A Detailed Guide to Summer Squash Seedling Stage Management Techniques
Summer squash is a fairly common cucurbit vegetable with very high nutritional value, rich in nutrients, and therefore well received by many people, with market demand also being very large. When growing summer squash, we should focus on doing a good job of seedling stage management to ensure normal growth of summer squash. So how should summer squash be managed during the seedling stage? Below, the editor brings you the management techniques for the summer squash seedling stage. Let's take a look!
1. Temperature management
From sowing the summer squash seeds until the seedlings emerge uniformly, attention should be paid to creating a suitable temperature environment for summer squash. During the day, the temperature should be maintained at about 30 degrees, and at night controlled at about 20 degrees. When about half of the seeds have emerged, the plastic film should be removed promptly. And the daytime temperature should be lowered to about 25 degrees. Then when about 80% of the seedlings have emerged, the daytime temperature should be lowered by about another 5 degrees, and the nighttime temperature should be maintained at 15 degrees. This ensures the summer squash seedlings emerge uniformly, with thick and sturdy hypocotyls.
2. Water and fertilizer management
Because summer squash seeds are relatively large, their ability to push through the soil is also relatively strong. Therefore, if the soil covering after sowing is too thin or if too much water is applied before emergence, it can easily lead to soil crusting. Right after emergence, the seed coat is relatively difficult to shed, so the phenomenon of emerging with the cap on easily occurs, and there is also a risk of bud drying. So in addition to doing a good job of seed soaking and germination promotion before sowing, we should also pay attention to thoroughly watering the seedbed. Then before the seeds emerge, it is best not to water; the soil covering thickness should be maintained at about two cm. If the cap-on phenomenon occurs, then appropriately spray warm water or scatter some moist rare earth to promote shedding of the cap.
3. Seedling separation and hardening
When the cotyledons of the seedlings have flattened out and the true leaves are gradually showing, they should be moved into nutrient pots at the appropriate time. Seedling separation can also be done directly on the seedbed, providing sufficient growing space for all seedlings and increasing the rate of strong seedlings. Then we should also do a good job of hardening the seedlings. If raising seedlings in low-temperature seasons such as winter and spring, then one week before transplanting, the daytime temperature should be maintained at about 20 degrees, and the nighttime temperature should be maintained at about 7 degrees. If raising seedlings in summer and autumn, then the shade net should be gradually removed and water controlled well. After hardening, the seedling environment should be kept as consistent as possible with the environment of the transplanting field, ensuring the seedlings can recover as quickly as possible after transplanting.
4. Other management
In the later stage of seedling growth, if the outside temperature changes suddenly, then we should pay attention to adjusting promptly. After the rainy season, pay attention to promptly removing the covering. Usually, when covering, it is enough to keep a distance of about 50 cm from the ground. After the seedlings emerge, pay attention to thinning them promptly. If there is seedling death, then do a good job of replanting. At the same time, also pay attention to manual weeding to avoid affecting seedling growth, and finally do a good job of disease and pest prevention.
The above is a brief introduction to summer squash seedling stage management techniques. That is all for today's introduction. This article is for reference only, and we hope it can be helpful to everyone!