Melons, Cucumbers & Squash

Flowers and fruit are produced continuously as the stem elongates. The oldest fruit are found farthest from the growing point. For a healthy productive plant, proper nutrition must be maintained from seeding to plant maturity. Should deficiency of any nutrient occur during the active growing season, fruity yield, size, and quality will suffer.

• Nitrogen and calcium demand increases rapidly after "vine-tip" of melons and cucumbers

• Maximum fruit production for all cucurbits depends upon steady plant growth during the entire season

• Quality fruit production requires a continuous supply of available nitrate nitrogen and calcium

• Blossom-end rot (BER) of cucumbers, melons and squash can be reduced with a steady supply of water-soluble calcium in the root zone

• Up to 75% of the total nitrogen requirement of cucurbits is supplied by multiple sidedress or irrigation applications during the fruiting season 

A fertility program for production of a high-yielding, quality crop should be designed in terms of cropping history and soil test levels. With this information as a guideline, growers have been successful with the following general approach to the production of cucurbit crops:

1. Pre-plant and/or starter NPK fertilizer with a ratio of 1-2-1, 1-2-2, or 1-2-3 at a rate to supply all of the required phosphate and potash, on one-fourth to one-third of the total nitrogen demand.

2. Sidedress nitrogen can then be supplied, as any of the YaraLiva™ products that fits the type of application concerned, in split applications, beginning at first flowering and continuing at three to four week intervals as the crop progresses. Again, crop history, climate, soil, water conditions, and grower preferences will determine the exact quantity and timings of applications.