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funguy

By Funguy

Berkshire, United Kingdom

My melons are not growing. I have a few ogen melon plants growing in the greenhouse (which unfortunatly does not receive sun for the whole day.)
I have been hand pollinating the female flowers with male flowers but no fruit is growing. They are trained and have had the side shoots pinched off. Watered properly, in 10 litre pots with good compost. Good root system.

Should fruits already be forming by now?




Answers

 

Are the melons wilting between soakings? If so, the pollinated flowers may be getting too damaged to mature. Also, what have you been feeding them? Lack of calcium or potash can prevent proper fruit set, or a high mortality of the baby fruit.

7 Aug, 2011

 

Hi Tugbrethil, yes the small pea sized melons wilt, brown and drop. Not one has stayed. I pot up and only put them into 11 litre pots about 4 weeks ago so have not been feeding them. Do you think i should try dosing them weekly with tomorite and hope for some success?

8 Aug, 2011

 

11 liter pots sound pretty small to me, so I would double check on the watering. You don't want more than the top cm of compost to dry out between soakings. For food, I would use something with more nitrogen and less phosphate, such as the new formula Miracle-Gro, and maybe add 5 ml of lime or gypsum to the top of the compost, unless it was well supplied with lime in the making.

8 Aug, 2011

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