A Detailed Tutorial on the Latest Hami Melon Cultivation Techniques and Methods

Hami melon is a variation of the melon. Also known as snow melon and tribute melon, it is a class of excellent melon varieties, with round or oval fruit shapes, produced in Xinjiang. It tastes sweet, and the fruit is large. It is most famous for the type produced in Hami, hence the name Hami melon. Because it tastes sweet and also belongs to a type of honeydew melon, Hami melon is often mistakenly written as “Hami melon (honey melon)&rdquo.

 Pre-sowing preparation

1. Site selection and land preparation. Fallow land or abandoned land is best for the melon field. The crop rotation period for land that has grown melons should be more than five years. The previous crop should preferably be a grain crop. Planting cucurbit, legume, or solanaceous crops around the melon field is strictly prohibited. The melon field should be chosen with soil of medium or higher fertility, and the soil texture should preferably be loam or sandy loam, with soil organic matter content above 1.0%, available phosphorus content of 10 ppm, available potassium content of 150 ppm, alkaline hydrolyzable nitrogen of 50 ppm, total salt content of about 0.5%, and soil pH between 7-8. It is best to carry out summer plowing and autumn plowing before the new year, with a plowing depth of more than 25 cm, and to carry out winter irrigation to help press down alkali and mature the soil, and to eliminate weeds and overwintering pests.

2. Applying base fertilizer and opening melon furrows. After the beginning of spring, draw furrow lines along the contour lines of the melon field, with a furrow spacing of 4-4.5 m, and a furrow length not exceeding 30 m. Open fertilizer furrows 60 cm on both sides from the center line of the melon furrow, with a furrow depth of more than 25 cm. Apply 2000 kg of high-quality decomposed organic fertilizer per mu, plus an appropriate amount of chemical fertilizer mixed evenly. Chemical fertilizer amounts: 20 kg of ammonium nitrate, 25 kg of triple superphosphate, or 20 kg of diammonium phosphate, 15 kg of ammonium nitrate, 50 kg of humic acid compound fertilizer, or 100 kg of humic acid compound fertilizer. After the fertilizer is applied into the furrow, mix it thoroughly with soil. Open a furrow along the center line of the melon furrow, with a depth of 0.5-0.6 m, an upper width of 0.9-1 m, and a bottom width of about 30 cm. The melon furrow is required to be flat, straight, with a consistent water line, and free of large clods and plant roots and stems.

3. Pre-sowing irrigation. Irrigate 5-7 days before sowing. Good pre-sowing irrigation is the key to ensuring uniform and complete seedlings, so it must be watered sufficiently and thoroughly; generally above 80 cubic meters per mu.

4. Covering with plastic film. Choose transparent film or silver-gray film 70-90 cm wide to cover both sides of the melon furrow, laying it upward along the furrow wall at 10 cm from the furrow bottom. The plastic film is required to fit closely to the ground and furrow wall, and to be pressed flat, tight, and firm. Generally, the film is laid first and then sowing is carried out. To avoid the danger of late frost, seeds can be sown in holes first and then covered with film, but the film must be broken in time to release the melon seedlings. Otherwise, it is likely to cause seedling burning and missing plants.

5. Selecting good varieties. The currently approved new varieties Xinmiza No. 7 (8601), Xinmi No. 11 (86-1), Xinmi No. 13 (New Queen), Xinmi No. 15 (Xiangfei Mi), and Xinmi No. 23 (Jinmi Bao) should be selected.

6. Seed treatment. Do a good job of seed selection before sowing. Both variety purity and seed germination rate should be above 95%. Soak seeds in 200 times formalin for 2 hours, then rinse with clean water 2-3 times. In areas where viral diseases occur severely, seeds can be mixed with a 2% aqueous solution of trisodium phosphate or subjected to dry heat sterilization of seeds, that is, first treat at a constant dry heat of 40°C for 24 hours, then dry heat treat at 70°C for 5 days, and then accelerate germination and sow. To prevent underground pests, after the above seed treatment, 100 times liquid of 50% zinc sulfur phosphorus emulsifiable concentrate can be evenly sprayed on the seeds, left in a cool place to pile and for 1-2 hours, and then sown.

Sowing

Sow at the right time. Generally, sowing can be done after the late frost, when the soil temperature at 10 cm below the surface stabilizes at about 14°C. For melon fields using plastic film mulching, sowing can be done around April 20. Without plastic film mulching, the sowing period can be appropriately postponed. For winter melons intended for storage, the sowing period can be delayed to around May 20.

The sowing method can use hole sowing by punching holes. Along the watermark line of the melon furrow, dig holes manually, and the hole spacing depends on the maturity of the variety. For early and medium-maturing varieties, single-vine pruning with a plant spacing of 0.45 m; for medium-late and late-maturing varieties, double-vine pruning with a plant spacing of 0.6 m. The sowing depth depends on differences in soil texture and soil moisture. Where the soil is very sandy and moisture is insufficient, sowing can be appropriately deeper and the covering soil slightly thicker; where the soil is heavy and moisture is good, sow shallowly and cover with thin soil. Generally, the sowing depth is 3-4 cm. Sow 2-3 seeds per hole.

 Hoophouse covering

For cultivating Hami melon in protected small arch sheds, before covering the shed it is necessary to prepare the land early, open furrows, apply base fertilizer, irrigate, and lay film.

1. Purchase arch shed frame materials in advance. Bamboo strips, bamboo poles, or cold-drawn wire can all be chosen as arch shed frame materials, but bamboo strips give the best arch shed effect. Bamboo strips are about 2-4 cm wide and 250-280 cm long. Before use, sharpen both ends so they can be inserted into the ground.

2. Purchase arch shed plastic, with a width of 220 cm. Purchase hemp rope and plastic rope to connect each arch frame, with each arch frame spaced about 150 cm apart.

3. The arch shed height is about 100 cm, so that workers can enter to operate. After the arch frames are set up, plastic can be covered. The plastic must be flat and stretched to ensure good light transmission. After the plastic is covered, press both sides firmly with soil, and fix the arch shed with hemp rope or plastic rope pulled diagonally, to prevent strong winds from destroying the arch shed.

4. Ventilate in time to ensure normal growth of melon seedlings. The duration of ventilation and the size of the vent opening depend on the temperature inside the shed and outside the shed. When the temperature inside the shed reaches 35°C, ventilation should first be carried out from both ends of the arch shed. As the temperature outside the shed rises, ventilation should also gradually be carried out from both sides. Ventilation must not be too rapid or too sudden, to avoid causing melon seedling wilting or water loss, thereby inhibiting melon seedling growth. The vent opening goes from small to large, from one vent to multiple vents, carrying out adaptive training during the seedling stage. When the temperature inside the shed is the same as the temperature outside the shed, all the arch shed plastic can be removed, so that the Hami melon can vine normally, set fruit earlier, and reach the market earlier.

 Field management

1. Checking seedlings and replanting. Generally, seedlings emerge 5-7 days after sowing. Within 3 days of emergence, check the seedlings and replant immediately. The seeds for replanting should be disinfected, then soaked to accelerate germination, and replanted once the seeds show white.

2. Thinning and final singling of seedlings. Begin thinning when there are 1-2 true leaves, leaving 2 plants per hole. When thinning, be careful to remove weak seedlings and diseased seedlings. When there are 4-5 true leaves, carry out final singling, leaving 1 healthy seedling per hole. If precision sowing is used, thinning and final singling can be completed in one operation at 4 true leaves.

3. Cultivation and weeding. Loosening the soil by cultivation can both increase soil temperature and preserve moisture and remove weeds. For melon fields not covered with plastic film, after the melon seedlings have all emerged, a hand hoe can be used to loosen the soil and ridge soil around the melon seedlings, combined with weeding. The cultivation depth is more than 20 cm. Carry out cultivation and weeding 2-3 times before the melon vines spread. Combined with cultivation, pull out weeds around the sowing holes and seal the hole openings tightly at any time.

4. Turning the vines. Turn the vines when there are 5-6 true leaves. When turning the vines, gently scrape away the soil on the side of the root and stem near the inside of the bed, making a small groove 5-7 cm deep, then guide the melon vine into the groove, and remove the first and second lateral vines at the base of the stem. At the same time, cultivate 10-20 cm of loose dry soil at the base of the root and stem.

5. Vine training and fruit setting. The vine training and fruit setting of Hami melon depend on the variety. For early and medium-maturing varieties, such as Hongmi Bao, Hong Taihou, Xinmi No. 15 (Xiangfei Mi), Xinmi No. 13 (New Queen), etc., the single-vine pruning method can be used; for medium-late maturing varieties, such as Xinmiza No. 7 (8601), Xinmi No. 11 (86-1), Xinmi No. 23 (Jinmi Bao), etc., the double-vine pruning method is used. The specific pruning method can be determined according to local melon-growing habits. Single-vine pruning: the main vine (primary vine) is not pinched, and the lateral buds (secondary vines) at the first 4 leaves at the base are removed. For secondary vines after the 5th node of the main vine that have no female flowers, or that have female flowers but do not retain fruit, 1 leaf can be left and the tip pinched; for secondary vines with female flowers, leave 2 leaves and pinch the tip. The fruit-setting node is best on the 6th-7th secondary vine. Double-vine pruning: when the melon seedling grows to 4-5 true leaves, pinch the main vine, and remove the lateral buds at the first 2 leaves at the base, keep the two secondary vines on the 3rd-4th nodes, and remove the rest. After the grandson vines (tertiary vines) grow out, remove those without female flowers; for those with female flowers, leave 2 true leaves and pinch the tip. The fruit-setting node is on the 2nd-3rd grandson vine. Stop vine training when the young melon grows to the size of an egg. Combined with pruning, melon vines can be pressed with soil clods or crossed branches. When pressing vines with soil clods, first draw a small groove in the soil at the pressing point, place the melon vine into the groove, and then press on the soil clod. Press vines 2-3 times in total during the whole growth period, until the rows close.

6. Topdressing. Melon fields cultivated with plastic film mulching generally do not receive additional organic fertilizer. If the base fertilizer is insufficient, part of the cake fertilizer or chemical fertilizer can be applied as topdressing. Topdressing must be carried out before female flowers open. Between two melon seedlings, dig holes 20 cm below the furrow edge, and apply per mu 20 kg of diammonium phosphate, 5 kg of urea, and 150 kg of oil residue. After the first fruit harvest, a second topdressing can be carried out. Foliar topdressing can use:

① 200 g of potassium dihydrogen phosphate plus 300 g of urea, respectively prepared into solutions of 2 per thousand and 3 per thousand.

② 30-50 g of fulvic acid, prepared into a solution of 3 per ten thousand to 5 per ten thousand.

③ 5 mL of Pushtibao plus 50 kg of water. The above solutions are evenly sprayed on the leaf surfaces in the early morning and evening.

7. Irrigation. The number of irrigations and the amount of irrigation vary with soil texture, melon furrow size, and groundwater level. During the seedling stage, while maintaining a certain soil temperature, appropriately control water to train the seedlings, so as to help the young seedlings take root. Generally irrigate 1-2 times during the seedling stage, with field water capacity preferably at 65%. For melon fields cultivated with plastic film mulching, generally no irrigation is given before male flowers open; the first irrigation is given at the beginning of flowering; during the flowering and fruit-setting period, generally irrigate 2-3 times, with field water capacity preferably at 80%; during the fruit enlargement period, water demand is greater, generally irrigating once every 7-10 days, with water capacity preferably at 85%. At this time the temperature is relatively high. To reduce the occurrence of Phytophthora blight, avoid watering at noon, and water less. The watering depth should preferably be 1/2-1/3 of the furrow depth. During the fruit ripening period, irrigate 1-2 times, with the irrigation depth preferably not exceeding 1/2 of the furrow depth, and field water capacity preferably at 55%. Irrigation must be stopped 10 days before fruit harvest. It is best to irrigate the melon field with well water. Irrigation requires single-furrow irrigation and must not use irrigation. Flood irrigation and irrigation are strictly prohibited.

8. Pest and disease control. Implement the policy of giving priority to prevention and comprehensive control. On the basis of mastering the existing occurrence patterns of pests and diseases, understand and master the interrelationships among pests and diseases, crops, and environmental conditions. By changing ecological conditions and adopting comprehensive control measures, achieve the goal of suppressing the occurrence of pests and diseases and reducing or controlling damage. On the basis of earnestly implementing the above measures, it is also necessary to carry out control in coordination with chemical control standards.

9. Harvesting. Timely harvesting is a key link in ensuring the quality of commercial melons. At harvest, the central sugar content of commercial melons must reach above 13%. During harvest, handle gently and place gently, minimizing mechanical damage. Leave a 1.5-2 cm long fruit stalk when harvesting. Melon piles should be shaded to avoid exposure to the sun and reduce losses. It is strictly prohibited to put unripe melons and rotten melons on the market.