Hami melon seed prices and growing methods explained in detail
Hami melon is a type of excellent melon variety, an annual creeping or climbing herbaceous plant of the genus Cucumis in the gourd family. It is not only sweet and fragrant but also rich in nutrients, and is widely cultivated throughout our country. Those produced in **Hami are the most famous, with very rich varietal resources. According to different maturity periods, they are divided into early-maturing, mid-maturing and late-maturing varieties. Let's take a look together at Hami melon seed prices and growing methods!
Prices of Hami melon seeds
| Variety | Specification | Reference price | Variety | Specification | Reference price |
| Hongmi No. 1 | 5 g (about 150 seeds) | 75.0 yuan | Hongmi No. 2 | 8 g (about 100 seeds) | 80.0 yuan |
| Xizhou Hami melon | 5 g (about 150 seeds) | 70.0 yuan | Xizhou Mi No. 2 | 5 g (about 150 seeds) | 85.0 yuan |
| Xizhou Mi No. 3 | 5 g (about 150 seeds) | 85.0 yuan | Chenghong Mi | 5 g (about 160 seeds) | 85.0 yuan |
| Zaocui Mi | 5 g (about 100 seeds) | 85.0 yuan | Huangjin Mi | 5 g (about 100 seeds) | 65.0 yuan |
| Cuimi No. 1 | 5 g (about 100 seeds) | 85.0 yuan | Dongfang Mi No. 1 | 5 g (about 300 seeds) | 245.0 yuan |
Note: There are more than 180 varieties of Hami melon, with shapes including oval, ovate, mallet-shaped, long club-shaped and many others, and sizes varying widely, from 1 kg for the small ones to 15-20 kg for the large ones. The rind comes in two types, netted and smooth, with colors including green, yellow-white and others. The flesh can be white, green or orange-red, and the texture is classified as crisp, crumbly or soft, with flavors including mellow, delicate and fruity. Market prices vary enormously among different varieties.
Sowing methods for Hami melon
1. Trenching: For Hami melon, dig the melon trenches more than 10 days before sowing so that there is ample time to sun the trenches. Dig north-south trenches, with a spacing of 3.8-4 m between two trenches, a trench mouth width of 1.2 m, a bottom width of 0.5 m, and a depth of 35-40 cm.
2. Laying film: For Hami melon, lay the film first and then sow. The plastic film is 60-70 cm wide. Before laying the film, channel water to soak through 30 cm of the sowing strip. Lay the film along the same horizontal line, and ensure there is a 30-40 cm light-receiving surface at the top.
3. Sowing: Hami melon generally uses spot sowing on the film. The sowing holes should be placed 15 cm from the trench edge, with a sowing depth of 3 cm, and 2-3 seeds per hole. After sowing, water should be applied promptly to preserve soil moisture. For plots with relatively high sand content, check the soil moisture and replenish water at any time.
Seedling-raising methods for Hami melon
1. Water management: During the seedling stage of Hami melon, moisture should be strictly controlled. Water an appropriate amount before noon on sunny days according to the degree of dryness or wetness of the seedling bed pots. After watering, wait until the moisture on the plant surface and soil surface evaporates and the water marks dry up before covering with plastic film.
2. Temperature management: Spring seedling raising of Hami melon emphasizes heat preservation and disease prevention. The seedling bed uses multi-layer film covering, with electric heating wires laid on the ground, and usually adopts the "two high, two low" alternating temperature management method.
3. Ventilation and humidity reduction: After the Hami melon seedlings emerge completely, within the range permitted by the bed temperature, the plastic film of the small hoop shed should be opened as much as possible to increase ventilation and reduce the air humidity of the seedling bed. During rainy weather, short periods of ventilation should also be carried out around noon to reduce humidity and increase light.
4. Checking seedlings and replanting: After sowing Hami melon, check the seedlings and replant promptly. Thin to the final stand at the 2 true-leaf stage, removing small ones and keeping large ones, removing weak ones and keeping strong ones. At the same time, carry out soil hilling during the seedling stage, and soil blocks can also be placed on the windward side to block the seedlings, preventing wind and pressing down the soil.
5. Timely final thinning: Final thinning of Hami melon should be determined according to varietal characteristics and soil fertility. Usually the plant spacing is 35-45 cm, and the number of plants retained per mu is 750-850.
Growing methods for Hami melon
1. Field plot selection: Hami melon cultivation avoids melon stubble and continuous cropping plots. Fields that have not grown cucurbits within 3 years, are on high, refreshing terrain, have good drainage, and are rice stubble fields should be selected. Sandy soil rich in organic matter and with good permeability is the first choice for planting Hami melon.
2. Applying sufficient base fertilizer: Plow one month before planting Hami melon, with a plowing depth of 25-30 cm being suitable. Open the supporting ditches and apply sufficient base fertilizer all at once. Generally, 1000 kg of commercial organic fertilizer, 30 kg of potassium sulfate-type ternary compound fertilizer and 50 kg of superphosphate are used per mu.
3. Land preparation and bed making: When making beds for Hami melon, high beds and high ridges must be used. Generally, four beds are made for trellis cultivation and two beds for ground-creeping cultivation. The bed surface should be turtleback-shaped, with full plastic film mulching (transparent plastic film in spring), which helps preserve moisture, reduce humidity and prevent weeds.
4. Timely planting: Hami melon is generally planted from late February to mid-March. For ground-creeping cultivation, the plant spacing is about 45 cm, with 2 beds per shed and about 500 plants per mu. For trellis cultivation, the plant spacing is about 40 cm, with 4-5 beds per shed and about 1100 plants per mu.
5. Reasonable pruning: Different pruning methods should be used for Hami melon according to the fertility level of the plot. Double-vine pruning is mostly used where soil fertility is good, and single-vine pruning is mostly used where soil fertility is poor. Cultivation should be carried out 2-3 times before the first watering, with a depth of 15 cm, and weed control should be done well.
6. Reasonable topdressing: Hami melon should be topdressed 1-2 times during the fruit swelling period. It can be applied in holes 30 cm from the roots, using 10-15 kg of compound fertilizer per mu, combined with foliar spraying of potassium dihydrogen phosphate. Stop watering and fertilizing 15 days before the melons mature to prevent fruit cracking.
7. Assisted pollination: Hami melon generally uses manual assisted pollination. In spring, the time should be from 7-10 am. Select male flowers that open on the same day on different plants of the same variety, remove the petals, and evenly and gently dab the stamens on the stigma of the female flower.
8. Topping and fruit retention: When Hami melons grow to the size of an egg, based on a comprehensive judgment of the growth and development of each fruit, select and retain one well-formed, robust young melon and remove the rest. Topping is usually carried out at the 28th-30th node. Generally, single-vine plants retain one melon, and double-vine plants retain two melons.
9. Turning and cushioning the melons: After the netting forms on Hami melons, turn them once every 7 days, turning in one direction and turning one third of the surface each time, to prevent spots. It is best to use small wooden sticks to prop up the melon in a triangular shape.
10. Disease control: The main diseases of Hami melon include bacterial angular leaf spot, downy mildew, Phytophthora blight, powdery mildew, sunscald and gummy stem blight. The commonly occurring diseases are bacterial angular leaf spot and Phytophthora blight. They must be controlled promptly, with accurate pesticide application and measures in place.