How to Grow Melons in a Greenhouse? The Latest Cultivation Techniques and Methods Tutorial
Melon is an annual vining herbaceous plant of the genus Cucumis in the gourd family (Cucurbitaceae), also known as gangua, xiangua, Hami melon, etc. It is widely cultivated throughout China and also widely cultivated in temperate to tropical regions of the world. The fruit is an important summer fruit, and because of its long history of cultivation, there are many varieties, and cultivation has extremely high economic value. Let us take a look together at melon greenhouse cultivation techniques!
Variety Selection
Greenhouse melon cultivation should focus mainly on early-maturing and mid-maturing high-quality varieties, supplemented by an appropriate amount of mid-to-late-maturing varieties. Currently, the varieties used in greenhouse production mainly include Elizabeth, Yinmizi, Wangwenxiang, as well as some suitable early-maturing and mid-maturing varieties from home and abroad.
Seed Soaking and Germination
Melon seeds need to be carefully selected. Before germination, they should be dried in the sun for 2 days, then soaked in warm water at about 50°C for about 15 minutes, with attention to stirring. After the water temperature naturally cools, soak for another 5 hours, then remove and wash clean, and then treat with a medicinal solution for sterilization and disinfection. Commonly used agents: 0.1% potassium permanganate soaking for 2-4 hours, or 500x solution of 70% thiophanate-methyl or 1000x solution of 50% carbendazim soaking for half an hour are both acceptable. Wash the seeds that have been soaked in the medicinal solution once with clean water, place them in a container, cover with a wet towel, and place in a constant-temperature incubator or on a heated kang for germination. Keep the temperature at 30°C, and the sprouts will be fully out in 14-24 hours. When the young sprouts emerge, lower the temperature to about 25°C, and before sowing lower it to 13-20°C to prevent excessive elongation from high temperatures. Pay attention to fertilizer and water management during the seedling stage; generally, heavy watering is not advisable.
Seedling Stage Management
After melon seeds are sown, maintain the daytime temperature at 28-32°C and the nighttime temperature at 18-20°C, which must not be lower than 13°C. After the seedlings emerge fully, maintain the daytime temperature at 20-26°C and the nighttime temperature at 10-13°C. After the true leaves flatten out, keep daytime at 22-30°C and nighttime at 13-20°C. When there are 2-3 true leaves, ventilation should be used to harden the seedlings, maintaining 18-20°C during the day and 10-15°C at night. The seedling age is about 30 days, and transplanting is done at the 4-5 leaf stage.
Applying Sufficient Base Fertilizer
For base fertilizer, apply 3500-4000 kg of decomposed farmyard manure per mu, 60 kg of superphosphate, 40 kg of ammonium bicarbonate, and 100 kg of cake fertilizer. Apply two-thirds of the base fertilizer evenly, water thoroughly with bottom water, then deep-plow 25-30 cm, and finally rake fine and level. Spread the remaining one-third of the base fertilizer on the planting rows in a strip 0.4 m wide, then mix and blend it evenly with the soil.