Ms. Huong Nguyen (40 years old, living in Ho Chi Minh City) has taken advantage of a 50m2 terrace, growing a variety of clean vegetables to serve her family, but the most impressive and successful model must be the melon growing model, each fruit is round, plump, and sweet.
Strict soil preparation and seedling planting
Sharing about the model, Ms. Huong said that cantaloupe requires 100% sunlight, the minimum potted distance is one hand span. Old planted soil must be turned into dry lime for 1 week to kill disease. Then, mix soil in a ratio of: 40% base soil, 30% porous substrate (rice husk ash, coconut fiber... ), 30% organic fertilizer (fertilizer, earthworm... ), and incubate with phosphorus and humic for 15 days.
Refrigerate seeds, sun-dry for 30 minutes, soak in warm water for 4 hours (2 boiling, 4 cold) and then incubate in a damp towel. Wait 24 hours for the seeds to crack, then sow in a seedling jar containing 70% clean soil and 30% earthworm fertilizer.
Strict care and selection
Plants grown for 7 - 10 days are transferred to pots. To prevent fungus, the base of the plant is wrapped in 2/3 of a reversed plastic cup. Nutrition in this stage includes fish protein, organic NPK, micronutrients. The pruning of the underplant from the base to the 11th leaf must be done every day.
When the plant produces 10 leaves, reduce nitrogen, increase phosphorus and potassium to stimulate flowers. The pollination stage is carried out from 6 - 8 am, the female flowers must then be wrapped immediately to avoid yellow flies. Each root of watermelon only keeps exactly 1 round and even fruit, with a large stem. When the plant reaches 35 - 40 leaves, proceed to cut the top to focus all efforts on growing the fruit.
Cut sweet juice
In the first 20 days after pollination, the fruit grows quickly, so it is necessary to alternately water with fish protein, organic NPK and humic. At the same time, apply chicken, bat, and earthworm fertilizer as a base and apply fine lime around the base to prevent fungus.
From the 20th, completely stop nitrogen. To create sweetness, switch to organic potassium and diluted incubated banana juice 2 times/week. The decisive trick is to completely cut off water 5 days before harvesting, helping the watermelon reach crispness and sweetness.
Since having a cantaloupe garden in the sky, Ms. Huong's family has proactively obtained clean fruit sources to improve daily meals while still ensuring sufficient nutrition. In addition, the garden has also become an ideal relaxation corner, helping members relieve their moods and relax.
