Honey Dew Melons

[Richard Kowalski]

I seem to have a problem with a Honey Dew Melon plant. The plant is very healthy. No sign of deficiency. It has been producing fruit like crazy. I have over 8 baby melons on each vine. I have been hand pollinating them. They grow to about an inch and then turn yellow and die. Should I be removing some of the fruit so that there are more nutrients for the larger ones? The Picture shows the fruit on the left which has turned yellow and is dieing. The fruit in the center is ok. The fruit on the right is ok for now.  It looks like it is starting to yellow. They are all on the same vine. The plant continues to grow and produce more flowers and potential fruit.Thanks for your input in advance.

Rich K

[Richard Kowalski]

Thanks Vlad,

I will try Potassium Bicarbonate tomorrow and see how it goes.

Vlad Jovanovic said:

The white stuff is powdery mildew that affects cucurbits (Podosphaera fusca is the name that I know that by...but it's not the only species that carries the powdery mildew moniker) . It does appear from the photo that you have a touch of Pseudoperonospora cubensis (downy mildew) going on as well...

At any rate, both can be kept at bay preventatively by weekly foliar applications of potassium bicarbonate (KHCO3), or by foliar applications of beneficial microbes (like B. suptilis), or by milk applied at a dilution rate of one part milk to 9 parts water.

Those are the 3 methods that I've had success with (the milk I don't use in AP, only out in the soil garden).

[Vlad Jovanovic]

No problemo...You might want to remove some of the most badly affected leaves first, before you spray the bi-carb...The bi-carb probably wont "heal" or even 100% kill of all the fungus this late in the game...but it should slow the spread down and help out a bit...maybe enough to allow you to harvest some melons hopefully...

[Alex Veidel]

How much should that potassium bicarbonate be diluted for a weekly application?

Vlad Jovanovic said:

No problemo...You might want to remove some of the most badly affected leaves first, before you spray the bi-carb...The bi-carb probably wont "heal" or even 100% kill of all the fungus this late in the game...but it should slow the spread down and help out a bit...maybe enough to allow you to harvest some melons hopefully...

[Vlad Jovanovic]

1 teaspoon per quart of water for foliar applications.