Keep ripening watermelon from direct contact with soil to prevent rot and protect fruit from pests and rodents. When fruit is about the size of a softball, place it on a bed of straw or cardboard.Click to see full answer. Also question is, how do you protect watermelons from pests?by spreading silver polyethylene mulch over the watermelon bed before planting. Cover the edges with soil to keep the reflective mulch in place, and cut holes — 3 to 4 inches in diameter — in the mulch to plant the watermelon.Also, do watermelon plants need support? Watermelon Vine Supports It needs to be sturdy enough to support the fruit and able to dry out quickly so it doesn’t rot the melon. Watermelon trellis growing is a space saving option and makes harvesting simple. Also, what is eating my watermelons? Raccoons and deer also like watermelons, particularly as the fruit becomes ripe. Damage inflicted by these animals usually is less extensive than the handiwork of coyotes. They may make holes in the rind and scoop or chew some of the inside of the flesh, but they don’t usually consume an entire melon.How do you take care of a watermelon plant?While melon plants are growing, blooming, and setting fruit, they need 1 to 2 inches of water per week. Keep soil moist, but not waterlogged. Water at the vine’s base in the morning, and try to avoid wetting the leaves and avoid overhead watering. Reduce watering once fruit are growing.
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