How to manage pumpkins during the flowering and fruiting stage? Latest techniques explained
Pumpkin flowering and fruiting marks the transition from reproductive growth to vegetative growth, and this is the key period that determines whether yields will be high or low. To improve fruit set, it is essential to prevent flower drop, but you also need to thin flowers yourself to decide how many flowers to keep. After fruit set, you should also thin fruits to ensure the growth of high-quality fruit, keeping them in suitable positions. So during the flowering and fruiting stage we have very important work to do.
1. Controlled fertilisation and watering
Apart from watering thoroughly at transplanting to settle the roots and watering at the seedling-recovery stage, pumpkins do not need further watering unless there is drought. Fertilisation is mainly carried out after the fruit has set, mainly with phosphorus and potassium, and basically no nitrogen fertiliser. The plant grows vigorously during the fruiting stage, and applying nitrogen fertiliser easily disrupts the balance between vegetative and reproductive growth. Topdressing is roughly 50 jin of compound fertiliser per mu.
2. Regulating growth
Mainly, once the fruit load has reached the target and fruit set is stable, remove the growing point of the terminal bud on the vine; pinching off the tip prevents the branches and vines from continuing to grow and set fruit, which would leave the retained fruit with insufficient nutrients and cause it to drop. During excessive vigour, before fruiting, remove excess branches and forks, and also remove all non-fruiting branches and vines to avoid wasting nutrients. Remove old leaves to prevent pests and diseases and to improve ventilation and light penetration.
3. Hand pollination
To ensure flower and bean development and fruit set and to prevent inadequate natural pollination, you can collect pollen by hand and then carry out hand pollination on a sunny, windless evening. You can collect it carefully and pollinate with a tool, or, in suitable weather, simply pick male flowers and pollinate the female flowers directly. Afterwards you can observe the results and then decide whether to pollinate once more.
4. Preventing diseases and pests
During the flowering and fruiting stages, the main pests and diseases are aphids and red spider mites. Aphids damage many vegetable crops. The adults pierce and suck the leaves, which may prevent the leaves from carrying out normal photosynthesis to produce nutrients to supply the fruit, and the larvae can gnaw the fruit and cause damage. Red spider mites likewise mainly cause damage by piercing and sucking sap. So prevention comes first, and as soon as they are found, pesticides must be used to control them. Generally imidacloprid and fenbutatin oxide are used for control, and multiple pesticides can be used alternately to prevent resistance from developing.
The flowering and fruiting stage of pumpkins is the most important period in the entire growing season, and many problems are also very likely to arise, so at this time we should use certain methods to regulate the growth balance of pumpkins and ensure the yield.