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formerly RGG

I am growing a large amount of plants this year and I have a very limited amount of space. This necessitates training each vine into the space allowed for it. This morning I was working on that and I accidentally broke the main growing tip off one of my 194 Brinkleys. With that in mind and now being very careful I continued. And when I got to the 99 Gunter it happened to me again. So my growing tips are very brittle and fragile right now as vegetation usually is when it is growing fast. So I am alerting some of you new growers. If you are training fast growing vines you must be careful not to stress them much or you may find yourself with broken vine tips.

5/27/2011 10:33:12 AM

sevierville, Tn

Don't work with them unless its warm/hot. They are very tender when the plants are small( less then 1 foot long)

5/27/2011 3:08:50 PM

Southeast Texas

leave'em alone til they get bigger they no what to do.dammitt

5/28/2011 12:10:52 PM

Deep South, USA

As I mentioned elsewhere, I found one of plants with the stem broken. I highly doubt it will survive. It seems to still be growing however, so I planted it anyway. If it does manage to make it, is there any chance it can grow melons properly?

5/28/2011 10:37:35 PM

Deep South, USA

I should add it wasn't broken clean through, but around the outside.

5/28/2011 10:38:30 PM

formerly RGG

Yoshi, I have a plant (I think it's my 191 Holloway)that partially broke at the stem about a week ago and it is growing fine. As long as it heals well; I think it will do OK.

5/29/2011 7:18:51 AM

Muddy Waters

sure it can grow fine these plants have huge energy output,it may turn out to be a blessing!! Grow it till it pukes!!!

5/29/2011 8:37:50 AM

Bowdon, GA

The wind broke the main off of my 191 last year. It filled back out and looked just like the others. I very rarely get one set on the main any way.

5/29/2011 1:14:33 PM

Deep South, USA

I had initially expected stem damage to be fatal, but we'll see how it goes. It's a 180 Dawson, BTW.

I seem to remember last year a volunteer watermelon started growing in a neighbor's weeds (commercial variety, I'm sure), only to be whacked to pieces by their weed trimmer. It took some time, but it actually started growing back. As tender as watermelon plants are, they seem to be surprisingly robust when injured.

It would be something if after the damage it went on to grow a big one.

5/29/2011 8:44:56 PM

Deep South, USA

I apologize for that last sentence, I seem to have placed it in the wrong spot. X(

5/29/2011 8:47:09 PM

Bowdon, GA

Are we talking about the stump or the main vine?

5/30/2011 11:49:49 AM

formerly RGG

If that was for me Jake, the 191 is broken on the stump. It seems to be healing nicely though.

5/30/2011 2:03:08 PM

Bowdon, GA

Mine was the vine.

5/30/2011 2:13:05 PM

Deep South, USA

Mine is on the stump, I think. It's just below the seed leaves.

5/30/2011 8:09:44 PM

formerly RGG

That would be on the stump Yoshi.

5/30/2011 9:17:48 PM

Deep South, USA

I've been trying to understand the exact meaning of the term "stump" when referring to watermelon plants. Is it the area between where all of a plant's vines merge into one and the roots?

5/30/2011 11:31:35 PM

formerly RGG

The stump does not include the roots but just down to where the roots begin.

5/31/2011 7:42:51 AM

Deep South, USA

Ah, so the initial above ground section, up to where the vines begin branching out. Got it, thanks :).

5/31/2011 11:58:57 AM

sevierville, Tn

If its below the seed leaves, i don't think that will grow back. No buds there.

5/31/2011 2:33:51 PM

formerly RGG

He had only a partial break Chris.

5/31/2011 4:22:49 PM