From

Location

Message

Date Posted

British Columbia, Canada

I understand how they could go light but melons are generally solid so I don't understand how they could go heavy?

10/7/2014 11:10:22 PM

Muddy Waters

They can have a air cavity & most do

10/8/2014 5:27:24 AM

Muddy Waters

water density is a factor in all fruits

10/8/2014 5:28:23 AM

sevierville, Tn

amount of air(size of hole)in the melon.

Shape of mellon=the charts are designed for normal shaped melons. So fat or short fat high melons go "heavy"

10/8/2014 6:52:05 AM

formerly RGG

Shape is the reasons some melons go heavy. A fat blocky melon that has the same OTT score as a long skinny melon will probably be heavier than it's skinny equivalent due to the fact that it occupies more volume. The more a melon is shaped like a sphere the heavier it will go compared to the OTT score.And the more a melon is shaped like say a pencil the lighter it will go to it's OTT chart weight due to it's occupying less volume than an average melon.

10/8/2014 6:54:48 AM

Princeton Kentucky

I sure learned this the hard way this season. The 297 Kent had a 85.5" Circ but weighed only 117 lb. I'm going to cut it open here this mornin to see just what the cavity looks like and maybe have a bite or two,lol. I plan on planting both the 291 x 297 Kent and the 297 x 291 Kent next season just to see what gives. I was inconsistant with watering this year so I'm going to say thats what did it. Water + OM + Oxygen = Heavy in my book

10/8/2014 11:53:48 AM

South Arkansas

I agree with the three grower explanations. The heavy-light percentage is a comparison of the ott of a specific melon with the average of many melons of that same ott that were weighed in at GPC contests. The ones that go heavy tend to be those that are squared on the ends and that have large girths. Air pockets seem to be more of a cosmetic negative than a weight limitation. The most heavy area of the fruit is the outer shell rather than in the center of the fruit. High fruit density is a factor that contributes to heavy fruit. A melon can be dense and still weigh light on the chart if the melon was grown on a surface different from that of the comparison melons. Overall, I like the long type because they sell better. Long melons can make good seed melons. The 282 Dawson and 291 Kent are the long type and both are proven producers of large offspring. My perspective though is if you are planting for weight, you should consider planting from the short fat watermelons and don't worry about air cavities.

10/9/2014 11:49:22 AM