Latest Points to Note When Planting Winter Melon
Winter melon is an annual climbing herbaceous plant, grown throughout our country. It is a vegetable that combines both food and medicinal uses, and can also be used to preserve various candied fruits. The fruit skin and seeds can be used to reduce inflammation, promote urination, and reduce swelling. It is a vegetable that stores very well, and its planting cost is relatively low while its yield is high, making it a very promising planting project. Below, the editor will bring you some points on what we should pay attention to during the process of planting winter melon.
1. Fertilizer
Winter melon loves fertilizer very much, and needs a lot of fertilizer during its growth process. To obtain a high yield, sufficient base fertilizer must be applied before planting, and continuous topdressing must be done during the growth process. When preparing the land, open a furrow in the middle of the field bed and apply decomposed animal manure or farmyard manure as base fertilizer, with a dosage of about 1000 kg per mu. If there is not enough farmyard manure, an appropriate amount of compound fertilizer can also be mixed in with the base fertilizer. Before transplanting, apply 1-2 kg of farmyard manure into each planting hole, mix it evenly with the soil, and then transplant, so that the seedlings can absorb enough nutrients and increase their growth speed. When topdressing, pay attention to the growth status of the plants and the fertilizer condition of the soil. Be careful not to fertilize before or after heavy rain, and do not apply nitrogen fertilizer alone. Pay attention to the combined use of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium fertilizers, and do not pour fertilizer on the heads of the plants, which would result in poor fertilizer effect.
2. Watering
Winter melon also has great water requirements during the planting process. During the seedling stage, when the weather is sunny and relatively warm, water at least twice a day, in the morning and evening. When the temperature drops, watering can be appropriately reduced. After the vines climb onto the trellis is when winter melon relatively needs water. In addition to thoroughly watering the plants once a day, on sunny days the water level in the field pit should be kept at about 8 cm. On rainy days, drain the water from the pit in time to prevent excessive accumulation from causing rot. The soil moisture in the field should be maintained, and about one week before harvest, water should be appropriately controlled to facilitate storage after harvest.
3. Pruning
When pruning winter melon, generally only one main vine is kept for focused cultivation. When the winter melon vine grows about 20 leaves, or when the second female flower of the winter melon appears, fruit setting can begin. Each plant's main vine should not have more than three fruits, and after the latter two fruits are firmly set, leave a few leaves behind them. Then remove the terminal bud, and remove all old leaves, side branches, axillary buds, and other irrelevant parts. When cultivating the main vine, the position of the retained fruit should basically be consistent with the main vine. When the side vine has 20 leaves, begin retaining fruit. The vines should be tipped and pruned at the right time, because this can directly affect the final yield and quality of the winter melon.
4. Propagation
The most suitable time for sowing winter melon in spring is from January to February, and the best time for sowing in autumn is around July. For spring sowing, it is best to use the method of raising seedlings and transplanting, which can effectively prevent problems caused by low temperatures. For autumn sowing, bud sowing should be used. Before raising seedlings and transplanting, first soak the seeds to promote germination. After true leaves have unfolded, choose a sunny day to begin transplanting. For autumn sowing, after soaking and disinfecting the seeds, the seeds can be directly sown into the field.
The above is a brief introduction to the points to note before and after planting winter melon. One more thing everyone should pay attention to when planting winter melon is the occurrence of diseases. Diseases pose a great threat to all crops, and winter melon is no exception. Field sanitation should be maintained, excessive accumulated water should be dealt with in time, pathogens should be reduced, and the incidence of diseases should be lowered. If you want to know what diseases winter melon can develop, you can visit Qinnong Net to check past articles!