How to Plant Watermelons
In the scorching summer heat, sweet and juicy watermelons are an excellent choice for quenching thirst and cooling off. To grow high-quality watermelons with a perfect shape and sweet red flesh, mastering scientific planting techniques is crucial. This article will systematically explain the key points of the entire watermelon planting process from site selection and seedling preparation to field management.
Watermelon Planting Site Selection and Soil Improvement
Geographical Environment Requirements
Watermelons are warm-loving and drought-resistant crops. The planting site should be a sunny, wind-protected, and slightly sloping area with an average annual temperature of 18℃ or higher and annual sunshine hours of over 2000. Avoid planting in low-lying, flood-prone areas or where melon crops have been grown previously.
Soil Improvement Plan
Adopt deep tillage to improve soil structure, with a tillage depth of over 40cm. Mix 30% humus soil into sandy loam and apply 3 tons of decomposed manure and 50kg of superphosphate per mu, maintaining a stable soil pH between 6.0 and 6.8.
Key Techniques for Watermelon Cultivation Management
Land Preparation and Ridge Formation Standards
Use a double-row high ridge cultivation pattern with ridge width of 1.2 meters, ridge height of 30cm, and trench width of 40cm. Construct a three-level drainage system: the trench should be 25cm deep, the middle trench 35cm deep, and the surrounding trench 50cm deep, ensuring smooth drainage during the rainy season.
Key Points for Seedling Raising and Transplanting
Use nutrient pots for seedling raising, soak seeds in 55℃ water for 15 minutes before sowing. Plant 2 seeds per hole with a soil cover of 1.5cm, maintaining a soil temperature of 25-30℃. Transplant when the seedlings have 3 leaves and 1 heart, with a spacing of 50cm, planting 600-800 plants per mu.
Watermelon Integrated Management of Water and Fertilizer
Water Demand Control
Maintain soil moisture at 70% during the vine stretching stage and increase it to 80% after fruit setting. Use drip irrigation, providing 2-3 hours of water supply daily during the fruit expansion stage and stopping watering 10 days before harvest to increase sugar content.
Scientific Fertilization Plan
Apply a base fertilizer of 2 tons of organic fertilizer and 40kg of ternary compound fertilizer per mu. Top dressing is done in three stages: apply 10kg of urea during the vine stretching stage, 15kg of potassium sulfate during the fruit setting stage, and supplement 5kg of calcium and magnesium fertilizer during the expansion stage. Spray 0.3% potassium dihydrogen phosphate on the leaves three times.
Watermelon Harvesting and Quality Assurance
Judge the maturity by the characteristics such as the drying of the fruit stem tendrils and clear net patterns on the fruit surface. When harvesting, leave a 3cm stem on the fruit to avoid mechanical damage. Use pre-cooling treatment and store the watermelons at 12℃ to keep them fresh for 20-25 days.
Mastering these core watermelon planting technologies, combined with meticulous management, can not only increase the fruit-setting rate but also cultivate high-quality commercial watermelons weighing 8-12kg with a central sugar content of over 13%. It is recommended that growers establish production records and continuously optimize cultivation plans through data accumulation over 3-5 years.