What is the yield of bitter melon per mu? Seed and seedling prices and planting time and methods
Bitter melon, also called balsam pear or bitter gourd, is an annual climbing weak herbaceous plant native to the East Indies and commonly cultivated throughout China, both north and south. So roughly how much does bitter melon yield per mu? How much does a jin of seeds cost? When is it planted? What are the methods? From the seedling base in Shouguang City, Weifang City, we learned that bitter melon seedlings cost about 3 yuan per plant, the planting price is about 60 yuan per jin, and the seeding rate per mu is 2--3 jin.
Roughly how much does bitter melon yield per mu
If the fruit of soil-grown bitter melon is only about half a jin to 1 jin in size, one mu can produce about 4,000-5,000 jin, and one mu requires planting 200-600 seedlings (without a greenhouse, the earliest it can go to market is in May). There is also a grafted variety called Taiwan Large White bitter melon, which can produce about 20,000-30,000 jin per mu.
When is bitter melon planted?
Bitter melon is generally planted in March. Some first raise seedlings in a greenhouse or plastic tunnel and then transplant them, and sowing can be advanced to February.
For off-season cultivation, the temperature required for bitter melon growth must be taken into account, especially conditions favorable for flowering and fruiting. Therefore, whether direct seeding or nutrient-pot seedling raising is used, sowing should be done at the end of the first ten days of December or the beginning of the middle ten days of December.
Bitter melon likes warmth, is relatively heat-tolerant, and is not cold-tolerant. Seed germination is suited to 30-35°C; below 20°C germination is slow, and below 13°C germination is difficult. At around 25°C, seedlings with 4-5 true leaves can be raised in about 15 days; at around 15°C, 20-30 days are needed. At 10-15°C, bitter melon plants grow slowly; below 10°C, growth is poor; and when the temperature is below 5°C, the plants are markedly damaged.
What are the planting methods for bitter melon?
1. Sowing and seedling raising: First carry out germination. The specific method for germination is: soak the seeds in warm water at 50-60°C. Stir while soaking. After the water temperature drops to room temperature, continue soaking for 10-12 hours; then place them at 25-30°C to germinate, and after about 48 hours they will sprout; after the seeds sprout, sow them into a seedbed or seedling pot, and be careful to sprinkle water until the seedlings emerge.
2. Field planting: When the seedlings grow 3 to 4 leaves, carry out field planting. It is suitable to plant with a row spacing of 120-130 cm and a plant spacing of 50-60 cm.
3. Growth management: During the growth of the seedlings, carry out intertillage, weeding and earthing up, and maintain soil moisture. When the seedlings grow to about 20 cm, they need trellising and vine guiding. There are two trellising methods: flat shed trellis and ""-shaped trellis. These can be used flexibly according to the amount of space available.
4. Bitter melon bears fruit many times, and the harvest period is also long, so the amount of water and fertilizer consumed is inevitably very large. Therefore, strengthening water and fertilizer management is very important.
5. The main diseases and pests of bitter melon include powdery mildew, downy mildew, fusarium wilt, beet armyworm, and so on. Attention should be paid to selecting disease-resistant varieties, and pesticide must be sprayed in time.