When is the best time to plant winter melon?

Wax gourd is an annual climbing or trellis-growing herb belonging to the genus Wax gourd in the Cucurbitaceae family. It is rich in nutrients, has a long history of cultivation, and is widely distributed. It is one of people's favorite vegetables in summer. Winter melon is resistant to storage and has a long supply period. Let’s learn together when is the best time to plant winter melon?

1. Planting plots

When choosing a plot of land for growing winter melon, soil conditions should be a priority. The ideal soil is deep, loose, well-drained sandy loam or clay loam with strong water and fertilizer retention capabilities. In addition, planting winter melon should be avoided on land where melon crops were previously planted, especially on fields that have not been planted with melon crops in recent years, to reduce the risk of disease.

2. Sowing time

The best time to sow winter melon in spring is from late January to early February, so that it can be put on the market earlier and a higher yield is expected.

3. Seed soaking and germination

Soak the wax gourd seeds in warm water at 55°C first, maintain this temperature for 15 minutes, then let the water temperature drop naturally to around 30°C, and continue soaking for 10-12 hours. After soaking, wash the seeds, mix them with moist fine sand, and germinate them at a temperature of about 30°C. When the seeds show white bud tips and the bud length reaches 0.3-0.8 cm, they can be sown. During the germination process, the seeds should be turned over regularly and kept moist to promote uniform germination.

4. Sowing method

Winter melon is usually planted by seedling transplanting. When preparing nutrient soil, it needs to be disinfected. Use 25-30 grams of 50% carbendazim wettable powder for every 1,000 kilograms of nutrient soil. Spray and mix well after dissolving, then cover with a film for 2-3 days before use.

When planting winter melon, it is necessary to prepare the land and plant in ridges. The ridge width is 2 meters, the ditch width is 0.4 meters, and the ridge height is 0.5 meters. Dig a trench in the middle of the ridge and apply bio-organic fertilizer , generally 800-1300 kilograms per mu. Before planting, apply 400 kilograms of bio-fertilizer and 40 kilograms of compound fertilizer per mu.

5. Field management

(1) Choice of cultivation method

There are three ways to grow winter melon: ground winter melon, greenhouse winter melon and frame winter melon. Depending on the actual situation, greenhouse winter melon cultivation method is usually chosen, and the recommended greenhouse height is 1.8-2 meters.

(2) Structuring, guiding and pressing vines

Winter melon mainly relies on the main vine to bear fruit, but due to its strong branching ability, vine pruning is necessary. Remove all side vines before and after fruit setting, and top the tree after fruit setting, leaving a certain number of leaves. When guiding the vines, each winter melon plant should be guided in a circle within its own plant spacing. After putting them on the shelf, the vines should be guided frequently to prevent them from breaking. For large winter melons, press the vines while guiding them, dig a 5-10 cm shallow trench below the stem nodes, and cover the 1.6-2 m long stems with fine soil.

6. Fertilizer and water management

When applying top dressing, pay attention to the reasonable combination of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. When the plant is growing vigorously, less or no top dressing can be applied. If the leaves are light or yellow, top dressing should be applied in time. Less topdressing should be done in the early stage of growth, and water and fertilizer should be controlled before and after the female flowers bloom. Heavy fertilization should be applied after 1-2 melons have set fruit. Apply 10-20 kg of Xiangshan enzyme fertilizer and 15 kg of compound fertilizer per mu. After that, topdressing should be done every half a month until about 10 days before harvest, and the amount of topdressing can be reduced appropriately.

When winter melon enters the vine growth period, the water requirement increases and it should be irrigated with running water. Generally, no watering or little watering is required during the flowering period. The water requirement is the highest during the fruit expansion period, and the soil should be kept moist to ensure yield.

The above is the planting time and cultivation points of winter melon. In addition to doing the above in accordance with the actual situation, we should not ignore the prevention and control of diseases and pests.