Do the trimming under warm weather when the plant is not wet, and ensure there are male and female flowers in place to facilitate pollination. Use a nitrogen-only formula, such as a 33-0-0, for vines, and give fruits a helping of compost tea to help them grow.Īs the watermelon develops, prune its vines if you see rotten fruits or diseased leaves and shoots. Just as importantly, fertilize the watermelon throughout its growing stages: one time when the foliage first appears with a balanced or liquid seaweed fertilizer, and another two times when the vines begin to spread and fruits start forming.
Once the seedling has two sets of true leaves, which look lobed and similar to oak leaves, you can remove two seedlings from each mound and leave only the healthiest one in place.
#PLANTING WATERMELON SEEDLINGS FULL#
Give watermelons one to two inches of water per week and full sun throughout their entire development. Using a soilless mix is also ideal, as is sowing the seeds at a depth three times bigger than their lengths. Gardeners who keep watermelons in pots long-term should pick 5-gallon or larger containers. People who begin their growing season for watermelon indoors should use biodegradable containers to mitigate transplant shock. Use a hose or sprinkler, and avoid using excess pressure that washes the seeds away. It also keeps the soil warm and helps it retain moisture. This step eliminates the trouble of picking up weeds with your trowel, which can inadvertently damage the fruits or the vines. You should also cover the area around the mounds with three to four inches of mulch. The pH should measure 6 to 6.8, and a 5-10-10 formula mixed down to a depth of six inches to a ratio of 3 pounds/100 feet at planting time usually suffices. If possible, conduct a soil test prior to seeding and follow its fertilizer recommendation. The mounds should be 10 to 12 inches wide and three feet apart, with rows having a distance of six feet to allow vines to spread. To start, create mounds that are eight to ten inches tall and put three seeds in each mound at a depth of ¾ to 1 inch. If you want some flexibility, up to 95 or down to 65 degrees should still be acceptable and conducive to crop growth. Grow watermelon from seed when soil temperatures reach 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. January to March and August to September for other locations. March to April and July to August in northern areas.
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