How to plant muskmelon for beginners
This article provides a detailed introduction to how beginners can plant muskmelon, as well as the planting techniques and cultivation management of green plants and flowers. Let's follow the editor to check out the specific content!
Muskmelon, also known as sweet melon, is widely cultivated across various regions in China. It is rich in nutrients such as vitamin C, glucose, amino acids, betaine, and malic acid. Most people are familiar with muskmelon. It is one of the common melons in spring, summer, and autumn. Due to its strong fragrance and high sweetness, muskmelon has always been popular.
Since muskmelon is not cold-tolerant, it used to be rare to see it in winter, and its price was therefore very high. With the improvement of people's living standards, the demand for muskmelon in the off-season of winter and spring has increased. Therefore, cultivating muskmelon in the reverse season during winter is a very good income-generating project.
Farmers engaged in muskmelon cultivation often encounter problems such as small and unsweet melons with poor appearance. The economic benefits of different greenhouses can vary nearly twofold due to management and other factors. The price difference between low-yield muskmelon and sweet, crisp, and good-looking muskmelon is significant. Consumers prefer large, fragrant, crisp, and sweet muskmelon. As the saying goes, "Goods are sold for their appearance." This is the reason. The quality deterioration of muskmelon is inseparable from the following reasons.
First, variety selection. Cultivating muskmelon in a greenhouse is different from doing so in the open field. Due to the harsh conditions of temperature and humidity inside the greenhouse, planting muskmelon requires selecting seeds with strong cold resistance, disease resistance, adaptability, high yield, commercial value, thick skin, good storage and transportation properties, and high sugar content. If selling locally, one can choose high-quality thin-skinned sweet melon seeds.
Second, improper management of water, fertilizer, and temperature. Muskmelon prefers soil rich in organic matter, which is a prerequisite for high-quality and high-yield muskmelon. Apply 5,000 kilograms of well-rotted livestock and poultry manure per mu. In the later stage of fruiting, about 10 to 12 days, water should be controlled appropriately to maintain some drought. As the saying goes, "Sweet melon comes from dry days." When it's dry and there's less water, the sugar content increases accordingly. Appropriate application of phosphorus and potassium fertilizers, reducing the amount of nitrogen fertilizer, and properly increasing the temperature difference between day and night can promote the accumulation of sugar and the improvement of fruit quality. Spraying 0.3% phosphorus acid hydrogen potassium + brassinolide can also increase sugar content.
How to plant muskmelon for beginners
When watering muskmelon in the greenhouse, only enough water is needed at the time of planting. Generally, no watering is required during the seedling stage, and the minimum soil moisture should not be lower than 48% of the maximum water-holding capacity. The relative humidity of the air should be between 50% and 60%. After the melons are set, during the expansion stage, frequent watering is required, with the amount of water increased appropriately. At the same time, applying phosphorus acid hydrogen potassium + multiple trace element fertilizers with water is beneficial for sweet melon growth, with good fruit shape and uniform growth. After the melon has grown to size, watering should be reduced. Generally, muskmelon watering should be done under the film for dark irrigation, and drip irrigation is best if conditions allow.
Third, leaving too few leaves during pruning. In the maturation stage of muskmelon, due to the insufficient green leaves for nutrient production, the leaves age prematurely. The aging muskmelon leaves consume more nutrients themselves, and the melon skin itself forms chlorophyll, supplying sufficient nutrients to the seeds slowly, causing uneven coloring and poor commercial quality of the muskmelon. Muskmelon fruit covered by leaves under scattered light has uniform coloring and good appearance.
The above introduction (Green Plant Enthusiast Network) on how to plant muskmelon for beginners and the detailed introduction of muskmelon planting techniques and cultivation management, have you understood it?