How to grow sweet and high-yielding pumpkins?

Pumpkin is rich in beta-carotene, a powerful antioxidant that converts to vitamin A. Pumpkin comes in many varieties, including sweet squash, winter squash, zucchini, and more, each with its own unique flavor and texture. So how do you grow pumpkins that are sweet and high-yielding?

1. Planting time

The best time to plant pumpkins is usually from February to March of the lunar calendar, which is from Qingming Festival to Grain Rain Festival.

2. Seeding technology

Arrange the ditches and lay the mulch according to the irrigation system. You can choose to lay 50 cm wide mulch on one side, or use 140 cm wide mulch for full coverage.

Before sowing, remove unfilled and deformed seeds, and choose sunny weather to dry the seeds for 2 to 3 days to enhance seed vitality. Put the selected seeds into 55℃ warm water and stir continuously for 15 minutes. After the water temperature drops to 30℃, continue to soak for 3 to 4 hours. Wash the mucus on the seed coat, wrap it with a wet cloth, and germinate it at 25 to 30℃ for 36 to 48 hours. When 80% of the seeds show white buds, they can be sown, or dry seeds can be sown directly.

Before sowing, dig the sowing holes, water them thoroughly, sow 3 to 4 seeds in each hole, cover them with 2 cm thick sandy loam, keep the hole spacing at 45 to 50 cm, and they will germinate in about 1 to 2 weeks at 25 to 30°C.

3. Transplanting and planting

When the pumpkin seedlings grow 3 to 5 true leaves, select healthy seedlings without diseases or insect pests for transplanting on a sunny afternoon. Plant one plant in each pot. The planting depth should be such that the cotyledons are level with the soil surface, and water thoroughly. If direct sowing is used, sick and weak seedlings need to be removed during the seedling stage, leaving only one plant in each hole.

4. Fertilization

About 10 days after planting, spray diluted organic fertilizer once, mainly nitrogen fertilizer. The plant grows rapidly after it starts to climb. When it grows 8 to 10 true leaves, it is toppled for the first time to promote the germination of side vines, and the support is built in advance. When the side vines grow to more than 50 cm, you can pick the tender stem tips and petioles and eat them. Be sure to keep about 5 leaves and use a slightly larger piece of soil to press down the remaining stems to promote the germination of aerial roots. After each harvest, spray diluted and decomposed organic fertilizer mainly composed of nitrogen fertilizer.

5. Bracket construction

When the vines have circled the pot on the soil surface, guide the stems to climb the support so that the leaves are evenly distributed and avoid branches blocking each other.

6. Growth management

After the plant enters the flowering period, male flowers are mainly produced in the early stage. The male flowers can be picked off in the morning when they are about to open and are eaten. When the female flowers begin to grow, the topdressing should be mainly phosphate and potassium fertilizers, and the picking of tender stem tips should be reduced or stopped. Carry out artificial pollination if necessary, preferably before 8 am. Usually, 3 to 5 melons are retained for normal growth on each plant (1 to 2 large melons are retained, and the number of miniature melons can be appropriately increased, depending on the growth of the plant). Excessive young melons or female flowers should be thinned out, and the stems and vines should be properly topped to avoid insufficient nutrient supply . Larger melons can be covered with a net bag and hung in a stable place. Melons close to the ground can be padded with foam plastic or wooden boards to isolate them from the soil.

7. Field management

Intertillage and weeding: Intertillage should be carried out in conjunction with weeding, starting from shallow to deep. When weeding, avoid moving seedlings or damaging roots. In order to promote the development of the root system, soil should be added to the roots during tillage. During the growth period of pumpkin, 2 to 3 tillage and weeding are generally required. Each time you do this, be careful not to damage the pumpkin plant or its leaves.

Irrigation and topdressing: After pumpkin is planted, irrigation is usually not required if the soil moisture is appropriate. During this stage, inter-cultivation should be carried out multiple times, and the ground temperature should be increased to promote root development, which is conducive to strong seedlings. After the vines have stretched, dig trenches 15 to 20 centimeters away from the roots and apply fertilizer. 500 to 1,000 kilograms of decomposed manure or 15 to 20 kilograms of quick-acting nitrogen fertilizer can be applied per mu. Irrigation is required after fertilization to prevent the quick-acting nitrogen fertilizer from burning the roots. Top dressing should be done in small amounts and multiple times, and care should be taken to prevent root burn and fertilizer damage.

Pruning and vine pressing: During pumpkin cultivation, excessive branches and leaves may cause poor fruit development. Therefore, it is generally recommended to top the tree when 6 to 8 true leaves appear to promote the formation of side branches. Usually, a maximum of 3 to 4 side vines of a pumpkin are retained, and 3 is the best. If there are special cultivation requirements, pruning and leaving side vines should be carried out as needed.

Pollination: When growing pumpkins in facilities, artificial pollination or bee-assisted pollination can be carried out to increase the fruit setting rate and yield and prevent dead buds and fruits. Pumpkin flowers usually open before 6 a.m. In order to improve pollination efficiency and fruit setting rate, pollination should be completed before 9 a.m.

Pest and disease control: The main pests of pumpkin include aphids, melon beetles and ants, which can be controlled with 1000 times diluted dimethoate, and 1500 to 2000 times concentration can be used in the seedling stage. The best time to prevent and control melon beetles and ants is in the morning when the dew has not yet dried. You can also use imidacloprid, avermectin and other pesticides for prevention and control, with good results.

The main diseases of pumpkin are powdery mildew and viral diseases. The occurrence of diseases directly affects the growth and development of pumpkin, resulting in a shortened growing period, reduced yield and decreased quality. Aphids are the vectors of viral diseases, so the first step to prevent and control viral diseases is to prevent and control aphids. The symptoms of pumpkin powdery mildew are mainly small white, nearly circular spots on the front or back of the leaves, which then gradually expand into continuous white powdery spots with unclear edges. In severe cases, the leaves will turn yellow.

The above are the key points of high-yield cultivation technology of pumpkin. When eating old pumpkin, you can take out the pumpkin seeds, remove the pulp, dry it and store it in a ventilated place, and you can use it for sowing next year.