Message Board - BigPumpkins.com

Bowdon, GA

I have had some disaters before, but this is crazy. All of my plants were looking healthy. No sign of diesease or insects. Earlier today my 179 Schnicker looked perfectly healthy. We had a lightning storm about 6:00. I went out to see if the wind had blown anything around. The 179 was fried. The leaves looked like boiled cabbage. I cut off the dead vines (all but about three), and cut them open. There was no sign of rot or anything. I'm thinking it got struck by lightning. I'm hoping this is the case and not something else

6/17/2010 10:17:16 PM

Marty S.

Mt.Pleasant,Iowa

Dang, I thought I had bad luck. My plants from seeds are having problems even. Thanks for trying.

6/17/2010 10:25:34 PM

Bowdon, GA

I may try it again next year. It was a strong plant, and I acutually got a long one set on it. It was looking pretty good. I'm going to leave what is left to see what happens. I just hope it is not something else that might get the rest of them. We will find out soon enough.

6/17/2010 10:52:27 PM

formerly RGG

I think it must have been lightning if it went down in the middle of a storm. I believe your other plants will be fine.

6/18/2010 8:26:39 AM

Julian

New York

I don't think it was lightning. If lightning had struck the patch directly like that, it the plant (and nearby plants) would have been completely annihilated, at least in my experience with seeing trees struck and killed.

6/18/2010 9:56:24 AM

Bowdon, GA

That is what I was thinking, but I can find any sign of wind damage. If the rest of them make it its probablly some weird act of nature. If not I know there is a problem.

6/18/2010 10:07:39 AM

sevierville, Tn

Was there any strikes that you heard in the garden ??
If any more vines have it happen, then there is a problem.
I have something like that on my 209. The main & 1 finger vine started wilting 2 days ago, they were fine at night, but wilted in the sun. The rest of the plant & all other plants were ok. I removed the vines yesterday. If any more wilt, the plant is gone. Had that happen to one plant 3 years ago. No idea what it is (bacterial wilt ? )
I know, part of a plant doesn't wilt for no reason, especially melon plants. Besides it rained the 2 previous days so no lack of water.

6/18/2010 2:34:12 PM

Minnesota Melon Man

Rochester, Minnesota

We had a huge storm last night with continuous lightening and about 40+ reported tornadoes, but I massively pin down all my plants right before, and they seemed to survive okay. But I could really use some sun soon.

Sorry Holloway about the damage you took. I would be looking for something in the vine and not a strike.

6/18/2010 2:56:30 PM

formerly RGG

Well certainly the vine would have been completely blown away from a direct strike. I was thinking a nearby strike could have "electrocuted" the vine since it went down so fast.

6/18/2010 5:15:55 PM

Pataskala,OH

Maybe it was a lightning bug. ROTFL

6/18/2010 10:00:10 PM

formerly RGG

You know I thought this was going to be a great year for growing but a lot of growers seem to be having problems. I think the weather where I live has been great as it has been hot and sunny and the big damaging & windy storms have missed my garden. Too bad I'm having problems with what I now think is disease. I think if my problem was simply too many coffee grounds the plants would not have done as well as they did in their early stages of growth. Maybe the plastic had something to do with it. If I am healthy enough to grow next year I will try growing without the plastic I think. Or maybe I should skip a year as my soil may be diseased and I don't have any land to rotate crops.

6/18/2010 10:01:04 PM

formerly RGG

I just looked at your diary pictures Jake and your plants are looking real nice except for that one that died. Like you I hope it wasn't from anything that can spread. You should promptly remove and destroy it just in case I think.

6/18/2010 10:09:21 PM

Long Island,New York

I think the fact that you guys all seem to cover your soil with plastic/fabric etc plus the use of general fungisides that effect the balance of fungi in the soil will eventually prove to be a major contributing factor in an increased soil disease pandemic

6/19/2010 8:05:12 AM

Corryton, TN

Where is the un-biased science behind your claim that plastic and or fabric causes an effect on the balance of fungi in the soil?
Are you here when or if we spray to know what we would be using? Pandemic, like the flu was?
Relax LI, the world won't end tomorrow and if it does it won't matter if there is a piece of plastic in my patch.

6/19/2010 11:40:24 AM

formerly RGG

Amen Brother Dave.There is plenty of disease around but to think a few pieces of plastic might cause a pandemic is ludicrous.As far as causing problems in any particular patch I think that can be argued either way. If I grow next year I am thinking about trying it without plastic. But I do think there are some advantages to plastic such as warming the soil, keeping the plants very clean and eliminating weeds.And as far as fungicides go,commercial growers in the Southeast couldn't make a living without fungicides to keep their plants from succumbing to fungal diseases.

6/19/2010 6:36:18 PM

Bry

Glosta

as far as a disease pandemic I don't think it will reach that level but I agree with Glenn. Last year my father in law used black plastic in his garden and everyone of his tomatos had blight from early in the season. I made it to august until I got it on my plants 50 feet away. he had black plastic down and I had salt marsh hay. He grew chemically and I grew organically. Make any assumptions you want, but trapping moisture for prolonged periods of time with heat retention and you have an incubator for disease.

6/19/2010 7:52:14 PM

formerly RGG

Well lots of commercial growers use plastic year after year.And they have good results or they would not keep using this method year after year. And I have seen university studies of watermelon growing on plastic vs growing on the dirt and the results favored growing on plastic. So I think it is settled science that growing on plastic is both a healthy and successful method of cultivation. Not to deny there is any possibility of plastic creating problems. Soil does have to breathe for proper aerobic activity to take place so the amount of plastic needs to be limited.But for you fellows to condemn all use of plastic as a growing method is totally uncalled for and in my opinion unreasonable.

6/19/2010 9:00:43 PM

formerly RGG

Bri, I have grown tomatoes for many years and have had blight several times and guess what? I have never grown tomatoes with plastic mulch. So is the reason for your father in laws blight the fact that he used plastic mulch? Personally, I think there is a very good chance he would have had that problem even if he had not used the plastic.

6/19/2010 9:05:30 PM

formerly RGG

I am sorry for getting a little passionate on here. This should be a place for idea exchange, encouragement and making friends. I will try to be more positive. It just rubbed me the wrong way reading things like " I think the fact that you guys all...", "soil disease pandemic" & "I made it to august until I got it on my plants 50 feet away".I think these statements are uncalled for,speculative at best,unfounded & not very nice.

6/19/2010 9:18:27 PM

Corryton, TN

Won't touch the organic vs traditional. Growing here in the south presents a whole different set of challenges (I'm from MI). Literally hundreds of acres of tomatoes are grown in this area on plastic and you can forget trying to grow cantaloupes here without it. Its NOT the plastic. Typically its raised beds and water management that will make or break you. Too much rain/water on flat ground, huge problem plastic or not.
This year I ran an experiment on some of my commercial melons. Pulled part of the plastic off of some rows and leaving part of the same rows covered. I alternated the ends that I removed it from. On the covered sections the vines were about 80% longer at 7 weeks and way denser. Not sure if I took a pic but if I did I'll post it in diary. Water conservation is an advantage here in the south most years not to mention weed control. Just information, use it how you wish.

6/19/2010 9:39:18 PM

Bry

Glosta

I never said the plastic was the cause but I think it made his more succeptable to the blight. I don't condemn the use of plastic I just think it is unnecessry. And yes My statements are speculative, I am no microbiologist or sgriculturalist. I am only relating my experience with you. I in no way wanted to be rude and sorry if it was taken that way. It is only my opinion that I am voicing.

6/19/2010 11:21:24 PM

formerly RGG

Thank you bry and I am sorry I turn into a bit of a hot head sometimes.

6/20/2010 7:38:34 AM

Long Island,New York

pandemic- def: widespread.
Brother Dave-I'm sorry you don't agree with my comments and feel you need to misread or twist what I said..." plus the use of general fungisides that effect the balance of fungi in the soil " does not blame plastic for unbalancing the soil. It blames fungisides.
I'm not worrying about the world ending either---a big extreme no?
I am mearly offering an opinion based upon experience. Soil that has nasties in it that grow best in warm moist environments like pythium, rhyzoctonia, fusarium etc will always win out over the good guys if you give them the environment they like or the good guys don't. Soil covered with plastic will have less aeration, less drying (important) and when you put soakers under the plastic you just make it harder to monitor your conditions.
Its just an opinion...take it or leave it, but you really don't have to get your panties in a bunch. Its alot better theory than lightening.

6/20/2010 1:19:58 PM

Iowegian

Anamosa, IA BPIowegian@aol.com

Bacterial wilt can take out a plant very quickly.

6/21/2010 1:24:12 PM

Minnesota Melon Man

Rochester, Minnesota

Interesting conversation. I am a beekeeper in my spare time. :-) and there is a continuous conversation among us about should we use chemicals to control mites or other parasites. The conversation goes...Take your loses and let the bees evolve to fight the parasite/etc...If you don't spray or powder then you won't immediately get a good harvest of honey.

I can't say with respect to watermelon plants what the short or long term effects are, but I sometimes wonder if growing giants like this have a long term future. I do like to keep my plants as clean as possible, because I intend to eat the fruit when done, or feed the residuals to Kenny (my little piglet).

6/21/2010 1:56:53 PM

sevierville, Tn

I pulled my 209 this morning. More vines started to wilt. The roots & stump were great shape. No clue, just hope it does not spread. I posted a pict in my diarey when its approved. I took the plant with me to work & put it in the dumpster, not taking any chances !
I read that Bacterial wilt was rare in melons, of cource it may have ment commercial ones, not our giants.

6/21/2010 3:07:05 PM

Bowdon, GA

Wow, I really opened up a can of worms. I'm not really sure what happened. The rest seem fine for right now. I just never seen anything completely kill a plant in less than an hour and the sun was low. Just in case I will quit using metal wire to pin things with. I think there is some merit to what LI is saying. I would rather not use a cover but watermelons are lower to the ground and thicker than pumpkins making it harder to keep the weeds cleaned out over the coarse of a couple of months. I just don't have the time to fight pigweed and nut grass. As far as fungicides. I tried not to use them at first. It is very humid down here and I never kept a melon on the vine more than 60 days without it. But I would love to know how. For my short season crops in the garden I never use fungicides.

6/21/2010 3:28:32 PM

Long Island,New York

One thing you can do to start determining the cause would be to cut the vine around where the first leaves started wilting. What can be happening is fungal or bacterial colonies plug the vascular tissues in the vines which prevents the flow of water to the leaves etc. If you cut the vine and pull it apart and there's a sticky strand of fluid between the two vine pieces as you pull them apart it usually suggests bacterial wilt- brought on by squash bugs or cucumber beatles etc. If there is brown flesh inside the vine or a brown staining it might suggest fusarium. My main experience with soil diseases and sudden plant collapse is with pumpkins. I have grown watermelons to an unimpressive size but rather than have sudden collapse I got sudden yellow leaves and death shortly thereafter. You need to take a section to a ag-coop and have a lab tech look at it under a scope......

6/21/2010 9:34:32 PM

Pataskala,OH

I have nightmares about wilt. LOL

6/21/2010 9:54:06 PM

sevierville, Tn

Thanks Glen, probally all those cuke beetles flying around this year...Haven't seen any squash bugs yet.

6/21/2010 10:54:20 PM

Corryton, TN

No wadded panties here LI, I wear a thong!
We don't have to agree, but we probably do on alot of things but I can't find what I misread or twisted. If something "seems" to be a certain way its not neceeearily a "fact". When I read "cover your soil with plastic/fabric etc plus the use of general fungisides" the word "plus" meant to me that plastic must be part of the so called problem. World ending tomorrow, who knows. I want my soil to be warm and moist, last time I checked melons like it that way.
Pandemic - def.(Merriam Webster)-: occurring over a wide geographic area and affecting an exceptionally high proportion of the population
Show me the research that fungicides and plastic do more harm than good and I will most likely change the way I do things. Right now my livelyhood depends on me using them.

6/21/2010 11:10:59 PM

Bob Attaway

Flowery Branch, Georgia

Hi G:

What is your biggest Watermelon?

Please, no thongs pictures from brotherdave.

Can't we all just get along?

6/22/2010 6:09:59 PM

formerly RGG

Amen,Bob,amen.And may peace be with everyone on this forum.

6/22/2010 9:39:28 PM

Phil H.

Cameron,ontario Team Lunatic

I agree with Glenn. Send a sample in to determine your problem. We had problems the past 3 years with our melons & finally had it tested. Now I know what the problem is & can now work to correct it. Our plants look much better this year so far & we are ahead of last year's disaster.

Good luck all.

Jane & Phil

6/23/2010 9:11:01 AM

Long Island,New York

Why do you ask Bob?

6/24/2010 6:35:16 AM

Corryton, TN

Hey LI. My wife laughed at the thought of me being in a thong, you know, a grandpa to 9 kids, and not a flat-belly either. This prompted her to read this thread which she very rarely does. She read your first post aloud and I heard it differently than how I read it. I think more like the way you intended it. She paused slightly at "plus". Changed my interpretation of the sentence. Sometimes print should be heard.
Grow'em big my friend!

6/24/2010 1:20:33 PM

Bowdon, GA

Doug told me it was probably the electrical field emmitted by alien space craft. I knew I would catch some slack about this one.

6/27/2010 11:12:47 AM