Recommended High-Quality Varieties of Golden Silk Stirred Squash and a Detailed Guide to Seedling Cultivation
Golden silk stirred squash is a variety within the pumpkin genus, Cucurbita pepo species, of the Cucurbitaceae family. It originated in southern North America and is now mainly distributed in Jiangsu, Shanghai, Shandong, Anhui and other provinces and cities in China. Golden silk stirred squash has good taste and high economic value, and is a rare Chinese specialty storage- and transport-tolerant high-quality vegetable squash. It is currently being promoted across China and is widely welcomed by growers. So what varieties and seedling cultivation methods are there? Let's find out together.
Golden Silk Stirred Squash Seed Varieties
Before planting golden silk stirred squash, it is very important to choose a suitable seed variety for planting. According to the characteristics of golden silk stirred squash, it is mainly divided into three types: long vine, medium vine and short vine. Long-vine varieties produce female flowers late, mature relatively late, have strong branching ability and vigorous growth, and management should focus on strengthening plant training during cultivation; short-vine types produce female flowers early, mature relatively early, have weak plant vigor and poor branching ability; for large-scale dense planting cultivation and protected cultivation, short-vine varieties or medium-vine varieties between long vine and short vine should be chosen. In addition, according to the color of the golden squash fruit, it can be divided into two types: one has orange-yellow skin with golden-yellow flesh strands, namely the commonly seen "golden squash"; the other has light yellow skin with flesh strands that are yellow with white, commonly known as "silver squash", and this type is relatively rare. The skin color also includes dark green and variegated colors.
Seedling Cultivation Methods for Golden Silk Stirred Squash
1. Land preparation
Golden silk stirred squash has a well-developed root system that penetrates relatively deep into the soil, so before transplanting, deep plowing and fertilization should be carried out. Generally, first plow 30 cm deep and rake level, then spread more than 1000 kg of high-quality farmyard manure, 25 kg of superphosphate and 30 kg of potassium sulfate per mu. After mixing evenly, apply into the beds while forming ridges and making beds (ridge width 90-120 cm), mix thoroughly and rake level.
2. Sowing and seedling cultivation
Sowing generally adopts direct seeding or seedling transplanting. When sowing, dig a 3 cm deep hole in the center of the ridge, place the seed upright in the hole, and cover with 3 cm of moist soil. For seedling transplanting, put the prepared nutrient soil into pots, with the nutrient soil 3 cm below the top of the pot, then rub off the outer membrane of the golden loofah seeds, soak the seeds in 30°C water for 6 hours before sowing, and cover with 2-3 cm of soil.
The seedling age is best around 25 days. 5-7 days before transplanting, the seedlings should be hardened at low temperature at night, generally around 8°C. When water is sufficient, water as little as possible, and do not water unless dry; when watering, water thoroughly and sufficiently. Generally, no additional fertilization is needed.
3. Transplanting
The suitable temperature for golden silk stirred squash is 15-28°C, and growth stops below 10°C. The seedling stage lasts 10-12 days, and once the seedlings grow to 2 leaves and 1 heart, they can be transplanted. Single-row transplanting is adopted, with a plant spacing of 70 cm. Water in the dug holes, and after the water seeps down, place the seedling block into the hole and fill with soil around the roots. This method helps shorten the seedling recovery period.
4. Seedling management
As the golden silk stirred squash seedlings gradually grow, before the vines extend, timely intertillage should be carried out, hoeing and ridging 2-3 times, removing weeds and raising soil temperature. In addition, soil should be timely banked around the roots to fix the seedlings, and attention should be paid to using fine soil. When the seedlings grow larger, root banking no longer has much effect, so instead use large clods of soil to press the leaf stalks of the lower leaves, pressing each plant in two places.
After years of selection and breeding, golden silk stirred squash now has characteristics such as disease resistance, high yield and strong adaptability, and many extremely early-maturing new varieties have also been developed. As a golden silk stirred squash known as a "green health fruit and vegetable", its market prospects are still highly favored, so seed selection and seedling cultivation are very critical, which helps increase market value.
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