From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Niagara Falls,NY

My watermelon plant got leggy on me. Will planting the plant deep to bury the leggy stem be ok? Will it hurt the plant? Any help will be greatly appreciated! Don

5/12/2012 11:18:38 AM

Piqua, Ohio

I purposely let my melons get a little leggy, if you plant it up to the cot leaves it will turn into root.

5/12/2012 1:08:19 PM

Muddy Waters

I don't Know Josh I was told they would rot if buried,I could be wrong, any others ever try this?

5/12/2012 1:39:49 PM

Piqua, Ohio

on maters for example I take a 36" plant, strip all the leaves but the top 6" plant it horizontally and I get plants with monster roots. I've only been growing melons for 3 years, I could be wrong but it works for me. I do the same for my AG's, lopes, and sunflowers. I'm sure it can cause rot but have never seen it. I'd like to see some other opinions.

5/12/2012 3:30:30 PM

Buffalo, New York

hows the patch don?

5/12/2012 4:10:14 PM

sevierville, Tn

melons don't root like maters or ag's. the leggy part never got extra root for me, so i try to avoid leggy plants

5/12/2012 4:25:42 PM

Piqua, Ohio

Thanks Mark and Chris I guess you can learn something new everyday! I did this with the 2 I've got out since April 17th, I won't do this with the next two! By the way my 274 Kent is really growing compared to my 208 Kent not sure why genes are pretty close?

5/12/2012 5:27:04 PM

Linden, Mi.,

Tomato, yes - watermelons NO

5/12/2012 6:31:47 PM

Niagara Falls,NY

Thank's for all the input. I may bury a little of it just so it won't break off. I'm pretty careful about letting my plants get that way,it just grew fast in my germinator box. Hey Jeremy! Patch is doing ok. Got some manure in last fall and soil test done. Got all the stuff I need to balance everything out. Hoping to grow big this year. If my back surgeon saw me out in my patch, he'd kill me. Still can only do so much, little at a time. Don't want to mess up my back surgery. I didn't grow last year because of my back, so I needed to grow this year. thanks again for everyones input! -Don

5/12/2012 7:13:05 PM

Watervalley Ms

I would put some dirt or sand around it until the vines get large, then get the dirt off the stump to prevent rot.

5/12/2012 9:13:15 PM

Niagara Falls,NY

Thanks, good idea, I might try that. Thanks!

5/12/2012 10:02:19 PM

Bowdon, GA

In the south they will rot no doubt if you bury them up the stem, I killed off a few of mine one year LOL. I have never seen them root from it either. If mine gets leggy I just lean it in the direction I want the plant to go (also away from west winds) to keep it from breaking. You can rake a little sand under the lean to support it.

5/12/2012 10:53:13 PM

sevierville, Tn

yes, don't let them fly in the wind, they may crack or break.

5/13/2012 2:07:44 PM

Leggy plants do fine. The simple solutions is to set them out at a 45 degree angle like Jake suggests. If your ground is still cool, you need to plant them shallow for the upper ground heat. You can bury them to the cots to prevent insect and wind damage if your ground is hot and well drained. If you are using the little hoop houses that stop the wind, just set leggy plants out shallow and tipped over with the long stem running on top of the ground then anchor the plant when it sends out runners.

5/13/2012 5:48:36 PM

Watervalley Ms

Your welcome Don, the plant stem at the 45 degree angle will be most likely touching dirt on the bottom side after the plant has some good size runners, i would remove a little dirt with my finger to get good air flow around the stump, if wet weather comes you will want air flow. Good luck with the big watermelon and hope and pray that youre back does great. - Jerry

5/14/2012 12:46:58 AM

Jamul

One of my seedlings grew at a 45 degree angle for no good reason(not leggy) . Going along with what some of you are saying; if it lays down, it seems like it might root again just below where the main plant takes off from the stem. It would be like having two sets of main roots?

5/14/2012 2:54:25 PM