Detailed Explanation of Key Management Techniques for Greenhouse Zucchini

Zucchini, also called white gourd, is an annual vegetable of the gourd family. It has the effects of moistening the lungs and relieving coughs, and clearing heat and promoting urination, so it is suitable for planting in spring, setting fruit and maturing in summer. So if you want to bring it to market early, for example in May, you need to use a greenhouse and sow in early spring. In many areas, early spring is a period of low temperatures. This is very suitable for greenhouse planting. The management of greenhouse-planted zucchini is introduced today using spring and summer as an example.

1. Seedling stage

First dry the zucchini seeds in the sun for one day, then soak them in 50-degree hot water for half an hour, take them out and put them into a bleaching powder solution for disinfection, soaking for 10 minutes. After rinsing clean, the seeds can be treated at low temperature to break dormancy. After the seeds are sown and emerge, you only need to keep moisture and warmth, set up a small arched shed over the seedbed, and spray water every day. When they grow to about 4 cm, soluble fertilizer can be applied.

2. Fast-growing stage

When the seedlings grow to about 10 cm, they can be transplanted. The planting density can be a bit tighter, which helps with heat preservation. But do not make it too tight, or it will be hard to manage and diseases will spread easily. After transplanting, there will be a few days of water-loss state, so spray water every day to help them stand upright. After the leaves recover, topdressing can be done several times to promote plant growth, but when the plant grows to about 2 m, the growing point can be pinched off. It is getting ready to bloom and set fruit.

3. Flowering stage

During flowering, water less, keep the surface moist, and apply topdressing by dissolving nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium fertilizers. Spray potassium dihydrogen phosphate and borax. During the flowering period, there must be no waterlogging and no excessive irrigation, but it also must not be dry; drought prevents flower bud differentiation. If water accumulates, the flowers fall off easily and cannot develop and set fruit. Many nutrients are needed, so topdressing is required. But do not apply too much fertilizer. It is necessary to thin flowers. Choose the node position at which to keep flowers for fruit set.

4. Fruit-setting stage

After fruit set, unprecedented water is needed, and a large amount of water is needed, continuing throughout the entire fruit-setting period until completion. Because fruit is set successively, it is best to water once a week, or drip irrigate once a day and spray water once. It must not be dry. But pay attention to ventilation; if moisture cannot dissipate, the gourds are prone to disease, especially some pathogens that like warm and humid environments. Downy mildew, soft rot, and the like.

The difference between greenhouse planting of zucchini and open-field planting is the focus on temperature control and humidity control; otherwise, the gap with open-field planting is not large. But greenhouse planting can be off-season, and early marketing also has many advantages. However, the technical requirements are stricter. There is much more management content.