How to Prevent Watermelon Fruit Cracking? A Detailed Guide to the Latest Methods
Watermelons are mainly cultivated in summer, and their fruit is composed mostly of water. Summer is rainy, and watermelons easily absorb large amounts of water, but after rain when the sun comes out or during a sudden drought, watermelons are extremely prone to fruit cracking. The problem that most easily occurs in watermelon growth regulation is fruit cracking. Once the fruit cracks, it can only be picked off; if it is not picked off, it may trigger rot disease. The harm is even more serious, so in production we should do the following work well to avoid watermelon fruit cracking.
1. Water control
The planting field can be chosen on slightly higher sandy loam land. Build good drainage and irrigation facilities and ditches in the field, which is conducive to drainage and aeration. After rain, prevent water accumulation in the field; the ditches can be somewhat deep. Water according to the weather. If there is no rain in the coming week, you can water, and keeping the most suitable field moisture content is enough. On sunny days, watering in the evening is best. During the vegetative growth stage, you can water more to promote leaf and vine growth. After fruiting, control water by watering less or not at all. During the fruit expansion stage, sufficient water is needed, but it must not exceed what is required. After ripening and before harvest, do not water.
2. Fertilizer control
The nutrient watermelon fruit growth needs most is potassium fertilizer. Potassium fertilizer can increase the flexibility of the rind, so generally more potassium fertilizer should be applied. Watermelon leaves and vines have strong growth capacity. To balance the growth relationship between fruit and leaves and vines, less nitrogen fertilizer should be applied. Generally, the base fertilizer is decomposed compost or farmyard manure, and the topdressing is quick-acting compound chemical fertilizer.
3. Temperature regulation
Temperature control can mainly be adjusted only under protected cultivation conditions. It is mainly used when the temperature inside the shed is too high to ventilate and prevent overly fast growth that causes fruit cracking. After a long period of cloudy, rainy, and low-temperature weather, when the weather clears, do not rush to ventilate and raise the temperature. You should first provide shade, then gradually ventilate, raise the temperature, and expose to light.
4. Prevention
When cultivating in the open field, use plastic film, and use arched sheds to grow ahead of schedule so that the rainy season is missed and cracking can be avoided. In addition, you can harvest early in low-temperature weather to prevent it. When picking, handle gently during transport.
There are many causes of watermelon fruit cracking, including natural factors and human factors, but no matter what the cause is, solving the problem and avoiding fruit cracking is the most important thing.