Watermelon, Pumpkin, Rockmelon not growing large

by Wayne
(Sydney, Australia)

My vegetable vines grow really well but when the vegetables are about the size of my little thumbnail they drop off (sometimes they turn yellow before dropping off) - one watermelon got to about pickle size before shriveling up while another got to the size of a football before start to rot at one end - I have tried applying fertiliser but this didn't help - I have a mandarin tree not far away and it has massive amounts of fruit every year - what am I doing wrong?

Comments for Watermelon, Pumpkin, Rockmelon not growing large

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Apr 16, 2013
 Loosing Pumpkins NEW
by: Kiwi George

Hi Wayne. Sounds like a combination of water shortage and maybe too much nitrogen fertiliser and not enough P & K . I have fed all my Curcubits this year with a liquid manure of seaweed and Comfrey via an upturned 1/2 gallon jar so the roots are fed and the increased trace elements and potash from this combination seems to do the job of keeping them healthy. I do NOT water the leaves of my plants as this seems to encourage fungus. I also treat my Curcubits to the same regime the same as my lemon tree, water,food,water again and mulch but in the case of the Curcubits the watering and manure is via the root feeding bottle whereas the lemon tree is a drip line job. Hope this helps.
Kiwi George
Apr 17, 2013
 Growing Problems NEW
by: Wayne

Thank you, Kiwi George, I appreciate your help.
May 21, 2013
 yellowing courgette/zucchini leaves NEW
by: NorthernTeacher

Thanks for that comment. I will give my courgettes some comfrey to see if it perks them up. I'm in the UK and the spring has been colder than usual with more rain and I think they need a treat. :-)
Mar 12, 2014
 Watermelon not growing large NEW
by: Lloyd Pritchett

It sounds like you have a pollination problem. If enough pollen doesn't get to the female blossoms the small fruit may grow for awhile but then it turns yellow and falls off.
Mar 12, 2014
 Vine fruits forming NEW
by: Alf, UK

I'd agree, bit of a pollination problem. But I do find that preparing the soil for vines is important, like big amounts of compost. This is better than trying to add fertiliser later - get a big heap of goodness to plant your vines in first.
If you had a football sized fruit which started to rot, that could've been the reaction to too much strong fertiliser you added, or of course, soggy ground.
They like regular water, not too long with any drying out times too.
Alf Fook

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