Trailing

• Spread dried twigs on the ground to support trailing cucumber and melon.

Pruning

• Remove lateral branches until the runner reaches the top of the trellis.
• Retain 4-6 laterals and cut the tip of the main runner to induce early cropping.
• Removing lateral branches from the first 10 nodes enhances total yield.

Irrigation

• Early growth stage: Irrigate at 3-4 day intervals.
• Flowering & fruiting stage: Irrigate on alternate days.
• Furrow irrigation is ideal.
• Drip/trickle irrigation is suitable for water-limited environments.

Pollination

• Cross-pollinated crops, mainly pollinated by bees.
• Wet season challenge: Bees are less active in overcast conditions.
• Introducing beehives ensures effective pollination and reduces the need for hand pollination.

Hormone Application

• Spraying flowering hormones at 6-8 true leaf stage increases female flowers and fruit yield.
• Gibberellic acid (25-100 ppm) increases female flowers by 50% and lasts up to 80 days.
• Ethrel application enhances femaleness in cucumber and oriental pickling melon.

Weed Control

• Conduct weeding and soil raking during fertilizer application.
• Earthing up is necessary during the rainy season.
• Hand or hoe weeding can be done as required.
• Mulching (organic or plastic) is widely used, especially on raised beds.
• Mulch can be applied before or after transplanting/sowing.