Latest White Gourd Cultivation Methods and Key Technical Points Explained
White gourd is an annual vining herbaceous plant, cultivated throughout China, and white gourd seeds are a product made from processing the seeds of white gourd. White gourd contains relatively rich protein and carbohydrates, and also has medicinal value such as relieving restlessness and thirst, and promoting urination and bowel movements. Many friends want to grow white gourd but do not know how to grow it, so today the editor brings you the cultivation methods for white gourd, let us take a look below!
1. Select Superior Seeds
To ensure seed purity, as well as the yield and quality of white gourd, the first step is to select superior seed plants. When thinning to a stand, choose seedlings with similar growth, free of disease, pests and deformed gourds. Then when the plants flower and set fruit, choose plants with better growth and moderately positioned female flowers as seed plants. After fruit set, choose fruits of similar specifications and good growth as seed gourds to set fruit, and mark them well for easy identification. Then at harvest time, harvest according to the requirements for seed gourds and carry out seed treatment properly.
2. Sow at the Right Time
White gourd is a warm-loving cucurbit crop and cannot grow in cold environments. It is usually cultivated after the frost-free period at the planting site, when the temperature rises back to around 15 degrees. In the south, it is generally possible from May to July, with spring sowing around Qingming Festival. Do not sow too early, otherwise the seeds are prone to cold damage, germinate slowly or even fail to germinate. The growth after germination will also be seriously hindered, with uneven seedlings, greatly affecting the mid-to-late development of the plants and fruit formation. When planting in areas with high rainfall, do good drainage work, and to increase yield, appropriate close planting can be done.
3. Fertilizer and Water Management
When topdressing white gourd, control the nutrient ratio and concentration in the fertilizer according to the degree of nutrient demand of white gourd. Use more organic fertilizer and try not to use chemical fertilizer. When preparing the land, apply sufficient base fertilizer, mainly agricultural machinery fertilizer and compound fertilizer. The fertilizer demand of the field is relatively large, but before fruit set, control the application of fertilizer and water to prevent excessive nutrients causing excessive vegetative growth and affecting fruit set. After fruit set, begin to increase the amount of fertilizer and water to promote fruit expansion and maintain plant vigor. After expansion, reduce the frequency of watering to ensure seed development.
⟦NL>4. Harvest at the Right Time
The growing period of white gourd is not very long. It usually matures one month after the flowering period. At this time, the fruit quality is good, the flesh is soft, and the fruit stalk gradually loosens and collapses, making it easy to pick. This is the best time for harvest. However, we still need to harvest at the right time according to weather changes. For example, spring-sown white gourd in the south can usually be harvested around June, but the weather in the south in June is hot and humid. Therefore, when harvesting, ensuring quality and quantity and preventing rotten gourds are key. White gourd has relatively poor waterlogging resistance. Before harvesting, pay attention to drainage and waterlogging prevention to prevent water accumulation from causing pests and diseases; in severe cases, all the white gourds will rot.
The above is a brief introduction to the cultivation methods for white gourd. During the growth process of white gourd, special attention must also be paid to the harm of pests and diseases. Common pests and diseases of white gourd include cottony leak and leafminer, etc. No matter what kind of pest or disease it is, if not dealt with in time, it will cause very great harm, leading to a serious decline in yield or even total crop failure, so everyone must pay attention to doing good pest and disease prevention and control work. That is all for today's introduction. This article is for reference only. Thank you for reading and supporting.