From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Piqua, Ohio

checkout WWW.ars.usda.gov
www.hort.purdue.edu/fruitveg/rep_pres/2008-9/mvt_2008_pdf/Print_Portrait/11_watermelon_02_Howell.pdf
If these help answer any questions and you want to try a graft go to www.edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/HS/HS33000.pdf
it shows 4 ways to do so.
I got a feeling a few growers who are against grafting may change their minds, since we had a mild winter and fuserium will be abundant this year. Grafted plants resist this disease. Good Luck

3/31/2012 1:21:59 PM

Ontario

Not this cat..... but if you are.... please just let us know!! Because I will not grow any seeds from a squelon or melquash...or whatever your fruit is going to be called!!

4/1/2012 7:47:07 AM

formerly RGG

So you are making up your own words for grafted plants now to make it seem as terrible as you possibly can BP ? I think you need to concentrate on your hobby of growing melons and pumpkins; lest you get too distracted by your obvious dissatisfaction and fail to do as well as you otherwise might this growing season.

4/1/2012 9:15:43 AM

Niagara Falls,NY

I'm not a regular grower of watermelons. I grew a couple of times in the past and I'm growing this year. I was just wondering about something. If a watermelon grown on a say a squash rootstock won a world record, would that count? I mean it's not really a 100% watermelon plant. So how would that work? Just wondering. Don

4/1/2012 9:38:11 AM

sevierville, Tn

I like the squelon name ! LOL

4/1/2012 11:39:16 AM

Valencia Spain

i tryed to graft a 268 bright onto a acorn squash, i will let u know if it takes and then compare it to a 268 bright without graft

4/1/2012 1:08:41 PM

formerly RGG

There are currently no rules against growing grafted plants. If there were, I certainly would not be growing all grafted.

4/1/2012 2:04:59 PM

Piqua, Ohio

Don't worry BP I won't ask you to grow my seeds I have plenty of people to give them to. Genetics are genetics if your seed is good it don't need to be grafted, I'm trying to fight fuserium, grafts help even if you graft back to the melon you cut! I want to cross a male from a graft to a non graft to see if I can get disease resistance genetically. My biggest melon is 170 so don't get to worried! I'm still in trial stage, grafting has been used in AG's and I haven't heard any complaints about that! I posted this link for TD and folks who want to know about grafting, if you don't like it start a new thread about it.

4/1/2012 2:55:16 PM

TD - If you grow a few plants that are not grafted but that do have the same cc parents as your grafted plants, you can better determine the value of grafted plants for you. It will also be important that all your plants receive similar amounts of light, water, nutrients and other amendments. In other words, do a control group in such as way that grafting is the only possible factor that would cause an increase or decrease in performance in your plants.

4/1/2012 4:52:45 PM

Garner, NC

Hey Lloyd, same thing I asked, would have been great data to see how well grafted plants did with growing them large.

4/1/2012 7:57:55 PM

SW Ohio

I'd like to see you grow some non grafted plants too. You took a soil test this year I believe, and amended your soil to bring it up to snuff. It would be pretty neat to see how big of a difference it makes on your weights.

4/1/2012 9:00:29 PM

Muddy Waters

I'm with Bryan Ditto!

4/1/2012 9:04:05 PM

formerly RGG

It really is too late for me to do that. My 6 plants are already starting to vine. And I have not even germinated any regular plants. Even if I did start some from seeds I could not start any more grafts and would not ask Nathan to do so.So they could not be on equal footing. I would like to accommodate you guys but it will have to be next year I think.

4/1/2012 9:33:27 PM

The North Coast

I think at least one person will be planting grafts and regular plants, in high numbers, in the same field. I am very excited to see what makes it to the scales.

4/2/2012 7:46:50 AM

Ontario

Punk'nlvr.... we had this discussion earlier, and apparently Guinness would not recognize a melon grown on a grafted plant as a world record.

TD...yes I am making up my own name for the fruit you grow on your grafted plants. I am not saying it's terrible... it's your choice what you do. And just for your information, I am right now concentrating on Directing "12 Angry Men" for our local theater company, lot's of time to concentrate on melons soon enough. Hell we had snow the other day and frost most mornings this past week.

Melons... I am not too worried about anything with this hobby, I have more important things to worry about at the moment. My partner Michelle just got back from visiting her dying father who was just recently diagnosed with a rare form of Leukemia. And I do believe I can post any thoughts I want on any post on this board... if you don't like what I say, that's okay...we are all entitled to our own opinion, don't take it personally. You said.... "I got a feeling a few growers who are against grafting may change their minds"... I'm one of them so I answered.

These grafting posts have been fun.... and I have no problem with anyone growing from grafts.... I have stated that all along... I just choose not to participate, and I personally do not want any seeds in my genetic lines from grafted plants... that's all!!

4/2/2012 8:26:44 AM

Piqua, Ohio

Yes you answered but did you look at the links? I don't want a screaming match, if you don't like grafts great! If you look at the links it's about disease resistance, size isn't a factor for me with grafting, and I've said it before and I'll say it again, disease resistance.

4/2/2012 8:31:54 PM

formerly RGG

Melons, you are certainly right. Grafting is used on watermelons for disease resistance. Healthier plants may help make slightly bigger melons. But there is no way that grafting is some magic formula for world record breaking melons. I am just hoping that I have everything else right and gain some small advantage from the grafts. And I have been warned by several people there may be an unknown drawback to growing grafted rootstock and my season may once again be a flop.

4/2/2012 9:37:07 PM

Piqua, Ohio

I just think it's funny everyone get's so worked up about grafting, I'm no world class watermelon grower, but like everyone else I really enjoy the hobby!

4/4/2012 9:57:58 PM

Valencia Spain

hi my graft didnt take

4/6/2012 2:44:49 PM

Valencia Spain

so will be growingwithout grafts already lost two 268s to snails, ants eat snailo bait

4/6/2012 2:46:03 PM

formerly RGG

The fruit grown from a grafted plant is identical to the fruit from a non grafted plant. I will call mine watermelons thank you.

4/6/2012 9:43:36 PM

Goodwood, Ontario, Canada

So if Guinness is not accepting a Watermelon grown from a graft then will the GPC and GWC follow suit? If a grafted plant throws off a world record will there be an asterisk next to the weight? This is just a hobby for me but I'd like to play by the rules if there are rules. I understand that the Japanese are projecting a 400lb watermelon that they are growing in a vacuum tube hydroponically.

4/16/2012 7:15:16 AM

Piqua, Ohio

The GWG said if it looks,feels like a watermelon it's a watermelon. Grafts are for disease resistance, not size I keep posting this over and over, as far as guiness book of records I could care less what they think! Also how would they know it was a grafted plant? I only know of 2 guys growing with a grafted melon and I'm one of them. With the feedback I'm getting on here I won't be posting what my graft is doing, so no one will ridicule my findings. I get the same response about grow lights. It's just a watermelon, some things in life are more important!

4/16/2012 12:42:26 PM

Goodwood, Ontario, Canada

I understand and I certainly did not mean to offend you. I for one would be very interested in how it works out for you. All the best.

4/16/2012 6:53:50 PM

Piqua, Ohio

you didn't offend me, it just seems a lot of growers are against this method!

4/16/2012 7:40:31 PM

Goodwood, Ontario, Canada

Will the seeds from a grafted watermelon carry the disease resistance attributes you are trying to gain by grafting or would you need to graft each year?

4/17/2012 7:05:44 AM

formerly RGG

Grafting would have to be done on an annual basis. The genetics of the scion are not changed at all.

4/17/2012 7:21:09 AM