The Latest Field Management Techniques and Methods Tutorial for Pumpkins
Pumpkins have a long history of cultivation and are widely grown around the world; they are one of the earliest crops cultivated by humans. After pumpkins emerge, only by strengthening field management can you achieve high yields and increase returns. So how should they be managed during cultivation? Come and take a look with the editor.
1. Seedling stage management
After the seedlings emerge, cultivate and loosen the soil in time to promote root growth of the seedlings. When cultivating, be careful not to damage the roots. At the same time as cultivating, weed as well; weeds will compete for the seedlings' nutrients and growing space, and in severe cases can cause a weed infestation that affects the growth and development of the seedlings. For weeding, manual weeding is recommended; for large-scale planting, toxic pesticides can be chosen for weed control. In addition, when cultivating and weeding, thin the seedlings according to the seedlings' growth height and time; when thinning, remove poorly growing and diseased or pest-damaged seedlings and keep strong seedlings. After thinning, strengthen inspection to check the seedling survival rate, and once dead seedlings are found, replant them in time.
2. Pruning and vine pressing
When the pumpkin seedlings grow to 4-7 true leaves, pinch off the growing tips in time to encourage the vines to fall over and produce side vines. Generally, besides the main vine, keep only 4-5 strong side vines per plant and remove all the rest. When the vines are 40-70 cm long, guide and press the vines once. Guiding the vines means directing them toward the middle of the wide rows, and pressing the vines means opening a furrow in the ground 15 cm from the vine tip and pressing the vine into it. This can encourage adventitious roots to grow from the pumpkin stem nodes, increase the root system's absorption area, and also serve to anchor the plant.
3. Fertilizer and water management
After the seedlings have recovered, water according to soil moisture conditions and weather changes. Generally, water more on sunny days, and do not water or water less on cloudy days. Sandy soil has poor water and fertilizer retention, so water more; to prevent soil compaction in clay soil, water less. On rainy days, drain water in time to avoid root rot caused by water accumulation. When the plant has already set fruit, to promote fruit enlargement and increase fruit set, if there is no rain, water in time. Pumpkin seedlings need little fertilizer; topdressing is generally done one week after transplanting, and you can water with dilute manure water or urea solution. After the plant sets fruit, apply fruit-swelling fertilizer in time to promote fruit enlargement and increase fruit set, applying 10 kg of ammonium bicarbonate and 10 kg of potassium fertilizer per mu. After the first harvest, apply 300 kg of fertilizer mixed with 20 kg of ammonium bicarbonate per mu, which can prevent premature aging of the plant and promote the growth of subsequent pumpkins.
4. Pest and disease control
In pumpkin cultivation and production, pests and diseases are the key factors harming pumpkin yield and quality. The main pumpkin diseases include damping-off and root rot, which can be controlled by spraying with carbendazim. The main pests include underground pests such as crickets and snails, which can be controlled with Chongkexing and Dichongsusha, while snails can be controlled with Wokexing and Meita.
The above is an introduction to pumpkin field management techniques. We hope it can help you. To learn more related knowledge, please stay tuned to us.