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Deep South, USA

Well, I finally have at least one plant that's started to grow fruit at a rate more along the lines of what it should. I've got a 6-day old that I'd say is bigger than a soda can; it was about as long as one yesterday. There are two or three younger ones that look like they could overtake the older one in growth.

I've been measuring length to check growth, because I'm afraid of handling them too much this young. When should I start measuring OTT?

I've had to re-seat a couple on the ground, because if they grow at an angle that seems to encourage a crooked stem end. Is it bad to move them like that?

I'm taking pictures, but have not posted any because the planting site isn't very tidy. Grass has sprung up under some of the vines, and it looks too risky to attempt removing just the grass.

7/26/2010 6:54:51 PM

sevierville, Tn

I would measure when they get to the chart size.
The key to moving them is ...slow....measured moves....when its warm out so the vines are more plyable.

7/27/2010 2:40:24 PM

Deep South, USA

Is there a safe method to measure them when they're smaller? I don't think measuring end-to-end is giving me the full story. The "soda can" melon doesn't appear to have grown much length wise over yesterday, (I measure length late in the afternoon usually, so I could be wrong.) but it seems it might have gained some thickness.

I've noticed growers putting their melons on a flat surface. I tried a flimsy orange plastic folder under one a week or two ago, but I think I only succeeded in cooking the poor little thing, I had to take it off the vine.

What should I use, and when should I place it under a melon?

7/27/2010 3:07:53 PM

sevierville, Tn

A soft cloth/plastic tape measure. Take off any metal parts. Like used in sewing.

Most put the melons on sand.

Shade all melons to prevent sunburn !!!!

7/27/2010 3:39:27 PM

Deep South, USA

I've been using something that calls itself a fiber-glass tape measure. If I take the metal off is that okay?

Do I need any specific type of sand? Will red sand do?

I was going to ask about shading. I have a 10 or 12" plastic pot I could use temporarily, would that be okay for a couple of days?

7/27/2010 3:54:35 PM

Owensboro, Ky.

Yoshi, the sand you want is called "Play Sand" and is white. It is a finer grained sand, & will allow yer newborn to slide easier as it grows to "Slunger" status!!! Peace, Wayne
PS...Leave some air flow underneath any shade structure!!!

7/28/2010 12:03:06 AM

Rochester, Minnesota

I use some sterile sand that I generally call "Sugar Sand" that I get from our a hill side cut. I put a lot of that sand under the young melon. Eventually the melon goes up on boards to keep some air flow underneath which prevents rotting.

7/28/2010 1:32:57 PM

sevierville, Tn

Yes, leave air flow with any shade. No sence cooking them on the vine !

7/28/2010 1:54:44 PM

Deep South, USA

All I could find at the Home Depot for "Play Sand" was a mild reddish shade not much different than what I have. In fact, I think I have some whiter sand I could use. It's not sterile, so it's not perfect, but it might be better than nothing.

My shade structure is make shift I admit. I've got what I believe is a 12" plastic pot with 1/4" holes in the bottom, and the edge near the stem end lifted up about 3". Will that work okay for a couple days?

My biggest melon is looking pretty good so far. At 8 days It's pulling toward the length of a 5 3/4 oz Pringles can. I hope to take a picture this afternoon and post it.

Does it sound like it's growing? Good? Bad?

Is their a way to estimate weight besides OTT? I've picked it gently up a time or two, but that's probably not the best thing to do on a regular basis.

7/28/2010 3:19:03 PM

Rochester, Minnesota

I had two formulas I was working from that didn't require a table look up, but they are iffy at best. I use them for straight line spreadsheet calculations. Here they are for your potential laughter.

estimate =(Girth*Length/10)-5

and

estimate (-177+3.43*Girth+4.6*Length)

7/29/2010 11:25:00 AM

Garner, NC

MMM, that's really cool. I don't have my numbers in front of me, but I know one melon is 55"girth and 30 long.
55
X30
=1650/10 =165-5 =160lbs

If I did your calulation correct, it is right on the money

7/29/2010 2:07:04 PM

sevierville, Tn

Yoshi, You would be better off with a piece of a white sheet cover then that pot. Take it off at night or if it gets wet, change it.

7/29/2010 2:44:43 PM

Deep South, USA

I should try that, if I can get the tape measure around the melons without hurting them.

I need some clarification. If stem and blossom and are North and South poles, would girth be a measured along a latitude around the biggest part of the melon?

I've started posting pictures to my grower diary. Right now it's just two, but I hope to add more over the season.

7/29/2010 5:19:48 PM

Rochester, Minnesota

Girth is the belly measure. It would be the length of your belt, if you were laying on the ground. It's a tough measure to take, so OTT doesn't use it. I can get the girth measure pretty easy when the melon is up on boards (perpendicular to the fruit).

7/29/2010 5:30:48 PM

Rochester, Minnesota

Ice Man: I had one melon that was 55" girth and 29.5 length once but it only weight 142.5 actual. My formula estimated it at 157.25. Oh well.

7/29/2010 5:35:56 PM

Deep South, USA

That's what I thought. The first formula yielded a little over 9 lbs for me. I don't really know if that's right. The melon I checked is 9 days old. If 9 lbs is correct, is that good or bad growth for a melon this age?

7/29/2010 5:43:11 PM

Navarre,OH

Whats everyone's opinions on shading a dark green giant marrow? Do they get sunburned as easily as young pumpkins.

7/29/2010 6:54:15 PM

Bowdon, GA

James', formula is pretty acurate. As for OTT mine seem to average about ten pounds light beyond 150. I tried plotting all the numbers from James data base last year on a graph and using the slope of the trendline as the formula. Worked fairly well till you get over 200 hundred then who knows. I wonder is fruit density dependant on growing conditions or gentics? Or a little of both?

7/29/2010 11:11:56 PM

Rochester, Minnesota

Wow Holloway. That's quite a question. I had someone share with me that he felt that an increase in phosphorous and a decrease in nitrogen increased fruit density. Myself, I suspect it has more to do with melon age, since I believe that fruit becomes less dense if left on the vine too long, which is something we have been known to do.

I do know that OTT underestimates larger melons. I suspect that is because their just weren't enough data points to work with at the time the table was developed. Is it time to have an adjusted OTT table?

7/30/2010 11:29:03 AM

Rochester, Minnesota

Billum - I also grow marrows, and I have never worried about shading them since I can't find them under the leaves. I suspect if I really grew them as giants, and limited the number and the laid them out nicely like the pumpkin growers do, then yes, I would definitely shade them for all the same reasons.

7/30/2010 11:31:20 AM

sevierville, Tn

the OTT is also seems off on small ones. I have been measuring & weighing culls & foundlings. They are all light to the chart. Of cource it probally doesn't matter since we don't grow em for 10 to 20 lb melons ;)

7/30/2010 2:36:57 PM

Deep South, USA

I think one of my melons is in trouble. Remember I posted an earlier thread about a yellow nodule on one of the females? Well, today while I was trying to measure my second oldest melon, I felt a depression in the bottom. When I turned it over, I found an ugly depression about the size of nickel. This is what that little yellow nodule had become. It was hidden from me on the bottom because I was afraid to risk damaging the stem by turning it over.

I've posted a picture of it to my diary. It looks like there may be holes going down into the melon, but how deep I don't know.

I noticed one side of the melon was growing better than the other. I have to wonder if this could be why.

It'll be 11 days old tomorrow (July 31). Should I cull it? I've got another slightly younger melon coming along. Shape is not perfect, but as far as know it has no major problems as long as wasps don't sting it.

7/31/2010 12:23:57 AM

Corryton, TN

Cull it. Its done.

7/31/2010 6:14:43 AM

Deep South, USA

I took it off. I decided to cut into the side and see how deep it went.

It wasn't as bad as I'd thought, but I didn't want to take the risk it would cause problems later on. I can't help but think it was already impacting the shape on top. Now there's room for one on that vine without that problem.

I tried to weigh it. I don't know how accurate the scale is, but it read 6.6 lbs @ 11 days. Smaller than I'd hoped. Maybe the anomaly had something to do with it.

I'm still curious though, what was it? I've never seen this before. Some sort of forming abscess? A form of rot? Natural defect? Early insect damage?

7/31/2010 1:28:40 PM

Deep South, USA

I've got most of my fruit and pollinated females on sand. The sand I have isn't exactly what I wanted, but it should at least be better than them sitting on the ground. I have more sand should other female flowers start setting. I realize of course I'll probably only be able to keep one or two at the most.

If I was going for an a melon between 50 and 100 lbs, about how much should it weigh by the end of the first two weeks?

8/1/2010 12:14:24 AM