How to Manage Zucchini in Winter? A Full Analysis of the Latest Tips
Zucchini, also known as baby pumpkin, is a very popular gourd vegetable, though despite being called baby pumpkin, its nutrients and taste are still different from those of pumpkin. Now that winter has arrived, zucchini growers across China are all starting to prepare for overwintering work. However, some people do not know how to manage zucchini in winter, so the editor below has brought you the winter management tips for zucchini. Let's take a look!
1. Planting Management
Some growers begin planting in winter. When planting in winter, pay attention to planting density; do not plant too densely. The row spacing should be kept at about 55 cm. When the seedlings have grown about 3 leaves after sowing, dig a ditch around the planting greenhouse to prepare for drainage and irrigation after planting. After successful planting, cover with plastic film in time to improve the soil's heat preservation capacity, reduce water evaporation, and promote the growth of zucchini seedlings. After planting, do a good job in seedling management and strengthen water and fertilizer management to ensure that zucchini growth has sufficient nutrients.
2. Temperature and Humidity Management
Temperature and humidity are very important to the growth of zucchini. Zucchini prefers warmth, so after planting, the temperature in the greenhouse should be controlled at about 27 degrees during the day, and the day-night temperature difference should be maintained at about 10 degrees. When the zucchini has successfully recovered from transplanting, the temperature can be appropriately lowered by 2-3 degrees, but the nighttime temperature should not be lower than 12 degrees. When the zucchini begins to set fruit, the temperature should gradually be raised to the temperature range used at planting. The humidity in the greenhouse should not be too high. When humidity is too high, ventilate appropriately according to temperature changes to reduce humidity. Excessive humidity easily causes various pests and diseases.
3. Water and Fertilizer Management
Before planting, apply enough base fertilizer. The base fertilizer should mainly be fully decomposed farmyard manure. If the base fertilizer is insufficient, it will lead to insufficient nutrition for the seedlings and make them prone to deficiency symptoms. After planting, water thoroughly, and then water again before flowering. However, in winter, pay attention to the amount of watering; do not water too much, and the watering frequency should not be too frequent, to prevent excessive water from causing freezing damage to zucchini. Finally, during the growth period of zucchini, topdress in time, especially during the peak growth period of zucchini, to ensure that all the nutrients needed for zucchini growth are met.
4. Pruning Management
Zucchini is a vining crop, so during the growth period of zucchini we must also do a good job in pruning and trimming. If pruning is not done properly, the vines will grow wildly, causing the light absorption of the fruit-bearing mother branches to be affected, preventing normal growth and fruiting, and affecting zucchini yield. Therefore, we should promptly hang the zucchini vines, then cut off overly long, overly dense, diseased, pest-damaged, crossing, and overlapping branches. This prevents excessive nutrient consumption, allows nutrients to concentrate on the fruit-bearing mother branches, and can improve the light absorption of zucchini, promoting the growth of zucchini.
The above is a brief introduction to winter zucchini management tips. Winter management of zucchini is very important. While doing these management tasks well, we should also pay attention to the prevention and control of pests and diseases to ensure that the growth of zucchini will not be affected and to protect our own planting economic benefits. That is all for today's introduction. This article is for reference only. Thank you everyone for reading and supporting.