HOW TO GROW EMERALD GREEN MELONS

One variety that excelled its field performance this past season is called Emerald Green. It has been tried and tested several times and is now on fruit production, some fruits are now visibly seen in our supermarkets and mall fruit kiosks.

SOWING

We use fungicide treated seed since muskmelons are sensitive to damping off, especially under cool, wet soil conditions. Use a sterilized soil medium, seedling tray and make sure you water them well and good enough until it grows. The ideal age of melons before transplanting is at least 14 days, they are then ready to be planted in the field.

CHOOSING AND PREPARING A PLANTING SITE

Muskmelons like Emerald Green do best in well-draining soil that’s a mix between loamy and sandy. Select a site that gets full sun. To produce the best melons, the plants need all the light they can get. Plus, afternoon sun will dry off leaves, reducing the risk of fungal and other diseases that come with wet foliage.

Growing the plants in raised beds ensures good drainage, you can also amend soil with aged manure or compost before planting. Mulching the beds with plastic mulch will serve multiple purposes: it will warm the soil ahead of planting, hinder weed growth, and keep developing fruits clean.

SPACING

Ideal spacing per plant is 50 centimeters up to 75 centimeters. This is to prevent overcrowding and nutrient competition. Avoid excessively high plant populations

that may reduce the he sugar content of the fruit. t.

The use of transplants is recommended for western Oregon, and for early production in eastern Oregon. Transplant production tion requires 4 to 5 weeks eks under proper greenhouse conditions.

IRRIGATION

Watering is always the key. Water your plants responsibly. You can always check the weather and the condition of the soil, if it’s too hot and the soil is too dry and tends to show cracks, your plants are calling for your help! While the melons are growing, flowering, and fruit setting, they need at least about 1.5 gallons per week. It is also advisable to water in the morning, and try to avoid wetting the leaves, as wet foliage encourages fungal and other diseases. Reduce watering once fruits are growing. Hot, dry weather produces the sweetest melons, while if you’ve had an exceptional amount of rainfall during the ripening stage, this can cause bland fruit.

FERTILIZATION

When fertilizing with granules, do not let the fertilizer come in contact with the plant as it may cause it to burn. You can also use a water-soluble product when fertilizing, choose a well- balanced fertilizer for fruit and vegetable plants and mix it with water according to the manufacturer’s directions. Apply once or twice a week.

Nitrogen is essential for the growing and vegetative stages of the plants. Melon plants can be fertilized differently after the blossoms appear. At this point, you want to use a fertilizer with much lesser nitrogen than phosphate and potassium. More potassium and phosphate will help your plants develop fruit. If you add a nitrogenrich fertilizer as this time, the plant will get very large, produce more leaves but will produce lesser fruit.

PRUNING AND FRUIT SELECTISELECTION

Once fru fruit begins to grow, prune o off shoots or excess growin growing vines. Your plants may pr produce fewer melons this w way, but they will be larger and of better qu quality.

F First fruits tend to gr grow fast but are often de deformed or rotten easily. Do n not hesitate to remove them a as these fruits are not yet ready a and will not give you the quality that you need. Select good formed and healthy fruits, you can grow at least 2-3 fruits per plant, it is an ideal number that is very manageable and less competition for nutrient requirement.

HARVESTING

Emerald Green matures from 70-75 days after sowing. They develop their highest dessert quality a day or more after harvest, even though the sugar content does not increase. Therefore, muskmelons attain their highest quality in fruits that have been harvested when they have reached their maximum sugar content. Maintain healthy, green foliage until final harvest.

Plants are naturally weakened and more susceptible to moisture, nutrient, and biological stresses during heavy fruiting. Neglect at this time can seriously reduce fruit quality.Emerald Green or green melons should be firm, well netted, wellformed for best quality. This variety is a non-slip type and fruits have to be cut carefully from the vine.

Emerald Green is a product of Known You Seed Philippines, Inc. For Inquiries, please call 0917-320- 1689 or 0998-968-0630. Please like us on facebook: www.facebook. com/kyp168