Detailed Guide to Lazy Watermelon Planting and Management Techniques

Lazy watermelon is a seedless watermelon bred through mutagenesis and hybridization and other means, and it gets its name because there is no need to spit out seeds. At present, lazy watermelon is widely planted in China, so what are its planting and management techniques?

Planting and Management Techniques for Lazy Watermelon

1. Land preparation and seedling raising

The seedling bed for planting seedless watermelon should be built in a sheltered, sunny place with relatively high and dry terrain. The seedling bed should be watered thoroughly 1 to 2 days before sowing, and a small arched shed should be covered to raise the temperature. At the same time, the prepared seeds should be dried in the sun for 2-3 days and soaked in 55-60°C warm water (two parts boiling water and one part cold water). The treated seeds can then be sown and raised as seedlings.

2. Field planting

Watermelon is planted when the seedling age is about 30 days and the young seedlings have 2 to 3 true leaves. Before planting, potassium fertilizer, urea, diammonium and potassium sulfate should be applied for fine land preparation.

3. Watering

Throughout the entire growth period of seedless watermelon, it should be watered at least two to three times. When the watermelon begins to extend its vines and the number of leaves begins to increase, it needs one watering for vine extension. When the young fruit has grown to about the size of a fist, it should be given one watering for fruit swelling. In other cases, it depends on the situation to decide whether more watering is needed.

4. Fertilizing

In addition to sufficient base fertilizer, watermelon generally needs two additional fertilizer applications during its growth process. When it extends its vines, the fertilizer should mainly be nitrogen fertilizer, plus potassium fertilizer to promote the watermelon's nutritional growth; the second additional fertilizer application should be chosen before the watermelon swelling stage, and the types of fertilizer added are potassium fertilizer and nitrogen fertilizer.

In addition, proper artificial pollination and vine pruning and pressing are also helpful for fruit setting, though of course these two points still need to be determined according to actual conditions.