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formerly RGG

Jake, you said you think you have gotten your problem with stump rot under control this year. I haven't had that problem but I am wondering what you did to correct the problem. I think it might help some of the other southern growers. The only thing I do is to make sure the soil stays at the same level around the stump and that any dead or decaying plant matter is removed from any contact with the stump. That is also a good policy with vines. I do not believe plant decay usually starts within he plant. I think it comes from contact with rotting organic matter most of the time.

8/14/2011 10:56:58 AM

Bowdon, GA

Well not completely under control but maybe what might be causing it (for me anyway). There are lost of variables so its hard to prove but I think it is a combination of very high phos. and Myco. I have an unlimited cow manure supply so it is the cheapest way to get my numbers high, only problem is my phos is extremely high and OM is 25%. I have always had really big stumps and roots. Two years ago I started using myco thats when the problem began. I think the combination of the two is causing the root system to pull more water then the plant can handle. At night the stems even leak water when the melon is growing. I think next year I need to thin my manure with some more dirt. I did it a little this time and the stumps aren't as bad as last year. I think maybe I need to get my OM down too.

8/14/2011 12:09:40 PM

Bowdon, GA

The difference in this year and last year is this year the rot was on the outside, last year they were foaming and rotted from the inside out. Last year alot of my seedlings started to damp off when really small. I pulled dirt away from them dried it out and it stopped. 30 days later they started foaming, and at the end of the year they were completely hollow. So I think it can get started in the inner cavity or the outside.

8/14/2011 12:14:33 PM

formerly RGG

That all sounds reasonable.Thanks for the input.

8/14/2011 12:14:41 PM

Bowdon, GA

This is how I treated it. The ouside is easier than inside. Even last year I didn't get a 90 day fruit and I'm sure it hurt the gains but they did keep growing up till about 60 days. I pulled or cut leaves and vines away from the stump, cut any rot off till I see green, sanitize it with alcohol in a spray bottle, Put dry captan or kocide as a paste on it. Place a small table over the stump to keep rain away from it, put a fan on it 24/7. I check them every day, you may have to repeat from time to time. Some times they will get small cracks as they grow and dry, just fill the cracks in with captan. If its foaming sent me an email LOL

8/14/2011 12:28:02 PM

Bowdon, GA

My stumps look fine right now no more problems. Right now the stems are the issue. I learned a hard lesson with them. They need to be coated with fungicide as a prevenative esspecially if you get alot of rain. Several of my neighbors in TN and NC helped me out alot with these problems this year, Thanks Guys!

8/14/2011 12:32:14 PM

Bethlehem CT

Jake, that is interesting you mention the mycorrhizae. I know of many pumpkin growers who get foaming stumps every year. They usually blame excess moisture.
Maybe the combination of excess water combined with the turbo charged root system of a melon innoculated with myccorhizae is a possible cause of the foaming stumps. I don't believe pumpkin growers were seeing as many foaming stumps before the widespread use of the mycchorhizae.

8/14/2011 1:52:23 PM

Muddy Waters

I had a foaming stump last year on my kin,but never used Mycchor,this was my first year using it!

8/14/2011 2:23:20 PM

Muddy Waters

I think you right Jake to much organic Matter maybe the issue!These melons dont like it as hot as the kins!!

8/14/2011 2:25:49 PM

formerly RGG

I am trying to figure out where I've gone wrong this year.I know I set melons too late to break any records. Last year was a washout due mostly to my ground being too dry and unable to breathe due to black plastic mulch and also because of my cancer keeping me from doing much about my problem. This year I have tried really hard and am not sure why my melons aren't growing faster. I prepared my soil with lots of goodies and have kept my plants fertilized and watered well. I have put lots of time into trying to do a good job. My plants are now seem healthy looking and growing well. My plant leaves are large and a dark color of green, my stumps are healthy and my vines have rooted a reasonable amount. I don't have much of a insect or disease problem. The thing is the melons just aren't putting on weight the way they should.I have tried switching back and forth with blossom booster and balanced type fertilizers and it hasn't seemed to make much difference. I will be doing good at this point to get a personal best (anything over 207)and that will just not be enough to be competitive this year. Suggestions anyone?

8/14/2011 6:15:26 PM

Muddy Waters

you might be fertilizing to much!Im no HH,But I do have 3 melons getting close to 200 pds!Ive only fertilized twice this year! 1 cup 20/20/20 to about 250 gallons of water!Melons dont like it Hot!!!Ken Sweet treated his melon plant same as kins!He told me last week the plant turned brown & died!

8/14/2011 7:33:39 PM

Muddy Waters

1 coffe cup!!

8/14/2011 7:34:36 PM

Www.extremepumpkinstore.com

The mycorrhiza/Foaming stump debate has been beaten to death, there have been just as many if not more growers that do not use Mycorrhiza that have had foaming stumps.
The reality of the situation is this, every year we are growing more efficiently, pushing these giant pumpkin and melons to new limits and gains are increasing, these plants/fruit can only take so much before something has to give in my opinion.

8/14/2011 7:52:06 PM

Garner, NC

My 2 cents are, if you create a growing area, and root system that is to effficent for the plant, then the plant will not be able to handle the overflow. This could be from to rich of soil, fertilizer, water. Pretty much the things we do to push the limits. The key is to push the limits as close to the edge, without going over. Dennis my suggestion to you would be have a tissue sample done to detremine what the plant is doing. Our local college does them, and I think the cost is 5 dollars. It will let you know the nutrient levels in your plant and help what is needed or what is over the edge.

8/14/2011 8:28:03 PM

Muddy Waters

Amen Tom!!

8/14/2011 8:29:10 PM

formerly RGG

Thanks Mark, I guess it couldn't hurt to back off on the ferts.It's too late to do much good though.I will just have to look forward to a better start and more conservative fertilizing next year. I still want to attend some weigh offs and I will take a melon or 2 with me just for the h**l of it.

8/14/2011 8:33:53 PM

formerly RGG

It's just that there has been a lot of talk of exploding melons (although I don't think any of us has ever seen one) and I figured the more a grower fertilized without putting the plant in distress the closer he could get to making one grow that fast.It sure hasn't worked for me though.

8/14/2011 8:36:43 PM

Linden, Mi.,

Well Tennessee Dreamer, I exploding two, last year - too much water, one split in half - in half all the way around, the other blew like a side glass window

8/14/2011 9:01:32 PM

Bowdon, GA

What Todd said is what I'm getting at. I'm not blaming myco, I think it is good to use, but I think the combination of certain things in my soil is building a root system that over powers the plant. Like Tom said something has to give in my case that water has to go somewhere.

8/14/2011 9:35:58 PM

Bowdon, GA

Dennis, I found out this year a soil test is worth every penny, the correct balance seems to be the key.

8/14/2011 9:41:50 PM

formerly RGG

That's excellent advice Jake. I will be sure to get one in plenty of time for next season.

8/14/2011 10:13:26 PM

formerly RGG

Tallcorn, Thanks for letting me know. Maybe I need to cut back on the fertilizers but water even more. Do you think your melons would have exploded if you had kept them consistently wet? I mean did they explode because they received a lot of water after being relatively dry? It would be a good thing to be able to push them up to the point of almost bursting. I would like to blow one just to know I am pushing the melon as much as possible. Then I would feel I know how to make the fruit grow rapidly and could achieve good results by backing off just a little.

8/14/2011 10:19:22 PM

Muddy Waters

I dont know if water blows them up,by itself,we had 5 3/4 inch rain nothing blew up!I would think its more the nitrogen thats causing the fast growth!If you flood a plant,you remove all the oxygen from soil,this will shut plant down.Oxygen ignites root growth,thats one reason compost helps,it also keeps oxygen in soil & loosens for better root growth!If you want to blow 1 up buy a M-80!!LOL

8/15/2011 6:32:38 AM

Linden, Mi.,

I put fertilized (20/20/20)down every two weeks, I just pushed to much water on them. I was, spraying cal, sea weed, fish every week.

8/15/2011 1:28:10 PM

Muddy Waters

Yeah it was the fertz not the water that blew them up!!Well a combo! I dont think water alone will do it I tried never blew one!!

8/15/2011 4:40:37 PM