Latest Prices and Planting Methods for Winter Melon Seeds

Winter melon, also known as white gourd, white winter melon, white gourd skin, etc., is an annual trailing or trellised herbaceous plant of the genus Benincasa in the Cucurbitaceae family. It is cultivated in various regions across our country. Besides being used as a vegetable, the fruit can also be candied into various sweets. The rind and seeds have medicinal properties including anti-inflammatory, diuretic, and swelling-reducing effects, giving it very high cultivation value. Now let us take a look at winter melon seed prices and planting methods!

How much does a jin of winter melon seeds cost?

The price of winter melon seeds is about 50-70 yuan per jin, but prices vary greatly depending on seed quality, variety, place of origin, and purchase quantity. Winter melon varieties can be divided by fruit size into large-fruited and small-fruited types, by maturity time into early-maturing and late-maturing types, and by the presence or absence of wax on the rind into powdery-rind and green-rind types, etc. Generally, the yield is about 3000-4000 kg per mu, and the seeding rate is about 15-30 jin per mu.

Seed Treatment of Winter Melon

1. Cracking open the seeds: Winter melon seeds need to be sprouted. Before sprouting, first crack open the seeds, being careful not to damage the growing point. Place them in a sterilized towel, maintain appropriate moisture, and skip soaking. At a constant temperature of 30°C, they will basically sprout in 4 days, and quite uniformly.

2. Hot water treatment: First soak winter melon seeds in cold water for half an hour, then pour in hot water at 60-70°C and stir. When the water temperature drops to 35°C, stop stirring and soak at 25-28°C for 20-30 hours. Then remove and air-dry, and place at 26-30°C for sprouting.

3. Moisture management: During germination, the carbon dioxide released by the intense respiration of winter melon seeds accumulates in the seed pile, which can cause seed suffocation and poisoning, and even lead to the phenomenon of “seed rotting.” When soaking seeds, it is necessary to press the seeds into water at 30°C for 12-16 hours.

4. Temperature control: During sprouting, winter melon seeds also need suitable ventilation and temperature conditions. During the sprouting period, do not spread the seeds too thickly. Keep the ambient temperature between 30-35°C. After each rinsing of the seeds, remove excess surface moisture so that the seeds can remain separated.

Planting Methods of Winter Melon

1. Cultivation season: Winter melon likes high temperatures and has strong heat resistance. Within the suitable temperature range, the higher the temperature, the faster the growth and development. Therefore, its peak growing period must be arranged in the high-temperature season. In production, the transplanting period is generally scheduled after cucumbers.

2. Sowing time: Winter melon generally requires seedling cultivation, with a seedling age of 40-50 days. The suitable sowing time can be determined according to local climatic conditions, cultivation purpose, and variety type. Small winter melons can be sown in early February, and large late-maturing winter melons can be sown in mid-to-late February.

3. Seed soaking and sprouting: Winter melon seeds germinate slowly and have relatively low germination vigor. Before sprouting, measures such as high-temperature scalding should be used to allow the seeds to absorb water normally. Seeds sprout best at 25-30°C, and can germinate after about 4-5 days.

4. Seedling management: Winter melon seedlings grow slowly, and the seedling stage requires high temperatures. To increase bed temperature, the seedbed should be prepared in advance and the soil turned and sun-dried. To meet their nutrient requirements, the bed soil should be prepared in advance and mixed with more decomposed organic fertilizer to make it loose and fertile.

5. Timely transplanting: Winter melon has a well-developed root system. Before planting, the soil should be deeply plowed and leveled and harrowed fine to prevent water accumulation that can cause fusarium wilt and root rotting. When transplanting, decomposed organic fertilizer should also be applied locally at 3000-5000 jin/mu. The density varies depending on cultivation method, climatic conditions, and variety.

Field Management of Winter Melon

1. Plant adjustment: Winter melon grows vigorously. If allowed to grow freely, it will delay flowering and fruiting. Therefore, vine pressing, pinching, pruning of side branches, and fruit setting should be carried out in a timely manner to coordinate vegetative growth and reproductive growth, expand the root absorption area, improve its assimilation efficiency, and promote flowering and fruiting.

2. Water and fertilizer management: Water and fertilizer management of winter melon varies with climatic conditions and growth stages. From flowering to fruit setting, heavy fertilizer and heavy watering should be strictly avoided. During the rapid fruit expansion period, the soil should be kept moist regularly. In hot and rainy seasons, winter melon plants often die and fruits rot, so attention should be paid to drainage.

3. Pest and disease control: For winter melon powdery mildew, spray with 800x dilution of Aoer or Qiansheng. For sunscald, cover the winter melon with melon leaves or other materials to reduce direct sunlight. For melon silk borer, spray with Shuangxing abamectin. For stink bugs, spray with 90% trichlorfon.

4. Trellising and vine tying: Trellising of winter melon is carried out when the vines begin to extend. When the vines have 16-18 nodes, they can be guided onto the trellis. After trellising, tie the vines with rope once every 20-30 cm, and remove side branches, tendrils, and excess female flowers while tying.

5. Timely harvest: Winter melon takes about 9 days from budding to flowering, and about 35-45 days from flowering to maturity. Small winter melons can be harvested when they reach eating maturity, and large winter melons can be harvested when they reach physiological maturity. Leave the fruit stalk on when harvesting to facilitate storage.