How to manage the pruning of horn melon
If you want to understand how to manage the pruning of horn melon and the key points of horn melon cultivation techniques in green plant and flower planting, the following is a detailed introduction.
"Horn melon" is a type of thin-skinned melon with the prominent characteristics of high sugar content and good taste. It is available in the market in April each year and during the Mid-Autumn Festival, with a relatively high price. However, this variety has issues such as early senescence, severe fruit cracking, and poor disease resistance, making it difficult to manage. To overcome these issues, attention should be paid to the following aspects:
I. Using grafted seedlings
The root system of melon is prone to suberization and has poor regeneration ability after root injury, with weak disease resistance, especially in consecutive cropping situations. Early senescence and plant death are prominent, severely affecting the yield and quality of melon. To prevent these issues, grafted seedlings with pumpkin as the rootstock are used.
Firstly, master the sowing time of the rootstock and scion. Generally, the sowing time of pumpkin rootstock should be about 15 days earlier than that of "horn melon" melon, and the melon should be sown 5 days later. When the two leaves are fully expanded, the grafting can be carried out. During grafting, it is important to strengthen disease prevention. One day before grafting, a 75% carbendazim 800x solution or a 70% metalaxyl 3000x solution can be sprayed to reduce the number of pathogenic bacteria that the seedlings may carry. Two days after grafting, a 70% metalaxyl 3000x solution mixed with a 72% streptomycin 2000x solution should be sprayed again to prevent disease infection of the wound.
Secondly, managing the environment after grafting. After grafting melon, special attention should be paid to the management of humidity in the greenhouse. Generally, it is necessary to set up a拱棚 (hoop house) inside the greenhouse to adjust the environment promptly, quickly increase the temperature and humidity inside the greenhouse, and facilitate the healing of the grafting joint. Within 3 days after grafting, the small hoop house must be sealed, with shading strengthened to maintain the humidity inside the greenhouse at 90%-100% to prevent the scion from losing water and wilting, affecting the healing of the joint. The temperature should be controlled at 28-32°C during the day and 20-22°C at night. After 3 days, the hoop house can be opened during the day to allow the grafted seedlings to receive some light, promoting photosynthesis and improving the nutritional status of the grafted seedlings, facilitating the healing of the grafting joint. At this time, the temperature can be reduced to 26-28°C during the day and 18-20°C at night. After about 7 days, when the wound has healed, it can be transferred to normal management.
II. Strengthening management to prevent early senescence
Good or bad management is a key factor determining the growth status of melon.
1. Deeply turn the soil, water and fertilize reasonably to create a good growth environment for the roots, which is the foundation for preventing early senescence of the plant. Generally, use 8-10 cubic meters of well-rotted manure per mu and 50 kilograms of compound fertilizer (preferably new materials) as base fertilizer, deeply turn the soil by more than 30 centimeters to ensure uniform fertilizer application. Before planting, apply bio-fertilizer in the ditch or hole, which can control the number of pathogenic bacteria and promote root development. After planting melon, it is important to control water and fertilizer, delay covering the ground with mulch, frequently till the soil to improve soil aeration, effectively promote deep root penetration, form a strong root system, improve the ability of roots to cope with harsh environments, prevent plant early senescence, and supplement nutrition in a timely manner during the growth period. Before fruit setting, a喷施 (spraying) of cinnamaldehyde can enhance the immunity and stress resistance of melon. After fruit setting, high-potassium water-soluble fertilizer can be applied with water, such as (Shi Tianxia 16-16-36+TE fertilizer), every 10 days, 5-8 kilograms per mu, to improve the nutritional supply and promote fruit expansion.
2. Increase the row spacing, add functional leaves, and improve the plant's ability to produce organic nutrients. In the process of plant growth, the nutritional supply of leaves is the key factor determining the yield of melon, especially for the horn melon variety. A row spacing (operating row) width of about 1.2 meters and a plant spacing of 0.5 meters can greatly improve the light transmission between plants, promote photosynthesis, and provide more abundant nutrition for fruit expansion.
On the basis of improving the light transmission between plant rows, it is recommended to adopt the method of topping the lateral branches to increase the number of functional leaves and improve the supply of organic nutrients to the plant, preventing early senescence. The method of leaving lateral branches is to retain most of the lateral branches from the bottom up to 7-8 leaves, with the lateral branches pinched at 2-3 leaves. This increases the number of functional leaves and ensures the nutritional supply during fruit expansion.
3. Pay attention to leaf protection in the middle and late stages. In the middle and late stages of plant growth, which is the fruit expansion and maturation period, the plant grows vigorously, requiring a large amount of organic and inorganic nutrients. The roots and leaves are under heavy burden, with low nutrient reserves and weakened resistance. At this time, leaf care should be strengthened. A喷施 (spraying) of cinnamaldehyde 1500x solution, chitosan 1000x solution, brassinolide 1500x solution, and Aidoshou 600x solution can be applied every 10 days to supplement foliar nutrition, improve leaf activity, prevent leaf aging, and avoid early senescence of the plant.
4. Careful management to prevent fruit deformation and cracking. Horn melon, like other thin-skinned melons, is prone to cracking and deformation. Management should be strengthened in terms of pollination time, fruit-setting position, and water and fertilizer management to reduce deformed and cracked fruit and increase the rate of premium fruit.
(1) First, select a sunny day to dip the melon. Environmental conditions are an important factor affecting premium fruit. When the weather is sunny, the plant grows vigorously, with sufficient nutritional supply and strong activity. After fruit setting, the growth rate is fast, and the premium fruit rate is high. If it rains continuously, the fruit-setting position should be adjusted upwards to avoid the impact of continuous rain on fruit setting.
(2) Choose an appropriate fruit-setting position. The height of the fruit-setting position directly affects the yield and maturity of the melon. If the fruit-setting position is low (5-6 nodes), there are fewer leaves at the bottom of the plant, and the nutrient supply during the early fruit development is insufficient, inhibiting the longitudinal growth of the fruit. In the later stage, the fruit expands rapidly, resulting in small and flat fruits. If the fruit-setting position is too high (15-16 nodes), there are more leaves below the fruit and fewer leaves above, which is beneficial for the initial longitudinal growth of the fruit. However, due to insufficient nutrition, the lateral growth in the later stage is inhibited, leading to deformed fruit. Therefore, melon should be left in the middle of the stem, with the appropriate fruit-setting position between 7-12 nodes.
(3) Finally, strengthen management to prevent cracking. When the melon is the size of an egg, about 10 days after pollination, it is the most severe period for cracking, known as the "danger period." During this period, special attention should be paid to temperature and water and fertilizer management to prevent cracking. During this period, the daytime temperature can be controlled at 25-30°C and the night temperature at about 15°C. After 4-5 days, the melon enters the rapid expansion stage, and the daytime temperature can be increased to 30-33°C to promote fruit expansion. During the "danger period," it is strictly forbidden to water and fertilize the horn melon sweet瓜 to avoid exacerbating the cracking situation.
III. Based on the characteristics of the variety, strengthen disease prevention
Horn melon is delicious, but its disease resistance is not strong, and it is prone to diseases such as powdery mildew and brown spot. Disease prevention is the main issue; once it occurs, it is difficult to treat. Prevention mainly focuses on the following three points:
1. Adjust the greenhouse environment to create an environment不利于 (不利于 means "not conducive to") the invasion and onset of pathogenic bacteria. High humidity is most likely to cause disease. With the increase of external temperature, water should be supplied reasonably, ventilation should be strengthened, and the humidity in the greenhouse should be reduced.
2. Enhance the disease resistance of the plant by reasonable watering and fertilizing, promoting root growth, paying attention to leaf care, and using cinnamaldehyde, chitosan, etc., for spraying or root irrigation to improve the function of roots and leaves and enhance the plant's resistance to adversity.
3. Finally, the use of chemical agents should be reasonable. In normal greenhouse management, diseases are less likely to occur on sunny days. A喷施 (spraying) of cinnamaldehyde or pyraclostrobin broad-spectrum fungicides can be applied every half a month for prevention. On cloudy days, the frequency of application should be increased to every 7-10 days, which can effectively prevent diseases.
Do you understand the detailed introduction about how to manage the pruning of horn melon and the key points of horn melon cultivation techniques mentioned above?