Muskmelon

Soils and Fertilization

Muskmelons will grow on neutral or alkaline soils, but blossoms can drop off if grown in acid soils. See Soil Management for a discussion of sources of liming materials and their effects on pH and other soil properties. Muskmelons require a well-drained soil and do not thrive on heavy clay or peat soils. Muskmelons require a moderate level of soil fertility. Harvesting one ton removes an average of 4 pounds N, 1.4 to 2 pounds P2O5, and 5 to 9 pounds K2O from the soil. As with most fruiting plants, N applied must be adequate to develop a vigorous canopy, but not so high that vegetative growth is stimulated during the period of fruit development. If this happens, leaves and fruit compete for carbohydrates and fruit yield and sugar content may be reduced. Adequate P may be available in previously cropped southern soils, but in alkaline western soils and some other soils, P2O5 additions may be necessary to stimulate seedling growth, and maximize fruit size and sugar content.

Considerable boron is required and may need to be applied as a foliar spray. Fertilizer should be applied in a 5-to-6-inch band and incorporated in the top 3 inches of soil. Muskmelons are very susceptible to fertilizer burn. Additional N and K fertilizer applications are usually provided at last cultivation. See Soil Management for a discussion of organic sources of these nutrients.

Muskmelon nutrient recommendations based on soil tests

Apply 1 to 2 pounds of boron per acre with broadcast fertilier

Planting

Soil temperature should be at least 68 degrees F for good germination and 90 degrees F is optimal. In North Carolina, muskmelon rows are usually spaced 5 to 6 feet apart with the final stand of plants 18 to 24 inches apart in the row. Two thinnings are often required because muskmelon seedlings are vulnerable to pathogens and birds until establishment, and a single thinning could result in gaps in the final stand. Transplanting is becoming more frequent to get an earlier yield, to decrease costs of hybrid seed, and to take full advantage of drip irrigation and black plastic. Both seedlings and transplants are vulnerable to wind and sand damage. Windbreaks of grasses offer some protection.

Because of their late spring planting, muskmelons are good candidates for rotation with winter cover crops. They would probably not be a good spring notill crop, however, because they require warm soil temperatures for good growth. Consult Cover Crops for advantages and disadvantages of cover crops as well as cover crop suggestions for the South. After the bulk of the cover crop is removed, strips 2-to-6-feet wide can be left in spray or harvest rows to provide windbreaks that reduce damage to seedlings of both muskmelons and watermelons from wind or blowing sand. On sandy soils, windbreaks are especially valuable as protection for tender seedlings from sharp, wind-driven sand grains.

Water Requirements and Mulching

Higher quality earlier fruit can be produced using soil fumigation, black plastic mulch, transplants, and drip irrigation. In some cases, but not all, yields are also increased. Care must be taken, however, not to overwater muskmelons during fruit development or fruits will be poorly netted and bland-tasting because of low soluble solids. Irrigation of muskmelons is often discontinued after early fruit set and is usually discontinued during harvest, except to the extent that enough foliage is maintained to prevent sunscald on the fruit.

Pollination

Like cucumbers, muskmelons require bees for pollination. Pollination problems are less frequent in muskmelons (which are perfect-flowered) than in cucumbers (which are monoecious or gynoecious). Even so, bees are usually brought into the field to increase earliness, yield, and quality. Each flower is open only one day. Several hundred pollen grains must be deposited in the stigma of each muskmelon flower to produce a marketable size fruit. Generally this means 10 to 15 bee visits per fruit. Since the highest quality fruit is produced near the crown, bees must be brought into the field as soon as the first perfect flowers appear. Introducing them any later will delay harvest and reduce quality. At least one bee hive per acre is required, but up to 3 hives per acre will increase fruit size and earliness. Placing the hives within the field rather than around it will double bee visitations.

Cucumber beetles and pickleworm were the most destructive insects on muskmelon in Georgia in 1987.

Weeds

Losses in muskmelon due to weeds average 13 percent in the southern U.S. The critical weed-free period is 4 to 6 weeks after crop emergence. Smooth amaranth is particularly troublesome in Florida where it should be controlled for at least 3 weeks after crop emergence to avoid crop losses. See Weed Management for further information on scouting for weeds and management practices.

Melon cultivars with insect and disease resistance.