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formerly RGG

Batcave Nate suggested to me last year that it might be beneficial to grow a melon vine with the finger vines removed. The theory here is perhaps the finger vines contribute very little to helping swell up a melon while they consume a lot of nutrients supplied by the roots in an effort to produce their own melon. So this year I am trying this method on at least one of my plants. Some problems created here might be if the plant refuses to set a melon on the main then the melon will have to be grown on a secondary as opposed to a finger vine and also it may take the plant a little longer to reach the size necessary to grow a giant fruit since its first branches will have been removed.Any thoughts about this ? Anyone think this is a good growing method to give a try ?

5/31/2015 10:03:25 PM

formerly RGG

The idea is it would be something like removing suckers from a tomato plant to grow larger and nicer tomatoes.

6/1/2015 9:23:07 PM

Eastern Shore of VA

Define finger vine.
Is it the vines that branch off of the branch off of the main?
(Say that three times fast!)

6/2/2015 9:44:07 PM

formerly RGG

I can certainly understand lots of growers not knowing this term. Chris Kent coined the term to describe the several vines (usually around 5) that emanate directly from the stump of a watermelon plant.It would be kind of like a fruit tree with 5 trunks. The thinking might be - would this apple tree grow a larger apple if we left all 5 trunks? And the answer might be - no it would grow a larger apple if it had only one trunk.

6/3/2015 6:45:49 AM

Eastern Shore of VA

Ahhhhhhhh.
I see.
I've pruned a little.
Taken a couple of smaller leaves off stump, but no vines.
I'm not brave enough for that yet

6/3/2015 8:18:46 AM

NE Arkansas

I have a 227 Bright that has a main that's over 5ft long with no finger vines yet...

6/4/2015 10:39:52 AM

Bethlehem CT

Dennis on my two plants the finger vines are more aggressive and have more vines growing off them than the main. (WIth my pumpkins that never happens.)
I agree with your idea, a"christmas tree" style training would probably be very efficient to pack pounds on a melon.

6/4/2015 6:43:26 PM