How to plant black-skinned winter melon?

Black-skinned winter melon gets its name because its skin is dark green with black. It is not only nutritious and delicious, but also has the effects of diuresis, detumescence, clearing heat and relieving summer heat, and is deeply loved by consumers. In order to meet market demand and improve planting efficiency, it is crucial to master the planting technology of black-skinned winter melon . So how should black-skinned winter melon be planted? Let’s take a look below.

1. When to sow black-skinned winter melon?

The sowing time of black-skinned winter melon should be determined according to factors such as region, cultivation method, and variety. Generally, the spring sowing period is from December to March of the following year, and the autumn sowing period is from June to July. in:

1. In southern Hainan, since the temperature in winter and spring is mostly above 20℃ and there is plenty of sunshine, so seeds can be sown throughout the winter and spring, and they can bloom and bear fruit normally.

2. In Panzhihua area, sowing is generally carried out in early to mid-February, depending on the climatic conditions. Early-maturing winter melon should be sown in mid-to-late January.

3. If you want to intercrop winter melon on the land where you grow peppers , tomatoes, eggplants , etc., you can sow them in mid-to-late March.

2. How to grow black-skinned winter melon?

1. Sow seeds at the right time

Determine the sowing time according to actual conditions, and then use nutrient bowls to grow seedlings. When the true leaves unfold, choose sunny and warm weather to move to the field for planting. For autumn planting, after soaking the seeds for germination, you can sow them in the field. 20-30 grams of seeds per acre are needed for creeping ground, and 40-50 grams of seeds per acre are needed for trellis cultivation.

2. Reasonable planting

Before planting, the land should be prepared and ridges should be made. In spring, the plant spacing should be 80-100 cm, and about 300 plants per mu should be planted. In autumn, the plant spacing should be 60-80 cm, and about 350 plants per mu should be planted. The plant spacing for trellis cultivation is 70-80 cm, the row spacing is 1-1.2 meters, and about 700-800 plants are planted per acre.

3. Water and fertilizer management

In addition to applying sufficient base fertilizer, the focus of forcing fertilizer should be applied from the time the fruits are grown in the greenhouse to when the fruits are ripe, when the weight of the fruits reaches about 5 kg. Attention should be paid to the coordination of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. During the seedling stage, water the plants in the morning and evening in sunny and warm weather, and reduce watering appropriately in cold weather. In addition to watering once a day, the water level in the bed pits should always be maintained at 7 to 10 cm on sunny days, and the water in the pits should be drained on rainy days. In short, the soil should always be kept neither wet nor dry, and the moisture should be controlled 10 days before harvesting the fruit for storage.

4. Pruning and vine pressing

After the vines have formed 15 nodes on the bed surface, lead the vines onto the shed and use 3 to 4 bamboos to build a support. Only the main vine should be left on the shed for the black-skinned winter melon, and the rest should be removed in time.

5. Pest and disease control

Attention should be paid to preventing and controlling diseases and pests such as damping-off disease, wilt, anthrax, thrips, aphids, mites, etc. from invading winter melon. In addition to spraying pesticides in time for prevention and control, water accumulation should be avoided and diseased and dead branches and leaves should be removed in time to avoid affecting normal plants. It takes 40-50 days for winter melon to be harvested from flowering, so just avoid picking it after rain.

That’s it