fruit, ensuring that leaf photosynthetic products meet fruit swelling and sugar accumulation needs and promote normal fruit growth and development.

3. Four-vine tip pinching: pinch the tip when the main stem has four leaves and one heart to five leaves and one heart, keep four strong secondary vines per plant. The first secondary vine can keep 1 fruit at the fourth leaf, the second secondary vine can keep a fruit at the third leaf, the third main vine can keep a fruit at the second leaf, and the fourth secondary vine can keep a fruit at the first leaf. Keep 3-4 tertiary vines on each secondary vine, pinch each tertiary vine after 3 leaves, and keep 4 fruits per plant.

2. How can melons be sweeter?

1. Increase the day-night temperature difference: during the fruit ripening period, sufficient light and a relatively large day-night temperature difference are needed (generally above 15 degrees Celsius). Reduce ventilation during the day to raise the room temperature. A higher room temperature is favorable for sucrose synthesis; at 35 degrees Celsius the sucrose synthesis intensity is 1 times higher than at 10 degrees Celsius. At night, increase ventilation to lower the room temperature and create a growing environment with a large day-night temperature difference.

2. Soil moisture should not be too much: on the premise that normal melon growth allows it, soil moisture and nitrogen absorption should be appropriately controlled once the fruit enters the ripening period, because excessive nitrogen absorption will cause unstable intermediate products such as nitrates to accumulate in the plant, making the plant grow excessively and become prone to disease. Therefore, when irrigating, apply Weiduoshou together, 20 kg per hectare, and stop irrigation 10 days before harvest, otherwise the melon will not be sweet.

3. Rational fertilization: excessive application of nitrogen fertilizer and excessive nitrogen cause unstable intermediate products such as nitrates to accumulate in the plant, which greatly affects sugar content. Calcium deficiency in the soil easily leads to fermented melons and unsweet fruit. Especially in the middle and late stages of fruit development, controlling nitrogen fertilizer is very important. Combined use of organic fertilizer and leaf fertilizer mainly based on trace elements can promote soil ion exchange, increase soil permeability and water-holding capacity, and help soil aggregate formation and microbial activity,

Tip pinching and management of melons are both very important. Only by doing these tasks well will the melons be sweeter, so be sure to manage them carefully.