Thick-skinned Melon Latest Pruning Technique Method Tutorial
Market demand for thick-skinned melons is growing stronger and stronger, so more and more farmers are growing thick-skinned melons. Thick-skinned melons are generally planted in early spring and harvested starting in May, with a relatively short growing period. Nowadays they are mostly grown in greenhouses, but during the growing process, if you want high yields, pruning is key. Below, follow the editor to take a look at the pruning techniques for thick-skinned melons.
I. Pruning methods for thick-skinned melons
1. Single-vine style
That is, the main vine is not removed; all secondary vines before the fruit-setting position are removed, and secondary vines at the middle section from the 10th node upward are selected and kept for fruit setting. Leave 2-3 leaves before the fruit and pinch the growing tip of the secondary vine, while for the upper secondary vines, pinch the growing tips at the appropriate time according to actual field conditions or thin them out as appropriate.
2. Double-vine pruning
When the main vine grows to 3-4 true leaves, pinch the growing tip. When the secondary vines grow to 15 cm, select and keep 2 strong ones and remove all the rest. When the secondary vines grow to 20-25 nodes, pinch the growing tips, and keep fruit on secondary vines above the 4th node. For tertiary vines, leave 2 leaves and pinch the growing tip. After fruit setting, the tertiary vines on the upper part of the secondary vines can be allowed to grow freely; if the plant grows too vigorously and the field is too dense, then tertiary vines that do not set fruit can be thinned out.
3. Three-vine pruning
For early-maturing varieties in which both secondary vines and tertiary vines can set fruit, pinch the growing tip of the main vine when it has 3-4 true leaves, select and keep 3 strong secondary vines, and pinch the growing tips when they have 6-10 true leaves. Most tertiary vines can set fruit at the first or second node, and to prevent the tertiary vines from growing rapidly and consuming nutrients, which would affect fruit setting, pinch the growing tip of the tertiary vines leaving 2 true leaves two days before the female flowers open. For example, if the branches and leaves grow too vigorously, the lower tertiary vines that do not bear fruit can also be thinned out as appropriate.
II. Pruning precautions
1. Principle of tight early and loose later
During the rapid elongation period of secondary vines, pruning must be done in time; after tertiary vines appear, pinch the growing tips and prune the vines in time to promote fruit setting, and at the same time thin out vines as appropriate to promote the plant's transition from vegetative growth to reproductive growth and promote fruit growth. After the fruit expands, pinch the growing tips, thin out vines, or allow free growth according to growth vigor. Pruning tightly in the early stage gives an obvious early-maturing effect; otherwise, the branches and vines will become tangled together, making it difficult to distinguish primary from secondary, leading to a low fruit-setting rate. It will also cause excessive vegetative growth of stems and leaves, increasing the pruning workload, and causing late maturity and reduced yield.
2. Pruning time
Pruning should be carried out at noon or in the afternoon on sunny days when the temperature is high, so that wounds heal quickly and infection by pathogens is reduced. At the same time, the stems and leaves are softer, which can avoid unnecessary losses.
3. Pruning is not suitable when there is dew or on cloudy and rainy days
If a single plant has too few leaves, and if pruning is too severe, the plant is very prone to premature aging, the fruit cannot fully grow large, and the sweetness will also be relatively low. Removing all growing points too early is also unreasonable. Practice has proved that after fruit setting, allowing the tips of secondary vines and 1-2 tertiary vines to grow freely is beneficial for preventing premature aging of the plant; especially in dry and poor plots, where leaves are small and plants are small, pruning should be even less severe.
The above is an introduction to the pruning techniques for thick-skinned melons. We hope it can help you. If you want to learn more related knowledge, please stay tuned to us.