How to grow watermelon best
The editor explains the best way to grow watermelon and the knowledge of the growth process and steps of watermelon in the field of green plants and flowers. It's a great tip, recommended for collection!
Eating a slice of ice-cold watermelon in the hot summer is indeed refreshing. As the most popular fruit in summer, watermelon has always been in the public eye. It can quench thirst, cool down, and is sweet with plenty of juice, making it widely loved. Watermelon has been widely cultivated and many varieties have been developed. What aspects should be paid attention to in the cultivation of watermelon? There are techniques in seven aspects: soil, temperature, water, light, fertilization, ventilation, and pest and disease control.
1. Soil and Base Fertilization
Watermelon prefers sandy soil with good drainage, loose and breathable, and slightly acidic. Before sowing, the land should be deeply turned and left to dry in the sun for half a month, and then 50~75 kilograms of quicklime should be scattered per mu of land to disinfect. Afterward, crush the soil and make ridges, forming a sloping ridge with a total width of 2.5m, one side 40cm high and the other 20cm. On the side of the higher ridge, dig a planting trench 25cm deep and 40cm wide, into which 1000 to 1500 kilograms of decomposed manure, 25 kilograms of ternary compound fertilizer, 1.5 to 2 kilograms of borax, and 4 kilograms of magnesium sulfate are applied, and then mix the fertilizer with soil and backfill.
2. Seed Selection
Good seeds should be chosen, as they are one of the guarantees of high yield and quality. It is also necessary to arrange early, middle, and late maturing varieties reasonably to extend the supply period and obtain greater benefits.
3. Seed Treatment
To improve seed viability and increase survival rates, seeds can be dried in the sun for 1 to 2 days before sowing. After drying, soak the seeds in 55℃ water for about 5 to 6 hours, then wash them with 5% lime water until they feel no longer slippery, rinse with clean water, and then air-dry.
4. Germination Promotion
Common germination methods include greenhouse germination, electric blanket germination, quilt germination, and body temperature germination. Among them, body temperature germination and quilt germination are methods used for growing melons, with body temperature germination being the simplest and easiest to operate. Body temperature germination involves dividing the treated seeds into several portions of 50 to 100 grams each, placing them on a wet towel, wrapping them separately with a plastic film, and putting them in a pocket to keep warm. The seeds can germinate in about 24 hours.
5. Sowing
When the seeds have germinated to the size of a grain of rice, place them on the nutrient soil in a nutrient cup, with only one seed per cup. Cover the seeds with 1 cm of nutrient soil, sprinkle with a fungicide, insert bamboo stakes, cover with a film, insert another bamboo stake, and cover with another layer of film, leaving a 15 cm gap between the layers. The edges of the film should be pressed down with fine sand, and the temperature in the greenhouse should be maintained between 22℃ and 28°C. After the seeds have grown true leaves, the temperature can be gradually reduced.
6. Water and Fertilizer Management
Water the watermelon 2 to 3 times during the growing period, and increase the water volume after the vines have extended, with one "vine water" irrigation. Reasonable fertilization is also a guarantee of high yield and quality in watermelon cultivation. There are generally two applications of top dressing for watermelon, the first being the vine fertilizer, mainly nitrogen fertilizer with potassium fertilizer as a supplement. The dosage is about 8 kilograms of urea and 5 kilograms of potassium sulfate per mu. The second is before the fruit enters the expansion stage, with nitrogen and potassium fertilizers as the main ingredients, and the dosage is about 20 to 25 kilograms of urea and 10 to 15 kilograms of potassium sulfate per mu.
7. Pest and Disease Control
Fusarium wilt, vine wilt, spot disease, and anthrax are common diseases encountered during watermelon cultivation. The prevention method for fusarium wilt is grafting and changing roots, while vine wilt, spot disease, and anthrax can be controlled by applying carbendazim wettable powder 1000 times liquid, 70% carbendazim wettable powder 600 times liquid, and 10% scoring wettable powder 1500 times liquid, respectively. Pests to watch out for include ground beetles, aphids, leaf mites, and thrips, which can be controlled by spraying 10% once-clean wettable powder 2500 times liquid.
8. Harvest in Time
Different varieties of watermelon require different maturation times, so it's necessary to judge the ripeness based on the fruiting days and harvest promptly after maturity.
This article shares all the content about the best way to grow watermelon and the steps of the growth process, which green plant enthusiasts can refer to.