A Detailed Guide to Selecting Melon Seeds and Raising Seedlings

Melon is in high demand on the market, and many farmers grow it. However, before cultivating melons, farmers had better raise seedlings first, as this ensures uniform and strong melon seedlings, promotes early maturity, and helps achieve higher yields and income. So how should melon seeds be selected? What seedling raising methods are there? Let's take a look together below.

1. How should melon seeds be selected?

Melon seeds should be selected grain by grain according to the seed characteristics of the variety, discarding shriveled grains and those that are damaged or incomplete, and keeping plump ones that are free of insect damage, mildew, and mechanical injury. Then carry out a germination test. A germination rate above 90% indicates good seed, around 85% is average seed, and below 70% is poor seed or old seed, which should not be used.

Sun-dry the selected seeds, then place them in warm water at 55°C, using 5-6 times the seed volume, and stir continuously for about 15 minutes. Once the water temperature drops to about 30°C, soak them under greenhouse conditions for about another 5 hours, rub off the gelatinous substance on the seed coat, and rinse clean.

2. What seedling raising methods are there for melons?

1. Greenhouse seedling raising

This can be divided into heated greenhouses and solar greenhouses (plastic tunnels). A heated greenhouse raises the indoor temperature by means of a stove or steam to raise seedlings for extremely early-maturing cultivation; a solar greenhouse (plastic tunnel) raises the soil temperature by means of sunlight, and without heating, other insulation measures are taken, such as installing a small arched tunnel inside the greenhouse or covering with straw mats, to raise suitable seedlings for double-covered cultivation in early spring plastic tunnels or small arched tunnels. This kind of greenhouse has low cost and good airtightness, and is relatively commonly used for seedling raising in various places.

2. Hotbed seedling raising

Depending on the heat source, the commonly used types include fermenting hotbeds, electric hotbeds, and heated brick bed hotbeds. A fermenting hotbed uses the heat energy released by the decomposition of organic matter such as barnyard manure to heat the bed soil; an electric hotbed uses electrical energy to heat the bed soil, consuming a relatively large amount of electricity and costing more; a heated brick bed hotbed has a flue built with bricks at the bottom of the bed, covered above with cultivation soil, and according to changes in outside temperature and the growth needs of the seedlings, temporary firing (firewood or coal are both acceptable) is carried out for heating.

3. Cold bed seedling raising

The simplest form of seedling bed, it uses sunlight during the day to increase the seedbed temperature and covers with straw mats at night. In order to make full use of solar energy and improve insulation effectiveness, the bed site is chosen in an open area that is high and dry, facing the sun, and with ample light, with windbreaks set up around it. The seedbed is about 1.3m wide, and the length of the seedbed depends on the terrain and how many seedlings are raised, generally not exceeding 10m. The bed pit is 25-35cm deep, the bed walls should be straight, the soil at the bed edges should be tamped firm, bamboo strips are used as arches, agricultural film is covered over the arches, and the surroundings are sealed tightly with mud. A cold bed only uses solar energy and insulation measures to raise the bed temperature, has poor warming effectiveness, and cannot raise the seedbed soil temperature, so its results are relatively poor. A shaded seedbed is simply a cold bed with shade facilities such as a shade net added on top, to prevent the seedlings from being scorched by the sun, and in rainy weather a shed film is added to prevent rain from falling on them.

The above is an introduction to melons. Whether melon cultivation can be profitable depends on every stage of production. The seedling raising stage alone has many basic requirements, and this lays a good foundation for melon production and a good harvest.

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