Planting and management of honeydew melon

In the past two years, the honeydew melon has been very popular in the market because it has a thin skin, a crispy texture, high sweetness, and is of moderate size, making it very suitable for people to eat. Naturally, the market recognition of it is high. Let’s talk about the planting methods and management of honeydew melons.

1. Planting time

There are both open-field and greenhouse cultivation modes for honeydew melons. Open-field cultivation is generally carried out in mid-to-late April, when the temperature is around 15°C, and it matures and is available on the market in August. For greenhouse cultivation, seeds are sown in mid-to-late February, transplanted in mid-to-late March, and put on the market in late May. We will mainly introduce the open-field cultivation techniques.

2. Seed treatment

First, dry the selected seeds in the sun to remove moisture, then soak the dried seeds in 50-degree Celsius warm water for 15 minutes, stir with a wooden stick to lower the temperature to about 20 degrees, rub the seeds repeatedly, and finally soak them in clean water for about 4 to 6 hours.

3. Germination and sowing

Wrap the soaked seeds with a wet cloth and place them in a device at 28 to 32 degrees Celsius for germination. Generally, they will be sown after 2 days. You can choose to grow seedlings in plug trays and prepare the nutrient medium yourself. Before sowing, water the seedbed sufficiently to keep it moist. After the water has seeped in, use your fingers to press out sowing holes, sow one seed in each sowing hole, then place the germinated seeds flat in the sowing holes, cover them with one centimeter of soil, and cover them with mulch immediately after sowing. The seeds will basically emerge after about 5 days.

4. Planting

When the seedlings grow to 3 leaves and 1 heart, they can be transplanted. The time for transplanting should be chosen in the morning on a sunny day. Plant one row in each bed with a plant spacing of 25 to 30 cm. Plant 2300 to 2600 seedlings per acre. Water the seedlings immediately after transplanting, and water them evenly and thoroughly.

5. Soil water and fertilizer

Honey Bee likes rich, loose and well-drained soil. Before planting honeydew melon, apply enough base fertilizer first. The base fertilizer should be mainly organic fertilizer and supplemented by chemical fertilizer. Honeydew melon needs a lot of water supplementation. The soil moisture should not be lower than 48% during the entire growing period. Water it once every 10 days after planting. Enzyme fish protein liquid fertilizer can be applied. The high content of organic matter can promote the formation of soil aggregate structure, improve the soil's air permeability, water permeability and root growth environment, provide nutrients and energy for microorganisms, increase rooting and increase yield.

6. Pinching the main vine

When planting honeydew melon, you need to hang the main vine and leave the melon above 4-5 leaves. After the sub-vine sets fruit, you can pinch off the melons, leaving one leaf in front of the sub-vine. Pinch off the melons after the main vine grows 30 leaves. This will help promote the growth of the honeydew melon and control the growth of the main vine. Generally, 3-4 melons can be retained on each plant in the first batch, and pinching the tops can make the fruits uniform in size. When the first batch of melons grow to the size of an egg, you can leave 2-3 second batch of melons after the sub-vines that grow on the upper nodes grow more melons. In the middle and late stages of the growth of the honeydew melon, leave 2-3 melons on the sub-vines as the third batch of melons. When pinching the honeysuckle, it is best to use scissors to trim it on a sunny day after the dew evaporates. This can prevent wound infection and allow the wound to heal quickly.

7. Pest and disease control

Honeydew melon has weak resistance, so it is very susceptible to diseases and pests, such as powdery mildew and brown spot, so disease prevention and control must be carried out in a timely manner. First, clean up diseased plants and leaves in time to avoid the spread of the disease, and hang physical facilities such as yellow boards or insect-proof nets to reduce the occurrence of pests. Secondly, cultivate strong seedlings and enhance the disease resistance of the plants. Finally, you can use appropriate amount of pesticides for prevention and control.

If you want to achieve high economic value in growing honeydew melons, then good planting technology management is very important. Overall, honeydew melons are now a very popular fruit on the market, and the prospects for their cultivation are promising. Farmers who have the conditions can consider planting them.