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Garner, NC

I had a great plant going in the 211. Friday morning it was beautiful and Friday afternoon it was crunchy and dead. Larry Boyette has had 3 of his early plants do the same thing. He blames it on the sudden heat and the fact we get these early plant to a good size before they ever see heat and then they go into stress and die really fast. The plant has had plenty of water, but the melon did quit growing Monday and that when we had temps over 95 for 4 days. I'll post some pictures in my diary this afernoon. Anybody else had a plant stress and go down in hours?

6/4/2011 9:48:37 AM

Jamul

The first two plants I put in the garden this year died. They were hardened off in good weather but as soon as I put them in the ground we had cool weather and clouds for a week.They didn't grow much but looked nice, and when the weather changed back to hot quickly they croaked. Seemed to me like they "softened off" with the cold dark weather and couldn't take the heat.

6/4/2011 10:02:06 AM

Pataskala,OH

Mine almost died but they came back and look fine now.

6/4/2011 10:10:16 AM

Bethlehem CT

Ice Man, Did you just fertilize or put something on the plants? I know we don't have the heat you do, but to go down that quickly doesn't seem right to me. Or Bacterial wilt? I have seen it on cucumbers, the plants wilt for a few days in the heat, then just die.

6/4/2011 10:38:09 AM

Garner, NC

big moon, I applied Merit through the drip lines Sunday night, then the heat wave came Monday, maybe it just couldn't handle both. This all happen to the plant within hours. Larry B said his were fine at 8am and dead by 11am. I just posted some pictures in the diary, they should be up this afternoon.

6/4/2011 11:22:52 AM

Deep South, USA

I'm sorry to hear that Ice Man :(.

The weather here went from late spring to high summer in a flash, in just a couple of days. Highs in the upper 90's and no rain. Did it change very suddenly there too?

6/4/2011 3:21:24 PM

formerly RGG

That was a great looking plant. I am very sorry to hear you have lost it.Anything you will do different next time Ice Man?

6/4/2011 6:42:33 PM

Garner, NC

T Dreamer, not sure if it was anything I did or the weather. But I will keep the merit as a foliar from now own for sure. Plus I think I'm done with growing early plants, just way to much work.

6/4/2011 8:21:15 PM

formerly RGG

I think trying to grow early plants is beginning to give me some appreciation of what our northern growers have to go through every year. And then they still end up with bad seasons sometimes after going through lots of special effort.Those guys have to really know what they are doing and they must have lots of dedication.Of course that is true to some extent for all of us giant growers. Being really good at anything seldom comes easy.

6/4/2011 9:31:05 PM

Bethlehem CT

How about sudden wilt of watermelon? Here is a web site I foundhttp://www2.dpi.qld.gov.au/horticulture/11648.html
I have never seen any phytotoxic respnse to merit. (on pumpkins) I personally would not suspect the merit.

6/4/2011 9:31:31 PM

Bethlehem CT

I just went to your diary, what a beautiful plant. I am sorry you lost it.

6/4/2011 9:36:18 PM

Rome Ga

sorry to hear about the plant. sure makes you wander if the heat didnt have something to do with it. but melons usually love hot weather. how did the vine look close to the stump. you still have time to go a big one good luck

6/4/2011 9:56:54 PM

sevierville, Tn

Wow, bad break, i really wanted to see that new melon grow.
I don't think it was the merit as long as you were even close to the correct strength. My bet is on a diease, some kind of a wilt. I lost 1 plant that way last year & 1 plant 3 years ago.
When i dug it up, everything looked fine, except the plant wilted real bad. Hopefully it will be just that 1 plant.

6/4/2011 10:23:54 PM

sevierville, Tn

BTW, mine started out as 1 vine rather then the whole plant. But yes, its very quick....looked fine 1 day, next day in the heat, the vine was dead ! I cut off the vine & 2 days later, another vine on the plant went down, thats when i pulled it.

6/4/2011 10:27:42 PM

Garner, NC

Big Moon, I checked out the sudden wilt, but crown leaves were fine, and no yellowing of the leaves, plus the roots were very white and quite huge.
SDBBHH is what I think it is. Hadn't found it on google yet.Sudden Death By Blistering Hot Heat!!

Chris, My heart was broke to find it that way. I was really hyped about both the new melons going. They both were close to 4cm long at pollination. Anybody else that is growing the 211, be on the look out for really long females.

6/5/2011 9:42:19 AM

Arden, NC

Todd,

I really am sad for you as much work as you put into it early on. It was a wonderful plant and I really thought that you were going to have something special on your hands in August. I've lost a couple of plants too unexpectedly but they were not nearly as far along as yours were.

6/5/2011 11:01:07 AM

Watervalley Ms

Hey Ice Man, I am sorry about your plant. Did you weigh youre melon and how long was it on the plant? Jerry

6/5/2011 6:02:52 PM

Garner, NC

Hey Jerry, the melon was only 34lbs, but it was the 2 females I just pollinated that I was sick over losing, both right at 4cm long. The melon was 15 days when it quit growing.

6/5/2011 7:46:16 PM

Southeast Texas

ice man know how you feel my 170 mudd melon was 31 lbs at day 15 when a storm tore up the plant and broke the vine the melon was on.

6/5/2011 8:36:18 PM

Bowdon, GA

Sorry to see that Todd, I had two do it before, but like Chris's it went one vine at a time. Cut it up and couldn't find anything wrong. It is scary for a while wondering if it will happen again. I've been staying away from those two spots since then. I hope it was just the heat.

6/5/2011 10:37:11 PM