When is the best time to plant water melon?

Water melon is a unique variety of loofah , but it is different from loofah. The melon is short and thick, with smooth skin, thick flesh and a tender taste. So when is the best time to plant water melons? Let’s learn more about it below.

When is the best time to plant water melon?

Water melons can be planted in spring. If they are grown in greenhouses , they are usually sown from late February to early March. If they are sown directly in the field, they have to wait until around the Qingming Festival in April. In some areas, it can also be planted from June to September.

How to plant water melon

1. Select seeds

Planting water melon requires carefully selected seeds. Select plump, mold-free, and full seeds, and expose them to the sun for 2 days before sowing.

2. Land preparation and fertilization

Water melons are not very demanding on the planting environment and choose sandy soil that is fertile, loose, and has convenient drainage and irrigation. 20 days before sowing, the land should be plowed and prepared, and base fertilizer should be applied. 1,500 kg of decomposed organic fertilizer and 30 kg of compound fertilizer should be applied per mu, and ridges should be made into 2-meter wide.

3. Planting seeds

When the local temperature stabilizes at around 18 degrees, you can start sowing. At this time, the temperature is high, so there is no need to soak the seeds in advance to germinate, and you can directly sow the dry seeds. Use the one ridge two rows method, dig holes, set the plant spacing at 40 cm, sow 3 seeds in each hole, and then cover with fine soil. If the soil in the field is dry, a small amount of watering is needed.

4. Seedling management

Generally, water melon seedlings will be ready in about 7 days after sowing. Wait until the seedlings grow two true leaves and thin them out in time, leaving one seedling with good growth in each hole. After thinning, apply seedling-promoting fertilizer once. Use 5 dan of human manure and urine mixed with water per mu, or use 5 kg of urea mixed with water per mu.

5. Scaffolding

When the water melon seedlings grow to 50 cm, you need to build a melon shed for the seedlings to climb. There are many ways to build a melon shed, you can build a tripod, a herringbone frame or a flat frame. The materials for building the melon shed can be made of large and small bamboos, with a height of about 1.5 to 2 meters. After the melon shed is built, the vines can be guided. The stems of the plants must not be damaged when guiding the vines. It is best to do it on a cloudy day or at dusk, and avoid tying the vines during the strong light period at noon.

6. Water and fertilizer management

Water melon does not need too much water during the seedling stage. Too much water will cause poor growth. The water requirement gradually increases during the flowering and fruiting period. Watering should be done according to the soil conditions to keep the soil moist. During the seedling stage, top dressing is applied once every half a month. During the fruiting period, fertilizer should be applied after each harvest. The fertilizers are mainly human feces and compound fertilizers.

7. Soil cultivation and weeding

In the middle stage, loosen the soil and weed. When loosening the soil, remove the weeds at the same time and add soil once. Loosen the soil to a depth of 3 to 4 cm. Avoid damaging the roots when loosening the soil. Loosening the soil helps loosen the soil, improve the absorption capacity of the water melon roots and stems, and strengthen the roots and stems.

That’s it