How to Choose Greenhouse Melon Varieties? Master the Complete Planting Technique Secrets

Melons have a refreshing fragrance and are also known as muskmelons. They are a summer heat-relieving fruit suitable for all ages. Melons are highly popular with consumers, and the market demand exceeds supply. So what varieties are good to choose for greenhouse melons? What melon greenhouse planting techniques need to be mastered?

1. What Varieties Are Good to Choose for Greenhouse Melons?

1. Categories of Melon Variety Selection for Greenhouse Cultivation

(1) Thick-skinned melon type: good color, well-shaped fruit, thick flesh, sweet and juicy, tolerant of transport.

(2) Intermediate thick-thin skinned type: has the fragrance of ordinary melons as well as the fresh fragrance of thick-skinned melons, with high sugar content, suitable for greenhouse and open-field cultivation.

(3) Thin-skinned melon type: early maturing, fragrant and crisp flavor, strong disease resistance, and other advantages.

2. Recommended Greenhouse Melon Varieties

You can choose Zhongtian No. 1, Jinmeili, Mitianxia, Dongfangmi No. 1, Huami 0526, Xibolotuotuo, Yugū, Gulaba, and others.

2. What Are the Melon Greenhouse Planting Techniques?

1. Seed Treatment

Sun-dry the seeds for 1-2 days before sowing. Put the seeds into warm water at 55°C, stir quickly for 10-15 minutes, stop stirring when the water temperature drops to about 40°C, continue soaking for 3-4 hours, and wash off the mucus on the seed surface. Wrap the treated seeds in a damp cloth and place them under conditions of 28-30°C for germination. Sow when 80% of the seeds have sprouted (sowing is best when the radicle is 0.5 cm long).

2. Timely Sowing Time

It is suitable to sow from late January to early February. For extra-early maturing cultivation (greenhouse width 8 m, covered with five layers of film), the sowing period can be advanced by about one month. The day before sowing, water the seedbed thoroughly, cover with film, and use electric heating to pre-warm the pot soil.

3. Sowing Method

Choose a sunny morning for sowing. First make a small hole 1 cm deep in the middle of the nutrient pot, then place the seed flat on the nutrient pot with the radicle pointing down into the small hole, and cover with nutrient soil as you sow (for the covering soil, mix each 15-25 kg with one packet of Miaojundi for disinfection), with a covering soil thickness of 1.0 cm. After sowing, immediately build a frame and cover with film, and add non-woven fabric at night for insulation.

When 60%-80% of seedlings have emerged, remove the plastic film in time to prevent late removal from causing leggy seedlings. After removing the film, if there are “helmeted” seedlings, they can be manually removed in the morning in time.

4. Seedbed Temperature Management

Master the principle of two high and two low: that is, from sowing to seedling emergence, keep the daytime temperature at 28-32°C and the nighttime temperature at 18-20°C; from emergence to before the appearance of the first true leaf, control the daytime temperature at 20-25°C and the nighttime temperature at 15-18°C, and open the leeward side for cooling if the temperature is too high; from the unfolding of the first true leaf to the third true leaf, keep the daytime temperature at 25-30°C and the nighttime temperature at 15-20°C; lower it one week before planting

5. Humidity Management

Strictly control watering before the first true leaf appears to prevent damping-off, Rhizoctonia rot, and excessive seedling growth. Afterward, as the melon seedlings' water demand increases, replenish water in time according to the dryness and wetness of the pot soil in the seedbed. When watering, try to choose around 10 a.m. on sunny days when the greenhouse temperature rises. One week before planting, keep moisture relatively tight to harden the seedlings. The day before planting, apply the startup medicine to the seedbed overnight and water thoroughly once to prevent the pot soil from loosening during transplanting. Fertilize according to the seedlings; based on the development status and leaf color of the seedlings, combine watering with fertilization. Control the concentration of quick-acting fertilizer within 0.3%. You can also use commercially available nutrient solution fertilizer for watering or foliar spraying. After watering, ventilate appropriately to avoid toxic gas damaging the melon seedlings.

6. Light Management

After the seedlings emerge, the seedbed should increase light exposure time as much as possible. Therefore, in sunny weather, the film should be removed early and covered late to extend the seedlings' light exposure time. Even during continuous cloudy and rainy days, as long as the greenhouse temperature reaches above 10°C, the film should still be removed to receive scattered light. Seedlings kept under no-light conditions for a long time are prone to yellowing or leggy growth. When it suddenly clears after a long cloudy period, the small greenhouse film should not be completely removed. Several ventilation openings can be made to let the seedlings slowly adapt for 1-2 days, and then normal management can be resumed.

7. Planting and Density

When the melon vines reach three leaves and one heart, with a seedling age of about 30 days, they can be planted. Extra-early maturing cultivation is generally planted in mid-January. According to the weather forecast, choose the end of a cold spell and the beginning of warm weather, with sunny conditions, for planting. For a 6 m wide greenhouse, plant 2 rows per greenhouse, with a plant spacing of 30 cm and a density of about 600 plants per mu. For an 8 m wide greenhouse, plant 4 rows, with two rows planted in the center of each bed, at a density of about 640 plants. When planting, dig holes according to the plant spacing, fill soil firmly around the seedling pot, and water properly after planting according to soil moisture. After planting is completed, set up small hoop frames and simple small hoop frames, and cover them well with greenhouse film. Note that there should be no gaps around the film.

8. Pest and Disease Control

During the seedling stage, diseases are the main issue, mainly damping-off, Rhizoctonia rot, and anthracnose. In management, the main focus is controlling seedbed humidity and regularly spraying chemicals for prevention. In the early stage of disease, 30% Miaojundi 800-fold solution, 75% Thiophanate-methyl 600-800-fold solution, 25% Amistar suspension concentrate 1500-fold solution, and other chemicals can be used for control.