How much water does a watermelon need to grow?
Just like most other plants in your veggie garden, watermelons need 1 to 2 inches of water per week to grow adequately. This is particularly important when the watermelon plants are setting and growing fruit. A watermelon is made up of 92% water—if you want big, juicy watermelons, make sure your plants stay well watered!
How do you care for a watermelon plant?
Watermelon plants are heavy feeders. Make sure your soil is well amended with organic matter before planting. If your soil is lacking in organic matter, add a slow-release organic fertilizer at the start of the season. To keep watermelons growing steadily, side dress at mid-season with a layer of compost.
What is the best fertilizer for watermelon plants?
Applying 4 to 6 cups of all-purpose fertilizer to every 100 square feet of planting area before planting your watermelons can help feed the watermelon vines throughout the growing season. Once the vines have runners, apply a side dressing of nitrogen fertilizer at a rate of 1 to 2 tablespoons per plant.
What are the benefits of growing watermelons?
Growing watermelons is a great way to have a large, juicy, sweet treat in the summer. Learn how to plant watermelons from seeds or starts, and how to grow the best fruits.
See more
What is the best fertilizer for watermelon?
For watermelons, apply a fertilizer high in phosphorous, such as 10-10-10, at a rate of 4 pounds per 1,000 square feet (60 to 90 feet of row). Make a trench on the planting bed 4 to 6 inches deep and 2 inches from the side of the row. Cover the fertilizer and plant so seeds do not touch the fertilizer.
How do you take care of watermelon plants?
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.
What conditions do watermelons need to grow?
They grow best when daytime temperatures fall between 70 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit, and nighttime temperatures fall between 65 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. They can thrive in both humid and semi-arid environments, but may develop fungal foliage diseases in humid areas more frequently than in dry areas.
What helps watermelon grow faster?
To maximize the size of the melon, water the plants regularly in deep water sessions that keep the soil moist. Side dress the Watermelon plants with fertilizer prepared for edible crops or fertilizer tea to feed the plants. Fertilizer encourages growth to produce large melons.
Do watermelons need full sun?
Regardless of what variety you grow in your pots, be sure to site the containers in a location where they receive a minimum of 8 hours of full sun per day. Watermelons will not form flowers or fruits if they don't get enough sun. 'Sugar Pot' and 'Bush Sugar Baby' are the best two choices for container growing.
Should I trim my 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.
Does watermelon like wet soil?
Watermelon develops a much more robust root system under drier conditions when the roots are forced to explore water deep in the soil. With constantly wet soil, roots lose the capability to grow deep.
Do watermelons need a lot of water?
Watermelons need approximately an inch or two of water a week. You want to thoroughly soak the root zone, which is usually about 12 inches deep. Be careful not to overwater your watermelons, however, which causes necessary nutrients to leach out of the soil.
How many watermelons do you get from one plant?
2-4 fruitsHow Many Watermelons per Plant? Healthy watermelon vines produce 2-4 fruits per plant. The vines produce both male and female flowers. Both are needed to set fruit and there are fewer female flowers compared to male, about one female for every seven males.
Is Epsom salt good for watermelon plants?
For sweeter watermelons and cantaloupes when the plant starts vining and again when small 1-inch melons appear, spray with 6 1/2 tablespoons Epsom salts and 3 1/2 tablespoons borax in 5 gallons of water. For more fruit on your pepper plants, fertilize the plant by burying an open one-half pack of book matches near it.
Are eggshells good for watermelon plants?
Many foods you eat, from celery to egg shells, can go into a compost pile or bin to create food scrap compost. Naturally, the food scraps have high nutrient levels perfect for a growing watermelon.
Can you use Miracle Grow on watermelons?
Grow melons faster by starting with young plants from Bonnie Plants®. Plant melons when ground temperatures are above 70 degrees F. Before planting, add nutrients to native soil by mixing in a 3-inch layer of Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics® All Purpose In-Ground Soil.
How to keep watermelon growing?
To keep watermelons growing steadily, side dress at mid-season with a layer of compost. If you choose to use chemical fertilizer, feed early with a fertilizer that contains more nitrogen than phosphorus and potassium, since this will encourage the growth of the leaves and vine.
What is the best soil for watermelon?
Soil. Watermelons grow well in almost any well-draining rich soil. A mildly acidic to neutral soil pH of 6.0 to 6.8. is best. Heavily amending the soil with plenty of organic matter before planting is advised, as these are heavy feeders.
How much does a seedless watermelon weigh?
Seedless melons are hybrids bred to be self-sterile. They weigh 10 to 20 pounds. Yellow/orange-fleshed melons are often considered to be sweeter than red and pink watermelons. Watermelons are generally planted from seeds sown directly into the garden as soon as the soil warms to 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
How long does it take for a watermelon to mature?
'Revolution' is a red-fleshed melon that matures in 80 days. Melons are 20 to 26 pounds.
What is a watermelon?
Watermelon is an annual fruiting vine that requires a relatively long, hot growing season to produce the iconic summertime treat familiar to picnickers everywhere. Watermelon is one member of the very large Cucurbitaceae family of plants, a group that includes most of the vining vegetables, including cucumbers, squash, and pumpkins. The watermelons grown in domestic gardens are all cultivars of the Citrillus lunatus species. Watermelon has been in cultivation for many centuries, thought to have originated almost 5,000 years ago in the Kalahari Desert of Africa. Seeds were brought to the U.S. by enslaved Africans. Thanks to hybridizing, there are over 100 cultivated varieties of watermelons, in assorted sizes, shapes, and colors.
How long does it take for a blacktail mountain watermelon to mature?
Early/ short-season varieties mature in 70 to 75 days: 'Blacktail Mountain' has red flesh with a dark green rind. They weigh 6 to 12 pounds. 'Faerie' produces watermelons with red flesh and a yellow rind. They are relatively small fruits, at 5 to 6 pounds. 'Golden Crown' watermelons have red flesh and yellow rinds.
How many varieties of watermelon are there?
Thanks to hybridizing, there are over 100 cultivated varieties of watermelons, in assorted sizes, shapes, and colors. Watermelon is a sprawling, prostate vining plant with large, lobed leaves with a hairy, coarse texture. They bloom with yellow flowers in mid- to late-summer.
Quick Guide to Growing Watermelon
Plant watermelon from late spring to early summer, once soil temperatures reach 70° F or above.
Soil, Planting, and Care
Growing watermelons requires warm soil. Don't tuck plants into the garden until soil temperature is above 70 degrees F, which typically occurs about the time peonies bloom in northern zones. To be safe, wait until at least 2 weeks past your area's last frost date. Prior to planting, cover soil with black plastic to hasten soil warming.
Troubleshooting
Watermelons are in the same plant family as squash and cucumbers, but they do not cross-pollinate successfully. Your garden will depend on bees to pollinate the flowers, so cool, cloudy weather in the spring will slow down their development, as bees are less active in such conditions. Be patient until the weather warms.
Harvest and Storage
Watermelons typically ripen over two weeks. As soon as one melon is ripe, the others won't be far behind. About a week before a melon is ripe, water only as necessary to keep vines from wilting. Withholding water causes sugars to concentrate in the fruit. Too much water reduces sweetness.You can judge a watermelon's ripeness by its skin colour.
FAQs
Ripe watermelons break easily from the vine when twisted. If you try to pick a melon and it fails to twist off easily, it probably isn't ripe yet. Another sign of ripeness is when the underside changes from white to rich yellow.
How much water do watermelon plants need?
Just like most other plants in your veggie garden, watermelons need 1 to 2 inches of water per week to grow adequately. This is particularly important when the watermelon plants are setting and growing fruit.
How much water is in a watermelon?
A watermelon is made up of 92% water—if you want big, juicy watermelons, make sure your plants stay well watered! Growfully Protip. The sprawling vines and large canopy of leaves of a watermelon vine can act like a mulch to help retain soil moisture and prevent weed competition around your watermelon plants.
How to transplant watermelon seeds?
Transplant on a warm but not hot day that is preferably overcast with calm winds. Water your watermelon seed lings thoroughly about an hour before you plan on transplanting them. If using a plantable seed starting method (like newspaper pots, peat pots, or soil blocks), plant the seedling directly into the soil.
How to start watermelon seeds indoors?
How to start watermelon seedlings indoors (only recommended for cooler climates or to ensure germination) Fill a large seedling pot or soil block with seed starting medium. We like to use coco coir (4 parts), vermiculite (2 parts), and perlite (1 part). Sow 2-3 seeds in each pot (this will ensure germination of at least one), ...
How to hand pollinate watermelon?
These are the watermelon flowers that do not have a tiny watermelon on the stem. Take a soft paintbrush or cotton swab and run it along the middle of the flower.
How to tell when a watermelon is ready?
Then knock on the one you think might be ready. When the watermelon is ready, it’ll sound hollow compared to the unripe watermelon.
How long does it take for watermelon to grow?
Watermelon requires a relatively long growing season (about 80-90 days from sowing the seeds), and it wants absolutely nothing to do with cool weather. Plant your watermelon when the soil has warmed to around 70ºF and there are no longer any cool nights in the forecast.
How to keep watermelon plants moist?
Mulching around the watermelon plants will improve moisture retention, retard weed growth, and slowly add nitrogen rich organic matter to the soil as it breaks down. Use straw, shredded newspaper, or grass clippings in a 3 to 4 inch (8-10 cm.) layer around the melon plants.
Can you use nitrogen on a vine?
Side dress again once the fruit has just appeared on the vine. Avoid using any nitrogen rich fertilizer once the fruit has set. Excess nitrogen will just result in superfluous foliage and the growth of the vine, and will not nourish the fruit.
Can you fertilize watermelons with granular food?
When fertilizing watermelons with granular food, do not let the fertilizer come into contact with the leaves. The leaves are sensitive and you could damage them. Water the fertilizer in well so the roots can easily absorb the nutrients.
Can you grow your own watermelon?
Growing your own watermelon may take a bit of work but is definitely rewarding. In order to get the sweetest, juiciest melon, what kind of fertilizer do you need to use on watermelon plants?
Is there a fertilizer schedule for watermelon?
There is no set watermelon fertilizer schedule. Fertilizing is determined by the current soil condition and, thereafter, by the stage at which the watermelon plant is growing. For example, is it an emergent seedling or is it in bloom? Both stages have different nutritional needs.
Why does my watermelon have rot?
Most watermelon rots are not caused by a lack in nutrients, although a calcium deficiency in the soil is a common cause of blossom end rot. Other causes of rot include moisture extremes and fungi. All can be treated.
Why do my melons have rot?
The rot is caused when the melons are unable to take up enough calcium, typically due to fluctuations in moisture. Calcium uptake may be reduced if your melons experience a dry spell followed by regular or excess irrigation. Water regularly during dry spells to help prevent blossom end rot.
Is watermelon rot a nutrient?
While most rots are not directly affected by nutrient additions, it's important to remember that a healthy plant is more resistant to disease. This isn't always the case with rots, although caring for your watermelon crop can help prevent insect infestations and various disease.
