Experience in growing cucumbers and creeping squash

For cucurbit crops, the early winter crop season offers ample land, allows for easy sale of melons and squash without the need for trellises, simplifies plant protection, and has a shorter growing season for the varieties, making it a popular choice for many farmers.

For cucurbit crops, the early winter crop season offers ample land, easy marketability of melons and squash without the need for trellises, easier plant protection, and shorter growing periods for the varieties, making it a popular choice for many farmers. However, recent years have seen significant weather changes that are unfavorable to vegetables, especially during the early winter crop season. Therefore, growers need to pay attention to several technical measures to improve production efficiency. The following are some experiences for farmers to consider.

- Seasonal selection:Melons and squashes are warm-loving plants, so they need to be grown in the early winter season to achieve high yields and quality. Ideally, seeds should be sown from mid-August and no later than September 5th.

To meet the required planting schedule while the main rice crop is still unharvested, growers should take advantage of the time to prepare seedlings in nurseries, or even harvest 6-7 rows of young rice, and carry out minimal land preparation to intercrop melons and pumpkins with rice in the early stages.

- Preparing the soil and making ridges:Based on observations in localities growing early winter melons and squash, it has been found that in many seasons, the yields of these crops have decreased significantly due to the strong outbreak of fungal and bacterial diseases, typically wilting, stem rot, and stem cracking with sap exudation. Many fields have even been wiped out because the plants died before they could bear fruit.

Evaluating the causes to draw lessons learned, the reality shows that the way farmers prepare the soil for planting melons and squash has a strong influence on this result. Traditionally, in many localities, farmers prepare the soil for planting melons and squash very superficially: They only till the soil around the planting area, about 0.5-0.7m wide, apply fertilizer, and then plant the melons and squash. The stems grow long and are left to lie on the surface of the harvested rice field, which is very damp. This simple method of preparing the soil, combined with the weather and frequent early season rains, is the main reason why melons and squash are easily infected with soil-borne diseases or die from waterlogging.

It can be said that growing melons and squash without trellises in the early winter season is an advantage because it is simple and reduces investment costs for materials. However, land preparation and furrowing should not be done carelessly. Ideally, farmers can apply preliminary land preparation at the base of the plants to prepare for planting (if intercropping with rice) and then complete the melon and squash furrowing later (supplementary furrowing). If the rice field has been completely harvested, then proceed with plowing and harrowing the land to create complete furrows. The furrows should be 25-30 cm high, with a width depending on the planting method.

Many demonstration models show that, with careful furrow preparation, even using agricultural plastic mulch to cover the furrows, combined with scientific fertilization, melons and pumpkins in the early winter season yield very high productivity.

- Support the vines - direct the shootsIf melons and squashes grown on the ground are not supported by vines and pruned, their ability to absorb nutrients will be low, the stems will overlap, making them susceptible to pests and diseases, and resulting in fewer flowers and fruits…

To ensure this is best, farmers should pinch off the tips of melon and squash plants when they have 5-6 leaves to encourage branching, keeping only two main branches on the stem and removing any subsequent branches. On mature nodes where adventitious roots have developed, cover the nodes with a handful of fine soil to help the plant absorb more nutrients, prevent breakage in wind and rain, and provide better support for the vines. At the same time, orient the vines so they do not overlap.

- Methods of applying topdressing fertilizerIn many places, farmers have a habit of mixing nutrients with water and regularly watering the roots of melons and pumpkins when fertilizing. This practice can easily be detrimental to the plants because fungi and bacteria will proliferate and severely damage the roots, especially when using nitrogen fertilizer. It is best to apply furrow irrigation or bury fertilizer in the soil where the melon and pumpkin vines are growing. For furrow irrigation, it is best to pump water to half the height of the furrow, then sprinkle NPK 16-16-8 or NPK 14-14-14 + TE fertilizer in appropriate amounts for each stage, stirring until dissolved so it gradually penetrates the furrow. Doing so will strengthen the stems and leaves and reduce root disease.

* Attention:

To minimize wilting disease in melons and pumpkins during their sensitive period (mid-season), farmers should avoid excess nitrogen in the plants during cultivation. A balanced application of nitrogen and potassium fertilizers is necessary. Absolutely avoid applying urea fertilizer alone. It is best to supplement with macro and micronutrient fertilizers to enhance resistance and improve yield and quality of these crops.

+ Supplementary pollination can be applied to increase the fruit set rate of melons and squash.

Throughout the growing season, growers also need to supplement the root zone of melons and squashes with antagonistic or symbiotic fungal preparations several times to minimize wilting disease and stimulate faster plant growth.

+ Priority should be given to using F1 hybrid melon and pumpkin varieties to increase resistance to pests and diseases and boost crop yields.

According to the National Agricultural Extension Service