Ten practical methods to prevent premature aging in summer-grown melons, fruits and vegetables

Summer-grown melons, fruits and vegetables often show premature aging due to various influences. Based on many years of experience in agricultural technology extension, combined with the experience of specialized growers, the author puts forward the following technical key points for preventing premature aging in summer-grown melons, fruits and vegetables.

1. Prevent excessive seedling growth in the early stage: Affected by temperature and humidity during the seedling stage, many summer-grown melons, fruits and vegetables show excessive growth right in the seedbed: few and shallow roots, thin and long stems, and thin and tender leaves.

In management, technical measures focusing on prevention should be carried out well:

(1) Spray and drench the seedling roots with Zhuangshu 6518 or Tianda 2116 Strong Seedling Spirit plus hymexazol.

(2) Watering measures should focus on root drenching (combined with loosening and hilling up the soil).

2. Seedling diseases should be prevented early: especially root rot, damping-off and seedling blight. The control measures are the same as above.

3. Prevent soaking on rainy days: In wet weather, the roots of melons and vegetables are soaked by rain, aeration is poor, causing root rot and infection by soil-borne diseases. Therefore, after the melons and vegetables form a cluster, carry out shallow intertillage and hilling (note: do not do it between the plant rows at the same time). This helps drainage, retains water and damages roots less, and adopt the method of multiple intertillages and frequent hilling. Promote deep and widespread rooting, and delay premature aging.

4. Prevent salt damage: Most specialized growers of melons, fruits and vegetables attach great importance to the application of organic fertilizer (such as raw chicken manure) and chemical fertilizer (such as potash fertilizer). But they ignore that raw chicken manure contains a large amount of salt (sodium chloride), and potash fertilizer (potassium chloride, potassium sulfate). Therefore, to prevent salt damage, choose decomposed organic fertilizer, and chemical fertilizer should be applied in small amounts many times, especially water-flush fertilizer should not be used frequently; instead, apply biological organic fertilizer as topdressing, paired with a certain amount of compound fertilizer. Watering should be done 3~5 days after topdressing.

5. Prevent premature aging caused by fertilizer damage: especially nitrogen fertilizer (urea-based nitrogen, nitrate-based nitrogen, ammonium sulfate, ammonium chloride), etc.; their characteristics should be correctly understood and they should be applied at the right time and in the right amount, so as to avoid burning roots and damaging leaves.

6. Water skillfully at the right time and in the right amount to prevent premature aging: In summer cultivation of melons, fruits and vegetables, especially after entering the fruiting stage, heavy flooding can easily cause difficulty in root respiration, and combined with high summer temperatures, flower and fruit drop is serious, affecting the direct economic benefits of farmers. If fertilization is improper, the consequences are even more serious.

7. Prevent premature aging or dead plants caused by pesticide damage: Summer is a season with frequent occurrence of diseases, pests, weeds and other damage, especially at the time of applying cornfield herbicides, when broadleaf crops including trees are often affected; except for protected cultivation, all should be prevented. In this season, spray Tianda organic silicon plus special-type 2116, or spray Nai'an alone to alleviate herbicide damage.

8. Prevent underground pest damage: Organic fertilizer applied in spring (such as chicken manure), in the hot and rainy summer season, is prone to being attacked by flies and mosquitoes that lay eggs and produce maggots, and also harbors some underground pests; when cultivating solanaceous fruits and cucurbits, they are prone to pest damage to roots. Therefore, control work should not be neglected; it can be combined with water-flush fertilizer plus Diquiling (or Boya Shuangsha).

9. Prevent high-temperature disorders: Summer-grown melons, fruits and vegetables suffer from high temperature in two aspects. First, high soil temperature: the method of watering with groundwater can be used to cool down, generally watering in the afternoon (or evening). Second, high air temperature: the method of spraying special Tianda 2116 plus Tianda organic silicon can be used to strengthen the ability of leaves and fruits to resist high temperature.

10. Prevent virus damage: In summer, aphids, planthoppers and others occur more severely; control should be strengthened and Tianda Yufeng added to inhibit them.