Planting technology and management of wax gourd

Winter melon is an annual vine-like herb that is widely grown throughout my country and is known for its thick flesh, rich juice and light taste. The white flesh of winter melon has a delicate texture and a fresh taste. Both young and mature winter melon can be eaten, making it a very common vegetable on the table. Many vegetable farmers choose to plant it. Let’s learn about the planting techniques and management of winter melon.

1. Planting time and seed treatment

Winter melon is best sown in spring from February to March or before July in autumn. In early spring, the method of transplanting after raising seedlings is mostly used, while in autumn, direct seeding is mainly carried out. Before sowing, air the seeds for 1 to 2 days, then add potassium permanganate or carbendazim to 55℃ warm water for 30 minutes for disinfection. Take out, rinse and soak in 30℃ warm water for 24 hours. After the seeds have absorbed enough water, sow them. The seed rate per mu is about 600 seeds.

2. Sowing and seedling raising

Choose a sunny, ventilated, pest-free plot, apply well-rotted farmyard manure and quicklime powder, turn the soil and level it before sowing. Keep each seed 10 cm apart and sow 1.5 cm deep. Cover the soil and water lightly. When raising seedlings in early spring, you need to pay attention to temperature changes and use arched film to keep warm and moist. Compact the film when the temperature is below 15℃ at night. Ventilate when the temperature is above 25℃ during the day and keep the soil slightly moist. The seedlings should be about 30 days old.

3. Land preparation requirements

Choose a plot of land that has not been planted with melon crops for 2 to 3 years, and plow the soil 20 cm deep and dry it in winter to reduce diseases and improve soil fertility. One week before spring planting, prepare the land again and apply sufficient base fertilizer, including decomposed organic fertilizer , cake fertilizer, superphosphate, ammonium nitrate and quicklime powder or nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium compound fertilizer . After turning the soil evenly, make a flat bed 1.5 meters wide, with a ditch width of 2 meters and a depth of 25 centimeters.

4. Transplanting and planting

It is recommended to cover the ground with plastic film before planting in spring, and transplant the winter melon seedlings when they are 15 to 20 cm tall . The temperature should be above 20℃ during planting. The planting density of winter melon should be appropriate, with single row planting and plant spacing of 1 meter, and 500 to 600 plants per mu. When digging up the seedlings, be sure to handle them gently with soil to avoid damaging the roots. After planting, water them thoroughly to help them take root and take care to prevent soil and water loss.

5. Build a scaffold

After planting, when the melon seedlings grow to 50 cm in height, start building the trellis. A triangular structure is built using large bamboos, with a large bamboo placed horizontally on the top, with a height of more than 1.5 meters. Vining work should be done after 5 pm to reduce water evaporation. The planting method of covering the ground with plastic film can save the need for intertillage, but regular weeding is required to keep the field free of weeds.

6. Water and fertilizer management

Watering should be done in time according to soil moisture during the seedling stage. No additional watering is usually required during spring planting to prevent excessive growth. During the fruiting period, you need to gradually increase the amount of water and keep the soil moist. Sufficient base fertilizer has been applied before planting, and topdressing is generally not needed in the early stage. Before flowering, apply 25 kg of triple compound fertilizer per mu. It will be better to apply fertilizer after rain or water with decomposed manure water after fertilization. During the flowering period, top dressing should be applied every 15 days by spraying 0.3% potassium dihydrogen phosphate foliar fertilizer once a week for three consecutive times.

7. Pruning

Pruning is the key to growing large winter melons. Keep two main vines for each winter melon plant and cut off unnecessary side branches on a sunny morning. It is recommended to carry out artificial pollination on a sunny morning. Select 2-3 fruits from each winter melon plant. When the winter melons grow to half a pound or one pound, select the best fruits, leave one winter melon to grow, and leave 15 leaves behind the melon for pinching and topping. For winter melons that you eat at home, you can leave more melons to grow, and at the same time cut off old leaves, diseased leaves, and yellow leaves to maintain ventilation and light. Use ropes to help share the weight of the melons and tie the melon hanging branches to the tops of the melons.

8. Pest and disease control

The key to preventing pests and diseases is careful field management. An environment with high temperature, high humidity, poor ventilation and light is prone to cause diseases and pests, so management is the best preventive measure. If necessary, pesticides can be used for prevention and control. Common winter melon diseases include downy mildew, wilt, vine blight, etc., which can be controlled by spraying with corresponding pesticides. The main pests are greenhouse whitefly, American leafminer, aphids, etc., which can be controlled by using crystal trichlorfon, dichlorvos, imidacloprid, etc.

If there are continuous rainy days during the seedling stage after transplanting, you can spray wood ash to prevent dehydration. Wood ash can not only prevent diseases but also serve as foliar fertilizer.

9. Harvest timing

Winter melon sown in spring is usually harvested from late May to June. Be careful when harvesting to avoid damaging the wax gourd and make sure to handle it with care. During loading and transportation, dry straw is used as an isolation layer to protect the surface of the winter melon and prevent it from being damaged during transportation. The harvest time of winter melon can be flexibly determined according to the market price. It can be sold immediately or stored for better market opportunities.

The above is the planting technology and management of winter melon. I hope it can provide guidance for farmers who grow winter melon, help them understand the requirements of environmental conditions, and master planting and management skills to cultivate large winter melons.