How to trim melons to look good

When is the right time to prune melons?

Melons should be pruned when the leaf area coefficient in the field is relatively large in the middle and late stages of growth. Melons produce fruit once a year, so pruning only needs to be done once a year.

By the end of May, the melon seedlings planted in March have begun to bloom and bear fruit. If you want to produce more melons and good quality, pruning is essential. You can propagate them by pruning in the spring.

Melon Pruning Tips

Double-vine pruning: Double-vine pruning is suitable for melon cultivation in greenhouses and sheds. Pinch the main vine when it has two leaves or three leaves. Leave two strong sub-vines at the bottom and hang them up. Pinch them when they grow to 12 leaves. Leave the grandson vines to bear fruit when they have 8 leaves. Pinch them again when they have 2-3 leaves. In this way, each sub-vine can grow 1-2 melons and have 7-8 leaves to promote the development of melons. 3-4 melons can grow on one melon plant.

Three-vine pruning: Three-vine pruning is suitable for open-field planting without hanging vines. Pinch off the main vine when it has three or four leaves, leaving three sub-vines per plant, pinch off the sub-vines again when they grow to 9 leaves, leave 1-2 grandchildren when each sub-vine has 5-6 leaves, pinch off the grandchildren again when they have 2 leaves, so that one plant can have 6 melons. The advantage of three-vine pruning is that the melons mature and go on the market in batches.

Four-vine pruning : The method of four-vine pruning is similar to three-vine pruning. The difference is that the main vine is pinched when it has four or five leaves and one heart. Four sub-vines are left on each plant, and each sub-vine has 1-2 grandchildren. Each plant can grow 7-8 melons.

Melon pruning precautions

Melon pruning should be done on a sunny day after the dew has evaporated, which is conducive to wound recovery. It is best to use sterilized scissors for pruning, and disinfect each melon plant once to prevent cross infection.

When pruning, all fruitless vines should be removed to prevent the long vines from competing with the fruiting vines for nutrients. After the melons are fruiting, water and fertilizer management and disease and insect pest control should be strengthened.