What are the key points of bitter melon cultivation and management techniques?
How do you manage bitter melon cultivation well? Please guide the management methods. Bitter melon cultivation can be managed by referring to the following methods: 1. Select good varieties. Choose varieties that are tolerant to fertilizer, heat, and storage and transport, with large fruit, thick flesh, high yield, and good quality, such as Zaofeng No. 3, Cuilu No. 1, Suiyou, Emerald, Dading bitter melon, Jiangmen...
How do you manage bitter melon cultivation well? Please guide the management methods
Bitter melon cultivation can be managed by referring to the following methods:
1. Select good varieties. Choose varieties that are tolerant to fertilizer, heat, and storage and transport, with large fruit, thick flesh, high yield, and good quality, such as Zaofeng No. 3, Cuilu No. 1, Suiyou, Emerald, Dading bitter melon, Jiangmen bitter melon, Huashen bitter melon, Xiafeng No. 2, Qingyu bitter melon, Xinlü No. 2 long-body oil melon, etc.
2. Sprout seeds and raise seedlings. The seed coat of bitter melon is hard, so soak the seeds before sowing to promote germination and help emergence. Generally, spring planting is suitable from late January to April, summer planting in May to June, and autumn planting in July to August. Before sowing, put the seeds in warm water, rub and wash off the gelatinous coating with fine sand, wrap them in clean thin gauze, soak in clear water for 12 hours, remove the seeds, then wrap them in gauze or wet paper, wrap in plastic film to keep warm and promote germination. The temperature should be kept at 28-30°C, keep moist during germination, sprouts can appear in about 3-4 days, and when the sprout is 1 cm long they can be sown. Use nutrient cups for seedling raising. Mix and prepare nutrient soil with high-quality decomposed farmyard manure, superphosphate, potassium chloride, garden soil, etc. After composting for 20-25 days, sow the pre-germinated seeds in the nutrient cups, cover with about 3 cm of thin soil, place in the seedbed, then build a frame with bamboo arches 45-50 cm high, cover with nylon film for cold protection during seedling raising. When the seedlings grow 5-6 leaves, they can be transplanted to the field.
3. Choose land and prepare the soil. Bitter melon has no strict requirements for soil, but fertile, moist, deep clay soil with convenient drainage and irrigation is best. Choose land that has not grown cucurbits for more than two years and has strong fertilizer and water retention. Prepare the land and make beds. Generally, the bed width is 1.5-2 m including ditches, and the bed height is 30-40 cm.
4. Apply sufficient base fertilizer. Bitter melon has a long growth period and relatively high yield, so it needs a large amount of fertilizer. Per mu, apply 1500-2000 kg of decomposed farmyard manure, 80 kg of superphosphate, 15-25 kg of potassium fertilizer, and 10-12 kg of urea, mix evenly and spread in the ditches.
5. Reasonable close planting. For field planting of bitter melon, single-row double-plant planting can be used with a plant spacing of 60-70 cm; single-row single-plant planting with a plant spacing of 28-30 cm; double-row single-plant planting with a plant spacing of 40-50 cm and a row spacing of 40-50 cm. After transplanting, water lightly to settle the roots.
6. Water and fertilizer management. Bitter melon likes moisture but is not tolerant of waterlogging. During the seedling stage and the flowering and fruiting stage, a sufficient water supply is needed. The bed surface should remain moist. After heavy rain, drain accumulated water promptly to prevent root rot. In addition to applying sufficient base fertilizer at planting, bitter melon should be topdressed in time. During the seedling stage, apply light water fertilizer frequently 1-2 times to keep the seedlings growing early and quickly. Apply once when female flowers first appear and once 3-7 days before the first harvest. After that, topdress once after each harvest. Dig shallow ditches on both sides of the bed, apply 40-50 kg of compound fertilizer per mu, or 10 kg of urea plus 30 kg of phosphate fertilizer plus 15 kg of potassium fertilizer, then cover with soil; or apply 500-700 kg of decomposed human manure plus 3-4 kg of urea per mu, mix evenly and pour, to extend the harvest period.
7. Prune branches and train vines. When bitter melon grows tendrils, insert a herringbone trellis to train the vines onto the frame, avoiding tangled vines and leaves, and tie the top of the frame tightly where it crosses. Bitter melon has strong branching ability, so train the vines frequently in the early stage, doing it on sunny afternoons to prevent breaking the vines. After the fruit on the main vine is harvested, the plant shifts to fruiting on side branches. Therefore, after training the vines onto the frame, remove side branches below 40-50 cm on the main vine stem, and remove old leaves that are too dense as well as thin, weak upper side vines, so as to improve field ventilation and light penetration, reduce disease, and increase the fruit-setting rate.
8. Harvest in good time. Bitter melon should be harvested as tender fruit in time to ensure quality and increase later fruiting. When the fruit grows to a certain length, the wart-like protrusions on the fruit shoulder expand, the wart grooves become shallow, the fruit tip is large and round, the fruit is glossy, and the fruit color is green and bright, it should be harvested promptly for market.
9. Prevent and control pests and diseases. The main diseases of bitter melon include damping-off at the seedling stage, sudden wilt, and anthracnose, powdery mildew, and fusarium wilt in the middle and late stages. For sudden wilt and damping-off, spray with 200 ppm agricultural streptomycin, 25% chlorothalonil 600-800 times solution, or 50% carbendazim 500-600 times solution. For anthracnose and powdery mildew, spray respectively with 50% thiophanate or zineb 500 times solution, or 75% chlorothalonil or metalaxyl 600-700 times solution; remove diseased leaves and diseased fruits, then spray 50% anthracnose Fumei 300-400 times solution, or 20% triadimefon 1500-2000 times solution for control. For fusarium wilt, spray or drench the roots with 70% dexon 800-1000 times solution; 20-30 days after planting, drench each plant with half a liter of 50% thiophanate 600 times solution, or drench the roots with 10% shuangxiaoling 200-300 times solution, which has a certain control effect.
The main insect pests of bitter melon include aphids, red spiders, yellow squash beetles, black squash beetles, melon fruit flies, etc. Spray with dichlorvos or trichlorfon 500-800 times solution, insecticide double 200 times solution, or 40% dicofol 800-1000 times solution, or 2.5% cypermethrin or fenvalerate 3000-4000 times solution for control.
Click to get more bitter melon cultivation techniques
Click to get more vegetable cultivation techniques