What to pay attention to when raising zucchini seedlings
Zucchini is an annual vining plant. Zucchini originated in North America, and after it was introduced to China it immediately gained a large batch of "fans". Zucchini tastes delicious and contains abundant water, vitamins and other substances, and has effects such as quenching thirst and promoting urination, reducing swelling and moistening the lungs. Now zucchini is widely grown in China, but do you know what to pay attention to when raising zucchini seedlings? Let's take a look below!
1. Land preparation and fertilization
Preparing the land before sowing is definitely essential work. Zucchini is suitable for growing in slightly acidic soil, and the soil pH should be kept at around 6. Zucchini has a strong root growth capacity and absorbs nutrients relatively quickly, so when fertilizing we should pay attention to the application of nitrogen fertilizer to prevent excessive nitrogen fertilizer from causing excessive vegetative growth in zucchini, flower and fruit drop, and various pests and diseases. When fertilizing, the ratio of fertilizers such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium should be reasonably matched, and the fertilization amount should be reasonably controlled according to the planting area and the number of fruits.
2. Seed soaking and sprouting
Seed disinfection should be fairly familiar to everyone. Before sowing, it is not only necessary to disinfect the seeds, but also to do a good job of sprouting. First soak the seeds in clean water and remove the empty-shell seeds floating on the water surface. Then for normal planting, use warm water at about 60 degrees to soak for 8-12 minutes for sprouting, in order to eliminate pathogens lurking on the seed surface. Then lower the water temperature to 30-40 degrees and soak for another 3-4h. Finally take the seeds out and air-dry the moisture on the seeds, wrap the seeds in gauze, moisten them, and place them at a temperature of about 30 degrees to sprout.
3. Sowing and raising seedlings
After successful sprouting, the work of raising seedlings begins; everything before was preparation work before raising seedlings. Before raising seedlings, we must first prepare the nutrient soil well. The quality of the nutrient soil directly determines the growth ability of the seedlings. For the nutrient soil, garden soil can be used directly, but note that the soil must not have previously grown cucurbit vegetables, then add farmyard manure and wood ash, stir thoroughly and sieve to make nutrient soil. After that, sowing and raising seedlings can begin. After sowing, cover with about two cm of soil to keep warm and moist, then sprinkle an appropriate amount of methamidophos to prevent pests, and then cover with plastic film until the seedlings emerge.
4. Seedling management
After the seedlings emerge, zucchini enters the seedling stage. During the seedling stage, the temperature must be reasonably controlled. The daytime temperature must not exceed 25 degrees; if it exceeds this, ventilation and cooling work must be done immediately. The nighttime temperature can be controlled at around 12 degrees, and the minimum must not be lower than 6 degrees. Next is water management; water should not be too much or too little. After finding a water shortage, an appropriate small drip irrigation can be given. After watering, ventilate in time to lower the temperature and prevent pests and diseases. If pests and diseases occur, check what kind of pests and diseases they are, then use the corresponding treatment measures to improve the seedling survival rate.
The above is the editor's brief introduction to the points to note when raising zucchini seedlings. The seedling stage of zucchini is very important. If management is not done properly, it will increase the incidence of disease in zucchini, such as damping-off and fusarium wilt. Also, the growth vigor of zucchini will become weaker, leading to reduced yield and lowering one's own cultivation benefits. That is all for today's introduction. This article is for reference only. Thank you everyone for reading and supporting.