Watermelon Trimming Should I Be Cutting Watermelon Vines

Pruning watermelons promotes healthier vines and increases fruit size. Look for irregular or rotting fruit to prune from the plant. Removing the less than perfect melons will enable the plant to focus energy towards growing bigger, healthier, juicier melons.

How do you maintain a watermelon vine?

While melon plants are growing, blooming, and setting fruit, they need 1 to 2 inches of water per week. Keep soil moist, but not waterlogged. Water at the vine's base in the morning, and try to avoid wetting the leaves and avoid overhead watering. Reduce watering once fruit are growing.

Can you trim melon vines?

Using pruning shears, cut lateral vines that grow from the primary up to the eighth leaf node. ... When a melon is nearing ripeness, leave another melon on the vine to mature. As the plant grows, remove any disfigured or damaged fruit and allow the healthiest fruit to grow. Also, remove any damaged vines.

Can you leave a watermelon on the vine too long?

If you leave the watermelon on the vine longer than two weeks, your fruit has lost its sweetness and won't be nearly as delicious. ... On the vine, you should pick within two weeks of ripening.

How long should watermelon sit before cutting?

Storing Fruits

The best conditions for storing watermelon are between 45 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit, but standard room temperatures are acceptable. Uncut fruit can be stored in these temperatures for up to two weeks before eating. Once cut, the fruit will last in the refrigerator for only a few days.

How long do watermelon vines get?

How To Cultivate Watermelon Plants. Watermelon is a space hog; vines can reach 20 feet in length. So plant where there is plenty of open ground.

How do I make my watermelon sweeter when growing?

Sweetness Starts in the Soil

To encourage strong growth, blend 4 to 6 inches of composted manure into your melon beds prior to planting. Then add a balanced organic fertilizer (such as a mixed blood meal/bone meal product) every 3 to 4 weeks.

What can you not plant with watermelon?

Because other members of the Cucurbitae family are all attacked by cucumber beetles, planting watermelons next to these crops is not recommended:

Cucumbers.
Summer squash/zucchini.
Pumpkins.
Winter squash.

Do watermelon vines root?

Watermelon vines will root along the way but to a somewhat lesser extent than pumpkins. They also take longer to put out roots & don't cover the vines with dirt. ... They can shoot substantial roots down, it does take a while and they only grow out the bottom of the vine, unlike pumpkins.

Does watermelon keep ripening after it's picked?

Watermelons don't continue to ripen after being harvested, unlike many other fruits, so it's no good to just buy one and try to let it ripen on the counter.

Does a whole watermelon need to be refrigerated?

Keep whole melons like watermelon, cantaloupe and honeydew on the counter for best flavor. USDA research found that storage at room temp may even help keep the antioxidants better intact. Once cut, store in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.

How do you store cut watermelon?

Cut watermelon should be wrapped in plastic, refrigerated and used within three to five days. You can also freeze cut watermelon, but the texture will be soft when thawed (which is fine for cold soups and smoothies).

Why are my watermelons rotting on the vine?

Blossom rot in watermelons is caused by a lack of calcium, but simply adding more calcium isn't going to help the situation. More often than not, watermelon blossom end rot occurs when water levels are fluctuating during fruit initiation.

Is it OK to eat unripe watermelon?

According to Treehugger, unlike other fruits, watermelons don't continue ripening after they've been picked, so your best bet is to avoid choosing an unripe melon if you can. ... Eating watermelon that isn't fully ripe isn't dangerous, but it's not as good as a ripe melon.

Why is my watermelon not red?

It's possible you may have inadvertently planted a preserving-type watermelon rather than the more familiar red, tender-fleshed watermelon. Preserving watermelons are known as citron watermelons, and are also called pie melon or stockmelon. These old-fashioned watermelons are used for pickling as well as in baking.

How do I keep watermelon fresh?

Watermelons can be stored uncut and unrefrigerated for about 10 days to 2 weeks. Place them in a very cool place to increase their storage time. If cut, watermelon will keep in the refrigerator for about 4 days wrapped tightly in plastic. Watermelon will decay if stored below 50°F (10°C) for more than a few days.

What's the best fertilizer for watermelons?

When fertilizing watermelon plants, use nitrogen based fertilizer at the onset. Once the plant begins flowering, however, switch to feeding the watermelon a phosphorus and potassium based fertilizer. Watermelons require ample potassium and phosphorus for optimal melon production.

How far do watermelon vines spread?

Watermelon roots and vines spread up to 18 feet. Watermelon grows in all parts of the USDA planting zones when temperatures range from 65 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Northern gardeners select early-maturing varieties and grow the plants in black plastic mulch early in spring.

How deep do watermelon roots go?

Watermelon roots commonly grow 8 to 10 or more inches deep; the hole and mound become a reservoir of moisture and nutrients. More tips: Watermelon Seed Starting Tips. Care. Space watermelons 6 to 12 feet (1.8-3.6 m) apart; don't let plants compete for soil moisture or nutrients.

What is the best month to grow watermelon?

Plant watermelon from late spring to early summer, once soil temperatures reach 70° F or above.
Space watermelon 3 to 5 feet apart in nutrient-rich, well-drained soil with a pH of 6.0 to 6.8.

Do watermelon plants like coffee grounds?

Old coffee grinds really do enhance the flavor of many crops, cantaloupe, tomatoes, melons. No study to prove it, but it is said you get bigger melons if you use coffee grinds. As they break down, the grinds will release nitrogen into the soil.

Is Miracle Grow good for watermelon plants?

Feeding and Caring for Melons

Then, feed your melon plants regularly through the growing season with a continuous-release plant food like Miracle-Gro® Performance Organic® Edibles Plant Nutrition Granules, which feeds the soil as well as your plants.