Why does my watermelon rott?
Question:i've been trying to grow watermelon but they get to the size of a golf ball @ the most. but then they start to rott. i was told to put something underneath them in between the melon and the ground but they still rott. what am i doing wrong?
Answers:
More than likely, your watermelons are experiencing blossom end rot. Putting watermelons on something to keep it off the soil will not ever work for that. The watermelon will strivel up at the end and then the blossom end of the fruit will rot and turn black.
Blossom-end rot usually appears initially on the first fruit cluster of a plant due to the combination of rapid plant growth with a large leaf area for water transpiration, water stress, and fruit enlargement. Also, lack of calcium may be due to the plant's inadequate root uptake of certain nutrients. Even a temporary water stress during early fruit enlargement can cause blossom-end rot because the fruits are the last to receive adequate calcium.
Another cause of blossom-end rot is over-fertilization, especially with nitrogen, which stimulates vegetative growth. Excessive vegetative growth increases the transpiration surface and further prevents calcium accumulation in the fruit.
To control and prevent rot is to add lime to the soil which help add calcium to the soil. Water the plants to soak the roots if the rain doesn't provider the water, do this once a week to keep the soil moist.
you probably don't live in the best climate for raising watermelon. Neither do I, so here is what I do.
Put a 3 foot chicken wire wall raising at a 45degree angle away from the plant base. This will encourage the watermelon to grow up the wall and keep it away from the moistness of the soil.
Also, when you get a melon growing, break off all the other flowers or mini melons, so the vine is putting all its power into the one melon. This should produce some good results for you.
The other thing to if you are in a bad growing area for watermelon is to find the fastest to fruit melon seeds available.
Good luck.
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