Pumpkin Cultivation Techniques and Management Methods: How to Grow Pumpkins with More Fruit

Do you know how to grow pumpkins? Would you like to learn? Pumpkins are suited to growing in a cool climate of 15-25°C, and grow slowly below 8°C. At 0°C the plants are damaged by frost, and in hot, dry seasons they are prone to viral diseases. When planting, we should pay attention to this point. How to grow pumpkins, and how to grow them so they bear more fruit.

Cultivation Techniques

I. Raising Strong Seedlings: Soak the seeds in 50°C warm water for 3 hours, then sprout them, keeping the temperature at 25-30°C. Sow when the sprouts are 0.5 cm long. After 5 days the seedlings have basically emerged. The seedling age is 15-20 days for spring planting (2-3 true leaves) and 10-12 days for autumn planting.

II. Fine Land Preparation: It is best to choose loose, fertile sandy loam, or use paddy fields. Generally, raised beds are made for planting: beds 6 m wide with planting on both sides, or beds 3 m wide with planting on one side, with a plant spacing of 0.4 m and about 400 plants per mu. For each mu of planting, use 1000 kg of decomposed organic fertilizer, 20 kg of compound fertilizer, and 15 kg of phosphate rock powder, mix well with the soil, and moisten the soil.

Shape the bed surface into a turtle-back form and cover the planting area with silver-black plastic film, with the black side against the ground. This blocks sunlight and eliminates weeds. The silver-gray side faces up and reflects light, which repels aphids and prevents viral diseases. The plastic film not only preserves fertilizer and warmth, but also helps the fruit color up, giving it a handsome appearance and increasing yield.

III. Strengthening Management: After covering with plastic film, cut a triangular planting hole with a side length of 10 cm in the film area every 40 cm. After planting, water thoroughly to settle the roots, and cover the film around the plants with soil.

Pumpkins are tolerant of fertilizer, so it is best to apply sufficient base fertilizer and heavy fertilizer during fruit swelling. After planting, the amount of nitrogen fertilizer should be controlled to avoid excessive vine growth, late female flowers, and serious flower and fruit drop. Generally, topdressing is divided into 3 applications. The 1st is about 10 days after planting, applying 0.5 kg of urea and 1 kg of compound fertilizer per mu plus dilute manure water around the planting holes. The 2nd is when the vines are 35 cm long, applying 1.5 kg of urea and 2.5 kg of compound fertilizer per mu plus dilute manure water along the sides of the vines. The 3rd is during the fruit swelling period, combined with tidying the bed surface, applying 10 kg of potassium sulfate fertilizer and 20 kg of compound fertilizer per mu over the bed surface. At the same time, combine with foliar topdressing by spraying "Yunda-120" plus potassium dihydrogen phosphate or other foliar fertilizers to increase the fruit-setting rate.