Melon – Growers’ Guide
Melon
Season
Can be planted in all tropical season., sun light full day, temperature 25-35 C for growth.
Soil
Loam, Clay loam, good irrigation loam, pH 6-6.8. To plough the soil with dry sun 7-10 days To plough the soil deep 15-20 cm. [ V shape] Additional manure rate 2-3 ton / rai + Chemical fertilizer 15-15-15 rate 40-60 Kg./rai + Furadan 3 G 3 Kg/rai soil to cover up plot wide 80 cm. high 30 cm. 2 row/ plot [ plot wide 0.8-1 m.] Use plastic to cover up step end.
Agriculture
Transplanting sprout 13-15 days open water in to plot, perforate on plastic space 40 cm. Cultivate Seeds Soak seed in clean water 2-4 hour, cover with cotton keep temperature 28-30 C long untill the seed have root 0.5 cm. and planted in plastic bag.
Plastic bag for seedling
Size 4×4 ” pierce hole that under irrigation soil loam 3 / manure 1/ fertilizer 0-46-0 50 gm. Mix in to bag Select branch and fruit Cut branch 1-9 have fruit branch 10-13 after and select fruit complete only one.
Fertilizer
1. With plough Fertilizer 15-15-15 rate 50 Kg./rai 2. After transplant 5- 7 days Fertilizer 46-0-0 rate 5 gm./plant [dissolution] 3. After transplant 15-20 days Fertilizer 15-15-15 rate 10gm./plant 4. After transplant 30-35 days Fertilizer 13-13-13 rate 10gm./plant 5. Before harvesting 10-15 days Fertilizer 0-0-60 rate 6 gm. /plant.
Disease important:
Anthracnose, Wilt Insect Thirps, Beetles, Aprid.
MELON FACTS: Cantaloupes and netted melons are ripe when they give off a sweet fruity odour, at which time they “slip” or break readily at the union of fruit and stalk. Honeydews and casabas are ripe when they turn yellow, at which time they are cut from the vine; they are called the winter melons because they ripen late and mature slowly in storage for many weeks, becoming softer but not noticeably sweeter.
Plants resembling true melons include the watermelon (q.v.); the Chinese watermelon; the melon tree; and the melon shrub, or pear melon (Solanum muricatum), with purple fruit and yellow aromatic flesh, native to the Andes.