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Owensboro, Ky.

Is there a general + specific tutorial around somewhere? Mr. Chris (Superman) Kent suggested starting a new thread, so here it is. Plant stock, and where to get them? How to's on grafting are readily available, but super tips would be Kul Beans!!! Specifics on Root Stock, and where to get them is surely needed! Time frames on when to start root stock compared to melon starting time, to make grafts size compatible? All help is welcomed, even if you said you won't post here anymore? and then did!!! LOL Peace, Wayne

12/8/2013 12:22:13 AM

Ky

Here is a photo of 3 grafted plants that were grafted by Frank Mudd.

http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=197665

12/8/2013 1:06:07 AM

Muddy Waters

http://worldwidegiantgrowers.com/Giant_Pumpkin_Class__2.html

Hi Wayne I did some grafts this year.I made a video for Worldwidegiantgrowers.com I just posted this on our watermelon page.Its not big on root stocks but it shows how to graft.

I will have a awards video up this before New Years eve.maybe before Christmas.Watch for flying videos with our surprise guest and a possible Bubba James cameo appearance.lol

12/8/2013 8:02:22 AM

Muddy Waters

I also added a picture of Chris Kents 350.5,never seen before picture in Hamilton Ohio.SOGPG contest.

Been real busy so the pictures will start popping up this winter as I find time to post them.I still dont have pics.from all the winners.Please send them if you havent yet.

12/8/2013 8:18:00 AM

Bethlehem CT

Nice video Handy!

12/8/2013 10:00:59 AM

Ky

Grafting Tool

http://www.newfrog.com/p/professional-grafting-tool-high-efficiency-fruit-tree-professional-grafting-cutting-tool-20200.html?

12/8/2013 1:25:21 PM

Victoria, BC, Canada

Hi everyone,

I look forward to next year's season! I've tried grafting a few plants (hole insertion) but they all died. I want to learn how to graft successfully so that I can learn if I can grow watermelon in my area. A short season with cool weather and disease makes basically impossible outdoors.

You guys make it seem so easy but 0% success rate for me is a big downer. My 2013 watermelon related pictures:
https://plus.google.com/photos/113314722562648862436/albums/5864189972793142193/5864190108677986482?banner=pwa&pid=5864190108677986482&oid=113314722562648862436

12/9/2013 1:49:36 AM

Muddy Waters

Looks good but I would have the stem on the melon seedling about 1/2 inch longer.Grafting is easy,Its mostly the time spent in the hospital afterwards.They need to be babied for a week or so,Then slowly acclimate them to full light.taking a another week to do this.Also growing inside,use a small fan to circulate air in the room and make the stem stronger not tall & leggy.Temp & humidity play a big part also.Good Luck!!

12/9/2013 7:29:58 AM

The North Coast

Greetings folks,

I will share with you my best help for new grafters. What I tell you is based in experience or educated opinion. My current motivations are to validate my initial opinion that grafting will help the growers. In an attempt to do this another size limiting issue has made itself apparent to me. That is that grafting of carolina cross to commercial rootstocks produces more incidents of disease than an urgent care facility during flu season. It is my experience prior to CC grafting that you take two plants, graft them, and enjoy the benefits. Benefits are not my opinion, it is generally accepted science. Why could I not keep my grafts clean? Why did my first years grafts fail so bad? The only other know failure of this percentage was in Tunisia back in 2006. There was definitely a fly in my ointment. Last year I was on a sanitation mission. All things were bleached, domes, trays, and even the seeds. All of the operation tools were completely sanitized between each cut. I used a mostly peat moss rooting medium that was moistened and then microwaved for 20 minutes. Everything was clean, everything was sanitized. The task of completing a couple dozen grafts would take 5 hours. My goal was to keep things clean so I dont mess up anymore seasons. Even with all the precautions, I still saw a bit of disease. As a rule with disease, if this one over here has it, that one over there may have it too. Where could this disease linger where one of my steps did not eliminate it? It was then that I became confident that the disease was not on the seed, or in my facility, it was in the seed where common seed sanitation techniques could not rid it.

12/9/2013 10:23:32 AM

The North Coast

I started to study commercial watermelon seed collecting techniques and they varied greatly from the collect and trade technique of carolina cross. In fact, the studies revealed a couple of common CC trading occurrences that are highly discouraged. It was easy to see that a watermelon seed producer must really work hard to protect the seed from pathogens or eventually the seed stock will deteriorate and crop loss could be expected. I could continue to ramble on and give you more evidence on the topic...but I have to get to my point sometime today.

The videos of other professionals grafting show and tell how it is done ASSUMING 2 THINGS...both the rootstock and the watermelon are commercial stocks. The incidence of seed borne disease is next to nothing when you are dealing with commercial seed stocks.

12/9/2013 10:24:59 AM

The North Coast

So where do we go, what good advice can I give you?
1. Use a commercial rootstock. Try to stay away from lagenaria that have been collected over the years using the same ill advised techniques. The only commonly available rootstock for the average Joe would be C.ficifolia from Johnnys. There have been only 2 melons grown from c.ficifolia and they both went the season without crown failures. C.fic is a good option for most people. There is no evidence that says that it cannot tolerate higher soil temperature. However, globally it is not used for watermelon.
2. Assuming you have access to commercial sources of all rootstocks here is a brief word on them.
a. Shintosa (interspecific squash). It is your typical honeybadger in the rootstock world. It doesnt care if you cut its roots off or anything else. Start it the same day as melons. In the ground, it takes what it wants. Sounds perfect EXCEPT that it has absolutely no tolerance to the seed borne diseases of C.C. No melon of mention has ever made it and chances are extremely good that you will get a catastrophic crown failure. It is used globally as rootstock for open field product of melon. Global leader, noted for higher vigor and production per plant. That is not my opinion but scientific fact.

12/9/2013 10:25:32 AM

The North Coast

b. Lagenaria is not used in open field typically. I was told by a man from Japan that they only use lagenaria with small melon varieties that are grown in their really small poly houses. Mostly used to overcome disease, to keep healthy vines, and to produce fruit that is high quality and true to the cultivar. If you can get clean lagenaria rootstock you will need to start them 7-8 days before melon. Must baby the rootstock, does not like to be transplanted.
c. C.ficifolia is a wild gourd like plant that reminds me much more of Shintosa than lagenaria. Its cotyledon are very big but it is a slow grower out of the gate. Start 7-8 days before melons. It too does not like to have its roots messed with. Given the problems with shintosa and with what we know about the global use of lagenaria, it is possible that C.fic could be a good fit and it does appear to have a decent tolerance to the C.C. seed.

12/9/2013 10:25:39 AM

The North Coast

3. Use the hole insertion method demonstrated my Handy or the University of Arizona.
4. Try your best to be clean during the process.
5. Make sure your rootstocks are old enough. Small rootstocks just make it more difficult.
6. Normal watermelon graft healing conditions, assuming you are not needed to inhibit a fungal infection in your healing chamber due to the C.C. seed, would be nearly 100% humidity. I place the tall dome and try under my fluorescent light, add a digital thermometer to the tray and aim to get around 78 degrees. The heat from the lamps may do this. I cover the tall dome with a dishrag, allowing for a very small amount of indirect light. After 3 days I will remove the dishrag and replace it with sheets of newspaper. The newspaper will allow more light. Then progressively work the newspaper down so on day 8 or 9 you are feeling good enough to remove it completely. At about this time the watermelon true leaf may start to grow also. This is a good sign. Dont rush them and dont kill them with too much light or too little moisture. If you see any odd brown spots forming on the edges of the watermelon cotyledons then you have encountered the dreaded gummy stem blight (public enemy number 1). Never plant this plant and remove it immediately.

12/9/2013 10:55:13 AM

The North Coast

7. It may be possible to inhibit disease growth with high end fungicides. I never did this because I was not going to use anything in my basement that had a 3 day REI (reentry interval). Not worth it for me but the good fungicides from day one may work to suppress things.

I would have to conclude in saying that right now C.C. is a very tricky plant to graft. Honestly, I can no longer say go ahead and graft your melons and you will get good returns.

I am in the process of trying to fix this issue by the use of seed disinfection means. I am very close to starting two very different and promising techniques that would yield one of two things, a clean seed or a dead seed. I have made a few really good friends outside of this community are helping me accomplish this task. Soon we will have a batch of clean seeds that will go into further steps of testing. By October we will know if they worked or not. Stay tuned.

12/9/2013 11:22:18 AM

The North Coast

A lot of information is already out there on the subject of grafting. It all starts with you doing your homework and going from there.

I do still have a good selection of all commercial seeds...but the offer I made is technically over. See the post I had about a month or two ago. Betcha you could twist my arm...

Finally, I am not a melon grower, I like to work on limiting factors in agriculture. Not sure why I am drawn to watermelons. They are just so pretty...just love big melons.

12/9/2013 11:28:30 AM

Ky

Thanks for all that information, it is appreciated very much

otis :)

12/9/2013 4:34:26 PM

Muddy Waters

I have finally been outdone!!lol Welcome back! Nathan!!LOL

12/9/2013 4:54:22 PM

Gays Mills, Wisconsin

Nathan,
This read is the type of info that helps us growers learn. Thanks for your effort and sharing.
John

12/9/2013 7:23:26 PM

sevierville, Tn

Great writeup Nathan....Thanks so very much. Lets hope for the clean seed option ! LOL

12/9/2013 8:17:09 PM

Owensboro, Ky.

Kul beans, guys...have not been thru the links yet...what is the best root stock?
Second, and maybe disturbing question is a bit off topic...Why isn't Chris's 350.5 shown on the home page as a New World Record? ie graft's are not acceptable as World Records? Not meaning to stir the pot, just curious? Peace, Wayne

12/10/2013 3:08:22 PM

Muddy Waters

Seems to take awhile for Ken to post.The GPC excepts grafts for sure.

12/10/2013 7:39:51 PM