How to Grow Bitter Melon? Planting Methods and Field Management Key Points
Bitter melon is a must-have delicacy in summer. Summer heat tends to be strong, and eating more bitter melon can clear heat and reduce internal fire, letting you enjoy a pleasant summer. However, quite a few people still dislike bitter melon, because if it is not handled properly during cooking, it still tastes very bitter. So here the editor will add a side note: when preparing bitter melon, you need to soak it in water and can add a little salt and vinegar to lessen the bitterness. Now to the main topic. Today Qinnong Network brings you the correct way to grow bitter melon. Let's take a look below.
1. Seed Selection and Land Preparation
Bitter melon is actually a relatively fragile plant, but through scientific research, many bitter melon seeds with relatively good resistance have appeared, so we need to select excellent varieties that bear large fruits and have good resistance. Bitter melon has so many requirements for soil, so bitter melon also often appears in balcony cultivation; as long as you poke a little soil and apply some fertilizer, it can bear fruit. But today we are talking about outdoor cultivation, so when preparing the land, the soil layer needs to be reworked as thoroughly as possible, and a layer of quicklime should be scattered to disinfect it. Finally, scatter a thick layer of decomposed farmyard manure and turn the soil over once more.
2. Sowing and Raising Seedlings
Bitter melon seeds are a relatively hard type. If sown directly, the germination rate will not be very high, and the speed will be relatively slow, so we usually soak the seeds in water for three or four days, then remove them, drain the water, wrap them in cotton cloth, and place them under an ambient temperature of 25 degrees for germination. After about five days, they can be sown. When sowing, we generally dig holes and sow, that is, at a spacing of 30 cm between each plant and 40 cm between each row, evenly scatter three seeds into each hole, then cover them with soil, generally covering them 3 to 4 cm thick, and finally water once and wait for the seedlings to emerge.
3. Field Management
The most important part of field management is fertilizer and water management. Throughout the entire growth process of bitter melon, because fruit setting occurs in batches, it needs a large amount of nutrients and water. Generally, when bitter melon seedlings emerge 3 to 4 cm above the ground, they need one watering. When the seedlings grow to 20 to 30 cm, some urea needs to be applied as a seedling-promoting fertilizer. At the same time, during this period there is another very important thing: a trellis needs to be built for the melon field so the vines grow along the trellis, which can increase the fruit-setting rate. When bitter melon flowers for the first time, we need to carry out watering and fertilizing at the same time; this time generally phosphate fertilizer and potassium fertilizer are used, or human excrement and urine. When the fruit sets, multiple waterings are needed. Finally, after each harvest, fertilizing is needed to ensure the fruit-setting rate of the next round.
4. Pest and Disease Control
The most common diseases of bitter melon are damping-off disease and powdery mildew. Generally, we use Duolingjun and Baijunqing solutions for spraying, once every ten days, and after about two or three times it recovers. However, within fifteen days of harvesting bitter melon, no pesticide can be sprayed. Because its branches, leaves, flowers and fruits all have a bitter taste, bitter melon generally has relatively few pests, but sometimes aphids also appear. They can be called unbeatable cockroaches, and can be seen anywhere. Bordeaux solution or trichlorfon solution can be used to spray and kill them.
5. Timely Harvesting
Bitter melon should not be harvested too late; it can be harvested as early as possible, because bitter melon harvested early has a relatively mild bitterness, and the melon is also more tender, so the taste is much better. Harvesting is generally done when the color of the bitter melon is slightly pale yellow-green. Bitter melon harvested too late turns orange, and rotten melons will appear, making the bitter melon unfit for eating.