Detailed Explanation of the Latest Environmental Requirements for Growing Watermelons
Watermelon is an essential fruit for every household in summer. Watermelon flesh is sweet and juicy, and one bite gives you a mouthful of flesh. But watermelon's requirements for its growing environment are very important. If the growing environment for watermelon does not meet a certain standard, then the watermelon may grow very small and sweet. Below I will introduce the growing environment that watermelon needs.
1. Temperature
Watermelon is a temperature-loving fruit and cannot survive when the temperature is below 18 degrees. The most suitable temperature for germination is around 30 degrees. It may fail to germinate below 20 degrees or above 38 degrees. The most suitable temperature during the growing period is between 20-28 degrees. Seedlings at around 23 degrees, the vine elongation stage at around 26 degrees, and the final maturity stage at around 30 degrees. If the temperature does not meet the conditions, the watermelon cannot grow large, the rind will also become very thick, the flesh will be hard, and the sweetness will not be enough, affecting quality and yield.
2. Humidity
Although watermelon is relatively drought-tolerant, its demand for water is especially high during the development period. Especially during the vine elongation stage and the maturity stage, the water supply for watermelon must be ensured, so that watermelons with both higher quality and yield can be harvested. Watermelon is a very strange fruit. Severe rain exposure during the rainy season makes it prone to disease. But excessive lack of water will affect its development, causing the flesh to become dry and hard and the fruit to be small, affecting yield.
Too much water will also affect its pollination. The vines grow rapidly, affecting the fruit and affecting quality.
3. Light
Watermelon's demand for light is the most important. From the seedling stage to the maturity stage, watermelon needs at least 620 hours of light to meet its light requirements for the entire series of growth from flowering to fruiting. At least 6 hours per day are needed for watermelon to develop normally. This is especially true when cloudy and rainy weather occurs and there is no sunlight. If there is insufficient light, it will lead to insufficient temperature, and if the temperature is not reached, the yield will not be reached. Just as I said above, the watermelon cannot grow large, the flesh becomes dry and hard, and yield and quality are seriously affected.
4. Soil
Watermelon is drought-tolerant but not waterlogging-tolerant. The land for planting watermelon should be chosen with a good drainage system, relatively deep sandy soil with good soil texture. Watermelon soil should not be too alkaline or too acidic and should be cultivated in land with a PH value of around 6. If the salt content in the soil is higher than 0.2%, watermelon cannot grow normally. If the land is acidic, watermelon is prone to fusarium wilt, and some alkaline fertilizer should be applied to neutralize it in order to achieve a better cultivation effect.
5. Crop rotation
After planting watermelon in a field once, do not plant it a second time. The second time usually produces diseases, such as fusarium wilt, and the incidence is very severe. At harvest time, crop rotation should be carried out, for example with rice, and the same field must be left for at least 6 years before it can be planted again.
The growing environment of watermelon is very sensitive to surrounding factors, especially humidity and light. Watermelon should not be too wet or too dry. During cultivation, everyone must pay close attention to the humidity conditions in the watermelon field. There is also light, because light will indirectly affect temperature, so the editor suggests that it is better not to grow it in the open air, and to build a greenhouse instead, which can both control humidity and supplement light.