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Prairie Du Sac Wi

We have not had any rain up here for many weeks. Were my vines are running over open exposed ground it seems I have to water every day to keep that area from looking totally dry. By the stump and main area of the plant I water every other day. Is this OK for me to do ? Can I water every day if need be. Its been full sun and upper 90's or hotter. Also my soil is kinda sandy and not that great. Were the sun hits it , it dry's right out.
My next question is .. How do I know if im feeding to much or to little? My big melon is at 42lbs but seems to be slowing down a little (its 18 days old) and its gains are now 2 1/2 to 3 lbs a day. ive been feeding Neptune seaweed once a week and 20 20 20 miracle grow every few days. I give it 3 gallons of mixed a little over what the box says over the stump and main plant then hand water with a hose for 5 minutes or so to dilute it down a little. Am I way off ? With kins I can tell by the color of the leaves how much food the plant is getting but with this being my first year with melons I don't know what im looking for. Should I use a different fert??? I also have a miracle grow 18 18 21. Now that my plant is big enough should I go with that? What N P K number is helpful for fruit growth? The K right???????

Sorry for my long newbie questions but if it will help my melon in any way I feel its worth asking!!!!
thankyou!!! You guys are awesome!!!!!

PS. Everyone seems to love have as many worms in their patch as possible. Has anyone collected or bought worms or night crawlers to put in their patch. ive never seen a worm in my patch EVER and I measure my fruit at 10:00pm every night. I would like to collect some and see if they will stick around in my patch. Is that a stupid idea?

7/18/2012 12:33:06 AM

Muddy Waters

Dont dump Miracle grow on plant at recommended rates.It will be to hot for plant & start browning leafs.If your on sand you can water more often,on clay be careful.I water once a day in the heat,otherwise every 36 hrs to let soil get thirsty again.Dig down or stick your finger in the soil about 4 inchs deep,be carefull not to hurt any roots.If you feel moisture your good,if wet your good,dry means time to water.You can use Miracle grow if you like I did last year every 2 weeks at about 25% or less then the rate on box,but my soil is jacked to the max.I'm now not using salty ferts & gone orangic with liquids.I stay 18 inchs from stump with any liguids,if it doesnt rain for weeks.I may hand water it once in a while within 6 inchs of stump.Everyones soil is different.We cant all water the same amount.to wet=disease.to dry=runts!I hope this helps Good Luck!

7/18/2012 6:48:46 AM

Muddy Waters

You should keep soil moist dont let it get totally dry

7/18/2012 6:50:20 AM

Baker City Oregon

I agree with Handy. Get rid of the Miracle Grow! When I first started years ago I used it on everything. Don't even consider it now. I believe all chemical type fertilizers are detrimental to worms. As for the worms; I have bought Red Wigglers to put in old compost heaps and manure piles. I now have them everywhere. When I'm digging compost I sometimes run into pockets of them and will place them around different parts of the garden. There have been times where an entire shovelful of compost is in motion because of the amount of worms. Adding organic matter in the fall and dressing plants with compost during the season will increase the number of worms. There is nowhere on my property I can dig and not find a worm. Mulching around plants will conserve moisture and encourage the worms to stick nearby and aereate the soil for you. If you can ever find the copy of a book called "Paydirt" by J.I.Rodale it will explain all this. It also has a lot of info about mycorrhizae in it.

7/18/2012 8:01:01 AM

Ok

Miracle Grow is really good for starting off young watermelon plants. Use the bloom booster type. Most growers know from their soil analysis which elements to add during the season to replenish the nutrients. From you soil description, you may need to add moderate amounts of potassium and magnesium throughout the summer. Avoid watering the stumps and keep up the every other day watering schedule.

7/18/2012 11:40:58 AM

formerly RGG

Worms need good growing conditions to thrive and multiply just like all other living things. Do you have plenty of organic mater in your soil ? A local source of free manure might work wonders. Often it will come with free worms included. Too much miracle grow type fertilize may cause your worms to vanish as it could add too much salts to your soil for the worms to tolerate. Worms are a good sign of healthy soil but not necessary to have healthy soil.

7/18/2012 6:51:24 PM

Rochester, Minnesota

I use miracle grow initially when growing roots and shoots, but I just use the standard formula. When I set fruit, and I switch up to something with a lower nitrogen, and a higher phosphate.

As for worms, if you are growing in sand, as I am, then crawlers generally stay away. I don't know if that makes any difference to the growing of the melons.

7/19/2012 1:26:21 PM