Detailed Explanation of Organic Soilless Cultivation Techniques for Zucchini

I. Facilities

1. Cultivation troughs: Leave an 80 cm walkway on the north side inside the greenhouse and 30 cm on the south side. Build north-south oriented cultivation troughs with bricks, with an inner diameter of 48 cm, a trough height of 24 cm, and a trough spacing of 72 cm; alternatively, dig semi-underground cultivation troughs directly, with a trough width of 48 cm and a depth of 12 cm, and build 2 layers of bricks on both sides. Lay a 0.1 mm thick plastic film inside the trough, and press both sides of the film down with the top layer of bricks. Spread 3 cm of clean river sand on the film, lay a layer of woven bags on the sand, and fill the bags with cultivation substrate.

2. Water supply equipment: Use tap water or a reservoir with a water level difference of more than 1.5 m for water supply. The outer pipes are metal pipes, and the main pipes inside the greenhouse and the drip irrigation tapes in the cultivation troughs are all plastic pipes. Lay 1 to 2 drip irrigation tapes in the trough, and cover the drip irrigation tapes with a layer of 0.1 mm thick narrow plastic film to prevent drip irrigation water from spraying outward.

3. Cultivation substrate: The raw materials for the organic substrate can include corn stalks, mushroom residue, sawdust, etc. Before use, spray the substrate wet, cover it with film, and pile it for 10 to 15 days to sterilize and disinfect it, and add a certain amount of inorganic materials such as sand and furnace slag. To 1 cubic meter of substrate, add 2 kg of special fertilizer for organic soilless cultivation and 10 kg of disinfected chicken manure. After mixing evenly, it can be filled into the troughs. After each crop harvest, the substrate may also be disinfected, and the substrate is generally renewed once every 3 to 5 years.

II. Planting

Before planting, first turn the substrate evenly and level it, and flood-irrigate the substrate in each cultivation trough so that the substrate fully absorbs water. After the water seeps down, plant 2 rows in each trough, with the substrate slightly higher than the base of the seedling stems. The plant spacing is 45 cm, and 2000 plants are planted per 1/15 hectare (1 mu). After planting, water lightly with a small amount of water.

III. Management

1. Fertilizer and water management: Generally, water once every 5 to 7 days after planting to keep the rhizosphere substrate moist, so that zucchini grows at a moderate rate. After fruit set, water once in the morning and once in the afternoon on sunny days; on cloudy days, water less or not at all depending on the specific situation. Topdressing generally starts 20 days after planting, and thereafter topdress once every 10 days, applying 15 grams of special fertilizer per plant each time, and 25 grams per plant each time after fruit set. Spread the fertilizer evenly 5 cm away from the roots. Carbon dioxide gas fertilizer can be applied in the greenhouse as needed.

2. Temperature and light management: After planting, maintain the temperature at 20 to 25°C during the day and around 12°C at night. After fruit set, maintain 25 to 28°C during the day and 12 to 15°C at night. Zucchini likes warmth and light, so straw curtains should be pulled up early and lowered late, and the plants should be exposed to as much light as possible.

3. Plant adjustment: After the first fruit is harvested, use plastic string to hang and train the vines, and promptly remove side buds, tendrils, and diseased, disabled, and old leaves to facilitate ventilation and reduce nutrient consumption.

4. Artificial pollination and hormone treatment: From 6 to 9 a.m., pick male flowers and gently apply the anthers to the stigma of the female flowers. One male flower can pollinate 2 to 3 female flowers. At around 10 a.m., apply 20 to 30 microliters per liter of 4-CPA to the fruit stalk and stigma.

5. Harvest: About 50 days after planting, the first fruit can set, and it can be harvested and marketed when it weighs about 250 grams. After that, zucchini can be harvested and marketed when it reaches about 500 grams. Wang Bohui