A melon pear, which also goes by the name Pepino, certainly doesn't need to see scissors in its warm homeland of South America. But under the local living conditions, we have to direct their energy in a targeted manner so that delicious fruits ripen by autumn. How to properly cut pepino.

Regular pruning promotes healthy growth and a high crop yield

Four good reasons for pruning

The following reasons speak for the targeted cutting of the melon pear:

  • their health will be preserved
  • the harvest quantity can be increased
  • the fruits get bigger
  • the plant loses volume, can be overwintered better

promote health

One or the other tendril of the melon pear can break off in wind and weather. Then it should be cut off promptly. Withered leaves should also be removed. This prevents fungal pathogens from spreading to rotting parts of the plant and spreading to the healthy parts of the plant.

increase crop yield

In an optimal location and with good care, the melon pear drives out many tendrils. Not every one of them will adorn themselves with blossoms in spring. If you cut off shoots without flowers, this will lead to even more flowers on other shoots and consequently a more plentiful harvest. In gardening practice, this is referred to as stinging.

Cutting for larger fruits

Shorten very long shoots, even if you lose a few flowers in the process. In return, the fruits that form from the remaining flowers will be larger because more energy will then flow to them.

Cut back before overwintering

All melon pears are not hardy. The popular variety "Sugar Gold" must also be overwintered. Since a melon pear does not like temperatures below 10 °C and even freezes to death in frost, it must not overwinter outside.

A 5-10 °C cool room with lots of light is the ideal winter home for a Pepino. However, it is often the case that such rooms are already full of other plants. It's not ideal if the melon pear has a hard time squeezing in. Last but not least, potential pests then have an easy time conquering them. In such cases, shorten the plant in autumn as needed and without hesitation.

A few notes on cutting

As useful as slicing is, it's easy to make a mistake. In the worst case, the plant will get sick and die. Therefore, please note the following points every time you reach for the scissors:

  • always use sharp and disinfected scissors
  • cut on a dry day
  • After larger cuts, sprinkle cut surfaces with charcoal

Category:

Vegetable garden