High-yield pruning method for bitter melon

Bitter melon , as a member of the Cucurbitaceae family, is an annual climbing herb that is now widely planted in many regions of China. It is not only a common vegetable , but also regarded as a health food because of its rich nutritional value. If you want to have a high yield of bitter melon, pruning it also requires skill. Let’s learn the high-yield pruning methods for bitter melon.

1. Hanging vines

When the bitter melon grows to about 40 cm, use nylon rope to hang the vines. After the bitter gourd climbs onto the wire, guide the main vines in each row in the same direction.

2. Wrapping vines

After the main vine climbs up the trellis, keep 2 to 3 strong side vines and wrap them horizontally around the trellis wire together with the main vine. To ensure good ventilation and light conditions and reduce nutrient consumption, side vines and tendrils under the trellis should be removed. For the side vines that climb onto the racks, promptly remove the fruit-bearing, weak, and disease-infested branches, leaving only the vines that bear fruit. If there are two female flowers on a side branch, only keep the one with better fruit quality. If the plant grows too vigorously, you can keep two female flowers at the same time. After removing the first melon, keep 5 to 6 side vines on each plant, and there is no need to top the main vine and side vines.

3. Leaf picking

In the middle and late stages of growth, pay attention to picking leaves in time. Timely remove old, yellow, and diseased leaves from the lower part of the plant, as well as fruitless branches hanging from the lower part of the wire, to prevent field closure and the spread of disease.

4. Main side and two

The vine management of bitter melon is different from that of other vegetables. One main branch and two side branches should be retained. The best time to prune is when the plant blooms its first flower. At this time, the main and side branches are distinct, and the strength of the side branches is easy to judge. When pruning, in addition to retaining the main branch, you also need to retain two thick side branches so that the three branches of the plant can bear fruit. All other side branches from 1 meter above the root should be cut off.

In this way, the nutrients of the plant will be concentrated on these three branches, namely the main branch and two side branches, thereby improving the utilization efficiency of fertilizer . In this way, the bitter melon will grow longer and bigger in the later stage, avoiding deformities due to malnutrition.

The above are the key points for high-yield pruning of bitter melon. Many vegetable farmers often ignore this point when growing bitter melon, so you must pay attention.