Want high watermelon yields? You must master the types and amounts of fertilizer

As one of the best fruits for cooling off in summer, watermelon is grown quite widely in our country, and for growers, high yield is one of the goals of cultivation. So do you know what fertilizer to use for growing watermelon and how much to apply?

1. Basic information about watermelon

1. Watermelon producing areas

Although watermelon was introduced from abroad, it has a wide cultivation area in our country, and there are also very many cultivated varieties. Watermelon is planted in both the north and south of our country, among which the watermelons from Xinjiang, Lanzhou in Gansu, Dezhou in Shandong, Liyang in Jiangsu and other places are the most famous.

2. Prospects for watermelon cultivation

Watermelon is a fruit that sells very well in the hot summer, and in recent years climate change has made the weather increasingly hot, especially in the southern regions where summer lasts a long time, so the watermelon market is still quite good. In addition, the input cost of watermelon is not large, and the time to maturity and fruiting is not long, so it is still quite suitable for planting.

3. Watermelon varieties

At present, the better watermelon varieties include Little Angel watermelon, Chunlei watermelon, Jingxiu watermelon, Qilin King watermelon, Red Tiger watermelon, Black King Kong watermelon and so on. Among them, Qilin King watermelon and Red Tiger watermelon are extremely early-maturing varieties, generally flowering for about 28 days before they can set fruit and go on the market; Red Tiger watermelon can be cultivated in spring and autumn and has strong disease resistance.

2. What fertilizer should be used for planting watermelon? How much?

In addition to choosing suitable, high-yielding varieties for planting watermelon, the fertilizer applied and the amount applied are also one of the decisive factors for high yield.

(1) Fertilizers that can be applied when growing watermelon

1. Applying base fertilizer to watermelon

Base fertilizer is the basic nutrient supply for watermelon growth and is also one of the useful means of improving soil nutrients, so when applying base fertilizer, first use well-rotted manure from chickens, ducks, pigs, cattle, etc., or purchase commercial organic fertilizer and cake fertilizer; second, apply a certain proportion of chemical fertilizer, mainly directly purchased compound fertilizer or diammonium phosphate.

2. Topdressing watermelon

During the watermelon seedling stage, apply water-soluble fertilizer or diluted manure water; generally apply once every 7-10 days. If the watermelon seedlings are growing well and vigorously, seedling fertilizer may not be applied. When watermelon begins to vine, apply liquid fertilizer, manure water, urea, superphosphate and potassium sulfate; for melon fields with sufficient base fertilizer and good growth, application can be avoided. During the watermelon fruit-swelling stage, apply special fertilizer or manure water, urea, superphosphate and potassium sulfate; in addition, during the fruit-swelling stage, a certain amount of foliar fertilizer can also be sprayed to promote growth.

(2) Fertilizer application rates for watermelon cultivation

1. Generally, the fertilizer application rate for watermelon is determined by the target yield. For example, under medium fertility conditions in North China, when the target yield is 2500-3500 kg/mu, 20-30 kg of nitrogen (N), 8-12 kg of phosphorus (P2O5) and 30-40 kg of potassium (K2O) are required.

2. The general principle of fertilizing watermelon is to apply heavy organic fertilizer, an appropriate amount of nitrogen fertilizer, steady phosphorus fertilizer, increased potassium fertilizer, combined application of the three elements nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, and an appropriate supplemental application of medium and trace element fertilizers. In addition, the approximate ratio of watermelon's demand for nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium is 3:1:4, and throughout the whole growth period it absorbs the most potassium, followed by nitrogen, and the least phosphorus. Before fruit set, nitrogen fertilizer is dominant, and after fruit set the absorption of potassium increases sharply; at the maturity stage, nitrogen and potassium absorption decreases markedly, while phosphorus absorption relatively increases; at the dehairing stage, nitrogen and potassium absorption is basically equal.

The above is the complete introduction by the Tuliu.com editor on the fertilizers and fertilization rates needed for watermelon cultivation. Melon grower friends can refer to it.