When is the right time to start pruning bitter melon?
Bitter melon is a fairly common vegetable; its fruit is sweet-bitter, but when cooked properly it is also a delicious dish, and it has effects such as clearing heat and detoxifying. Many people have experience growing it, so when does pruning of bitter melon begin?
1. When does pruning of bitter melon begin?
When the vine seedlings grow to 50-60 cm, pruning can begin. After the vines are trained onto the trellis, promptly remove the lateral vines on the lower part of the main vine within 50 cm of the ground, as well as the short, weak, overly dense, senescent, and diseased branches and leaves on the upper part that do not bear female flowers.
2. When is bitter melon generally raised as seedlings?
1. Variety selection
When choosing a bitter melon variety, one should select green-white or white varieties with strong growth vigor, strong branching ability, heat resistance, disease resistance, high yield, and suitability for the local consumption habits, such as Zhongdu Brand Long White Bitter Melon, Qingfeng Bitter Melon, Zhuzhou Long White Bitter Melon, etc. Among green-white bitter melons are Green White Jade Body Bitter Melon, Jade Green White Bitter Melon, Mingzhu 101, Yushuai, Kanila, etc.; among oil-skin bitter melons are Hybrid Oil-Skin Bitter Melon, Pearl Bitter Melon, etc.
2. Seedling raising
For winter-spring cultivation, sowing from September to February of the following year is suitable; for autumn cultivation, sowing from July to August is suitable. Intercropped bitter melon is sown in mid-to-late January. Before sowing, soak the seeds to promote germination; 2-3 days after sowing and emergence, transplant into nutrient pots for cultivation. Keep the seedling shed temperature at 25-30°C during the day and 15-18°C at night, water sparingly, and provide plenty of light. Starting from the two true leaves of the seedling, treat with bitter melon yield-increasing agent once every 3-4 days, for a total of 3 times.
3. Field planting
According to the growth characteristics of bitter melon, one should choose loam soil with sufficient sunlight, rich organic matter, good drainage and water retention, and a deep soil layer; avoid continuous cropping, and rotate with non-cucurbit crops for more than 3 years.
Bitter melon seedlings are planted in the beds on both sides of the greenhouse and in the bed in the very middle; dig holes in the middle of the beds and apply a little compound fertilizer. The plant spacing for pruned plants is 50 cm, and for unpruned plants 100 cm. When planting, the roots should not come into direct contact with the compound fertilizer; the cotyledons should be exposed above the ground, and after planting, water to settle the roots.
4. Field management
Cultivation: 4-5 days after watering to settle the roots, carry out the first cultivation, 7-10 cm deep; two weeks later carry out the second cultivation, 3-5 cm deep. After trellising, no more cultivation is done.
Topdressing: during the cultivation of bitter melon, topdressing must be carried out at least 2-3 times. 2-3 days after planting, on a clear evening, carry out the first topdressing, applying dilute human manure and urine; the second is applied before flowering to promote fruit setting. The third is applied after two harvests, using a combination of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. In addition to ground topdressing, foliar topdressing can also be used to promote vigorous plant growth.
Trellising and vine training: when the seedlings grow to 50-60 m tall, promptly insert bamboo to train the vines, using a double-row herringbone trellis; bitter melon mainly sets fruit on the main vine, so when the first female flower appears on the main vine, begin pruning, wiping off the lateral buds or lateral branches below 1 m on the main vine, and in the later growth stage remove the old yellow leaves at the lower part of the plant and cut off old vines without fruit and thin, weak vines.
5. Timely harvesting
Generally harvest 15 days after the flowers fade, when the top of the fruit begins to shine and the wart-like protrusions on the shoulders are thick and plump; appropriately shortening the harvest interval can promote the formation of female flowers, which is of great significance for extending the fruiting period and increasing yield.
Pruning bitter melon is very necessary; it has a strong branching ability, and if allowed to grow freely, it will cause the branches and leaves to become excessively dense, consume nutrients, and the air permeability between plants will be poor, making them prone to pests and diseases, and it will also affect the normal growth, flowering, and fruiting of the main vine.