A detailed guide to growing muskmelon on a balcony: you can grow it well at home too

Seedling raising

After selecting muskmelon seeds, sun-dry them for two days first. Then use 55°C warm water, pouring and stirring at the same time, and soak them for 5 to 8 hours. After taking the seeds out and washing them, wrap them in a damp cotton towel, put them in a plastic bag, and place them in an environment of 30 to 32°C. Generally after 18 to 20 hours the sprouts will come out. When four leaves have grown, they can be planted out.

Management

During the seedling stage of the plant, apart from flower topping, wait until the branches grow to 3 to 5cm before removing the branches. It is best to do this on a morning with relatively good weather, and scissors or pinching with the hands must not be used. As for watering, water only after 2 leaves have grown; the first time does not require fertilizing. Wait until the first crop of melons is the size of an egg before using melon-swelling fertilizer. Generally watering once every 10 to 15 days is enough.

Fertilizing

During the seedling stage, generally apply fertilizer with relatively high nitrogen and phosphorus content. During the period of faster stem and leaf growth, mainly use nitrogen fertilizer. When the melons are setting, mainly apply potassium and nitrogen fertilizer.

Pollination

If manual pollination is needed, it should be done in the morning; it is recommended between 9 and 10 o'clock, and pollination should be done two hours after the female flower opens.

Harvesting

Once the muskmelon is ripe, it can be harvested. The specific method is to press with a finger on the side near the fruit navel; if it feels soft, it is ripe, or smell it to see whether it has the strong fragrance unique to muskmelon. If it is ripe, cut it off with scissors.