Detailed Guide to Cultivation and Management Methods for Early-Maturing Winter Melon

Early-maturing winter melon mainly sets fruit on the main vine, prefers light and tolerates heat, and has strong moisture tolerance. The fruit is short and cylindrical, with a single fruit weighing 2-4 kg. It is fresh and crisp in taste with good market quality, and the yield per mu can reach 5000 kg.

1. Watering Management for Early-Maturing Winter Melon Cultivation

When the winter melon seedlings have 5-6 true leaves, apply a vine-promoting fertilizer once. Method: open a furrow on one side of the bed or beside the seedlings, apply 200 kg of high-quality decomposed chicken manure or dried human manure, close the furrow, and water. Around the opening of the first female flower, appropriately control fertilizer and water to avoid fruit abortion. When fruit is set, combine with watering and apply 500 kg of human and animal manure and 15 kg of ammonium sulfate per mu. The fruiting period enters the hot and rainy season; do not water unless dry; after rain, pay attention to drainage, or use well water for flow irrigation to carry out "watering the garden during waterlogging" to lower soil temperature. When the winter melon is near maturity, appropriately control water.

2. Plant Adjustment for Early-Maturing Winter Melon Cultivation

In the early stage of flowering and fruit setting of winter melon, vine circling, vine pressing, and side-shoot removal should be carried out. Circling means that after the plant begins to vine, rotate the vine half a turn to a full turn from right to left, then press 1-2 nodes of the vine with a clod of soil; afterward, press the vine once every 4-5 nodes. Pay attention to suppressing the strong and supporting the weak, so that the growing tips are oriented in the same direction and grow uniformly. Remove all side branches below the first female flower. Early-maturing winter melon can set fruit continuously, and pinching can be done by leaving 5-6 leaves before the last fruit.

3. Pest and Disease Control for Early-Maturing Winter Melon Cultivation

The main diseases of winter melon are cotton blight and viral disease. For cotton blight, 72.2% Propamocarb aqueous solution or 72% DuPont Curzate wettable powder can be used for control; for viral disease, 1.8% Zhibingling or 25% Virus A wettable powder can be used for control; the main insect pests include yellow squash beetle and others, which can be controlled with high-efficiency, low-toxicity pyrethroid pesticides such as deltamethrin and cypermethrin.