How to plant watermelon seedlings best
Do you know this? The best way to plant watermelon seedlings and the related content about the planting methods and management of watermelon, the editor of the website will introduce to netizens next.
Autumn watermelon usually refers to the watermelon planted in summer and harvested in autumn, which is an off-season cultivation. The maturity period of autumn watermelon is mainly arranged around the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day, with a concentrated market launch, good sales, high prices, and considerable economic benefits.
1. Sowing period
Due to the short growth period and the tight rotation of the previous crop, we generally use the seedling transplanting method for autumn watermelon cultivation. The determination of the sowing period should be comprehensively considered based on the characteristics of the watermelon variety and the supply period. If sown too early, it is prone to damage or even death of seedlings due to high temperatures; if sown too late, late-stage low temperatures can lead to slow growth, affecting yield and sales, and even the fruit may not mature.
For early-maturing watermelon varieties, it is generally sown in mid-July, and for mid-maturing varieties, it is sown in early July. Sowing at this time allows the fruit expansion period of watermelon to be in September, with a large day-night temperature difference, which is conducive to the accumulation of sugar in the fruit and improves the quality of watermelon.
2. Selection of melon field
Continuous cropping of autumn watermelon can easily cause wilt disease, so it is necessary to choose a plot with fertile soil, high and dry terrain, loose soil texture, convenient irrigation and drainage, and no melon crops planted in the past few years. It is strictly forbidden to choose waterlogged or waterlogged land.
3. Land preparation and fertilization
Deeply plow the previous crop field, open ditches, apply 1000-1500 kilograms of decomposed farm manure and 45-50 kilograms of compound fertilizer of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium per mu, then level the ridge surface. Generally, the ridge should be more than 20 centimeters high, with a ridge surface width of 2.6-2.8 meters, and deep ditches should be dug around to facilitate rapid drainage after rain.
4. Fertilization management
Watermelon requires a large amount of fertilizer, has a long growth period, and it is not easy to supplement fertilizer in the later stage. Therefore, applying sufficient base fertilizer is a crucial step in achieving high yield, stable yield, and good quality of watermelon. Apply general fertilizer during land preparation, concentrate fertilization in ditches, apply 2000-2500 kilograms of soil miscellaneous fertilizer, 30-40 kilograms of superphosphate, and 15-20 kilograms of potassium fertilizer per mu, pile and decompose, sprinkle into the soil, and then rake flat and even.
The first topdressing for autumn watermelon is at the five-leaf stage, applying 10-15 kilograms of compound fertilizer per mu, which can promote plant growth and rapid vine stretching. The second topdressing for watermelon is within one week after flowering, applying 10-15 kilograms of urea and 8-10 kilograms of potassium fertilizer per mu, which can promote rapid fruit expansion.
5. Reasonable pruning
When the main vine of watermelon has 4-5 leaves, pinch the top, when the sub-vine is about 15 centimeters long, select 2-3 sub-vines with good growth, remove the rest of the sub-vines and the grandchild vines before the fruit-setting position, and appropriately select the grandchild vines after the fruit-setting position. We can also use the 1 main 2 lateral 3 vine pruning method, that is, retain 1 main vine and 2 sub-vines, remove the rest of the sub-vines when the first female flower of the main vine opens, and remove the grandchild vines before the sub-vine sets fruit.
6. Artificial pollination
We should select female flowers that open at the node, and assist with artificial pollination from 7-9 am. We should choose the male flowers that open on the same day, remove the petals, and evenly apply the pollen from the male flowers to the stigma of the female flowers, ensuring a sufficient amount of pollination, generally pollinating 2-3 female flowers with each male flower. After pollination, we immediately mark the pollination date on the pollination node.
7. Timely harvest
When the expansion of the watermelon fruit slows down or stops, the stripe net pattern on the fruit surface becomes distinct, and a "pop, pop" sound is heard when the fruit surface is tapped with a finger, indicating that the watermelon is mature and should be harvested and marketed in a timely manner.
The above () introduces how to plant watermelon seedlings best and the experience and knowledge of watermelon planting methods and management, hoping that reading this article can bring you some help!