Milk melon or melon is among the fruits that’s good to eat by itself or make juice. How to develop this fruit is just not that tough. Can be planted on the bottom or in a pot.
Botanical Information
Malay identify: milk melon
English identify: honeydew
Scientific identify: Cucumis melo cv Inodorus
Family: Cucubirtaceae (gourd household)
Milk melon is a creeping plant. The leaves are vast and have fibrous roots. Soft stems. Like the remainder of the pumpkin household, this plant has two sexes of flowers on one physique. One feminine flower and one male flower which is named monoecious in botanical phrases.
Varieties
Milk melon has a crunchy texture. There are many sorts of milk melon grown in Malaysia. Let’s get to know one after the other.
All the varieties I discussed are first era or F1 (hybrid) varieties. This implies that if we would like to make seeds from F1 that is very unsuitable. The seed from F1 ie F2 won’t be the identical as the unique guardian. Maybe these F2 seeds are smaller in dimension and can’t develop nicely. So I like to recommend you simply purchase the seeds in accordance to the hyperlink given.
Even so, there’s nothing flawed with experimenting, proper? That’s the benefit of rising your personal.
Honey dew
This is the range that we regularly see bought in supermarkets. It tastes candy and crunchy. Growing this fruit is just not tough. (purchase right here)
Jade dew
Just like honey dew. It’s simply an oval form. (purchase right here)
Glamour
Glamor tastes sweeter than honey dew. Rough and mesh-like look. (purchase right here)
Melon rock
This rock melon tastes extra crunchy than sky rocket. This is among the varieties which are broadly planted by fertigation farmers. (purchase right here)
Honey Melon
Just just like the honey dew selection, solely the skin shade is yellow. (purchase right here)
Golden prize
Just like Autumn Sweet. The solely distinction is that it appears to be like oval. (purchase right here)
Soil Type
Milkmelon crops like soil wealthy in natural matter however don’t like waterlogged soil. How would you like to know if our land is flooded or not? Just completely satisfied. Pay consideration to the situation of the soil after rain. If there may be stagnant water, it isn’t appropriate for rising milk melon.
This is as a result of waterlogged soil will trigger the roots of the watermelon tree to be simply broken.
Seedling
You can immediately sow milk melon seeds into the bottom or pots to begin planting. But it’s best if sown first in a nursery container. It might be in a nursery tray or a small cup full of nursery media.
Here I would love to emphasize the significance of utilizing the best nursery media. If it’s flawed, the seedlings that come out could also be contaminated with ailments. I like to recommend utilizing peatmoss (purchase right here). Peatmoss is nicely referred to as a top quality nursery media for every type of nursery.
Is it essential to soak the seeds first in water? I do not apply this methodology as a result of for me the seeds in moist nursery media will take up water by themselves. Why do you may have to work twice?
Plant the seeds about 3-5 cm within the nursery media. Water gently every single day till the seeds germinate, which is about 3-7 days.
Once the seeds have germinated, wait about two to three weeks earlier than transplanting them to the bottom or into pots.
Planting in Pots
If you need to plant in a pot, first select the suitable pot dimension. For milk melon, a 35 cm diameter pot with a top of 40 cm or extra is enough.
As for the potting medium, you possibly can be taught to make it your self as I present you in how to make a soil combination or if you do not have time it is higher to purchase an excellent high quality blended soil (purchase right here).
Creeping or vertical?
For good outcomes and save area, it’s good to plant this melon vertically. Let it climb up. So it is higher to put it on the sting of the fence or we put spikes for this melon to climb.
Even so, in order for you to let it develop creeping there isn’t a drawback. Fixed melon might be.
Watering
Milkmelon likes moist however not waterlogged soil. Therefore, it’s sufficient to simply water 2-3 instances a day relying on the climate. If the climate is regular, watering twice a day is sufficient. If the climate is scorching, water 3 instances a day together with midday. Yes there isn’t a drawback to water within the afternoon.
Fertilization
Milk melon likes natural fertilizers. You can use compost and even higher vermicompost (purchase right here). Vermicompost is a worm manure fertilizer that’s extremely helpful to crops. Two weeks a handful is sufficient. Dig and blend with the soil for optimum impact. Flush after fertilization is finished.
For chemical fertilizers, use top quality blue NPK 12:12:17 fertilizer (purchase right here). If you employ low high quality, possibly the nutrient worth within the fertilizer is just not the identical as proven. It’s okay, the fertilizer from China is just not the identical high quality because the fertilizer from Australia.
Giving fruit fertilizer chemically might be performed each two weeks on the price of 1 tablespoon.
Pollination
Milk melon has two varieties of flowers that are feminine flowers and male flowers. Usually pollinating brokers similar to bees, moths or butterflies will discover the male pollen to the pistil. But to get the best spherical fruit, normally the gardener will pollinate himself. Consider being a tok kadi on their crops.
It’s straightforward. Pick the male flower and place it on the feminine flower that’s blooming. Just 3-5 seconds is sufficient.
How have you learnt whether it is or not? Wait for 3-5 days when the feminine flower begins to contract. If the feminine flowers don’t fall, then you’re profitable as a tok kadi!
Conception
To get a fruit weight of round 1-2kg/fruit, one tree leaves round one to two fruit buds solely. Discard the remainder of the feminine and male flowers. Let the tree have the opportunity to focus fertilizer on the fruit that has turn out to be. Don’t throw away the flowers as a result of in any other case the ensuing fruit shall be small.
If there are greater than two fruits per tree,
There are gardeners who take away shoots on the fourth leaf after fruit buds. He stated that the tree can channel fertilizer to the fruit. You can do that methodology.
When the dimensions of the fruit is the dimensions of a tennis ball, you can begin tying the fruit up in order that the fruit doesn’t fall. You can use a fruit internet (purchase right here) to make your work simpler.
Pest and Disease Control
This watermelon tree is well attacked by pests similar to aphids, bena, kepinding white and koya. The greatest manner to management this insect infestation is to spray with an natural poison (purchase right here). Semambu extract has energetic elements that may inhibit the urge for food of bugs. Then trigger them to starve to demise regardless that meals is in entrance of them.
Just spray as soon as every week as a management.
If attacked, spray 3 times every week.
As for ailments, milk melon is well attacked by downy mildew. Usually farmers will plant varieties which are resistant to this dusty illness. For natural management, spray with EM1 (purchase right here). The perform of EM1 is to management the inhabitants of kulapuk fungus in order not to harm the tree. There are many advantages of this EM which you could learn in Benefits of EM1.
In addition, strengthen the tree’s resilience by spraying wooden vinegar (purchase right here). According to a examine in Thailand, wooden vinegar is confirmed to comprise substances that may enhance the tree’s resistance to pests and ailments. Spray 2 instances every week is sufficient.
Harvest
The harvest interval is completely different for every number of milk melon. Some up to 60 days after planting, some 70 days and a few even 80 days. So we want to learn on the seed pack concerning the maturity interval of the fruit.
Summary
Milk melon has many sorts. Can begin planting with honeydew and problem your self subsequent with harder varieties like rock melon.
Reference
- Department of Agriculture Peninsular Malaysia (1999). Watermelon Technology Package.