How To Prune Watermelon Plants. Growing watermelons at home can provide you with fresh, flavorful, juicy fruit to eat just seconds after it is cut from the vine. You can also use a good layer of dark mulch around the plants to control weed growth. Because the habitat of watermelon is vining, the fruit tends to need a lot of space, or possibly some cutting back of the watermelon vines. Also, cutting back watermelon plants can cause the plant to send out additional runners. Clip off deformed or sickly looking melons using clean hand pruners by cutting their stems just above the fruit, not the main stem. In cooler zones, plant in the warmest, most sheltered spot you can find. Watermelon doesn't like to be fiddled with. If you cut too much of the watermelon back, you will likely be unwittingly encouraging weed growth. This can delay fruit set because the plant is now focusing its energy on growing vines instead of developing melons. Pruning is a ke… Using pruning shears, cut lateral vines that grow from the primary up to the eighth leaf node. 136. Anywhere USA, watermelon is featured at the 4th of July BBQ, the company picnic and is a staple for summer campouts. Not only do the vines reach significant length, but the fruit itself can weigh as much as 200 pounds (91 kg.)! However, if disease is present or you fall into one of the above categories, pruning watermelons can be done simply and judiciously. Apr 1, 2014 - Growing watermelons at home can provide you with fresh, flavorful, juicy fruit to eat just seconds after it is cut from the vine. Pruning watermelon plants will increase your yield, improve the fruit quality and enhance your plant health. Saved by Debra Werkheiser Kemmerer. Obviously, with no female blooms for the bees to cross pollinate to the male blooms, there will be no fruit. The soil for this plant must drain well because if it doesn’t, it will develop stem rot. Pruning watermelons promotes healthier vines and increases fruit size. Beyond reining in the size, there are other reasons for watermelon trimming. Adding fertilizer to the peperomia soil shouldn’t happen too often. Don’t prune the vines while wet. Pruning watermelon plants will increase your yield, improve the fruit quality and enhance your plant health. At this time, also remove any secondary vines, those that are not blooming or look sickly. I do this to conserve space, but it has a potential cost. Growing watermelons at home can provide you with fresh, flavorful, juicy fruit to eat just seconds after it is cut from the vine. Allow all lateral branches below the eighth leaf node to grow without pruning. Dispose of these removed parts immediately to prevent a spread of disease. If you have plenty of space in the garden, and if you aren’t trying to win the county fair or break a Guinness Book of World record, there is really no need to prune back watermelons. As previously mentioned, watermelons do require significant space. Lastly, a watermelon plant’s rapid growth and spread tends to hold back weeds by blocking the sunlight, thereby preventing weeds from getting the nutrition that they need to sprout. Cutting watermelon vines back may reduce the number of female flowers, of which there are fewer than male, about one female for every seven male blooms. Jun 15, 2018 - Growing watermelons at home can provide you with fresh, flavorful, juicy fruit to eat just seconds after it is cut from the vine. Monitor the watermelon plants regularly and cut away any branches and fruit that appear unhealthy or diseased. So, to curtail the size, it is indeed possible to prune the plant. Melons produce a primary stem with many secondary or lateral branches. Watermelons vary in shape; from globular to oblong. Practically synonymous with the American flag, apple pie and the bald eagle, sweet, thirst-quenching watermelons are one of America’s all-time favorite picnic foods. To grow a square watermelon, start by finding a healthy watermelon growing on the vine while it is still about the size of a softball. Prune away the vines that have produced fruit and no longer hold growing melons. long. The popularity of watermelon in the United States is inarguable, leading many of us to try our hand at growing watermelons in our home gardens. To grow the largest melons possible for your watermelon variety, you’ll want to ensure you have healthy, thriving plants to grow the fruits on. With this method, they force the plant to develop further through the main vein. Pruning watermelon vines Refer to information specific to your variety for pruning tips. As it is fast growing, you will get a crop from your plant before the weather cools down again. Look under the leaves to spot any melons growing along the main stem approximately two months after planting. Watermelon (Citrullus lantatus) belongs to the family Cucurbitaceae which includes squash, pumpkin and cucumber. On average, you can prune them 3-5 weeks after they start to grow. I would suggest that you move (gently) the vines that are growing into your tomatoes. Here I share how I implement the information I've . 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To grow the largest melons possible for your watermelon variety, you’ll want to ensure you have healthy, thriving plants to grow the fruits on. Beyond reining in the size, there are other reasons for watermelon trimming. Pruned vines that were free of disease can be composted while diseased stems should be disposed of in the garbage. 0 Comments and 0 replies × Report video . Check the plant for dead vines, which will appear brown instead of green. External rind colour varies from light to dark green and may be solid, striped or marbled. It is a popular dessert vegetable, with year round availability. When pruning cantaloupe plants, the idea is to retain the primary vine, remove the first lateral and reduce the size of all the additional secondary branches. To grow the largest melons possible for your watermelon variety, you'll want to ensure you have healthy, thriving plants to grow the fruits on. Pruning is a key part of the ongoing maintenance required to keep the vines healthy. Prune away any infected leaves back to a point where the vine appears healthy. The downside to watermelon trimming is that it may affect pollination. Clip these away where they grew up from the ground. Strive to maintain a balance of vines and … Inspect the surfaces of leaves every couple of weeks for signs of powdery mildew, a white, dusty-looking substance that rests on top of the leaves and can eventually kill off the leaf, stem and plant. show more show less . If you are growing chilli plants, you might be wondering if pruning will improve the yield.Gardeners prune pepper plants by cutting off specific parts of the plant to intensify their shape and make them more abundant. Watermelons are prone to parasites and diseases, and pruning while damp or wet will encourage their growth and spread. The flowering thing is normal. Note how the main stem produces lateral growth, which provides energy-producing leaves that also shade growing melons. If you want to prune to hasten fruit development and to improve fruit quality, you could remove some of the fruit and leave the rest. Select two to three of the healthiest, most uniformly shaped melons to remain on each main stem. Using a good pair of gardening shears, remove any dead, diseased, yellowing or infested leaves or shoots at the joint where they connect to the main stem. To grow the largest melons possible for your watermelon variety, you’ll want to ensure you have healthy, thriving plants to grow the fruits on. To grow the largest melons possible for your watermelon variety, you’ll want to ensure you have healthy, thriving plants to grow the fruits on. Also, remove any secondary vines that are not bearing blooms or look scrawny. Prune Watermelon Vine, Pruning Watermelons, Watermelon Pruning, How To Prune Melon Vines, Should Watermelon Vines Be Pruned. Sign up for our newsletter. Because watermelons are prone to diseases and parasites, don’t cut … Amma Marfo is a higher education professional and writer. Harvest ripe fruits when the main stem begins drying up in the fall. While most of us will get nowhere near that blue ribbon size, there can still be the problem of those long ranging vines, sometimes over 3 feet (91 cm.) Jan 6, 2016 - Watermelon plants are a labor-intensive plant to grow in a garden; however, many gardeners consider this work to be a labor of love that is worth the bountiful harvest. Pruning watermelons promotes healthier vines and increases fruit size. Each watermelon vine generally provides one to two melons for harvest. Cut away any main stems that have failed to produce fruits at ground level as these vines will rob water from productive vines. Watermelon plants don't need much pruning to grow big and juicy fruit; what they really need is space. Watermelons need both male and female flowers to set fruit. Look for irregular or rotting fruit to prune from the plant. Leave one or two fruits on the vine if you want the largest melons or up to 4 for healthy, average sized watermelon fruit. I generally wait until the vine sets the number of viable fruit I want and then prune the growing tip to stop further growth.

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