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Watermelon Farming Program/ Planting Guide

Published Aug 8, 2024

Watermelon Farming Program/ Planting Guide

Watermelon Farming Program

We have different watermelon varieties ranging from open pollinated varieties (OPV) to hybrids. Click on the below link to view:

https://agropests.co.ke/products?s=watermelon

Watermelon can be first done in a nursery bed, but it’s commonly sowed directly in the seedbed (farm). For more information on nursery establishment and management, refer to:

https://agropests.co.ke/blog/how-to-prepare-and-manage-seedling-nursery

  • An acre requires about 500g (4,000- 4,500 seeds).

SEEDBED

Seeds can be presoaked in water for about 48 hours to attain a better germination. HB 101 hormone https://agropests.co.ke/products?s=hb%20101 could be added to the water to help better break the seed dormancy. 
Shallow planting/sowing is encouraged. Deep sowing may only lead to poor germination and rotting of the seeds. 

Find an ideal planting guide:

Install Cuelure traps at the onset of flowering to help in better control of the stubborn melonfly which causes adverse losses if left uncontrolled. Here is a link to the Cuelure Plug: https://agropests.com/products/cue-lure-plug 
 

TimeApplicationTarget

After germination

(week 1)

  • Systema (20ml/20l)  + Revus (20ml/20l)
  • DAP/Yara Power (30-40kg/acre)
  • Cutworms, crickets, aphids, thrips
  • Dumping off, gummy blight
  • Enhance root development

After 7 days

(week 2)

  • Pegasus (20ml/20ml)  + Uster Top (10ml/20l) + Mazao Plenty Starter Plus (40ml/20l)
  • Thrips, red spidermites, aphid, whitefly, leafminer
  • Powdery mildew, downy mildew
  • Enhance root development and give a perfect start

After 7 days

(week 3)

  • Rapid (10ml/20l)  + Topguard (20ml/20l)
  • Aphids, thrips, whitefly, red spidermites, leafminer
  • Powdery mildew

After 7 days

(week 4)

  • Orbea Opti (10ml/20l)  + Miravis Duo (15ml/20l) + Mazao Plenty Vegetative Plus (40ml/20l)
  • CAN (50kg/acre)

 

Install Cue-lure melonfly traps at minimum rate of 4 traps/acre 

  • Melonfly, whitefly, aphids, thrips
  • Powdery mildew, downy mildew, gummy blight
  • Enhance vine elongation

After 7 days

(week 5)

  • Metacop (40g/20l)  + Profile (25ml/20l)
  • Gummy blight, downy mildew
  • Melonfly, aphids, whitefly

After 7 days

(week 6)

  • Luna Sensation (10ml/20l) + Emmaron (15ml/20l)  + Mazao Plenty Macro Pro (40ml/20l)
  • Nitrabor (25kg/acre)  + Yara Winner (50kg/acre)
  • Downy mildew, powdery mildew, gummy blight, botrytis
  • Leafminer, thrips, boll worms
  • Balanced nutrition 
  • Boost Calcium, boron and Potassium necessary for fruit expansion

After 7 days

(week 7)

  • Rapid (15ml/20l)  + Mazao Plenty Calmagzinc (40ml/20l)
  • Leafminer, thrips, aphids
  • Boost calcium, boron, zinc, etc necessary at flowering and early fruit setting

After 7 days

(week 8)

  • Uster Top (10ml/20l)  + Karate Zeon (12ml/20l) + Mazao Plenty Sure K (40ml/20l)
  • Downy mildew, powdery mildew, botrytis, anthracnose

After 10 days

(week 9)

  • Mazao Plenty Sure K (40ml/20l) + Miravis Duo (15ml/20l)  + Emmaron (15ml/20l)
  • Enhance fruit expansion
  • Downy mildew, botrytis, anthracnose
  • Leafminer, thrips, boll worms

After 10 days

(week 10)

  • Thiovit Jet (80g/20l)
  • Enhance flavor and taste, control red spidermites
  1. Water is very key in melon, especially during fruiting to help in expansion
  2. Other management practices other than farm inputs will also play a vital role in the success of this venture
  3. Farm scouting will remain vital to adjust the program accordingly where need be.

 

PRODUCT LINKS TO AGROPESTS E-COMMERCE:

Systema: https://agropests.co.ke/products?s=Systema 

Revus: https://agropests.co.ke/products?s=revus 

DAP: https://agropests.co.ke/products?s=DAP 

Yara Power: https://agropests.co.ke/products?s=YaraMila%20Power  

Pegasus: https://agropests.co.ke/products?s=pegasus 

Uster Top: https://agropests.co.ke/products?s=uster%20top

Starter plus: https://agropests.co.ke/products?s=starter%20plus  

Rapid: https://agropests.co.ke/products?s=rapid 

Topguard: https://agropests.co.ke/products?s=topguard 

Orbea Opti: https://agropests.co.ke/products?s=orbea%20opti 

Miravis Duo: https://agropests.co.ke/products?s=miravis%20duo 

Vegetative Plus: https://agropests.co.ke/products?s=vegetative%20plus 

CAN: https://agropests.co.ke/products?s=CAN 

Cue-Lure: https://agropests.co.ke/products/cue-lure-plug 

Metacop: https://agropests.co.ke/products?s=metacop 

Profile: https://agropests.co.ke/products?s=profile 

Luna Sensation: https://agropests.co.ke/products?s=luna%20sensation

Emmaron: https://agropests.co.ke/products?s=Emmaron 

Macro pro: https://agropests.co.ke/products?s=Macro%20pro 

Nitrabor: https://agropests.co.ke/products?s=Nitrabor 

YaraMila Winner: https://agropests.co.ke/products?s=YaraMila%20Winner 

Calmagzinc: https://agropests.co.ke/products?s=calmagzinc 

Karate Zeon: https://agropests.co.ke/products?s=karate%20zeon 

Sure K: https://agropests.co.ke/products?s=sure%20k 

Thiovit Jet: https://agropests.co.ke/products?s=Thiovit%20Jet 

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