|
Wed, May 2, 12 at 1:26
| Last year I grew cantelopes and watermelons in decent sized containers, in a standard 511 mix. The watermelons didn't perform so well. Vines were short and melons small. I thought this was a little odd since watermelons were supposed to be a little more tolerant of acidic soils than cantelopes. Any suggestions for improving the 511 mix for the watermelons? Thanks. |
Follow-Up Postings:
|
- Posted by sprtsguy76 Santa Clara Ca. 9b (My Page) on Wed, May 2, 12 at 1:43
| I dont think its the components of the mix. In my opinion you might want to up the peat one part for watermelons. What size conatiner did you grow them in last year? I would recommend a minimum of 10 gallon and in the heat of summer you probably will have to water twice a day.15-20 gallon would be even better. Damon |
|
| Last year I grew 1 group of 3 canteloupes and 1 group of 3 watermelons in a 22 gal tub. They might have been a little over crowded....will try to give them a little more room. I'll use the peat suggestion. Thanks. |
|
| Ed: I suspect the canteloupes grew a little faster than the watermelons and could have "hogged" the nutrients and space before the watermelons could establish themselves. I grew four tiger baby watermelons in a half whiskey barrel (25 gallons) and got about two nice sized melons per plant. I suspect they were over crowded as well, but it's so hard to limit the number of plants when you have so little space. I am no expert, but from my research, I believe melons prefer soil that is close to neutral pH, 6.5-7. I'd be careful about adding more peat. |
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Container Gardening Forum
Instructions
- You must be a registered member and logged in to post messages on our forums.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review the contents and make changes.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- It is illegal to post copyrighted material without the owner's consent.
- HTML codes are allowed in the message field only.
- No advertising is allowed in any of the forums.
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.