Watermelon plants often tend to fork during the growing process. Allowing them to grow unchecked will result in excessive side branches, which consume a large amount of nutrients and severely affect the growth of watermelons. To ensure both yield and quality, many growers often employ pruning techniques. Let's explore the four major pruning techniques for watermelons.
Four Major Pruning Techniques for Watermelon
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Single-Vine Pruning: Only one main vine is retained per plant, and all other lateral vines are removed. This method is simple and allows for more plants per unit area, resulting in more fruits. However, each plant has fewer leaves, and the fruits may not grow as large, resulting in lower yield and quality. Since the plant grows vigorously and there are no lateral vines for backup, it is not easy to set fruit. Single-vine pruning is suitable for small-fruited and early-maturing varieties.
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Double-Vine Pruning: Double-vine pruning is divided into two types: one retains the main vine, and the other retains two evenly spaced lateral vines by cutting off the main vine. Generally, the former is more common, where a robust lateral vine is selected at the base of the main vine and grown opposite to it. Typically, the main vine does not bear fruit, but the lateral vines can. Before fruit setting, all side branches are removed. Since there are more leaves and female flowers, both the main and lateral vines can bear fruit, resulting in larger fruit size. This method is particularly suitable for protected cultivation and is commonly used in 8424 watermelon production areas.
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Triple-Vine Pruning: On the basis of retaining the main vine, two additional robust and evenly growing lateral vines are selected, and all other lateral vines are removed before fruit setting. Triple-vine pruning results in a larger leaf area and larger fruit size, with more female flowers and more opportunities for fruit setting. It is a common pruning method for outdoor cultivation and late-maturing varieties.
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Multiple-Vine Pruning: When the main vine has 5-6 leaves, it is topped, and after the lateral branches form, 4-5 lateral vines are selected to grow parallel to each other towards the four sides. These lateral vines are utilized for fruiting. Each branch has similar growth potential, and female flowers appear at similar intervals, allowing for the simultaneous setting of 3-4 fruits. This method is applied to vigorous varieties and sparse planting.
Above are the four major pruning techniques for watermelons. The principle is to lightly prune watermelons and flexibly adjust based on the number of branches and field coverage. Pruning too lightly may not achieve the desired effect, while pruning too heavily may affect the normal growth of watermelons.
