Pumpkin Planting and Management Tips

If you want to get high yields of pumpkin, you must do a good job of management. Here are some pumpkin planting and management techniques:

1. Sow seeds at the right time

The open-field cultivation of chestnut pumpkin is mainly spring planting, sowing and raising seedlings in January and February, and direct sowing in August and September for autumn planting, but the risk is relatively high due to serious virus diseases; zucchini is cold-resistant, sowing and raising seedlings from December to mid-February of the following year or direct sowing in October in late autumn; Chinese melon is planted in February and March in spring, sowing and raising seedlings in the first ten days of the year, and direct sowing in late July to early August in autumn. The temperature management of "one high and one low" is adopted during the seedling period, that is, high temperature is maintained after sowing to promote germination, and after most of the seedlings are soiled, ventilation is strengthened and the temperature in the shed is appropriately lowered. The winter planting effect of chestnut pumpkin and zucchini in facility cultivation is better.

2. Transplant at the right time

You should choose a loam or sandy loam plot that has not been used to grow melon vegetables for 2-3 years; good light, convenient drainage and irrigation, and soil pH5.5-6.8. When the seedlings have 2-3 true leaves, they can be transplanted. The width of the dwarf variety is about 1.5 meters, the spacing between plants is about 0.6 meters, and they are planted in double rows. The width of the long vine variety is 2-2.5 meters, the spacing between plants is 0.6-0.7 meters, and the creeping cultivation is planted in a single row, and the trellis cultivation is planted in double rows. Combined with land preparation and ditching, apply about 2000 kg of decomposed organic fertilizer, 0 kg of phosphorus fertilizer, and 15 kg of compound fertilizer per mu of planting ditch. Choose a sunny day with a cold end and a warm beginning for transplanting. If the autumn virus disease is serious, it can be appropriately densely planted, and the seedlings can be fixed before the vines are stretched to preserve the seedlings.

3. Prune the vines and keep the branches

For long-vine varieties, 2-3 vines are usually left per plant. You can top the plant when it has 5-6 true leaves, and select 2-3 strong and uniform-sized vines, or keep the main vine and select 1-2 strong vines. The rest of the side vines must be removed. Dwarf zucchini is generally not topped and pruned. Remove old leaves and leaves in time during the growth process.

4. Fertilizer and water management

After transplanting, water the plants enough to establish roots. After the seedlings have grown, sprinkle 0.5% urea 1-2 times to promote seedling growth. Topdressing is generally divided into 2-3 times. The first time is during the vine extension period or before closing the rows, combined with inter-row cultivation and weeding, and 10 kg of compound fertilizer is applied per mu. The second time is during the fruit expansion period, and 15 kg of compound fertilizer is applied per mu. The third time depends on the growth of the plants and 10 kg of compound fertilizer is applied per mu during the second and third fruit expansion period. More water is needed during the fruit expansion period, and irrigation should be carried out in time. The occurrence of viral diseases in autumn planting is closely related to the supply of fertilizer and water in the early growth period. More water and fertilizer promote rapid growth of plants, avoid water and fertilizer shortages, and can effectively reduce the occurrence of viral diseases. There is a lot of rain in spring planting, so drainage should be done well to reduce field humidity. There is less rain in the middle and late stages of autumn planting, so ditch irrigation should be done well.

5. Preserve flowers and fruits

If the pumpkin is in bloom and encounters high temperatures or heavy rain, it is easy to have poor pollination and difficult fruit setting. Artificial assisted pollination should be carried out to increase the fruit setting rate. Artificial pollination should be carried out in the morning. Pick the newly opened male flowers, remove the corolla, and lightly apply pollen to the stigma of the female flowers. Leave 2 leaves before branching and fruiting, select one normal fruit on each vine, and remove the excess and deformed ones. The temperature of the zucchini planted in early spring is low in the early stage of fruiting, there are more female flowers, fewer male flowers and insufficient pollen, which is not conducive to pollination and fertilization, and it is easy to fall flowers and fruits. When the female flowers are open, 20-30 mg/kg of anti-drop agent can be applied to the stigma of the female flowers to promote fruit setting.

6. Harvest at the right time

For chestnut pumpkin and Chinese pumpkin, old melons are mainly harvested, which can be harvested about 40 days after pollination. When picking melons, it is best to leave 3-4cm fruit stalks to facilitate storage. Zucchini is eaten as young melons, which are harvested 7-10 days after flowering when they are about 250g, or according to market needs. Due to the fierce competition for nutrients between fruits, it is necessary to harvest early in time to facilitate the growth of young melons on the upper layer and increase the fruit setting rate.