How to grow watermelon for beginners
The article discusses the experience of growing watermelon and the detailed methods of outdoor watermelon cultivation for beginners. The following is a detailed explanation by the editor.
Watermelon, also known as summer melon, winter melon, and green jade house, is distributed in temperate and tropical regions and belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family, Citrullus genus, an annual vine. For outdoor planting of watermelon, if seeds are used, they need to be treated, cultivated into seedlings in the nursery field, and then transplanted to the planting field. If seedlings are purchased directly, they can be planted after the soil is tilled. Let's get to know the planting methods together.
1. Seed Treatment
If seeds are purchased from the market for planting, they need to be treated. Select full and glossy seeds from the purchased seeds, expose them to the sun for 2 days, soak them in warm water at 55℃ for 2 hours, then soak them in a carbendazim solution for 5 minutes. After that, plant them in the nursery field and wait for the seeds to grow into seedlings before transplanting them to the planting field.
2. Tilling the Soil
Before planting seedlings, the soil needs to be tilled to make it loose, which helps enhance drainage and aeration. The depth of tilling should be about 20 centimeters. After tilling, let the soil be exposed to the sun for 10 days before planting to kill any eggs that may be present in the soil. 10 days before planting, fertilize the soil with 150 kilograms of nitrogen-potassium compound fertilizer per mu.
3. Planting
When the temperature of the soil surface is stable at 15℃, the watermelon seedlings can be planted. Refer to a planting density of 600 to 800 seedlings per mu. Plant the seedlings 3 centimeters into the soil, press the roots firmly with fine soil, water them thoroughly once, and no watering is needed within a week. Water the second time based on the moisture status of the soil after 10 days.
4. Seedling Management
Do not water the seedlings frequently during the growing period. Water them only when the soil is relatively dry, keeping the soil slightly moist. Always be aware of preventing cold air to avoid frost damage to the seedlings when the temperature is below 10℃. During the growing period, the seedlings require a lot of fertilizer. You can pile up a layer of withered leaves on the soil surface and spray 500 grams of glucose and 40 jin of penicillin per mu.
5. Pest and Disease Prevention
During the seedling growing period, it is necessary to spray special agents at regular intervals to prevent pests and diseases. When powdery mildew occurs, spray with diluted tebuconazole or difenoconazole. When pests occur, apply hymexazol solution for root irrigation or spraying.
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