What are the key points of grafted watermelon planting techniques?
Watermelon is a common fruit in our country and is planted in most parts of the country. At present, many watermelons are grown by grafting. So what are the grafted watermelon planting techniques?
1. Insertion grafting method
(1) Grafting time: it is better during the period when the first true leaf of the rootstock unfolds. Grafting can be done 6-8 days after the rootstock emerges, and the grafting period can last 8-10 days. If grafting is too late, the hypocotyl below the cotyledons becomes hollow, affecting the survival rate.
(2) Grafting method: before grafting, prepare a bamboo skewer, with a thickness similar to or slightly thicker than the watermelon seedling, and sharpen the front end into a wedge-shaped surface. When grafting, first remove the growing point of the rootstock seedling, then use the flat, wide tip of the bamboo skewer to insert diagonally downward from the growing point in a direction parallel to the cotyledons to a depth of 1 cm, so that the tip of the bamboo skewer just emerges from the rootstock. Then take the scion and use a blade to cut a wedge-shaped surface about 1 cm long at 1 cm below the cotyledons, pull out the bamboo skewer, insert the cut end of the scion downward into the hole, with the tip emerging from the rootstock. Be careful not to insert the scion into the hollow center of the stem.
2. Approach grafting method
The approach grafting method is to pull the scion out of the seedling tray, make a downward diagonal cut 1 cm long with a blade 1 cm below the leaves of the rootstock seedling, with the cut depth reaching 2/5 of the diameter of the rootstock hypocotyl. Make an upward diagonal cut about 1 cm long on the scion 2 cm below the cotyledons, then fit the two tongue-shaped cuts together, tie them with plastic strips or clamp them with a grafting clip, then dig a small hole in the rootstock nutrient pot, bury the scion in the soil and water it.
For grafted cultivation of watermelon, gourd can be used as the rootstock. When using the approach grafting method, the rootstock and scion are sown at the same time, or the watermelon is sown a few days earlier. When using the insertion grafting method, the gourd should be sown about 5 days earlier.
In general, watermelon can use two grafting techniques: the insertion grafting method and the approach grafting method, but the insertion grafting method is simpler, heals quickly, and has a high survival rate, so it is used more often in daily practice.