Irrigation

• During the initial stages of growth, irrigate at 3-4 days interval
• Irrigate at alternate days during flowering/fruiting.
• When fruits mature, the frequency of irrigation may be reduced.

Weeding

• Conduct weeding and raking of the soil at the time of fertilizer application.

After cultivation

• For trailing, spread dried twigs on the ground
• Earthing up may be done during monsoon.

Gap filling and thinning

• Under ideal conditions, the seeds germinate within 8-10 days after sowing. Two to three healthy seedlings are retained at each spot while the rest are removed or used for gap filling.

Trailing

• For trailing the watermelon, spread dried twigs on the ground.

Hormone application

• Spraying NAA @100 ppm at two leaf stage and repeating the same after 6-7 days is effective for increasing the percentage of female flowers.

Pinching

• To allow the side shoots to grow, remove apical shoots when the vines are 1m. This practice gives significantly higher fruit yield. At the initial stages of fruit setting, malformed, diseased and damaged fruits are removed and only 2-3 fruits per vine are retained. This results in increased fruit size and yield.

Weed control

• Conduct 2-3 weeding operations; the first being done at 20-25 days after sowing while subsequent weedings are done at an interval of one month. When the vines start spreading, weeding in between the rows, or ridges, becomes unnecessary since vine growth can smother the weeds.

Intercropping

• Watermelons can be a profitable intercrop in newly planted orchards during the initial years provided there are sufficient irrigation facilities