Why You Should Not Plant on Land Previously Used for Watermelon
This article focuses on the reasons why land used for watermelon cannot be replanted with green plants. The site editor will introduce the related content to netizens next.
Why You Should Not Plant on Land Previously Used for Watermelon
If you notice a decrease in yield in the crops following watermelon, you must pay attention to distinguish clearly. Therefore, for land previously used for watermelon, it is best to plant corn, wheat, millet, oilseed rape, and other non-melon crops to avoid diseases and yield reduction. After harvesting watermelon, planting corn, or intercropping greenhouse watermelon with ginger, both have good results without yield reduction.
Any yield reduction in crops is due to factors such as seeds, fertilization, diseases, and weather conditions. If natural factors like wind, rain, hail, and frost are ruled out, it could be due to:
1. Planting Melon Crops
Planting watermelon in the same plot for many years can easily lead to soil-borne diseases like wilt and vine wilt. Therefore, it is generally not recommended to plant for three consecutive years and should rotate crops or use grafted seedlings to avoid these issues.
If the land previously used for watermelon has had soil-borne diseases like wilt and vine wilt, planting melon crops like muskmelon, pumpkin, or cucumber in the next crop may lead to the occurrence of these diseases, ultimately resulting in yield reduction.
Therefore, it is best to plant non-melon crops like corn, wheat, millet, and oilseed rape in the land previously used for watermelon to avoid diseases and yield reduction, or even total crop failure.
Like local melon farmers here, planting corn after harvesting watermelon or intercropping greenhouse watermelon with ginger has yielded good results without any yield reduction.
If you plant melon crops and severe wilt occurs, it will lead to枯藤 and significant yield reduction, or even total crop failure. Even if soil-borne diseases like wilt do not occur, the self-toxicity of the root system can lead to poor growth and development of melon crops, resulting in yield reduction.
2. Issues of Malnutrition or Excess Nutrients
Watermelon roots are deep and widespread, with the main root reaching over 1 meter deep and lateral roots spreading 4-6 meters. The fruit is also large and abundant, thus requiring a high amount of fertilizer.
Watermelon requires the most potassium, the least phosphorus, and a moderate amount of nitrogen, making it a high-potassium crop. Watermelon growth not only requires the three major nutrients—nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium—but also various trace elements like calcium, sulfur, iron, zinc, boron, copper, and molybdenum.
If we neglect to apply any of these nutrients or apply them in insufficient quantities during watermelon planting, leading to a reduction in soil nutrient content, the next crop planted may suffer from nutrient deficiencies, ultimately causing yield reduction due to deficiency symptoms.
Watermelon requires a large amount of potassium. If we do not supply enough, the plant will absorb a large amount of potassium from the soil, leading to a decrease in soil potassium content. Potassium is known as a quality element, promoting seed and stem growth and disease resistance.
Since potassium can be recycled, there is a long latency period for potassium deficiency symptoms in the next crop. Initially, the plant may only show slow growth, with symptoms becoming apparent only during fruit maturity.
Such as small corn ears, unripe seeds, and bald tips. Wheat may have poor ripening, reduced seed setting, and a significant increase in sterility. Sweet potatoes may be small and irregular, or not form at all. Cotton may experience early senescence, poor boll development, small and僵铃, and many twisted bolls. Oilseed rape may have sparse pods, short or twisted pods. Soybeans may have few pods and unripe seeds. Cucumber fruits may be malformed and yield reduced.
Similarly, if watermelon absorbs a large amount of trace elements like calcium, iron, and manganese from the soil and we do not provide timely supplements, the next crop may suffer from poor growth or unripe fruits due to the essentiality, irreplaceability, and limiting factor nature of these nutrients.
Also, if we over-fertilize during watermelon growth, it may affect the growth of the next crop and cause yield reduction. For example, excessive nitrogen fertilizer can lead to lodging and disease susceptibility in the next crop.
Excessive phosphorus can affect the absorption of trace elements like zinc, leading to yield reduction; excessive magnesium can hinder the growth of the next crop, ultimately causing yield reduction.
If you notice yield reduction in the crops following watermelon, be sure to distinguish clearly whether it is due to disease, nutrient deficiency, or excess nutrients, and then apply appropriate treatments such as increasing organic fertilizer and strengthening disease control to avoid yield reduction.
The above tips on why you should not plant on land previously used for watermelon are hoped to provide some help after reading this article!