What are the key points to note when growing zucchini in greenhouses in early spring?
Zucchini is a very common fruit vegetable in our daily lives. It is distributed throughout China, and its market demand is also very large. Therefore, zucchini is now also being grown out of season in greenhouses, and when growing zucchini in greenhouses during the low temperatures of early spring, there are many things we need to pay close attention to. So what exactly are they? Let's take a look below at the key points for growing zucchini in greenhouses in early spring!
1. Hanging and lowering vines
When growing zucchini in greenhouses, the planting density is relatively high and the growth cycle is relatively long. Therefore, to ensure the plants receive uniform light and to facilitate pollination, spraying, and other tasks, we need to pay attention to hanging the vines properly in early spring so that the zucchini stems and vines can grow upright. When hanging the vines, you can first run a wire along each row, then use string to connect each plant to the wire, with the upper end of the string tied to the wire and the lower end attached to the base of the stem. As the zucchini vines grow, the string and vines will become intertwined with each other.
2. Reasonable flower thinning
To ensure a balanced growth relationship between vines and fruit, we also need to pay attention to flower thinning. Remove some female flowers, keep enough male flowers for pollination, and remove the excess ones. When necessary, fruit thinning should also be done to avoid excessive nutrient consumption. Female flowers should be removed as soon as they first appear, and the number removed should be controlled according to the plant's growth vigor. If the growth vigor is weak, you can first remove the root fruit, then keep one female flower every three nodes. If the growth vigor is strong, you can keep the root fruit, but be sure to harvest it in time, and keep one female flower every two nodes. Then control the number of fruits retained according to the growth vigor of the vines.
3. Removing sprouts and renewing plants
Most zucchini grown now is mainly grafted seedlings, and after grafting, zucchini is very prone to producing suckers. So at this time we should remove the suckers promptly to prevent them from growing large and competing for the zucchini's nutrients, which would affect its normal development. During greenhouse cultivation, the zucchini growth cycle is relatively long, and in the later stages the zucchini plants will gradually age. Therefore, if the main vine ages or grows poorly, you can choose to keep about two side vines, and when female flowers appear, cut off the main vine to renew the plant and promote fruit setting on the side vines.
4. Timely leaf removal
When zucchini enters the middle and late stages of growth, there are generally a large number of leaves on the lower part of the plant. This causes very poor air circulation in the lower part of the plant and makes it highly prone to various pests and diseases. Therefore, we should promptly remove the leaves on the lower part of the zucchini plant to improve air circulation and also reduce nutrient consumption. However, note that zucchini leaf stalks have a relatively high water content and are thick and brittle. When removing leaves, wounds are easily created on the stem, so care should be taken during leaf removal to avoid infection by pathogens.
The above is a brief introduction to the key points for growing zucchini in greenhouses in early spring. That is all for today's introduction. This article is for reference only. Thank you for reading and supporting us.