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Long Island,New York

What causes a carolina cross melon plant to die off so fast in August? Every year my daughter's plant starts getting yellow leaves at the crown then all the leaves turn yellow almost all at the same time in a little over a week's time. Different seeds....each year. Is this a natural dieing off but at a accelerated New York rate? Getting tired of storing a half-grown 90lber in the cooler for a month before the wieghoff(fruit are only 35 days old or so when the entire plant is a skeleton of vines and no leaves). How do watermelon plants naturally and normally die back in southern areas where melons are "the crop"....? Thanks.......Glenn

7/31/2009 6:15:11 AM

Bethlehem CT

I have noticed that heavy rains with fruit on the vines can cause the vines to die on me. Did you have the same problem in '07 when it was nice and dry.

7/31/2009 8:07:34 AM

Bowdon, GA

I have the same problem down here in Georgia. Here the heat is rough on the plants they grow fast but burn up quick. Northern growers can ussually keep a plant healthy longer. I have had the same problem here and was told to spray regularly with fungicide. This does help. Just keep it sprayed with fungicid and insecticide and it should help.

7/31/2009 11:09:56 AM

sevierville, Tn

my big issue is Anthracnose . Is that what you have ? the leaves get black spots which takes over the whole leaf and it then dies.

7/31/2009 2:13:45 PM

Northern Cambria, Pa.

I had one go down last year like that. I think it might be Fusarium.

7/31/2009 4:21:11 PM

Long Island,New York

ewwww....Larry used the "F" word. Likely is....my patch here at home has a history of it. Thanks all.

7/31/2009 5:29:44 PM

Northern Cambria, Pa.

Sorry Glenn, next time I'll type ***arium.

7/31/2009 8:40:29 PM