Variety selection
If maturity is considered, early-maturing varieties with smaller fruit types should be selected; However, if it is cultivated in the open air, large fruit varieties with strong growth, heat resistance and waterlogging tolerance are generally selected, and the main goal is to increase the yield of wax gourd.
Sowing and seedling raising
When winter melon is planted in spring, it is necessary to protect the root system and raise seedlings in a solar bed and a nutrition bowl. However, due to the slow germination and emergence of winter melon seeds, it is necessary to improve the light and heat conditions appropriately. When wax gourd seedlings have 3-4 real leaves, they can be planted.
Soil preparation and ditching
Winter melon planted in spring is generally harvested in summer, because the harvest season is in rainy season, so it is necessary to choose a planting place with higher terrain and convenient irrigation and drainage. 6000 kg of decomposed organic fertilizer and 50 kg of calcium superphosphate are applied to each mu of land, and the method of furrowing and centralized fertilization is generally adopted. After soil preparation, a flat border with a width of1.2m can be made, and seedlings can be planted in the center of the border.
Field planting
When winter melon is transplanted, the seedlings should be planted with clods and then watered immediately. The planting density of wax gourd varies with varieties. Generally speaking, the row spacing of mid-late maturing big fruit varieties is about 1 m, and the plant spacing is 50 cm; However, the row spacing of small fruit varieties is 50 cm and the plant spacing is about 30 cm. Different planting densities have great influence on the fruit setting rate and yield of wax gourd.
Water and fertilizer management
After slow seedling, it should be transferred to the stage of controlling water and squatting seedlings, with intertillage and loosening soil as the main method. When the leaves turn black and hard, you can finish squatting, which usually takes 2 weeks. Water should be poured once immediately after vine pressing, and some quick-acting nitrogen fertilizer should be applied to promote the rapid growth of stems and leaves. Wax gourd should not be watered when flowering, and water and fertilizer management should be strengthened after sitting melon. Generally, water every other week, apply fertilizer once every two weeks, apply 20 kilograms of compound fertilizer each time per mu, and stop topdressing 10 day before harvesting.
factory management
When the vine grows to 6-7 leaves, dig a semi-circular deep ditch with a depth of 10 cm on one side of the plant, place the stem nodes and petioles along the ditch, cover them with soil and press them down, which is called wire rod. Insert nails immediately after the tendrils are pressed, insert a wax gourd into each plant, and then tie it horizontally. After pressing the tendrils, pull the tendrils out of the shelf, and bind the tendrils with the growth of melon seedlings. The best time to tie vines is 20 cm from the ground, and the height of the second time is 50 cm. The pruning methods of wax gourd generally include single vine pruning and multi-vine pruning. Single vine pruning is to remove all the side branches and keep only the main vine; Multi-vine pruning is to keep 2-3 strong lateral branches at the base of the main vine, remove all other lateral branches, select melons on each vine and pick the heart in time. Winter melon needs artificial pollination. Keep the 2nd-5th female flower sitting on the melon, and then fix the melon after the young melon is seated. The fruit is getting bigger, so the cucumber should be treated in time.