How much does winter watermelon cost per jin? Detailed high-yield growing techniques

Watermelon is a fruit with a relatively thick rind, sweet flesh and plenty of juice, and it is rich in certain nutrients. Watermelon has a diuretic and thirst-quenching effect. It is generally more popular in summer; in winter, fewer people buy it, and it is not the watermelon harvest season, so the price is also a bit higher. So how much does winter watermelon cost per jin? How should it be grown to achieve high yields?

1. How much does winter watermelon cost per jin?

With the development of growing techniques, watermelons are now available to eat all year round. Today happens to be the Start of Winter, so how much does winter watermelon cost per jin? According to relevant markets, we can see that watermelon prices have risen recently, and prices vary by variety. At the Hongxing Agricultural and Sideline Products Market in Changsha, Hunan, watermelon is 2 yuan per jin; at the Dayanglu Agricultural and Sideline Products Wholesale Market in Chaoyang District, Beijing, watermelon is 2.6 yuan per jin; at the Siqing Agricultural Products Wholesale Market in Bayannur, watermelon is 2.8 yuan per jin.

2. How should watermelon be grown to achieve high yields?

1. Land preparation and base fertilizer

Plow the soil deeply and let it bleach in the sun for half a month. Apply 50-75 kg of quicklime per mu, then break up the soil and prepare the beds, making a continuous bed with furrows 2.5 m wide, with one side of the bed 40 cm high and the other side 20 cm high, forming a sloped bed. On the side near the high bed, dig a planting furrow 25 cm deep and 40 cm wide. In the furrow, apply 1000-1500 kg of decomposed farmyard manure per mu, 25 kg of ternary compound fertilizer, 1.5-2 kg of borax, and 4 kg of magnesium sulfate. When applying in the furrow, the fertilizer should be mixed evenly with the backfilled soil.

2. Select good varieties

Good varieties are the prerequisite for high yield and high quality. A reasonable arrangement of early, mid-, and late-maturing varieties can extend the watermelon supply period and improve economic returns.

3. Seed treatment

Before sowing, sun-dry the seeds for 1-2 days to increase their physiological activity. Soak the sun-dried seeds in warm water at about 55°C for 5-6 hours, pour the water off completely, then wash the seed coats with 5% limewater, rubbing gently by hand until the seeds are no longer slippery, then rinse clean with clear water and air-dry the surface moisture before sprouting.

4. Sprouting

Sprouting methods such as greenhouse sprouting, electric blanket sprouting, bedding sprouting, and body-heat sprouting can be used. For large planting areas, greenhouse sprouting, electric blanket sprouting, or sprouting together with corn and rice can be used. Beginners growing melons can use body-heat sprouting and bedding warming sprouting. 5. Sowing

Place seeds that have sprouted to about one grain of rice in length flat on the nutrient soil in prepared nutrient cups, with the sprout facing down (because the sprout is the root). Put only one sprouted seed in each nutrient cup, then cover with 1 cm of nutrient soil and sprinkle a little 1000-fold thiophanate solution (or another fungicide). Insert bamboo strips, cover with plastic film, and press fine mud around the edges of the film. Then insert another layer of bamboo strips about 15 cm away from the first layer, cover with another layer of plastic film, and press fine mud around the edges of the film again. During this period, the temperature inside the shed should be kept at 22-28°C. After the first true leaf grows, the temperature can be gradually lowered. In the few days before emergence, lower it by 1-2°C each day, and finally keep it consistent with the natural temperature so as to adapt to the natural temperature after transplanting.

6. Watering

Watermelon should be watered at least 2-3 times throughout the growing period. After the vines spread, the leaves increase and the sunshine duration is long, so water demand increases, and a “vine-spreading water” must be applied. When the young melon grows to the size of a fist, water well for melon expansion to ensure watermelon yield, quality, and normal growth and development. After that, whether to water can be decided according to the climate and soil moisture at the time, and watering should be stopped one week before harvest.

7. Topdressing

Watermelon is a fertilizer-loving crop, and reasonable fertilization is one of the important measures to ensure high-quality and high-yield watermelon. The general principle is: apply seedling-promoting fertilizer cautiously, apply vine-spreading fertilizer skillfully, and apply melon-expanding fertilizer heavily. Topdressing should mainly use quick-acting fertilizers.