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Chapel Hill, NC

Does it make much difference to trim your vines after they get a certain length/size? I just let mine grow wild this year and did not trim. If you trim what size do you like to keep your vines?

10/12/2016 11:37:23 AM

Eastern Shore of VA

I keep mine in their allotted area.
Ex. 20 x 20.
400 sq ft.
Anything outside of that gets pruned.
I've also begin experimenting with pruning for example,
Trimmed every secondary on the vine I had my melon set on.
Did it work?
Don't know,but my biggest melon last year was 133 pounds grown on huge plant.
This year it's taping 185 pounds,grown on 350 sq ft plant.
This is only my second year,so there are some folks on here who know a lot more than I about pruning.

10/12/2016 11:55:14 AM

Chapel Hill, NC

I had vines on top of vines in a 20 x 20 because I didn't trim and had to keep the vines out of the grass in the yard

10/12/2016 11:58:04 AM

Spring Hope, N.C. - USA

congrats on your melon.

10/12/2016 8:06:36 PM

Chapel Hill, NC

Thank you

10/12/2016 8:14:27 PM

Eastern Shore of VA

I had them piled up like that last year.
I didn't prune for fear of killing the plant.
Congrats on your melon.
Nice pic in your diary.

10/12/2016 10:27:11 PM

simpson,KS

It just makes sense that if you trim vines that all of that energy and food is going to your melon instead of vine growth. I always keep them confined too 400 sq. ft. or smaller depending on what the plants genetic plant growth is like. You can tell by the way it grows. For instance the 257 Boyette was a very aggressive plant before it set on and others were much smaller. But I have seen others plants on the diary and it looked like they had massive plants with massive melons so what do I know. Just my opinion.

10/16/2016 9:25:52 AM

Eastern Shore of VA

I think you are right about the energy directed to the melon,big melon.
I also wonder if the melons grown in northern climates react differently to hotter,more humid climates and vice versa.
I would think environmental elements have a part in plant genetics.
My 257 Boyette was aggressive as well,as are most Kent seeds I have planted.
I planted 2 of Marvin Mitchell's seeds this year and one plant was the most aggressive I've ever seen.
Out grew the other, which was a 255.
I started 2 296 Barbers' and they were smaller than any others I have grown,but both were the prettiest,and most symmetrical I've ever had.

10/16/2016 12:54:36 PM

Grant, AL

Hey guys! I do think that pruning does help maybe re-energize the plant and promote new growth. I think it could affect melon growth also. I have done some testing on this and I am starting to believe that plant size doesn't have much affect on melon size. This year we had a 200-250 sq ft plant that grew a 218 lb melon and we also had a 700 sq ft plant that grew a 220 lb melon. I plan to try an extreme test next year where I will only allow the main vine and finger vines to grow and remove all secondaries and see what I get. I bet a drastic reduction in plant size will not have an affect and final melon size. I think we may be looking at plant size and melon growth all wrong. I am starting to believe that the more plant you have, the more stress there is on the root system to keep up with plant growth. This in turn may be what contributes to slower melon growth after day 50-60. I just think the less plant the roots have to keep up with the more nutrients will be sent to the fruit but I may be completely wrong!

10/16/2016 1:36:27 PM

Chapel Hill, NC

Should be interesting to see the results of that experiment

10/16/2016 3:15:00 PM

Eastern Shore of VA

I agree with you both.
I too will be trying to trim all secondaries until the main and fingers reach their allotted length.
You'll need the secondaries for leaves later in the year I think.
I'm not sure what to expect for next year as I am moving and will have to make raised beds at the new house.

10/16/2016 7:07:45 PM

formerly RGG

ESheel, I grew my best melon in "new" ground and the 350.5 Kent was grown in a first time garden. If you have time and do things right, rested ground may yield superior results for you. Good luck next year, you may have a special opportunity.

10/16/2016 8:05:21 PM

Eastern Shore of VA

Thanks Dennis.
Good to see you hanging around.
Wealth of knowledge.
What I've been growing in is my vegetable garden of 12 years.
Only 25 x 50,but I have grown everything you can think of in those 12 years.
Only started getting serious about building good soil in it last year,first soil test,added manure and amendments.
Probably should lay fallow as it is pretty miserable.
PH this spring was 5.8.
Lol.
Now I just need to figure out what to put in my raised beds.
And how big to make them.

10/16/2016 10:47:06 PM

formerly RGG

Gabriele Bartoli grows watermelons for a living and also for bragging rights. He doesn't have enough land to rotate his crops and so he grows in the same soil year after year and consequently his soil if full of disease. So he feels the only way to do well is through grafted plants with roots that are disease resistant. Seems to work well for him. Just sayin'...............

10/18/2016 4:42:23 PM