What to do if the watermelon seedlings grow too long

What does it look like when watermelon seedlings grow leggy?

If the watermelon seedlings grow vigorously, they will become too tall, the internodes will continue to stretch upward, the petioles and leaf bodies will become longer, the leaves will be light green, the leaves will be thinner, and the female flowers will appear later.

Reasons for watermelon seedlings to grow too long

There are many reasons for the leggy growth of watermelon seedlings, mainly due to high night temperatures, excessive water, insufficient light, and excessive nitrogen fertilizer application. The leggy seedlings have poor adaptability to low temperatures, and when encountering an adverse external environment, they often slow down their growth and are prone to frost damage.

How to deal with leggy watermelon seedlings

When raising watermelon seedlings, the temperature at night can be lowered and the temperature difference between day and night can be increased. Under conditions of insufficient light, the temperature and humidity should be appropriately lowered to inhibit vegetative growth and promote reproductive growth. The light, temperature and humidity should be reasonably adjusted to maintain the ventilation of the environment. Before fruit setting, excessive water and fertilizer should be avoided as much as possible, especially the amount of nitrogen fertilizer applied.

During the growth period of watermelon seedlings, pruning is also necessary to reduce the phenomenon of excessive growth. Measures such as pruning, vine pressing, and pinching can be taken to adjust the nutrient distribution of the watermelon plants to control vigorous nutritional growth. However, if there are influences such as rainy weather, low temperature and insufficient light, these practices can easily cause various diseases.