Watermelon plant trouble, please help!!!?

Question

I have a watermelon plant in my garden, and every vine has a few watermelons growing on it. But my watermelons keep dying and i dont know whats wrong. I first noticed this when 3 of my watermelon plants became black and shrivled up, then they completly fell off their vines. Now i saw another one and this is what it looked like, right below the flower is were the watermelon grows and the flower eventualy dies and the watermelon keeps going then these black lines start showing up on the watermelon and their all coming from were the flower was, so i picked off the watermelon knowing that it would end up like the others, i opened the watermelon i picked off and inside it was all black. I dont know whats happening, i water my plants really well every night and i change the soil every 3 months. I live in an area were its gets well over 105 everyday so is it the heat thats getting to my watermelon plant or what is it. please help.

I water it with a hose. Its in the ground not a pot. I got it from the garden center at walmart. Its in the shade for most of the day. Yes i live in the desert and today it was 115, its going to be like that for a few weeks. The watermelons are fine while theyre tiny but as they start growing they start turning black. The plant is in a garden with other veggie plants...could that be a problem?I noticed the bell peper plant thats next to the watermelon has bite marks all over its leaves sometimes even half the leaf is gone...but whatever is eating that bell peper plant isnt eating the watermelon or anything else...but could it still have something to do with my rotting watermelons.

Answer 1

I think you answered your own question. You are cooking them......not you, the weather.

First of all, this early drop could be they were never totally pollinated and blast whenever stress is put on them. The pollen could have been too dry to successfully pollinate the eggs in the ovary.

Second, how are you watering daily? Drip irrigation or hose? You could get by daily with drip but hose might be putting down too much water and the fruits are rotting.

Third, if you don't have a mulch over the soil, the roots are baking under the sun and eat. Get a mulch down to cool the soil giving the roots a chance to grow and work properly. Also it will help retain soil moisture.

Fourth........105 is a bit hot for watermelon. With a mulch underneath and a chance for the foliage to partially bury itself in the straw or whatever, you stand a better chance at getting a crop.

Finally.........do you have squash bugs? Those suckers (literally) can suck the life juices right out of a vine and developing fruit.

Answer 2

Is the watermelon plant in the ground or in a pot? Since watermelons have a moderately deep root system they probably don't need to be watered everyday even if it is very warm. You want to water deep, so the roots will grow deeper. Watering everyday really washes a lot of the things out of the soil which the watermelon needs. To retain water you could cover the area around the base of the plant with white plastic foil, black plastic could cause the soil to get too hot, especially in 100 degree weather. If the vines are doing well, but the fruit is not they might be getting too much nitrogen. Hope this helps!

Answer 3

a million. Thump it. If the watermelon sounds hollow, that's ripe. it is perplexing for much less-gifted ears. 2. inspect the colour on the applicable. The watermelon is ripe whilst there is little assessment between the stripes. 3. inspect the colour on the backside. A eco-friendly watermelon would have a white backside; a ripe melon would have a cream- or yellow-colored backside. 4. Press on it. If the watermelon sounds like it provides somewhat, that's ripe. (Rhodes does not like this methodology because of fact it may wreck the everyday of the fruit.) 5. verify the tendril. If that's 0.5-ineffective, it might desire to advise that the watermelon is almost ripe or ripe. If the tendril is completely ineffective, it might desire to advise that anthracnose or another fungus killed the melon, or that that's ripe or overripe. If the tendril is eco-friendly, you may wait to %. the melon. 6. count quantity the style of days from anthesis (flowering) or the style of days from planting. This works enormously plenty in case you comprehend the selection of watermelon and how many days that's meant to take for that style to ripen decrease than usual temperature and fertilizer regimes. 7. verify the dimensions. it is not unavoidably authentic that as quickly as a watermelon is considerable adequate, that's waiting; yet decrease than good circumstances, it is going to be usual length. If it is not, you're probable too annoying. 8. Crack some. you have have been given an entire field of watermelons, and you may prepare somewhat, stunning? 9. Is the vine ineffective or loss of existence? properly, the watermelon will not get any riper, which you would be able to besides %. it.

Answer 4

I've never seen what you describe with any watermelons that I have grown. I don't think that the other answers specifically target what your problem is. You seem to be doing everything right. Watermelons should tolerate 105 degree heat, although if it is constant and/or you are in the desert, the air might be too dry for them. The black lines and black goo in the unformed watermelon fruit could be a fungus or virus. I would take one to your local nursery or agricultural station (local college or university) for analysis. The latter can be very helpful and will probably know right away.

By the way, avoid buying watermelon plants from nurseries or home improvement stores. It's much better to raise garden watermelons from seed. They tend to be more healthy because they haven't been in contact with thousands of other plants that might be infected in getting to the store.

Hope that helps.

Answer 5

Too much water! Wait until you see the leaves begin to wilt a little, then water. If you are worried about temps being too high then give it a bit of shade during the afternoon.