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Jamul

One thing I have been pondering with regards to "one fruit only" advantage is; how does the plants vascular system redirect from roots and/or leaves to various fingers depending on whether or not a melon is on them? Is there a known mechanism in the plant for that? If not, is the idea that "one is best" rooted in trial and error ?

Is it a soil nutrient problem? How could it be if Susie's soil supported 800 pounds?

I also wonder if the main or finger with the least shading out by other areas of the plant has a potential advantage? Are you HH's removing shading by leaves of fruitless mains/fingers from the main/finger with the keeper...or it doesn't matter?

7/17/2011 1:42:24 AM

formerly RGG

It's a matter of survival that all plants will try to produce as many seeds as possible. Reproduction is the primary focus of all living things. Ask Brother Dave Cantrell how big his peaches get if he doesn't thin them. A peach tree will load peaches to the point that the tree branches will get so heavy they sometimes break limbs off. But the peaches will be extremely small if the whole crop is left to grow. If the peaches on one tree are all left on they will never get to a marketable size. And if a tree next to that one is thinned down to one fruit every several inches, it's peaches will grow large. Melons are less extreme and a melon plant will limit itself to a number of fruit it is able to support. But I do not believe it will limit itself to the number of fruit it can grow to maximum size. It will limit itself to the number of fruit that will allow it to produce the most seeds that it can.

7/17/2011 7:16:54 AM

Muddy Waters

In less your a HH you cant post comments,so I will Shut - Up!!

7/17/2011 7:43:16 AM

Jamul

O.K dennis, But if Brother Dave thins all the peaches of one branch but not the others will the one on the thinned branch be small or large?

7/17/2011 10:12:41 AM

Jamul

Handy Homegrown, I think as long as I am being as nice and thoughtful as I can be,I can comment, or in this case ask what I hope is a thoughtful question.

Can anyone explain the mechanisms in the plant? Defending with the example of thinning peaches so a plant can get more seeds doesn't confuses me. More little peaches means more seeds. I think the peaches are bigger because there are fewer fruits for Carbohydrates or other things to be pumped to? Not sure, I am not an expert, that's why I ask the question,can the plant adjust the plumbing around on watermelons to do this?

7/17/2011 10:30:20 AM

Jamul

Sorry, I meant confuses me, not "doesn't confuses me".

7/17/2011 10:31:32 AM

El Paso TX.

Rustico -- you got what he was trying to say a bit confused I believe what he menat was - If you let all of the little ones grow so that more seeds are developed (which is what the plant will naturally try to do ) then you will get a lot more fruit number wise but they all will be much smaller and not good for taking to market, since it does not take a large fruit to develop the seeds -- so to get the larger marketable fruit you need to thin down the number of fruit so more of the plants energy will be used to develop that smaller number of fruit to larger sizes.

7/17/2011 11:28:52 AM

Jamul

You are right JD,thanks, I did mess up his analogy. Excuse me, Dennis.

My questions about the peach tree still stands. If you thin only one branch will that branch grow a market fruit. How does taking a melon off one main or finger redirect anything to the others on different mains and fingers?How does the plant physiology do that?

7/17/2011 11:58:11 AM

Garner, NC

I'm not a brain scientist or anything, but the energy and growth produced has to go somewhere, so by limiting it to 1 melon, and limiting plant size, the extra growth would have to go towards the only thing growing on the plant, which would be your melon.

7/17/2011 1:53:33 PM

formerly RGG

Well stated Todd.

7/17/2011 1:59:35 PM

Bowdon, GA

OK I should post here either LOL It's just too tempting. I see Russell's question are the main fingers seperate entities? There is really no way to prove by scientific method if cutting to one melon gets you a bigger one. There are to many variables you can't control between two plants to control the experiment. But I think I still have to side with Todd, and Dennis based on logic. I just want the biggest I can grow, not several big ones. I'm sure SMP could grow a half a dozen 200 pounders one a plant, but I bet the 291 would have weighed less than 291.

7/17/2011 3:44:48 PM

Jamul

No problem, Jake! I think Chris might have been able to have grown two 291's :)... or a 291 and one bigger than a 291.

7/17/2011 5:28:12 PM

sevierville, Tn

Gee, now ya tell me ! LOL

7/17/2011 5:52:46 PM

Muddy Waters

Ok Rustico,Im no x-purt ,its all a guessing game ,we might as well try to prove the trinity,Theres no proof either way if the 291 would have weighed 1 ounce more if there was 2 on plant or not.If I had huge plants I would try to grow 2 this year. I dont, I have tiny little plants.Maybe next year we will get a warm May & with bigger plants then I can grow 2 monsters! They will still claim they would of been bigger if you would have culled 1.When and IF I win the Powerball I will hire a lab to prove this theory till then its a nice debate!!LOL Id better grow 1 monster first, I am an X-Purt.X= a has been & a spurt is a drip under presure!LOL

7/17/2011 6:24:33 PM

Jamul

I want to agree with you ,Mark. I have been leaning that way with you since first seeing the debate. It's not that big of deal in my patch either. I am after something to show off in the hood, and that's it, a little fun while "learning to walk" so to speak. If I have two fast growers on separate branches, I am not pulling either. My plants look good, but I don't have that problem this year, so far.


Chris, Thanks for continuously bringing your sense of humor and aplomb Yes, I said aplomb!

Rustico:
Has a way with words.

7/17/2011 9:44:41 PM

Jamul

Todd, Pruning is very interesting,I am not sure it has a cumulative effect with selecting to one fruit, but it does something for sure. I think about Mr. Edward's style often... I imagine a lot of people have. What is in it that worked? Besides limiting his plant size(pruning), like a lot of people do, his branches stand apart from other branches and don't compete for sunlight... as I understand it. That's why the second part of my original question was something like "do heavy hitters try to minimize competition for sunlight between the branches with the keeper and other remaining branches. Maybe it doesn't matter but it seems like it could?

7/17/2011 9:54:53 PM

Garner, NC

Rustico, I'm not sure about pruning either. This is my first year pruning them, and I do it differently than Mr. Edwards. I just limit the vine size by keeping them in a confined area. I do not selectively cut vines, I just go around the edge and cut everything that past's a certain line.
Last year my vines were uncontrolable, they just went everywhere, and were near 900sqft. So this year I'm just controlling them to around 400sqft, my thinking is less energy in plant growth, MIGHT mean more energy to the melon. But who knows what is best, I didn't grow a big one last year, so that tells me to try something different.

7/18/2011 9:18:02 AM

Jamul

You are doing great,Todd. If nothing else, you won't have all that extra vegetation that appears to do nothing for your keeper in the patch. Pruning certainly appears to have big effects when the rest is going good. Not sure. I hope your efforts with it pay off.

Two more cents on culling to one: I think good growers probably do grow the best melon on the plant most of the time, so, since that's what they are after there's nothing wrong with the practice either way, especially if it makes life easier. I guess someone already said that in different terms.

7/18/2011 10:36:15 AM

formerly RGG

Hey Todd, if you don't consider 211 big, then how big do you consider big?

7/18/2011 11:27:04 AM

Garner, NC

250 plus

7/18/2011 11:33:13 AM

formerly RGG

That's fair enough. Well I hope we both grow a big one this year. At this point in my season, I will be very very happy to grow one over 250 pounds. I think it's still in the realm of possibility for me though.

7/18/2011 5:08:22 PM

Muddy Waters

250 is the new 200!!

7/18/2011 6:46:57 PM

Bowdon, GA

I'm doing mine just like Todd, but also clipping vines that try to run across the top of the canopy. As the leaves get big the sometimes crush the ones underneath.

7/18/2011 11:58:38 PM

Muddy Waters

Me to Jake!

7/19/2011 5:57:48 AM

Jamul

I wanted to do the double flag that Mr. Edward's has posted online but in the end chickened out for this year.I am also just doing the pruning that the majority here seem to be doing. The inevitable shading bothers me though.


Dennis, Did you stick with the flag patterns on some of your plants? What do you think?

7/20/2011 12:10:53 PM