Cultivation technology of chayote

Today I will introduce to you the cultivation technology of chayote. Please take a look:

Selection and storage of melon seeds

For seed melons, you need to choose melons that are plump, weigh about 500g, have smooth and thin skin, a lot of wax, slightly yellow, inconspicuous hair, slightly protruding buds, no scars or damage, and are fully mature. Store the seed melons indoors at 5℃~7℃ in late November. The specific method is to use a basket to store sand, that is, use a basket to fill a layer of sand, put a layer of melons, leaving no gaps, and cover the top of the basket with 10cm~15cm of sand. If the quantity is large, you can build a sand pool indoors for storage. During the entire storage period, you must pay special attention to the following points: ① Do not water from beginning to end, even if the skin is wrinkled. ② Must be used for sand storage and covering, not farmyard manure and field soil storage and covering. ③ If there is no dry sand, dry coal ash can be used for storage and covering.

Chayote Seedling Cultivation

Chayote can only be cultivated as an annual in temperate regions, and the whole melon must be sown for seedling raising. In the south, chayote is stored in a cellar, and naturally emerges around the Qingming Festival of the following year. Then, the melons with good seedlings are directly sown. In the north, in order to cultivate large and strong seedlings and improve the resistance of seedlings, it is necessary to carry out indoor germination as early as possible. The germination time is to take out the melons in late January of the following year, wrap them one by one in plastic bags, and move them to a greenhouse or a hot kang for germination at a temperature of 15-20℃. The germination temperature should not be too high. If the temperature is too high, the buds will sprout quickly, but the buds will be thin and not strong. Appropriately lower the germination temperature, and the buds will be thick, short and strong. The top of the melon will crack in about half a month, and young roots will grow. When the melons sprout, seedlings will be raised. If the quantity is small, use large nutrient bags or flower pots to cultivate in a greenhouse, and if the quantity is large, use simple protected land to cultivate. The nutrient soil is prepared by mixing sandy soil with good ventilation and garden soil in half. The sprout end of the melon should face up and the stalk should face down. The soil should be covered with 4 to 6 cm of soil. The soil moisture should be such that it can be clenched into a ball and fall apart when it falls to the ground. There should be no stagnant water. During the seedling period, it is advisable to leave 2 to 3 young shoots on the melon vines. The many and weak shoots should be removed in time. For the melon vines that grow too vigorously, leave 4 to 5 leaves and pinch them to control the excessive growth and promote the growth of side shoots. During the seedling period, the temperature should be maintained at 20 to 25 degrees Celsius, and good ventilation and lighting conditions should also be maintained.

The whole sowing of chayote requires a large amount of melons and the cost is high. In order to reduce the amount of melons and expand the reproduction coefficient, the Vegetable Research Institute of Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences has successfully adopted stem cuttings to raise seedlings. The specific method is to raise seed melons in advance and cultivate strong vines for cuttings. In places with greenhouses, seedlings can be raised from November to December. Extending the seedling raising period can make the seedlings have more branches and strong branches. Cut the seedlings and vines in early and mid-March, and each segment contains 2 to 3 nodes. Soak the cut stems in a 500ppm naphthaleneacetic acid solution for 5 to 10 minutes, take them out and insert them into seedling nutrient soil or light substrates such as vermiculite, perlite, and sieved slag to keep them warm and moist to promote rooting. According to experiments, the survival rate of cuttings using this method is over 80%.

Chayote Planting

Chayote can be planted after the frost stops. Greenhouse cultivation can be planted in early and mid-March, and open-field planting is best in mid-April. When planting, the hole should be large and deep, about 1m square and 1m deep. Fill the hole with 1/3 of the excavated soil, apply 200-250kg of decomposed high-quality fertilizer to each hole, and mix it thoroughly with the hole soil, then cover it with 20cm of soil and tamp it down with your feet. When planting, remove the seedling pot or plastic bag, bring the soil into the hole, level the land with the ground, and then bury the soil. Water after planting to promote the slow growth of the seedlings. Planting density, if using melon seedlings, large seedlings can be planted, and 20-30 trees can be planted per 667 square meters. When using cuttings to plant seedlings, the density can be appropriately increased, with a row spacing of 3m-4m, a plant spacing of 2m, and 80-120 plants per 667 square meters.

Trellising and pruning

Chayote has strong reproductive and climbing abilities, grows rapidly, has dense leaves and vines, and shades each other. If left alone, it is most likely to wither and drop flowers and fruits. Therefore, when the vine grows to about 40 cm, it is necessary to adapt to local conditions and use local materials, such as bamboo poles and ropes, to let the tendrils of chayote hook and lead its vines to climb the rack, tree, and wall. Chayote has strong lateral branch division ability, and a lateral bud can sprout in each leaf axil. After planting to the vigorous growth stage of the plant, the aboveground stems extend slowly, and the lateral branches at the base of the stems divide quickly, which is easy to form a cluster, affecting the stem extension and shelf. Therefore, the lateral buds at the base of the stems should be wiped off in time in the early stage, and only 2 to 3 sub-vines should be retained for each plant. After being put on the shelf, no more lateral branches are cut, and they are allowed to grow, but attention should be paid to adjusting the extension direction of the stems and vines to make them evenly distributed and ventilated and light-permeable.

Water and fertilizer management of chayote

① Within one month after planting, cover the seedlings and increase the temperature to promote their growth and development. No topdressing is required during this period, only a small amount of water is needed.

② During the rapid root development period, more tillage and loosening of the soil is required to promote root development and lay the foundation for the vigorous growth of the plant in autumn. During the summer, water frequently to keep the soil moist and increase air humidity to ensure that the chayote can survive the summer safely.

③ As autumn approaches, the growth of the above-ground part of the plant accelerates significantly and enters a vigorous growth period. It is necessary to apply fertilizer and water vigorously to enable the above-ground part of the plant to grow and develop rapidly and produce more side branches, thus laying a material foundation for more flowering and fruiting.

④ During the peak flowering and fruiting period, the daily transpiration is large, and sufficient water and fertilizer are needed. The water should be enough to keep the soil moist. You can spray nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers on the leaves 2 to 3 times, or apply decomposed human and animal manure.