Many farmers have asked us to write articles about watermelon production. We should ask ourselves what is the most important thing to consider if you want to produce watermelons with acceptable quality?
• The first and most important thing is to find a farm in a suitable area for this cultivation: The farmer is advised to cultivate watermelons in warm and well-drained land. But if they are produced in soil that is compacted and watered, this will not grow well.
• It is a crop that needs enough sunlight, dry and warm weather, and a large amount of water during the first three weeks and during the fruit fall. So the farmer should know about irrigation. Irrigation using tubes (drip irrigation) has been found to be more suitable in this agriculture because sprinkler irrigation has been found to cause diseases in the leaves in the same way that frequent rains cause.
• The third thing to be taken into consideration is to use the crop rotation system. The farm must not have been used to grow other crops such as cucumbers, pumpkins, and others for a period of at least five years. This is because this crop is easily infected by soil-borne diseases that also attack the crops of its community as mentioned above.
The next thing is to make sure you get seeds from reliable seed suppliers such as the Farmbase company located in Ilala and its agents in the regions. The farmer should realize that it is not good to use seeds from the previous season's crop because there is a high possibility of not giving you enough yield and fruits of poor quality, especially if the seeds used are hybrids.
Choose a type of seed that is popular in the area. Watermelon seeds germinate best when the soil is warm enough ( 25 o C -32 o C ) and warm air close to the temperature of the soil ie ( 28 o C to 33 o C ) which is usually found in the last period of the season drought.
Mix a generous amount of compost or manure into each hole of each plant: no less than one shovelful. Watermelons require fertile soil with a large amount of plant and animal residues and it is recommended to apply manure such as cow or chicken manure or cow manure before or during planting. Industrial fertilizers such as Ammonium nitrate and Calcium ammonium nitrate (CAN) can also be used. Holes are dug at a space of one meter for each row and two meters from one row to another.
Plant two seeds per hole and dip them in a hole 3 to 4 cm deep. Water your holes well if there is no sign of rain.
It also helps to plant watermelons in the field where leguminous crops such as pulses, beans, beans and others were grown before. The roots of these crops and if possible the leaves should be left in the field because they will produce nitrogen which is an important nutrient for the next crop.
IRRIGATION
After planting, water regularly and there are three important periods in which watermelons need adequate moisture:
• After you have planted to allow for a quick and balanced watering of the plant.
• When starting to produce flowers, help the plant to avoid failure to produce enough fruits with the desired quality
• And during the growth of the fruit to ensure the size of the melon fruit required.
• Do not pour too much water and avoid waterlogging and reduce wetting of the upper ground. Also, excessive watering or rain can cause the fruit to burst.
INSECTS, DISEASES AND WEEDS
Plant early and at the right time to produce this crop. This will help to ensure that the seeds germinate quickly from the ground, good growth and protect the ground and increase immunity against insects and diseases. Try to avoid challenges such as high humidity, excessive heat, infertile soil, drought, excessive air temperature and bruised plants
• Aphids and spiders and thrips: these insects are controlled by drugs such as
• Dry wings, weevils and grasshoppers that damage young plants or flowers.
DISEASES
Many diseases can be prevented by using crop rotation. Likewise, the use of good seeds and early planting help a lot to avoid disease disasters. It is good to control mites and bruises of plants and also irrigation of the leaves to control leaf diseases.
And if it is necessary to spray fungicides, then it is good that this exercise is done only when the symptoms of the disease appear. Spray all the leaves and repeat this exercise as necessary.
WEED CONTROL
Weed control is done before the plant starts to spread and when the weeds are still very strong. Double weeding is usually done using a hand hoe. It is good to make sure you weed carefully to avoid peeling the roots of these plants. And when the leaves of the melons have spread well, it is better to pull out dangerous weeds to prevent them from spreading more seeds.
REMOVING (PRUNING) EXCESSIVE FRUITS
Remove all the damaged or poor quality fruit and leave the quality fruit that meets the market demand. Leave one to three good quality fruits per plant. And put dry leaves under the melon fruit to avoid the possibility of the fruit rotting.
HARVESTING AND SELLING
Watermelons can be harvested three months after planting. It is good to be careful with these fruits because watermelons are fruits that rot quickly. This means you must have marketing plans for finding customers as early as possible.
IMPORTANT TO CONSIDER
• Bees: Watermelon flowers are pollinated by bees to produce the best fruit. And because most pesticides are toxic to these insects, it is recommended to spray pesticides in the evening when the hives of the bees are calm.
• You can also use drugs such as Darsfarm, Farmguard, Abanil, Duducron (Pictured) and others to control insects such as rootworms, grasshoppers that damage buds or flowers. You will find these medicines at Farmers Center and Farmbase stores and their agents in the regions.
................................................ ...................................
................................................ ...................................