Watermelon Planting Methods and Timing: Days from Flowering to Ripening and Management After Fruit Set

Everyone is familiar with watermelons, so I won't give too much of an introduction here. The watermelon planting season is coming around again, so naturally many novice growers are asking around about things to pay attention to when planting watermelons. Recently I have received a lot of messages, all about watermelon planting questions. So today I will briefly introduce some of the issues to pay attention to when planting watermelons. Let's take a look together.

1. Soil

For the soil of the watermelon planting site, we should preferably choose sandy loam that is loose in texture, rich in organic matter, and convenient for drainage and irrigation. Next, pay attention to crop rotation. It is best not to plant watermelons after previous crops of melons and fruits, otherwise the damage from pests and diseases will be greater, which is very unfavorable for watermelon planting. Finally, the soil should be improved reasonably. Sufficient manure, phosphate fertilizer, potassium fertilizer and the like can be added to the soil, which can promote the growth of watermelon plants.

2. Fertilizer

During the watermelon growing process, in addition to base fertilizer, topdressing is also needed. The first topdressing of watermelons is generally done around the flowering period, which can promote flowering and extend the flowering period, thereby increasing the fruit-setting rate of watermelons, mainly with phosphorus and potassium fertilizers. Next, during the watermelon swelling period, we also need to do another topdressing, mainly to promote watermelon swelling, avoid premature aging of watermelons, and reduce watermelon yield. We should reasonably increase the amount of potassium fertilizer and use borax for spraying. Note that nitrogen fertilizer should not be applied in a one-sided way, so as to avoid excessive vegetative growth of branches and leaves, prolong the growth period, make it miss the best fruiting period, and reduce yield.

3. Water

Water management for watermelons is very critical. During the growth process of watermelons, their water demand is relatively even, so there should be no water shortage, but during this period there should also be no excessive water or waterlogging in the field. Especially around the flowering period and the middle and late stages of watermelon swelling, moisture should be kept even, otherwise serious fruit cracking will occur and affect watermelon quality. Also, when watermelons are about to mature, the water supply should be reduced, otherwise the sugar content of the watermelons will be lower and the watermelons produced will not be sweet.

4. Temperature

Watermelons also have certain temperature requirements. During the seedling stage of watermelons, we should preferably keep the temperature at around 28 to 35 degrees, and the day-night temperature difference should not be too large, meaning the nighttime temperature should preferably be between 20 and 25 degrees. As the seedlings grow, their adaptability to the environment will increase, so the temperature at this time should preferably be between 20 and 25 degrees, which is more conducive to watermelon growth.

5. Management

In the field management operations of watermelon planting, many people will encounter some small problems, but it is precisely because of these small problems that watermelons end up with reduced yield and lower quality. First, we need to pay attention to tidying the vines as well as removing flower buds and pinching the tops, which can increase the fruit-setting rate of watermelons, reduce damage from pests and diseases, and enhance field ventilation. Next, pay attention to the use of hormones and the prevention and control of pests and diseases to improve watermelon quality. Also, pay attention to shading watermelons and carrying out reasonable fruit padding, which can also reduce fruit cracking.

In watermelon planting, the most basic things are actually variety selection and planting site selection, while the most important thing is field management during watermelon planting. I believe everyone now has a general understanding of watermelon planting, and I hope everyone's planting process later will go more smoothly. Of course, if you have questions, you can also consult me at any time. ⟦15 How long from flowering to maturity: early-maturing varieties need 28-30 days, such as Jingxin No. 1, mid-maturing varieties need 30-33 days, such as Shubao, and late-maturing varieties need about 35-40 days, such as Tedaxinhongbao, so using timing to determine fruit maturity is the most reliable for melon farmers.

How long it takes from flowering to ripening: early-maturing varieties need 28-30 days, such as Jingxin No. 1; mid-maturing varieties need 30-33 days, such as Shubao; late-maturing varieties need about 35-40 days, such as Tedaxinhongbao. Therefore, using timing to determine when the fruit is ripe is the most reliable method for melon farmers.