How and when to plant butternut squash

When is the right time to plant butternut squash?

Cream pumpkins require a relatively warm environment to grow. Generally speaking, it is best to plant them in April and May. If pumpkins are planted in a greenhouse, the sowing time can be slightly earlier. If the temperature is suitable, autumn sowing can also be carried out in August.

Cream Pumpkin Planting Methods and Tips

1. Soil: Cream pumpkin should not be planted repeatedly. The soil for planting must be one that has not been used to grow this crop in the past two years. It is best to choose sandy loam, which is more breathable. Apply base fertilizer before sowing, mainly natural organic fertilizer, and add some compound fertilizer appropriately.

2. Sowing: Before sowing, the cream pumpkin seeds need to be placed outside in the sun for two days, and then soaked in warm water for three hours to germinate. After most of the seeds turn white, they can be sown in the soil. After sowing, water them once and keep them in semi-shaded place.

Daily management points for cream pumpkin

1. Since the fruit of cream pumpkin is relatively large, in addition to the previous base fertilizer, top dressing should be applied when the vine grows to three centimeters, using 2 kg of urea and 1 kg of potassium fertilizer per acre. Then, a second top dressing should be applied when the fruit grows rapidly, using 8 kg of urea and 3 kg of potassium fertilizer per acre.

2. In addition, there is one thing you need to pay attention to when the cream pumpkin is blooming. The first flowers are male flowers, which need to be removed first. Female flowers will grow later. During this period, pay attention to appropriate flower thinning so that nutrients can be concentrated on the pumpkin fruit.