Watermelon seedling raising time

As an indispensable fruit in summer, watermelon has broad sales prospects. Moreover, watermelon is relatively easy to grow. If you want to grow high-yield and high-quality watermelon, you need to raise the seedlings correctly. Let’s talk about the time for raising watermelon seedlings.

1. Watermelon seedling raising time

It is recommended to grow watermelon seedlings between mid-March and early April each year. Because there is more rain during this period and the temperature is slowly rising, it is more suitable for seed germination.

2. Detailed method of watermelon sowing and seedling raising

1. Choose the variety

There are many excellent varieties of watermelon. When choosing, you should choose according to local climatic conditions, variety characteristics and cultivation methods. Be careful to avoid being deceived and buying fake seeds. Go to regular seed points to purchase.

2. Dry the seeds in advance

Choose a sunny and windless day, spread the seeds on paper or mat and other objects, with a thickness of no more than 1 cm, expose them to the sun so that they receive even light, and turn them over every 2 hours or so. When drying seeds, do not place them on iron plates, cement boards, stones , etc., so as not to burn the seeds and affect the germination rate.

3. Seed soaking

After the watermelon seeds are dried, soak them in 55-degree warm water for about 15 minutes, stirring them. After the water temperature drops naturally, soak them for another 6 hours. Pay attention to washing the mucus on the surface of the seeds during the phenol soaking process, and rub the seeds continuously, which is conducive to seed germination.

4. Seed disinfection

Many diseases on watermelon can be transmitted through seeds. Generally, the soaked seeds need to be disinfected with drugs. Soaking the seeds in solutions of methyl thiophanate, carbendazim, potassium permanganate, etc. can kill the bacteria on the surface of the seeds. Note that when soaking seeds in the liquid medicine, you must strictly control the soaking time and the concentration of the liquid medicine. After soaking, you must rinse the seeds repeatedly with clean water until there is no smell of medicine on the seed surface.

5. Seed germination

Wipe the soaked seeds dry and spread them evenly on the wrung-out wet cotton cloth, leaving a gap of 3 to 4 cm around the cotton cloth. The thickness of the seeds should be 1-2 layers. First fold the cotton cloth around and roll it into a roll, then wrap the roll with a wet towel to make the seeds evenly distributed in the roll. After the roll is wrapped, it can be germinated. There are many heat sources for germination, among which egg incubators and constant temperature boxes are the best. The germination temperature for ordinary watermelon seeds is 28~30 degrees, and the germination temperature for seedless watermelon seeds should be kept at around 33 degrees. When the radicle grows to 0.3~0.5 cm, it can be sown.

6. Loosen the soil

When all the melon seedlings have emerged, loosen the soil on the bed shallowly, usually about 1 cm. This can promote root growth, improve soil permeability, increase soil temperature, and regulate humidity. When true leaves grow out, loosen the soil again, which is beneficial for cultivating strong seedlings. Generally, loosen the soil once 1 to 2 days after each watering. To avoid damaging the root system, loosen the soil shallowly.

7. Tempering seedlings

Start hardening the seedlings 5 ​​to 7 days before transplanting and stop fertilizing and watering. Gradually increase the ventilation volume, improve the survival rate, and allow the melon seedlings to adapt to the natural environment. The best time for transplanting is when 2 to 3 true leaves are unfolded.

That’s it