What are the key points of topdressing and irrigation techniques for bitter melon?
How should bitter melon be topdressed and irrigated? Please provide an introduction to the methods. Bitter melon bears fruit in many successive rounds and has a long harvest period, consuming large amounts of water and fertilizer over its lifetime. Therefore, strengthening fertilizer and water management is an important guarantee for achieving high yields. In addition to applying sufficient base fertilizer, heavy topdressing is generally applied during vine growth, flowering and fruiting, while less topdressing is needed at the seedling stage. The first topdressing...
How should bitter melon be topdressed and irrigated? Please provide an introduction to the methods.
Bitter melon bears fruit in many successive rounds and has a long harvest period, consuming large amounts of water and fertilizer over its lifetime. Therefore, strengthening fertilizer and water management is an important guarantee for achieving high yields. In addition to applying sufficient base fertilizer, heavy topdressing is generally applied during vine growth, flowering and fruiting, while less topdressing is needed at the seedling stage. The first topdressing is applied about 7 days after planting, using 10% concentration of decomposed human manure or 0.5% compound fertilizer water, then applied once every 5-7 days, with the concentration gradually increasing, until at flowering and fruiting the human manure concentration can be increased to about 30%. During the flowering and fruiting period, 2-3 heavy topdressings should be applied to extend the harvest period. Generally at early flowering, apply 25-30 kg of cake fertilizer, 15-20 kg of compound fertilizer and 10 kg of urea per mu, combined with earthing up for one topdressing; after the first harvest, continue with 20-25 kg of cake fertilizer and 20 kg of compound fertilizer for another topdressing; thereafter, after every 1-2 harvests, apply 30%-40% human manure or 10-15 kg of compound fertilizer. Topdressing should also be adjusted flexibly according to the weather and leaf color conditions, increasing or decreasing as appropriate.
Although bitter melon likes moisture, it is averse to waterlogging. If the roots are submerged, the leaves will turn yellow and wilt, the fruit will rot, and root rot may be induced, leading to withering. In winter and spring, when temperatures are lower in the early growth stage of bitter melon, water should be properly controlled to enhance cold resistance. On sunny days from flowering to before harvest, watering should be done appropriately, generally once every 2-3 days. During the harvest period, water demand is greater, so watering should be done 1-2 times daily. Watering should be carried out after sunrise or before sunset, and watering must not make the soil too wet.
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