Do You Clip Watermelon Plants to Help Them Grow?

Allow watermelon vines to grow unpruned to reduce any plant stress.

Watermelon vines grow with vigor and productivity only when soil and air temperatures are warm. The plants resent root disturbance, wet soils and cold. Gardeners usually opt to direct sow watermelon seeds where they are to grow. Otherwise, small seedlings are carefully transplanted to minimize any root damage. Don't pinch back or cut leaves or stems of watermelons. You want mature tissues that produce food, flowers and support development of any fruits.

Growth Considerations

Watermelon plants could be called finicky in comparison to other common garden crops. The plants falter when soil is too cold or wet, roots cut or restricted, or warm weather and sunshine absent. This ranges from slow or no growth, bouts with root and foliage diseases or death of flowers or fruits. Even if the watermelon vines are healthy and growing well, do not trim, pinch or prune the growing tips in an effort to promote branching or coax flowering or other changes in growth patterns.

Planting

Since watermelons can be problematic if their ideal growing conditions aren't met, gardeners adhere to specific guidelines for watermelon plant establishment. Seeds are sown when the soil is warm, at least 70 degrees Fahrenheit, and in a full-sun garden location. The seeds germinate and establish their deep roots where the plants are to mature. If seedlings are started three to four weeks prior to planting outside, do not damage any roots during transplant. Providing the best growing conditions is the best way to help watermelons grow to their fullest potential.

Promoting Healthy Growth

Some gardeners, especially those in regions with cool summers or short growing seasons, lay a black plastic mulch sheet over the soil around watermelons at planting time. The plastic warms the soil and prevents weeds. Hoeing around watermelon vines to kill weeds is difficult and delicate. The hoe blade mustn't cut the roots or any vine stems that lay on the soil. The plastic sheeting also helps prevent fungal diseases since vine stems and fruits do not come in direct contact with damp soil.

Fruit Pruning

Removing young watermelons from the vine may be a good maintenance practice according to the Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension Service. Any flowers or swollen ovaries that die from blossom-end rot should be promptly pinched or trimmed from the vine. Misshapen fruits or numerous fruits should also be trimmed away. Focus on no more than three watermelon fruits on an individual vine. Too many fruits slows maturation, lowers sugar content, and results in smaller melons. Prevent the spread of possible diseases by removing fruits only when the vines and foliage are not wet.

References

• University of Illinois Extension; Watermelon; Ron Wolford and Drusilla Banks
• Oklahoma State Cooperative Extension; Growing Vegetable Transplants; J.E. Motes, et al.
• Oklahoma State Cooperative Extension; Watermelon Production; Warren Roberts, et al.