A detailed guide to watermelon cultivation methods, teaching you how to grow watermelons well step by step
Watermelon is a very common staple fruit in our lives, and it is also the favorite of many people. Watermelon has a relatively high sugar content, and there are quite a few people for whom it is not suitable, but this does not affect watermelon sales. Watermelons can be grown in most regions of our country, so how can watermelons be grown better? Let us take a look at watermelon cultivation methods below.
1. Land selection and land preparation
The soil quality of the watermelon planting site is generally on the looser side, and at the same time the water source near the planting site should be relatively abundant to make irrigation convenient. Next, plots with relatively sufficient soil fertility, good permeability and good drainage are all quite suitable for growing watermelons. Also, land where melon and fruit crops have been grown in the past three to five years cannot be selected for growing watermelons. Land preparation is generally done before winter begins, then in spring sufficient organic fertilizer, cake fertilizer, and an appropriate amount of chemical fertilizer are spread and the land is turned over once more, and finally trenches are opened and beds are made, with the bed width generally about two meters to five meters.
2. Sowing and raising seedlings
The temperature for seed germination is about 28 to 3 degrees, and the temperature suitable for watermelon growth is between 18 and 30 degrees. Generally, watermelons are sown around March and April each year, but sowing at this time requires the seeds to be sprouted first, and after sowing they need to be covered with plastic film for insulation. Seed treatment generally uses warm water soaking, or soaking with carbendazim. After the seeds grow sprouting points, evenly scatter them on the seedbed, do a good job of insulation treatment, and then wait for the seedlings to emerge.
3. Transplanting and field planting
Generally, when watermelon seedlings grow three to four true leaves, they can be transplanted and field planted. When planting, if it is a four-meter-wide bed, then one bed can plant two rows of watermelon seedlings, while a bed only two meters wide can plant only one row. With trellis-style planting, on average one mu can plant about 1,500 to 1,800 watermelon plants, while with creeping growth on average one mu can plant only about 600 to 750 plants, and at the same time this also needs to be decided according to the fertility level of the soil.
4. Field management
In addition to the usual water and fertilizer management and intertillage weeding, watermelon fields also require management such as vine training, leaf removal, pinching, and shading. During the entire growth process of watermelons, topdressing generally needs to be done three to four times. The first topdressing is mainly about one week after field planting, mainly to promote the growth of the vines. The second is when the vines have grown to about 80 cm to 1 m; this time not only topdressing is needed but pinching should also be done reasonably to promote the growth of side branches. The third is at flowering time; what should be noted here is that after the watermelons set fruit, some surrounding branches, leaves and flower buds should be removed to avoid fruit drop and dead fruit, and at the same time foliar fertilizer should be sprayed. The last is when the watermelons are swelling, mainly to promote the growth of the watermelons.
5. Pest and disease control
The most common diseases of watermelon are anthracnose, fusarium wilt, viral disease and powdery mildew, and so on. These diseases are all fungal diseases, so the control methods are actually much the same; generally carbendazim or Bordeaux mixture as well as chlorothalonil can be used for treatment. The main pests of watermelon include cutworms, aphids, melon maggots, and so on. After sowing, we can use targeted agents to soak the seeds to improve the resistance of watermelons, and next trichlorfon can be used for control. The last thing to note is the occurrence of fruit cracking, which is mainly addressed by strengthening the management of water and light.
The above is all the content on watermelon cultivation methods. Watermelon cultivation methods may look very simple, but if you want to obtain higher economic benefits, then it is not very easy either, and a certain amount of planting experience and planting techniques are also needed. If you still want to learn about knowledge related to the planting industry, you can all consult us.