What conditions are needed to grow pumpkins? A full analysis of the environmental requirements

Pumpkin is one of the squash crops we are familiar with. Its fruit is rich in pectin, and after we eat it, it can regulate the absorption rate of food in the stomach and intestines, and can also reduce the absorption of sugar, helping to control blood sugar. Although pumpkins are fairly common, growing them still requires meeting their growing conditions. Let's take a look at the growing conditions for pumpkins below.

1. Soil requirements

The pumpkin root system is relatively well developed and has a strong ability to absorb fertilizer and water from the soil, so it is not strict about soil requirements. It can even grow in poor, dry soil and still produce a certain yield. However, when planting, it is best to choose well-drained, fertile, loose neutral or slightly acidic sandy loam soil, which makes it very easy to obtain a high yield. When planting in fertile soil, note that if management is improper, it can very easily cause excessive vegetative growth of the pumpkin stems and leaves, often leading to flower and fruit drop, which instead results in a lower yield. So when planting in fertile soil, management must be strengthened, with timely pinching of the growing tips, pruning of the branches, and appropriate close planting.

2. Water requirements

The pumpkin root system is well developed and has strong drought tolerance, and it is not strict about water requirements either, but its roots are mainly distributed on the surface layer of the soil, and in actual planting, shallow cultivation is generally used, so the water storage capacity is small. In addition, when pumpkins are lush, their stems and leaves grow quickly and transpiration is very high, so the demand for water is relatively large. Therefore, a certain level of soil moisture still needs to be maintained. In dry seasons, when air humidity is low, water promptly to avoid leaf wilting and deformed fruit. Before fruit set, if soil moisture is high, it can cause excessive vegetative growth of the plant, resulting in flower and fruit drop; during the flowering period, if humidity is high, pollination will be abnormal.

3. Temperature requirements

Pumpkin is a warm-loving vegetable. The suitable growing temperature is between 18-32 degrees, the suitable temperature for its root growth is 28-32 degrees, and it can tolerate low temperatures of 6-8 degrees at minimum. It also has different temperature requirements at different growth stages. During germination, the suitable temperature is 25-30 degrees; below 10 degrees or above 40 degrees, the seeds cannot germinate. The suitable temperature for seedling growth is 23-25 degrees during the day and 13-15 degrees at night; the suitable temperature during the vegetative growth stage is 20-25 degrees; the suitable temperature during the flowering and fruiting stage is 25-27 degrees, and it must not be lower than 15 degrees or higher than 35 degrees. Below 15 degrees, fruit development is slow; above 35 degrees, normal growth cannot occur.

4. Light requirements

Pumpkin is a short-day plant and has relatively high requirements for light intensity. It needs sufficient light throughout the entire growing period. In an environment with sufficient light, its plants grow well, with large leaves and thick vines, and the fruit grows quickly and has good quality. If there is insufficient light, the plants grow poorly, and the leaves are pale and thin. Flower and fruit drop becomes severe. When cultivating in the high-temperature season, excessively strong light can cause leaf wilting, so the impact of strong light must be reduced. Many farmers often use intercropping with tall-stemmed plants to reduce direct strong light.

The above is an introduction to the growing conditions for pumpkins. We hope it can help you. To learn more related knowledge, please keep following us.