Optimizing Melon Cultivation: Best Practices for Planting and Maintaining Raised Beds in Indonesia

December 5, 2023 08:33 |

Updated: December 5, 2023 08:46

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Natural Sciences and Technology. Illustration source: PEXELS/Anthony

Melon plants cultivated in Indonesia are usually planted in raised beds. The advantages of planting in these beds include preventing plants from having excess water, exposing the surface of the plants to more sunlight, easier plant maintenance, and being safer from pest and disease attacks.

Apart from these various advantages, there is one activity that makes planting in raised beds a little more troublesome, namely transplanting seedlings into raised beds. The transfer of seeds must be done in the right way and at the right time, so that melon production results are optimal. Before transplanting the seeds, the bed must be prepared first.

The process of preparing the beds should be done a week earlier than the seeding process. That way, when the seeds are ready to be transplanted, the bed is also ready.

Beds that have been smoothed and ensured their strength need to be covered with mulch. The aim is to prevent the growth of weeds in the beds, reduce evaporation of water from the planting medium, prevent pest attacks, prevent erosion of the planting medium, strengthen the structure of the beds, and concentrate watering and fertilization on the plants.

If the watering or irrigation method used is drip irrigation, the installation of this mulch is carried out after all the pipes
or the hose is installed properly and the hole is guaranteed to allow water to drip. To be sure, it is necessary to test the drip irrigation before the mulch is installed.

The mulch used to cover beds in melon cultivation is silver black plastic mulch. As the name suggests, on the two surfaces of the mulch there are two different colors, namely black and silver.

The black color of the mulch functions to maintain soil moisture and prevent the growth of weeds, while the silver color is useful for reflecting sunlight, so that soil evaporation can be reduced.

This reflection of light also makes the area around the mulch dazzle, so that insects and other animals are reluctant to approach.

Installing mulch should be done in the middle of the day, when the sun is at its strongest. The heat from sunlight can make the mulch expand, so that the plastic can be stretched optimally.

The method for installing this mulch is as follows.

1. Mulch must be installed at least three days before moving the melon seeds to the bed.

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