How to grow pumpkin to get high yield?

Pumpkin, also known as squash, pumpkin, rice melon, and sweet pumpkin, is an annual climbing herb belonging to the genus Cucurbitaceae . Its stems usually root at nodes, can extend to 2-5 meters long, and are covered with short white bristles. Pumpkins are native to Mexico and Central America and are now grown worldwide. It was introduced to China in the Ming Dynasty and is now widely grown in various parts of China. Pumpkin fruit tastes sweet and is one of the common melon vegetables in summer and autumn. Let’s learn together how to grow pumpkins to achieve high yields.

1. Planting site selection

You should choose a plot with higher terrain, good drainage, loose soil and good air permeability, preferably sandy loam and light loam, and avoid planting in low-lying and waterlogged areas. The soil should be slightly acidic, with a pH between 5.5 and 6.8, and avoid continuous cropping or intercropping with cucurbit and solanaceous crops to reduce the occurrence of soil-borne diseases.

The land should be prepared carefully. Before tillage, apply 3,000 to 5,000 kg of high-quality farmyard manure and 20 kg of diammonium phosphate per 667 square meters. If conditions permit, biological fertilizer can also be applied.

2. Pumpkin sowing technology

The sowing time should be determined according to the specific local conditions of the year. The basic principle is to avoid the last frost period when the seedlings emerge from the soil and use germinated seeds for sowing.

In the Yangtze River Basin, sowing is generally done from February to April. For early sowing, you can use a hotbed or cold bed to grow seedlings, and you can sow directly after mid-to-late March. In South China, sowing can be done from February to September, mainly divided into spring sowing from February to March and autumn sowing from August to September.

The seed treatment method is: soak the seeds in hot water at 55 to 60°C for 15 minutes to kill the bacteria on the surface of the seed coat, then pour them into cold water to cool to 30°C, and then soak them for another 4 to 6 hours. After taking it out, wrap it with wet gauze or towel, and germinate it to about 0.3 cm at 25 to 30℃ before sowing.

Dig holes at a spacing of 50 cm between plants, sow 2 seeds in each hole with the seed buds facing downward, and cover with 2 to 3 cm of fine soil. If conditions permit, cover with mulch.

When covering the ground with film, make sure that the film is close to the ridge surface, stretched tight on all sides and pressed into the soil to give full play to the film's heat preservation and moisture retention effects. Generally, watering is not required during the seedling stage. When the seedlings grow three true leaves, select strong plants, leave one in each hole, and cut the rest from the ground.

3. Weed control with chemicals

Pre-emergence sealing should be carried out before the weeds emerge from the soil. The herbicides that can be used include 33% pendimethalin, 100 grams per mu mixed with 60 kg of water; or 25% Ancestral EC, 150 grams per mu mixed with 60 kg of water and sprayed evenly. If the weeds have emerged before sowing, you can use 41% glyphosate to kill the weeds with their roots before sowing. Use 200 to 300 ml per mu and mix it with 30 to 40 kg of water and spray it on the stems and leaves of the weeds. It will usually take 6 to 7 days to take effect.

Glyphosate leaves no residue in the soil and has no adverse effects on transplanted crops in the current season or crops sown in the next crop. When spraying, pay attention to spraying evenly to avoid missing any spots. Especially when weeding before buds emerge, you should spray backwards to prevent footprints from damaging the drug film and reducing the effect. Water first during drought or spray after rain for better weed control. The dosage of lethal herbicides needs to be increased during drought.

4. Field Management

During the growth process of pumpkin, many branches will be produced. In order to avoid excessive dispersion of nutrients, they should be forked, leaving 2-3 main vines on each plant. Depending on the soil fertility and the growth of the pumpkin seedlings, the top buds can be removed after a few embryos are produced.

If the soil is fertile and watering and fertilization are frequent, generally 3-5 leaves will be enough to keep one pumpkin. If too many pumpkins are left, the pumpkin will not grow large. Be careful to remove the branch buds at the axils of the melon to avoid competing with the melon for nutrients, which will cause the melon to wither and fall due to lack of nutrients.

1. Prune and retain branches: For long-vine varieties, usually 2-3 vines are retained on a single plant. You can top the plant when it has 5-6 true leaves, leaving 2-3 strong and even-sized secondary vines, or keep the main vine and then leave 1-2 strong secondary vines. The remaining side vines must be removed.

2. Fertilizer and water management: After transplanting, water the plants sufficiently to ensure that they take root. After the seedlings have grown, sprinkle them with 0.5% urea 1-2 times to promote their growth. Top dressing is generally divided into 2-3 times. The first time is during the vine extension period or before row closing, and 10 kg of compound fertilizer is applied per mu. The second time is during the fruit swelling period, and 15 kg of compound fertilizer is applied per mu. The third time depends on the growth of the plants and 10 kg of compound fertilizer is applied per mu.

3. Preserving flowers and fruits: If the pumpkin encounters high temperatures or heavy rain during its flowering period, pollination is likely to be poor and it is difficult to set fruit. Artificial assisted pollination should be carried out to increase the fruit setting rate.

4. Measures to prevent flowers and fruits from falling include adjusting the relationship between growth and fruiting, timely pruning and trimming branches, and preventing excessive side vines and excessive plant growth.

5. Disease and Pest Control

Pumpkins are highly adaptable to external conditions and are less susceptible to diseases and insect pests.

1. Common diseases of pumpkin include powdery mildew, viral disease, blight, anthracnose, etc., among which viral disease is the most serious. Prevention and control methods: Spray 500 to 600 times diluted thiophanate-methyl, or 500 to 600 times diluted thiamethoxam plus 500 to 600 times diluted carbendazim 2 to 3 times during the growth and development period of pumpkin to prevent the occurrence of the disease.

2. The main pumpkin pests are aphids, red spiders, white grubs, etc. Prevention and control measures: Spray 1000 times diluted 90% trichlorfon. Underground pests can be killed with 90% trichlorfon mixed with fried bait.

6. Harvest at the right time

The fruit matures 40 days after pollination of the female flower. The sign of maturity is that the fruit stalk becomes woody and protrudes outward. It can be harvested at this time and stored in a cool and ventilated place. The fruit stalk should be 2 to 3 cm long and should not be too long.

The above is an introduction to the key points of pumpkin planting . Pumpkin planting is actually not complicated. It is very simple if you master the method. You can refer to it based on the actual situation.