Zucchini Growing Techniques: Choose the Right Variety and Master the Key Points for an Easy, High-Yield Harvest

Zucchini, also known as baby squash, white gourd, and vegetable marrow, is a common vegetable in Yunnan, Shandong, Hebei and other places. It is well loved for being rich in vitamin C and carotene and for its diuretic and cough-relieving effects. At present, it is already widely grown in greenhouses in most areas. So which zucchini varieties are good to grow? How do you grow them for high yields?

1. Which zucchini varieties are good to grow?

1. Hull-less seed zucchini: Hull-less seed zucchini is grown mainly for its seeds. The first female flower usually appears at the 7th to 9th node of the vine, and then another female flower appears after another 1 to 3 nodes. The mature fruit is orange-yellow and weighs up to 5 kg, and the seeds inside have no hull. The young fruit can also be used as a vegetable and tastes sweet and fragrant.

2. Variegated-leaf zucchini: Variegated-leaf zucchini is relatively common in northern China. A single plant can usually bear 3 to 5 fruits. The fruit is oval, the skin has irregular stripes, and the flesh inside is fine and dense with few fibers.

3. Long-vine zucchini: A single long-vine zucchini plant can bear 2 to 3 fruits. The fruit is generally cylindrical and slightly narrower in the middle. The main vine begins setting fruit only when it reaches the 9th node.

4. Green-skin zucchini: A single green-skin zucchini fruit weighs up to 3 kg. The fruit is generally long oval and has 6 ridges. Female flowers begin to bloom from the 4th to 6th node of the main vine.

2. How do you grow zucchini for high yields?

1. Site selection: Zucchini has low requirements for soil. Generally, sandy soil, loam, clay and so on can all be used for planting. However, zucchini is afraid of both waterlogging and drought, so when choosing a site, try to choose a plot with good drainage to promote timely discharge or absorption of water.

2. Sowing:

(1) Seed treatment: Before planting zucchini, the seeds should first be sprouted. The specific method is to soak the seeds in warm water for a period of time, then take them out and mix them with a chemical agent to prevent infection by pests and diseases.

(2) Sowing time: Because of regional differences, zucchini sowing times also differ. In general, however, it is sown in September in autumn, in October in winter greenhouses, and in November in spring.

(3) Sowing method: Generally, sowing about 400 g of seed per mu is enough, and sowing to a depth of 3 cm is enough to make the seeds germinate quickly.

3. Planting out: Zucchini is a vining plant, so after a certain time it should be planted out with a fence or trellis so that it can grow upward along the support. Generally, if the plant form is larger and it is growing well, it can be planted at wider spacing.

4. Water management: Zucchini has low water requirements. Generally, it only needs to be watered once during the early soil preparation, and later it can be watered together with fertilizer.

5. Fertilizer management: Zucchini has low fertilizer requirements. Generally, before planting out, applying 5000 to 7000 kg of decomposed organic fertilizer per mu is enough. During the full fruiting period, fertilize and water once every half a month. Generally, each time 400 to 500 kg of decomposed organic fertilizer, 30 kg of nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium fertilizer, and 10 kg of urea can be applied per mu.

6. Field management: During the growing period, zucchini has low requirements for light, temperature and other conditions. Generally, it only needs to be weeded twice, at the seedling stage and at the flowering and fruiting stage. For those with poor pollination or unable to be pollinated, artificial pollination is needed according to the situation.

3. What are the precautions for growing zucchini?

1. Soil: Zucchini is afraid of both waterlogging and drought, so when choosing a site, try to choose soil with good drainage.

2. Temperature: Zucchini is relatively sensitive to temperature. Generally, the most suitable temperature is 20 to 25 degrees. If the temperature is higher than 30 degrees or lower than 10 degrees, plant growth will stall.

3. Water: Zucchini is extremely intolerant of drought, so it should be watered regularly. Generally, watering once a week is enough, but do not water too much, to avoid water accumulation causing root rot.

4. Pruning: During the growing period, zucchini will grow many dense branches, side branches or useless branches, causing the whole plant to lack nutrients and leading to slow growth. Therefore, to make the plant grow vigorously, these branches need to be removed.

4. How much does zucchini cost per jin on the market?

The market price of zucchini is relatively cheap, generally 1.4 to 4.4 yuan per kg. However, because of differences in variety, quality, place of origin and market, prices also vary to a certain extent. For example, at the Mianyang vegetable wholesale market in Sichuan, the zucchini price can reach 4 yuan/kg, while the market price at the Yunyang vegetable wholesale market in Jingyang County, Shaanxi, is 1.4 yuan/kg. So the specific price still needs to be checked at the local market. Recent market prices are as follows: