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Pataskala,OH

For 2 plants or should I just grow one? Does limiting the plant size help or hurt? Keep in ind I am trying to grow a 300lb one. lol I was just wondering because on this video below the plants are 500 sq ft each.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FVJZJU86BY

4/28/2012 8:30:56 PM

Muddy Waters

Its plenty of space,mine are getting 300 feet per plant.250 would be enough 500 is way to much for 1 plant in my opinion.

4/28/2012 10:32:31 PM

Muddy Waters

It wasnt plant size that gave Todd 20 lbs it was nite temps being 10 to 15 degrees warmer.

4/28/2012 10:36:45 PM

Watervalley Ms

I think Chris Kent's 274 was grown in 180 sq ft.

4/29/2012 9:06:08 AM

Watervalley Ms

My reply is this, grow two, and grow them like Chris does.

4/29/2012 9:14:57 AM

Garner, NC

Hey mark, I thought you ran 2 heaters in the cave at night to simulate our night temps down here.
Np, I think root space is more important than plant space. Just make sure you allow alot of room for the roots to grow so there is less competition

4/29/2012 9:22:50 AM

formerly RGG

Well said Todd.

4/29/2012 10:58:33 AM

sevierville, Tn

yea, the 274 was a test plant, thats why it was only 180 sq ft.

4/29/2012 1:25:04 PM

formerly RGG

Chris, what were you testing ?

4/29/2012 2:19:28 PM

Watervalley Ms

My plant's are from 160 sq ft , to 300 sq feet, and i feel that i have a good chance to grow some huge melon's, ill just have to wait see.

4/29/2012 4:32:27 PM

Muddy Waters

No heaters were ran till mid sept which only kept temps in the high 50s low 60s at best.you southerners get warmer nites then in the north,the melons grow at nite after 30 days old.We got cold August 10th we hit 40s at nite.We need a warm nites this year.

4/29/2012 6:29:51 PM

Garner, NC

I hear ya mark, but you know those warm nights come with a price....100plus degree days, which kinda ages the plants alot faster.
Somebody this week asked me the perfect weather for melons, I said 80 at night, and 92 daytime, now that would be sweeeeet!

4/29/2012 8:19:34 PM

Muddy Waters

Yes it would even 94 or 95 with 80 degree nites.I'm running a gas line out to melon cave.I think I can make the 80 degree nites.

4/29/2012 8:41:45 PM

formerly RGG

Mark, you are starting to concern me with talk of 80 degree nights and gas lines and grafted plants. You may be difficult to beat this year. :o) The next thing will probably be to install some HID lighting for those shorter and cooler September nights.

4/29/2012 10:10:03 PM

Owensboro, Ky.

TD, aren't the days longer up north...? doesn't that give Mark a bit of an advantage? Peace, Wayne

4/29/2012 11:40:44 PM

formerly RGG

That is absolutely true Wayne.

4/30/2012 7:03:53 AM

Muddy Waters

Yes TD! You should be concerned!LOL Ok I just did some good old Jethro Bodine Sifering & my gos intas.I got figured here if I turn my plants the other direction,and start in the middle of the cave I can grow 4 plants instead of 3 they will get 12.5 X 19 feet per plant thats 237.5 feet. Plenty 1 plant will be the grated melon if I'm successful as a surgeon.They will be back to back Great White attack!I'm pumped and ready to rock will blow those melons out of there socks!GWG Rocks!Thanks for the boost PW!!

4/30/2012 7:57:27 AM

Muddy Waters

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAqwALEDTss

4/30/2012 8:02:44 AM

Muddy Waters

This ones better!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vU5LoCLGMdQ&feature=related

4/30/2012 10:07:11 AM

Owensboro, Ky.

WHolly, Handy!!!! Awl of a sudden I thought ?Eemalio was into melons!!!? " Bodine Sifering & my gos intas.I got figured here if I turn my plants" ... quote from somewhere??? Also not sure if I want to grow a "grated melon"!!! But such is life!!!? & Mark, just to let you know, I am one melon short of a patch,LOL so will be starting a 260.5 soonly!!! Peace, Wayne

5/1/2012 2:23:07 AM

Muddy Waters

Great PW! Yeah! I'm wondering about sticking this Squash root stock to close to the melon sisters!They may get twisted.lol Thinking that bigger root system might have some adverse effects on the regular girls.I may start it off in a corner with roots away from others.I was also wondering how does squash root stock be more disease resistant then melons when thats not the case now!My Melons have never had any issues I am aware of.My kins which are 1/3 squash or something like that are so disease prone if I say Mosaic they turn green.LOL!Can anyone explain this to ignorant old me?

5/1/2012 6:41:06 AM

Piqua, Ohio

Mark,
The disease resistance comes from the graft not the root stock, you can cut a plant and graft it back to itself and it will help with disease resistance I've done it with AG's and I can tell a difference from the non grafts. The only advantage I see is the plant may last longer because it's more vigorous.
I've toyed with the idea of growing two plants close to each other and grafting the main vines together right before the melon, two stumps in the ground feeding one melon! Will Guiness record book not allow this method either? I've heard rumors that a world record AG was grown this way and it was recognized, but I don't know how reliable my source is! You can google grafted melons and get a ton of info hope this helps!

5/1/2012 6:23:39 PM

Pataskala,OH

I think a grafted root stock will only protect against root disease, and can allow the plant to tolerate a certain type of soil a little better. I know that is what they do that with fruit trees. Grafting will probably do nothing for a AG since it roots at multiple places on the vine. Also the AG root is probably the best cucurbit root already.

5/1/2012 7:01:04 PM

Pataskala,OH

For example most apple trees have a few different root stocks they can be grafted to, some dwarf the tree, others are better in clay soil ext.. Some varieties have poor root systems but good apples. So they graft it onto a better root. They only have to breed for flavor of the apple, not the root also.

5/1/2012 7:06:54 PM

Muddy Waters

Very interesting, Thanks for the input.

5/1/2012 7:16:08 PM

Bethlehem CT

Handy I believe the disease resistance spoken of is to the many different races of fusarium. A soil borne disease which will destroy entire crops if present in the soil. Years ago they used to fumigate the soil with methyl bromide, this practice is now being phased out due to environmental concerns. In the U.S. there is still enough land for melon growers to allow the fields to be fallow for several years between crops. This takes the melon host out of the equation and given several years the fusarium pathogen will die out with out a crop to attack. Because we have enough land here to rotate crops from year to year, it has been impractical and not cost effective to do grafting here on a commercial scale. Not so in Asia.

The resistance that the grafted plant gains is from the squash's roots which are resistant to all the strains of fusarium that are currently causing problems in melons. There are always new strains popping up and causing problems. Sooner or later breeding will catch up and hopefully they will be able to breed disease resistance into some new hybrid melon seed. You are right, the squash does have it 's weaknesses too.( You mentioned mosaic) I will hopefully be growing a graft this year more for it's increased root vigor and good growth under cooler conditions, than for any disease resistance it will impart. Also I just think it will be fun to grow and observe.
I don't see how Guinness could not accept a watermelon grown on a grafted rootstock. I think that must be a misunderstanding that has cropped up here. If Guinness doesn't accept grafted melons, surely they will have to go back and revoke nearly all fruit records that have been grown over the years. Grafting may be new to us but it certainly is not new. Maybe it is Genetically modified that they do not accept.

5/1/2012 9:52:18 PM

The North Coast

The claim to fame for watermelon rootstocks is that they were bred by some of the largest seed producers in the world to perform under a far wider amount of conditions than the native stump. It will be easy for you to see the extreme nature of the root system when you get your hands on it. Honestly, after I transplanted my AG I was a bit amazed in the physical appearance of the AG roots in comparison to the roots of the rootstock. The rootstock has thicker, bigger roots than the AG no question.

I will just say that I am a firm believer and a witness to the quality of the rootstock.

5/1/2012 10:02:16 PM

Muddy Waters

Thx fellas I needed to be edumacted on this.I used to work for a Danish carpenter Villy Poulsen in Palo Alto California.Villy always said."When your done learning you will be dead"He also said when he hired me at age 20 "Dont ask for a raise for 90 days,You wont get one" At 30 days Villy approached me and said I'm giving you a dollar raise your doing a great job.LOL!Thanks I will be operating this friday I think they will be ready I have 4-260s & 5 root stocks.Sorry if I hijacked NP!I will be growing on 237 sq ft per plant.Your only as sick as your secrets!lol

5/2/2012 7:03:29 AM