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Frankfort Ohio

how many people have grew 2 big melons on the same plant

3/23/2011 5:46:35 PM

formerly RGG

Not really large melons but I grew a 178.5 and a 187.5 off the same plant in 2009.

3/23/2011 6:15:01 PM

Muddy Waters

I will it try this year.

3/23/2011 7:03:57 PM

Muddy Waters

try it lol

3/23/2011 7:04:20 PM

formerly RGG

There has been a lot of debate on this forum in past years about growing more than one melon on a vine. I am sure a good grower could get several over 200 pounds on the same vine. The question is what are you after. If you want a lot of big melons then growing several on a vine is just fine. If you want to grow the largest melon possible on any particular plant then you need to limit that plant to just one fruit.I think that has been the general consensus.

3/23/2011 7:35:32 PM

Muddy Waters

Yeah but is that fact or theory,Im thinkin they have enough energy to grow a WR & a 250 pder.

3/23/2011 7:59:00 PM

formerly RGG

Well I think there is no way to definitely prove anything since you cannot grow both one and two melons on the same plant. But I don't think you would want to keep your vine to the same small size if you are looking to grow two melons on it.If you do grow a world record plus another big melon on the same plant you may end up wondering if you would have had a bigger world record if you had only grown one melon on that plant.Of course a world record plus another whopper on the same plant would make you look like one hell of a good grower. :)

3/23/2011 8:30:56 PM

Muddy Waters

Im just thinkin its possible,I have never cut a fruit off a kin or Melon & seen an increase in growth on the remaining one.I believe at that point you cant increase its maximum its already set its pace.So that being proved dozens of times,I wonder could you grow 2 on 1 plant & get 500 to 600 pds,like susie did only in 2 fruit.I will try a couple plants this way this year.We might get a surprise,I wont wonder if the biggest would have gotten bigger,with the results already proven as stated above.

3/23/2011 9:09:45 PM

Frankfort Ohio

thanks guys i was just trying to figure a plan for the space i have ready this year i think i will go with 2 single melon plants and one with 2 melons not trying for a new record just trying to find something a little less time consuming for my wife and daughter to try my pumpkins keep me tied up but we have a local melon weigh off my wife wants to try for

3/23/2011 10:13:31 PM

Owensboro, Ky.

Suzie Zuerner...planted a lil 217 Pleasant seed last year and grew 4 lil melons on it!!! Total weight...over 800#'s!!! Including her 239!!! Wondering if this has ever been done b/4? Also, curious how big that 239 would have been if it was a loner? TD, will have to ask Suzie how big that plant was...she said it was a "very vigorous" plant!!! Peace, Wayne

3/23/2011 10:43:43 PM

formerly RGG

James White pretty much talked me out of trying to grow more than one melon on a plant. You guys have me wondering though.

3/23/2011 11:04:04 PM

Muddy Waters

Yeah, from what ive done in my patch over 10 years of growing 1 & 2 friuts on a plant I dont believe the 239 would have been bigger,When was it pollinated?when did the other 3 come along?It might have been 249,but I doubt any bigger,Im sure the 239 was 1st on plant.Maybe susie can answer this,It would have to have gained the extra when in the early stages,I cant see where it would have gained the 10 lbs. midway through the final growth.They seem to programmed at a given pace at this pointI think we can learn more by growing 2 on some plants & seeing what happens.If we all grow 1 on a plant,we will never know was is true.Im a risk taker, I will try this year & make some great crosses on that 2nd Melon How about 239 zuerner x157 bright or 239X291 or 239 x239, yeah my Melons will be hot!!!

3/24/2011 7:11:17 AM

Muddy Waters

Ive always wanted to have Hot Melons,without going under the knife!What a Great Hobby!!!lol

3/24/2011 7:25:01 AM

Trinity River Bottom

We all know that you can grow multiple large melons on the same plant. But why take the chance If your going for the WORLD RECORD like i am go with 1 melon!!! . but like the rest of you i will probably have 1 plant that i try and grow multiple fruit on. But it will not be on 291,285,255,268,267,239,113,148,174,211,168,136,99 or 149. My Wife is growing my 131 from last year maybe she can try it.. Guess who will be taking care of her little garden after a couple weeks!!!lol

3/24/2011 9:03:12 AM

Arden, NC

Mark the 239 was first on the plant but I'd have to go look at my notes to see when I first started taking "note" of the melon. Early on I looked at all of the babies for overall shape and growth rate and culled accordingly. The thing about this plant was not only was it an aggresive grower but it produced babies at a very rapid rate. Some days I would work my way around the plant and "pitch" 10 to 15 young melons. The final plant was roughly about 20 by 25. All four melons grew on finger vines and both the 239 and the 194.7 grew side by side but on different finger vines. The interesting thing I observed is that the 239 had a little more girth than the 194.7 and the 194.7 looked like a torpedo from the start...it never changed its early characteristics. The 239 was a steady grower some days putting on as much as 6 pounds. These were two very different shaped melons on the same plant. The other two on the plant were nicely shaped and grew rapidly too on their own finger vines. The leaves on this plant were so nice I lost track of where all the finger vines were and in an effort to walk as little in the melons as I had to, I didn't pay the number of melons on the plant as close of attention as I maybe should have. Would the 239 have been "significantly bigger" if it had been the only one? Heck I don't know and I'm not going to spend any time revisiting the question....its only conjecture at this point. I will tell you that I had several other plants that I let multiple melons grow on and they all did great. I left about 6 melons in the patch that were about 175 pounds or so because I didn't need them for competitions. I'm thinking about some of the same crosses you are Mark,(but I don't have a 157 bright) with the 239 x 239 high on my list.

3/24/2011 9:18:04 AM

Cameron

We are thinking about growing one of Suzie's seeds from the 217 Pleasant . One question. Which one was the last one you pollinated on it & what was the date it was pollinated? Thanks.

Jane & Phil

3/24/2011 9:47:09 AM

Arden, NC

Jane and Phil,


The bees did the pollinating on all of my melons. I was too busy fighting phytopthora in my pumpkins so I can't answer that question with a firm date, the watermelons at this time had minimal attention as they were doing well, however in general, I had melons that were pollinated by the end of June. I have a photograph with the 239 and the 194.7 side by side in July and the 203 was not yet above the canopy so it was the last one on the plant that I allowed to grow. Sorry that's the best I can figure out. My melon notes other than what I was spraying don't start until I actively began taking measurements in early August.

3/24/2011 12:03:55 PM

Muddy Waters

Hey Kirk,If you dont let one of the great seeds grow 2 how will that be a good gauge,I will grow 2 on the 291 I think that will be a hot seed.

3/24/2011 5:12:48 PM

Owensboro, Ky.

Thanks, RMom1 lots of incredible info!!! Peace, Wayne

3/24/2011 5:36:30 PM

Ohio

Agreed, Thanks Rookiesmom, I won an auction lot with your seeds and this helps cause I wasn't sure which one I was gonna plant.

3/24/2011 11:14:23 PM

Muddy Waters

Susie do you have any way of pinning it down to the week they may have started I would like to know thanks Mark

3/25/2011 6:43:51 AM

Muddy Waters

& what other plants were around them (melons)were there any other types they might of crossed with like sugar babys?

3/25/2011 6:46:01 AM

Arden, NC

There wasn't anything around them that could have crossed with them in the surrounding 200 or so acres that I know about. All of the melon plants I put in the ground were Henry Pleasants seeds. Mark, I can't pin down the exact week though I know by the end of June I had melons on the vine. It seems to me that the melons were a little behind the kins in producing females and I had female kins to pollinate by the 17th of June. The watermelons were showing up by the 22nd or so. Sorry had I known that I was going to be this successfull in my first year, I'd taken better notes.

3/25/2011 10:22:02 AM

Jamul

Hi Suzie, your year last year is one of the most exciting things I have seen in watermelon growing. Congratulations. Is there any chance you have pictures in a publicly accessible web location?
Thanks
Russell

3/25/2011 12:43:17 PM

Muddy Waters

We should post some on the website,If Chris has the time!!

3/25/2011 5:37:39 PM

Muddy Waters

Thanks Susie,we will expect minute by minute detail this year!lol

3/25/2011 5:38:49 PM