What rootstock is good for grafting horned melon?

Horned melon is a fruit with a crisp, sweet taste. The fruit is long and conical, slender like a horn; it is an early-to-mid-season variety, the plant grows vigorously, and the fruit is set on secondary vines. So, what is used to graft horned melon?

1. What is used to graft horned melon?

Horned melon is generally grafted onto rootstock seedlings such as pumpkin, gourd and watermelon. The splice grafting method is generally used, and attention must be paid to the cutting angle. If the angle is too small, the contact area of the cut surfaces will be small, and the grafting clip will not hold firmly; if the angle is too large, the rootstock cut will be too long and prone to disease infection. In addition, after grafting, temperature, humidity and light management must be strengthened.

2. Cultivation techniques for horned melon

1. Site and variety selection

When planting horned melon, try to choose soil that is thick, loose, rich in fertility and highly permeable, carry out appropriate land preparation, and apply sufficient base fertilizer to improve soil fertility. Then select a good variety; the variety should be selected from a legitimate area to ensure the seed germination rate and fruit quality.

2. Grafting propagation

Horned melon is generally propagated mainly by grafting. Seedlings are usually raised around January each year, and the fruit can reach the market after about 4 months. For grafting propagation, seeds are first sown in seedling plug trays in November; the seeds are first placed in warm water to promote germination, then sown at the right time to grow the scions. Splice grafting is mainly used, and the cutting angle should be well controlled, neither too small nor too large, otherwise the grafting survival rate will be reduced. After grafting, do the management work well, and transplanting can be done after about one month.

3. Transplanting management

Before transplanting, prepare the soil well, form ridges and beds ready for transplanting, and control the planting density. When the soil temperature stabilizes above 14 degrees, transplanting can be carried out, with the plant spacing controlled at about 40 cm. After transplanting, water thoroughly; after entering the seedling recovery stage, do the intertillage and weeding work well, then cover with plastic film and form high beds.

After transplanting, if the soil in the melon field is moist, there is no need to water again. When the melon seedlings grow to about 10 cm, water once; watering should be done on sunny days, and topdressing can be applied together with watering. For topdressing, potassium nitrate compound fertilizer is best; generally each mu of melon field needs about 5 kg of compound fertilizer.

4. Field management

After the horned melon has survived transplanting, control temperature and humidity well to prevent unsuitable temperature and humidity from affecting the growth of horned melon. Then apply topdressing reasonably according to plant growth and soil conditions to provide sufficient nutrients for the growth of horned melon. Because horned melon is a vining fruit, pruning work must also be done well to improve field ventilation and light penetration, prevent excessive vine growth, and avoid reducing the number of flowers and fruits. Finally, do the pest and disease control work well.

Horned melon is a special variety, so there are also differences in cultivation, among which grafting is something everyone needs to pay special attention to.