I have 30 ft of Watermelon Vines but Few Watermelons. Why?

[TheWaterbug]

All vine and no fruit is a classic symptom of over fertilizing, or fertilizing too early. Try waiting to fertilize until after each plant has formed 3 or four softball sized melons.

Once the fruit has set, what type of fertilizer should we use?

[pickupguy07]

I don't think watermellons grow "extra roots" like certain types of grass to. I can pick my vines up, and move them around. They DO grow these little runners and attachment themselves to other near by plants.. but I don't have any that root into the ground.

[MaryDel]

All vine and no fruit is a classic symptom of over fertilizing, or fertilizing too early. Try waiting to fertilize until after each plant has formed 3 or four softball sized melons.

Once the fruit has set, what type of fertilizer should we use?

I use 5-10-10 if I have it, 10-10-10 if I don't, but about half as much. It's hard to say how much is best, it's kind of a trial and error thing. I'd start off with about a tablespoon or 2 sprinkled in a circle around each plant. Keep it off of the vines and foliage.

[mmmfloorpie]

how do you even tell the difference..

The female flower has a small watermelon attached to it, the male does not. I would not recommend picking any blossoms unless you think you have too many watermelons.

Well I don't want so many that it takes twice as long for the fruit to ripen because it's growing a dozen melons at once...

Thought I'd post some pics of my plants...

Here's my watermelon:

[img]https://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm113/drew4allyou/0719111856-00.jpg[/img]

Not much fruit on it yet...

Here's my cantaloupe:

[img]https://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm113/drew4allyou/0719111855-03.jpg[/img]

And my biggest fruit:

[img]https://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm113/drew4allyou/0719111855-04.jpg[/img]

[pickupguy07]

I got 6 or 7 mellows about the size of a soccer ball (I looked tonight) Couple about the size of a baseball - don't know if they'll make anything or not. Watermellon has been plantes since 4/27.. so it hadn't quite been 90 days yet.
But I don't see them increasing in size very much.. even if given another month. am I wrong?

[BP]

For the question "how do you tell the difference" from male to female flower. This is a female watermelon flower
[img]https://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb9/BP991/garden%202010/015.jpg[/img]
Notice the tiny melon behind the flower, a male won't have that. The question about does a watermelon vine reroot? No they do not.
Can't believe this hasn't come up yet? What are you fertizing with? Go ahead and use a higher nitrogen fertilizer at the beginning of growing, but cut the nitrogen and go to phosphate once the first flower appears.
As for pinching off blossoms.................. Not really worth it unless you are growing one of the giant varieties. Hope this helps.

[ROCK]

YOU GOT TO REMEMBER THERE ARE 7 MALE FLOWERS TO EVERY 1 FEMALE FLOWER. IF YOU don't HAVE ENOUGH BEES TO CROSS POLINATE FLOWERS YOU WILL NOT GET THAT MANY MELONS. JUST A FACTOR TO CONSIDER

[imafan26]

I only plant sugar baby. It is an icebox watermelon and a perfect size for a couple of people. Watermelons get mealy if you can't eat it all at once. The vines only get about 6 feet. I will actually get a few female flowers but only 2 watermelons will mature because it is all a 6 foot vine can support.

I did try to grow a Tahitian squash and a standard water melon before. They both took over half my back yard and tried to go through the fence and claim the neighbor's yard too. The vines were over 50 ft long. I haven't done that since. I do grow gourds which get that long but it does produce a lot of fruit and I can trellis them. Although, one of the vines did bend the poles on my trellis.

[dobro13]

I’ve got the ice box ones too. I figure that fertilizer recommendation would be the same or am I missing something? I had the same issue due to overfeeding tomatoes.