8/9/2019 Row Covers & Pest Control; Gardening Guidebook for Ozaukee County, Wisconsin

1/2

M el on M

A S T E R

GA R

DE NE R

S

MG 282March 1, 2003

MasterMaster

GardenersGardeners

JournalJournal

CultureMelons require a long growing season of90 to 125 days with temperatures averag-ing between70-80 oF. Melons can be di-rect sown, but will yield a much bettercrop if started indoors in late April or earlyMay and transplanted into the garden inearly June after the soil has warmed.Vine crops cannot tolerate root distur-bances and do not normally transplantwell. Sow the seed indoors inch deepin 3-inch peat pots using a sterile seedlingmix. You can buy or mix your own sterilepotting mix for starting transplants. Themix should include peat, sphagnum orcompost to retain moisture; vermiculite orperlite for aeration; and mineral and nutri-ent sources to encourage growth after thefirst roots form. Germination is in 7-10days when soil temperature is in the opti-mum range of 70-85 oF. Direct sowing isnot recommended due to our short grow-ing season. Like most vine crops, melonsrequire even moisture levels to keep fromrotting. The soil should be barely moist tothe touch. Seedlings should be hardenedoff before planting, by reducing waterslightly and gradually exposing them tooutside temperatures and sunlight. Vinecrops cannot tolerate cool temperatures,so be sure to bring them inside the green-house if the temperature threatens to dipbelow 40-45 oF. Space transplants 3 feetapart in rows 5 foot apart. Space 3 footapart in both directions for wide row plant-ing. Plant each seedling on a slightmound and protect young plants until theyare established from wind and coldweather with cloches or plastic tunnels.

Planting in raised beds covered withgreen or black plastic mulch can produceripe melons 2 weeks earlier. Black plasticmulch is very effective because it absorbheat, warms the soil, and maintains good

soil moisture levels. The plastic can beinstalled when the soil is in good plantingcondition, any time from a few days to 2-3weeks before planting. This will speedthe harvest since the soil will be verywarm when the seeds and transplants areplanted.

Muskmelons may crack during periods ofhigh humidity, which is common duringsummer rainy periods. Poor flavor, and/orsmooth rind is due to cool temperatures;wet, cloudy weather; poorly adapted va-rieties; poor soil fertility (especially lowpotassium) and picking the melons beforethey are ripe. Muskmelons will becomebitter if the temperatures are too high.

After five leaves have developed, pinchout each growing point to encourage fur-ther shoots. When these are well devel-oped, reduce them to about four of themost vigorous shoots. Train two shootson either side, between adjacent plants inthe row. Remove any protective covering

when the plants begin to flower to encour-age insect-pollination.

Thin to one fruit per shoot when the fruitsare 1 inch in diameter, and pinch allsublaterals at two to three leaves beyondthe developing fruits. Pinch out the mainshoots when they are 3 to 4 foot long andremove any further sublaterals that form.

You can lengthen the growing season byprotecting plants from late spring frostsand early fall frosts. There are a varietyof ways to prolong the growing season,including planting on a southern slope,creating a warmer microclimate usingfloating row covers, dark plastic mulch towarm the soil, clear plastic tunnels, coldframes, or using windbreaks to shieldplants.

Cucumis meloMelon leaves are oval to kidney shaped withfive to seven shallow lobes. Plants producetrailing vines and yellow flowers similar tocucumbers, but flowers may be male, fe-male, or perfect. There are three botanicalvarieties within the species and cross-pollination can occur among these.

Muskmelon , C. melo var. reticulous , has or-ange flesh and a netted rind and is fre-

quently called cantaloupe. However, thetrue cantaloupe C. melo var. cantaloupensis is not grown in the United States and has ahard, rough, warty, or scaly rind. The late-ripening winter melons, C. melo var. in-odorus , include casaba, Crenshaw, honey-dew, Christmas and Persian melon.

Muskmelon is a popular fruit that is eatenfresh or can be frozen.

8/9/2019 Row Covers & Pest Control; Gardening Guidebook for Ozaukee County, Wisconsin

2/2

Cultivar Selection

MASTER GARDENERS

Pests

Compiled By John T. Kovatch .

DiseasesMelons are susceptible to many of the common vine diseases, such as Bacterial wilt, Alternaria blight, angular leaf spot, mosaic,Fusarium wilt, powdery mildew, scab, and stem anthracnose. Common control measures include crop rotation, field sanitation, andfungicide applications. Many diseases can be eliminated or reduced by avoiding overhead watering. Where disease is a known prob-lem, choose resistant varieties. Remove plant refuse and control insect pests. Consult University of Wisconsin - Extension for dis-ease specifics.

IrrigationMelons are shallow-rooted crops and re-quire frequent watering. All vine crops re-quire supplemental irrigation of 1 inch ofwater every week in order to assure a con-stant supply of moisture, particularly duringbloom and fruit development. Soil mois-ture should not drop below 65%. A handfulof soil at 65% can be formed into a firmball. The ball will feel moist, but the soil willnot stick to your hand, and the ball will bepliable. When broken, the ball will crumbleinto medium-sized fragments. Moisturestress can reduce crop yields. If leavesbegin to wilt midday, plants are moisture

stressed. Plants that wilt intermittently mayproduce smaller yields, while plants thatwilt frequently or that wilt too long die dueto irreversible cell damage.

Drip irrigation works particularly well withblack plastic mulch. When irrigating vinecrops, it is important to keep water awayfrom the crown of the plant as even a fewhours of crown wetness can damage theroot system. Water in the morning or earlyafternoon so the foliage dries by evening.This helps prevent the spread of leaf dis-eases.

FertilityMelons prefer a soil pH between 6.0 and6.8; adding lime in SE Wisconsin shouldnot be necessary. Vine crops require lownitrogen and high potassium and phospho-rous for good fruit development. At plantingtime, apply 2 tablespoons per hill of a com-plete fertilizer such as 10-10-10 or similar

analysis. One week after blossoming be-gins, side-dress with a 1 tablespoon of 21-0-0 (ammonium sulfate) or 20-10-10 perhill, or alternately feed every ten to 14 dayswith a liquid feed such as Miracle Grow asthe fruits begin to develop. Reduce water-ing and feeding as fruits ripen.

Harvest

Key pests include two species of cucumber beetles; striped and spotted. The striped cucumber beetles are more serious in Wiscon-sin. Cucumber beetles are a problem on vine crops because they transmit the bacterial wilt organism. The striped cucumber beetle is1/5 inch long and yellow-green in color with three black stripes running the length of its body. Spotted cucumber beetles are yellow-green with 12 black spots on their backs. Non-chemical control can be achieved in small plantings by covering the plants with floatingrow covers to keep the beetles out. Make sure you uncover flowering plants to allow the bees to enter and pollinate the plants. If bac-terial wilt infections have already occurred, remove the diseased plants immediately to prevent the spread of the disease while insectsare present.

Melons were initially bred to resist powdery mildew fungus, but today melons are bred for multiple disease resistance. A wide rangeof flavors and sizes is available. Melons mature in 90 to 125 days depending upon the variety. Days to maturity are calculated fromdate of direct seeding. Seed Specification: Minimum germination standard: 80%. Usual seed life: 3 years. Approximately25-40 seeds per gram; 28 grams per ounce.

Harvest muskmelon early in the day, afterthe plants are dry. Be careful not to dam-age the vines. Check for maturity by gentlylifting the melon. If it is ripe it should fullyslip from the stem with slight finger pres-sure. When ripe, the muskmelon rindchanges from green to tan or yellow be-tween the netting.

To harvest Casaba and honeydew, cutthem off the vine after they turn completelyyellow. They will continue to ripen (becomesoft and mellow) if kept at room tempera-

ture for a few days. When they are com-pletely ripe, the blossom end yields to pres-sure.

Persian melons are ripe when they have asweet, fruity aroma at the blossom end. Ifmelons are not yet ripe in September and ahard frost is predicted, cover the foliageand immature fruit with newspaper.

Melons should be picked in the cool of theday and chilled as rapidly as possible to35 oF. Store at 35 oF. and 95% relative hu-midity.

Providing university research- based horticulture informationand educational opportunities

Milwaukee CountyUW-Extension932 South 60th Street

West Allis, WI 53214-3346Phone: (414) 290-2400

Fax: (414) 290-2424http:/ / milwaukee.uwex.edu

Ozaukee CountyUW-ExtensionBox 994

121 West Main StreetPort Washington, WI 53074

Phone: (262) 284-8288http:/ / www.co.ozaukee.wi.us

/ MasterGardener