How to Plant Watermelon Seeds? A Detailed Guide to Growing the King of Midsummer

Watermelon is known as the “king of midsummer”. It is a common summer fruit that beats the heat, with a sweet and refreshing taste that helps dispel summer heat and cool the body down, and its flesh, rind, and seeds all have high edible and medicinal value. So, how do you plant watermelon seeds? Let's find out together!

1. Seed Selection

Before sowing watermelon, select seeds according to the characteristics of each variety, removing shriveled, insect-damaged, broken, and moldy seeds as well as other debris. Sun the seeds for 2 midday periods, turning them about once every 2 hours so they receive light evenly. This disinfects and sterilizes them while also enhancing seed vigor and improving germination energy and germination rate.

2. Disinfection and Sterilization

1. Soaking seeds in warm water

Soaking seeds in warm water can prevent watermelon mosaic virus disease. 3 days before sowing the watermelon seeds, place the selected watermelon seeds in a clay pot and pour in boiling water and cold water at a ratio of 2:1 to begin soaking the seeds in warm water. After putting the seeds into the warm water, stir continuously. When the water temperature drops to 30 degrees, stop stirring, keep them warm and soak for more than 4 hours, then wash them clean and set aside.

2. Scalding seeds with high temperature

Scalding seeds at high temperature can kill pathogenic bacteria on the surface of watermelon seeds. Pour the selected seeds into boiling water and stir quickly for 5 seconds, then immediately pour off the boiling water, add cold water and continue stirring. After soaking for three hours, remove them and let them dry. The amount of water should be about three to four times that of the seeds. Note that the scalding must be done quickly, otherwise the seed germination rate will be affected.

3. Chemical disinfection

Any of the following methods can be used for disinfection, and farmers may choose one of them: soaking seeds in 100 times diluted formalin for 30 minutes, soaking seeds in 4% bleaching powder solution for 1 hour, soaking seeds in 500 times diluted 50% carbendazim for 1 hour, or soaking for 30 minutes in a 500 times solution made with 10% antibacterial agent 401.

3. Seed Soaking and Germination

1. Seed soaking

Soaking seeds can speed up water absorption and shorten the time to germination and emergence. Soaking seeds in cold water for 8 hours is appropriate, while soaking in warm water for 3 hours is enough. After soaking, rinse the seeds with clean water and rub them repeatedly to wash them clean.

2. Germination

Rinse the soaked seeds with clean water, then wipe off the excess moisture attached to the seeds with a cloth. Wrap the seeds in a wet cloth and place them in a clay pot, and germinate them at 28-30 degrees.

4. Sowing

1. Seedbed preparation

The watermelon seedbed should be chosen in a place sheltered from the wind, facing the sun, and with dry terrain. Early-spring watermelon seedlings should be raised in a greenhouse or within a warm house, while autumn watermelon seedlings should be raised under a shade shed.

2. Soil preparation

The nutrient soil for the watermelon seedbed should be loose and free of pests and diseases. You can mix 6 parts paddy field topsoil, 3 parts decomposed manure, and 1 part plant ash to prepare the soil. The soil and fertilizer should both be crushed and sifted to keep them granular, and water should be added and stirred in.

3. Sowing at the right time

Watermelon can be sown from January to July, only the ripening season differs, dividing them into early-maturing, mid-maturing, and late-maturing types. When sowing, place the seeds gently on the soil, cover with 1 cm of fine soil, and then cover with a layer of film.

The above is the little knowledge on how to plant watermelon seeds compiled by Tuliu.com. We hope it can help you!