Using Trellis Support for Your Melon Seeds
Growing melons requires a lot of space. But if you really want to get those melon seeds planted, trellising is the answer. By using a trellis support net the plants can grow vertically, and this makes them take up little space. Without a trellis, one melon plant can spread over at least 24 sq/ft of ground.
Training Your Melons Seeds to Grow Up and not Out
The main idea for using trellising system when planting melon seeds is to encourage the plant to grow up rather than out and sprawling. You can add up a trellis at any time as soon as you have noticed significant growth in the plant. You must be very vigilant in this process as waiting too long to put up support may make it difficult for you to entice the plant to go in the direction that you want. Plant training needs regular inspection and supervision.
Planting Melon Seeds Indoors
Though the most common way of planting melons is by direct-sowed method, it is also possible to do it indoors. Ideally, melons are planted ten days prior to the last frost. If you can tell the exact date for that day, then direct-sowing would be easy. But, if you are not sure about the date then it is smart to start your melon indoors where you can have control over the temperature.
If you are planning to plant in a place with cooler climate, you can start your melon seeds indoors. To do this, you have to sow them in seedling pots – choose the biodegradable type – filled with rich garden soil. Generously moisture the soils, but make sure that there is no standing water. Check for a few mature leaves after a month. If these are visible, you can just transplant the plant (biodegradable pot and all – into the prepared part of the garden. This process and the use of biodegradable pots ensure that the root system will not be disturbed during the transplanting procedure.
Trellising Melons for Space-Saving Productivity
If you are considering trellising for plant training your melon, there are some factors that should be taken into consideration. Planning for your growing patch is one factor because how it is set will decide on how you can encourage the melon plants to grow up and off the ground.
Training the vines should start by making sure that poles are planted at least six feet in height at every mound in the melon row. To connect the poles, you must use sturdy materials like thick twine, metal wire or even planks of woods. These connecting materials will also serve as clinging features for the vines. As the vines go up, you have to train them carefully so that they can go up the poles effectively.
With the use of trellising, you are efficiently protecting your growing melons from rotting and from being attacked by pests and other animals. If a trellis system is in place, you would not have to worry about your melons even if the weather gets damper when it is getting closer to the growing or fruit-bearing season.
Trellising solves the space issues that are commonly associated with planting and growing melons. Most gardeners or small-time fruit farmers try to avoid growing melons because they lack the amount of space needed. With vertical growing though, space issues are effectively resolved. Instead of needing lots of foot per meter space, a trellised garden can take up a small footprint of just three feet.
There are several other advantages of trellising when planting melon seeds, aside from saving space. With vertical growing, there is less ground to keep free of weeds. Trellised melons have small space underneath the vines and this space provide easy access to weed or mulch.
The foliage of melons that are growing on the ground are prone to diseases due to reduced air flow and splashing soil. Trellised foliage, on the other hand, quickly dries out after rain so there is less possibility of disease.
It can also be challenging to walk through your melon patch if you need to check or harvest. You have to tread careful and walk in a slow-motion movement so that you can effectively avoid stepping on and crushing the vines.
Melon trellises need to be strong. As the plants grow they should be encouraged to train them to climb on the trellis. You need to understand the melons are not very good at climbing and yet they can grow quite fast. So, you need to be vigilant and ready. You need to check the plants every day and orient the vines on climbing the net so that you can create a nice solid fill of foliage and vines. Sometimes, you may need to tie the vines on the trellis to provide support as the plants grow. When fruits are starting to grow, they will get heavier. You need to be ready to put each fruit into a piece of hosiery to help carry the weight. With this method, the fruit is supported properly while there is room left for the vines to grow.
Tips and Warnings in Planting and Growing Melons on Trellis System
As mentioned above, nylon stockings can be used to hold each melon fruit. This will effectively prevent the fruit from falling off to the ground. It would also be nice to use a fence-style trellis net set lower to the ground, if you are growing the type of melon that produces big fruits.
Training the main vine to go up to the trellis is a good way to start because it will allow you to encourage the side branches to go more horizontally. With this method, you will achieve a more balanced result.
It is important to maintain the soil moisture, but do not water excessively. Using drip irrigation is highly recommended.
Do not use thin wood or flimsy wire for the trellis. You have to remember that even small fruits can grow heavy and therefore weak support will not be able to protect them from collapsing. Additionally, do not trellis the melons in mid-growth as this will be a waste of time. It is best to train them young. Plant the melon seeds, wait for leaves to grow and then start trellising.