When is the best time to plant watermelons? (What month is the best season to plant watermelons?)

Watermelon is an annual climbing vine of the Cucurbitaceae family. It is one of everyone’s favorite fruits, and watermelon can be called the “king of summer”.

In the hot summer, the watermelon flesh is sweet, refreshing and thirst-quenching. It also has high nutritional value and is in great demand in the market.

It can be said that watermelon has become an important cash crop in my country and a fruit that farmers can use to improve their economic benefits. So, when is the best time to plant watermelon? Are there any good planting methods that can increase yields?

Best time to plant watermelon

The sowing time of watermelon is generally determined according to the type of variety, cultivation purpose and market launch period.

Generally speaking, some early-maturing varieties should be sown in mid-March and put on the market in early to mid-July; late-maturing watermelon varieties can be delayed until mid-to-late April for sowing and harvested in late July to early August.

For open field cultivation in autumn, it is advisable to sow in late June to mid-July and harvest in September to October. For greenhouse cultivation in autumn, it is generally sown in late July to early August and put on the market after National Day.

High-yield watermelon planting methods and techniques

① Land preparation and base fertilizer

The soil is deeply ploughed and dried for half a month, and 50-75 kg of quicklime is spread per mu. The soil is then broken up and leveled to make ridges with a 2.5m wide ridge and ditch, with one side of the ridge being 40cm high and the other side being 20cm high.

Dig a planting ditch with a depth of 25cm and a width of 40cm on the side of the high ridge. Usually, 1000-1500 kg of decomposed farmyard manure, 25 kg of triple compound fertilizer, 1.5-2 kg of borax, and 4 kg of magnesium sulfate are applied per mu in the ditch. When applying in the ditch, the fertilizer and the backfilled soil should be mixed evenly.

②Selection of improved varieties

Good varieties are the prerequisite for high yield and high quality . Reasonable layout of early, medium and late maturing varieties can extend the watermelon supply period and improve economic benefits.

③Seed treatment

Before sowing, dry the seeds for 1-2 days to increase the physiological activity of the seeds . Then soak the dried seeds in warm water at about 55℃ for 5-6 hours, pour out the water, and then wash the seed coat with 5% lime water.

At the same time, we need to rub the seeds gently with our hands until they are no longer slippery, then rinse them with clean water and air dry them to germinate.

④ Germination

Germination can be done by greenhouse germination, electric blanket germination, bedding germination and body temperature germination . If the planting area is large, greenhouse germination, electric blanket germination or germination with corn and rice can be used at the same time. Generally speaking, beginners can use body temperature germination and bedding heating germination.

⑤Sowing

The first step is to place a germinated meter-long seed flat on the nutrient soil in the prepared nutrient cup, with the bud facing downward (because the bud is the root).

The second step is to put only one germinated seed in each nutrient cup , cover it with 1 cm thick nutrient soil, and sprinkle a little 1000 times thiophanate-methyl water (or other fungicides).

Step 3: Insert the bamboo blocks, cover with film, and press the film with fine mud . Then insert another layer of bamboo blocks, about 15 cm away from the first layer, cover with another layer of film, and press the film with fine mud.

⑥ Fertilizer and water management

Water management: Water the watermelon at least 2-3 times during the entire growing period . As the watermelon vines stretch, the number of leaves increases, the sunshine time is long, and the water demand increases, so it is necessary to water it once for " vine stretching water ".

When the young melon grows to the size of a fist, water the melon to ensure the yield, quality and normal growth of the watermelon. In the future, you can decide whether to water it according to the climate and soil moisture conditions at that time. Stop watering and topdressing one week before harvest.

⑦ Pruning and vine pressing

Watermelons are usually pruned by double or triple vines . The so-called double vine pruning is to select a strong side vine at the base of the main vine in addition to the main vine, and remove all other side vines.

In this way, the stems and vines are distributed reasonably, the leaves are ventilated and light-permeable, photosynthesis and disease resistance are enhanced, thereby increasing yield and improving quality.

Moreover, pressing down the vines can fix the melon vines, prevent them from being blown over by strong winds, and control their growth.

⑧ Harvest at the right time

The maturity of watermelon varieties varies. The number of days after pollination is calculated based on the fruit setting mark. The maturity can be accurately determined after the number of days after fruit setting, and the watermelon can be harvested in time .