How much do winter melon seeds cost? A detailed guide to growing them

Winter melon, also known as white gourd, white winter melon, white gourd rind and so on, is an annual trailing or trellised herbaceous plant of the genus Benincasa in the Cucurbitaceae family. It is cultivated in regions throughout China. Besides being used as a vegetable, the fruit can also be candied into various sweets, and the rind and seeds have medicinal uses with anti-inflammatory, diuretic and swelling-reducing effects. Its cultivation value is very high. Let us take a look below at winter melon seed prices and growing methods!

How much is a jin of winter melon seeds?

The price of winter melon seeds is about 50 to 70 yuan per jin, but prices vary greatly depending on seed quality, variety, place of origin and quantity purchased. Winter melon varieties can be divided by fruit size into large-fruited and small-fruited types, by earliness of maturity into early-maturing and late-maturing types, and by the presence or absence of waxy bloom on the rind into powdery-rind and green-rind types, and so on. Generally, the yield is about 3000 to 4000 kg per mu, and the seeding rate is about 15 to 30 jin per mu.

Seed treatment for winter melon

1. Crack open the seeds: Winter melon seeds need to be sprouted. Before sprouting, first crack open the seeds, taking care not to damage the growing point, and place them in a sterilized towel, keeping appropriate moisture. No seed soaking is needed. At a constant temperature of 30°C, they basically germinate in 4 days, and fairly uniformly.

2. Scalding seeds with boiling water: First soak the winter melon seeds in cold water for half an hour, then pour in hot water at 60 to 70°C and stir. When the water temperature drops to 35°C, stop stirring and soak at 25 to 28°C for 20 to 30 hours. Then remove and dry them, and place them at 26 to 30°C to sprout.

3. Moisture management: When winter melon seeds germinate, the carbon dioxide released under strong respiration accumulates in the seed pile, which can cause seed suffocation and poisoning, and even lead to the phenomenon of “stewed seeds”. When soaking the seeds, they need to be pressed into water and soaked at a water temperature of 30°C for 12 to 16 hours.

4. Temperature control: When sprouting winter melon seeds, suitable ventilation and temperature conditions also need to be provided. During sprouting, the seeds should not be spread too thickly, the ambient temperature should be controlled between 30 and 35°C, and after each rinsing of the seeds, excess surface moisture should be removed so that the seeds can separate well.

Growing methods for winter melon

1. Cultivation season: Winter melon likes high temperatures and has strong heat resistance. Within the suitable temperature range, the higher the temperature, the faster the growth and development. Therefore, its peak growth period must be arranged in the high-temperature season. In production, the planting period is generally scheduled after cucumbers.

2. Sowing time: Winter melon is generally grown from seedlings, with a seedling age of 40 to 50 days. The suitable sowing time can be determined according to local climate conditions, cultivation purpose and variety type. Small winter melons can be sown in early February, and large late-maturing winter melons can be sown in mid-to-late February.

3. Seed soaking and sprouting: Winter melon seeds germinate slowly and have relatively low germination vigor. Before sprouting, measures such as scalding the seeds with hot water should be used so that the seeds absorb water normally. Seeds sprout well at 25 to 30°C, and can germinate after about 4 to 5 days.

4. Seedling management: Winter melon seedlings grow slowly, and the seedling stage requires high temperatures. To raise the bed temperature, the seedbed should be prepared in advance and the soil turned and sun-dried. To meet their nutrient requirements, the bed soil should be prepared in advance and mixed with plenty of decomposed organic fertilizer, making it loose and fertile.

5. Timely planting: Winter melon has a well-developed root system. Before planting, the soil should be deeply plowed and leveled and raked fine to prevent waterlogging, which can cause fusarium wilt and root rot. When planting, decomposed organic fertilizer should also be applied locally at 3000 to 5000 jin per mu. The density varies depending on the cultivation method, climate conditions and variety.

Field management of winter melon

1. Plant adjustment: Winter melon grows vigorously. If allowed to grow freely, it will delay flowering and fruiting. Vine pressing, pinching, side-shoot removal and fruit setting should be carried out in time to coordinate vegetative growth and reproductive growth, expand the root absorption area, improve its assimilation efficiency and promote flowering and fruiting.

2. Water and fertilizer management: Water and fertilizer management for winter melon varies with climate conditions and growth stages. From flowering to fruit setting, heavy fertilizer and heavy watering must be avoided. During the rapid fruit expansion period, the soil should be kept moist regularly. In hot and rainy seasons, winter melon plants often die and fruits rot, so drainage should be attended to.

3. Pest and disease control: For winter melon powdery mildew, spray with Or or Qiansheng at 800 times dilution. For sunscald, the winter melon can be covered with melon leaves or other materials to reduce direct sunlight. For melon silk borer, spray with Shuangxing abamectin. For stink bugs, spray with 90% trichlorfon.

4. Trellising and vine tying: Trellising for winter melon is carried out when the vines begin to spread. When the vines have 16 to 18 nodes, they can be guided onto the trellis. After trellising, tie the vines with rope once every 20 to 30 cm, and remove side branches, tendrils and excess female flowers while tying.

5. Timely harvest: For winter melon, it is about 9 days from bud appearance to flowering, and about 35 to 45 days from flowering to maturity. Small winter melons can be harvested when they reach eating maturity, and large winter melons can be harvested when they reach physiological maturity. Leave the fruit stalk on when harvesting to facilitate storage.