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Watermelons are prone to parasites and diseases, and pruning while damp or wet will encourage their growth and spread. Also, remove any secondary vines that are not bearing blooms or look scrawny.ĭon’t prune the vines while wet. Using a good pair of gardening shears, remove any dead, diseased, yellowing, or infested leaves or shoots at the joint where they connect to the main stem. However, if disease is present or you fall into one of the above categories, pruning watermelons can be done simply and judiciously. If you have plenty of space in the garden, and if you aren’t trying to win the county fair or break a Guinness Book of World record, there is really no need to prune back watermelons. You can also use a good layer of dark mulch around the plants to control weed growth. Not a big deal if you don’t mind pulling weeds. If you cut too much of the watermelon back, you will likely be unwittingly encouraging weed growth. Lastly, a watermelon plant’s rapid growth and spread tends to hold back weeds by blocking the sunlight, thereby preventing weeds from getting the nutrition that they need to sprout. This can delay fruit set because the plant is now focusing its energy on growing vines instead of developing melons. Obviously, with no female blooms for the bees to cross pollinate to the male blooms, there will be no fruit.Īlso, cutting back watermelon plants can cause the plant to send out additional runners. Cutting watermelon vines back may reduce the number of female flowers, of which there are fewer than male, about one female for every seven male blooms. Watermelons need both male and female flowers to set fruit. The downside to watermelon trimming is that it may affect pollination. Removing the less than perfect melons will enable the plant to focus energy towards growing bigger, healthier, juicier melons. Look for irregular or rotting fruit to prune from the plant. Pruning watermelons promotes healthier vines and increases fruit size. So, to curtail the size, it is indeed possible to prune the plant.īeyond reining in the size, there are other reasons for watermelon trimming. Not only do the vines reach significant length, but the fruit itself can weigh as much as 200 pounds (91 kg.)! While most of us will get nowhere near that blue ribbon size, there can still be the problem of those long ranging vines, sometimes over 3 feet (1 m.) long. Can You Prune Watermelon Plants?Īs previously mentioned, watermelons do require significant space. Because the habitat of watermelon is vining, the fruit tends to need a lot of space, or possibly some cutting back of the watermelon vines. The popularity of watermelon in the United States is inarguable, leading many of us to try our hand at growing watermelons in our home gardens. Anywhere USA, watermelon is featured at the 4th of July BBQ, the company picnic and is a staple for summer campouts. Turn the watermelon into a bowl: Turn and pour the watermelon into a large bowl or plate.Practically synonymous with the American flag, apple pie, and the bald eagle, sweet, thirst-quenching watermelons are one of America’s all-time favorite picnic foods.
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Hold the top pieces in place, if necessary.
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Make lengthwise slices along the melon: Starting on the side of the watermelon about an inch below the peak, insert your knife with the tip pointing down.Do not slice all the way through the bottom of the melon. Slice into wedges: Working with one quarter at a time, make slices 1 to 2 inches wide, across the melon, cutting just down to the white rind.Quarter the watermelon: Cut each half in half again, so the whole watermelon is now quartered.Cut the watermelon in half: If you’re using a whole watermelon, cut it in half lengthwise.Place on a cutting board: Start with a whole, half, or quarter watermelon, and place it on a large cutting board.