The Latest Zucchini Cultivation Techniques and Methods Tutorial

Zucchini, also known as bear melon, white melon, small melon, vegetable melon, nettle melon, etc., is an annual trailing herbaceous plant of the genus Cucurbita in the Cucurbitaceae family. It originated in southern North America, and China began introducing it from Europe for cultivation in the mid-19th century. The fruit is used as a vegetable and contains relatively high amounts of nutrients such as vitamin C and glucose, giving it extremely high cultivation value. Now let us take a look at zucchini cultivation techniques together!

Growth Habits of Zucchini

1. Temperature: The most suitable temperature for the zucchini growing period is 20-25°C. Below 15°C growth is slow, and below 8°C growth stops. Above 30°C growth is slow and diseases are very likely to occur. The suitable temperature for seed germination is 25-30°C; seeds can germinate at 13°C, but very slowly; germination is fastest at 30-35°C, but this easily causes excessive vegetative growth. The flowering and fruiting period requires relatively high temperatures, generally maintaining 22-25°C is best. The minimum temperature for root growth is 6°C, and the minimum temperature for root hair formation is 12°C. When the night temperature is 8-10°C, fertilized fruit can develop normally.

2. Light: Zucchini has moderate light intensity requirements and is relatively tolerant of weak light, but insufficient light easily causes excessive vegetative growth. In terms of photoperiod it is a short-day plant; long-day conditions favor stem and leaf growth, while short-day conditions result in an earlier fruiting period.

3. Humidity: Zucchini likes moisture and is not tolerant of drought. Under high-temperature and drought conditions it is prone to viral disease, but high temperature and high humidity also easily cause powdery mildew.

4. Soil: Zucchini has no strict soil requirements; sandy soil, loam soil, and clay soil can all be used for cultivation, and deep loam soil easily achieves high yields.

Cultivated Varieties of Zucchini

1. Flower-leaf zucchini: Flower-leaf zucchini is also known as Algerian zucchini. It is commonly cultivated in northern China. The vine is relatively short, upright, with fewer branches and a compact plant shape, suitable for close planting. The leaves are palmately deeply lobed, narrow and long, with grayish-white variegation near the veins. The first female flower appears on the fifth to sixth node of the main vine, and a single plant bears 3-5 fruits. The fruit is oblong, the rind is dark green with irregular yellow-green stripes, the flesh is greenish-white, dense, and has few fibers.

2. Seedless-coat zucchini: Seedless-coat zucchini has seeds without a seed coat and is a variety grown for its seeds as food. The plant is trailing, with vines 1.6 m long; the first female flower appears on the seventh to ninth node, and afterward one more female flower appears every 1-3 nodes. The fruit is short cylindrical, and the young fruit can be used as a vegetable. The mature fruit rind is orange-yellow, and a single fruit weighs 4-5 kg.

3. Green-skin zucchini: The vines of green-skin zucchini are 3 m long and 2.2 cm thick. The leaves are heart-shaped, dark green, with irregular serrations on the leaf margins. The first female flower appears on the fourth to sixth node of the main vine. The fruit is oblong, with a smooth surface, greenish-white, and has 6 ridges. A single fruit generally weighs 2-3 kg.

4. Long-vine zucchini: Long-vine zucchini plants grow prostrate, with stems and vines about 2.5 m long and medium branching. The leaves are triangular, shallowly lobed, green, and mostly hairy on the underside. The main vine begins to bear fruit after the ninth node, and a single plant bears 2-3 fruits. The fruit is cylindrical, slightly narrower in the middle.

Cultivation Techniques for Zucchini

1. Land preparation and fertilization: Land preparation and fertilization are mainly based on organic fertilizer. Generally, 2000 kg of decomposed organic fertilizer, 75 kg of cake fertilizer, 40 kg of compound fertilizer, and 80 kg of plant ash are applied per mu. Spread the fertilizer evenly on the ground, deep plow 30 cm, and level the ground.

2. Ditching and bed shaping: Use deep ditches and high beds with plastic film mulching cultivation. Generally the bed width is 100 cm, the bed height is 20 cm, and the ditch width is 25-30 cm. Before covering the film, level the bed surface again and spray herbicide. When covering the film, be sure to pull it tight and cover it flat so that the film fits closely against the bed surface, and press the edges of the film firmly with soil. After land preparation, fertilization, bed shaping, and film covering, before planting, fumigate with 45% chlorothalonil smoke agent at 1 kg per mu, close the greenhouse, and disinfect for about 7 days.

3. Timely planting: Generally plant in mid-March. When the seedlings have 3 leaves and 1 heart or 4 leaves just unfolding, with a seedling age of about 30 days, plant them. For small varieties, plant in double rows at a spacing of 40×40 cm, about 1800 plants per mu. For large varieties, plant in double rows at a spacing of 50×50 cm, about 1600 plants per mu. One day before planting, water the seedbed thoroughly, select strong and good seedlings, and try to transplant with as much soil around the roots as possible. When planting, let the root system spread normally, water with rooting water after planting, and seal the planting holes tightly with fine soil, then water once a day until the seedlings survive.

4. Temperature management: During the seedling recovery stage, do not ventilate; raise the greenhouse temperature to promote root growth. During the day the greenhouse temperature should be maintained at 25-28°C, and at night at 18-20°C. On sunny days at noon, when the greenhouse temperature exceeds 30°C, ventilate appropriately. After seedling recovery, control the daytime greenhouse temperature at 20-25°C and nighttime at 12-15°C, which is beneficial for female flower differentiation and early fruit setting. After fruit setting, maintain the daytime temperature at 22-26°C and nighttime at 15-18°C, with the lowest not below 10°C. Increasing the day-night temperature difference is beneficial for nutrient accumulation and fruit enlargement.

5. Pollination and fruit preservation: When temperatures are low in early spring, artificial pollination must be used. Generally before 9 a.m., pick male flowers that opened that day, remove the corolla, and gently dab it on the stigma of the female flower. Or use plant hormones such as 4-CPA and fruit-setting agents according to the instructions.

6. Fertilizer and water management: Water timely according to soil moisture conditions. When fertilizer is lacking in the later stage, break the film and apply 10-15 kg of compound fertilizer per mu as a topdressing or spray foliar fertilizer.

7. Timely harvest: Zucchini is mainly eaten as a young fruit. Harvest when it meets the requirements for marketable fruit. For vigorously growing plants, appropriately leave more fruits and larger fruits; for excessively vegetative plants, harvest the fruits appropriately later. For weak-growing plants, leave fewer fruits and harvest earlier. When picking, do not damage the main vine, and keep the fruit stalk on the main vine as much as possible.

Summary: Zucchini fruit is cylindrical, relatively small, with a smooth surface. It is harvested as young fruit for use as a vegetable and is deeply loved by people for its thin skin, thick flesh, and abundant juice, and because it can be cooked with meat or without, and used as a dish or filling. Its cultivation prospects are very good. Well, the editor has introduced zucchini cultivation techniques to everyone here. Next, let us continue to look at zucchini pest and disease control techniques!