Your comments and tips

25 Feb 16, Lindsay (Australia - temperate climate)

I have 5 rockmelon plants growing nicely. They are covered in flowers, BUT only Male flowers. I can't see any Female flowers and hence I've had only 1 small melon. What can I do to encourage some female flowers and melons? Thanks

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17 Mar 16, William (Australia - temperate climate)

Lindsay, if you are still having trouble with getting female flowers, try adding blood & bone liberally and either composted sheep or cow manure. Also, when you see a runner with lots of male flowers, chop off the end. This should promote some runners from the same one, probably with females. I leave 2 - 3 males on the stem then dock all runners... remember, one male flower can polinate all the open female flowers!

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28 Feb 16, Linda (Australia - temperate climate)

Hi Lindsay, I don't know what fertilizer your using, but, I've been told that if you use chicken manure to grow watermelons, they will grow heaps of male flowers at the expense of female flowers, this may apply to other types of melons as well, I need to research this but thought it was something to think about when prepping your soil next season, hope this helps, Cheers, Linda

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21 Feb 16, joy (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

Hi, i grew a uncertain melon plant. it looks like a rock melon plant since some tiny fruit have strips around the body. Does any one know how long could i get harvest. And also is this normal to have two baby melons getting yellowish while others look green.

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15 Feb 16, Ruby (Australia - temperate climate)

Hi, I've planted rockmelon for first time. Plant was healthy and produced lots of flowers and fruit, but fruit is either splitting and being eaten by bugs (not sure which is happening first whether bugs are causing the splits or whether they're just taking advantage) before we get a chance to get to it. Plant itself looking very forlorn now. Doesn't look like powdery mildew but leaves are all dying back. What's eating my fruit?

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12 Feb 16, Todd (Australia - tropical climate)

Hi l have rockmelons growing in a raised bed l had a couple of good ones but now l have a couple growing But it looks like something is eating it any idea what it is?

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04 Feb 16, Melanie (Australia - temperate climate)

I've now had two seasons of rockmelons but I managed to pick them perfectly ripe each time! Its very exciting growing my very own rockmelon! In our garden there was a lot of fretting about when to harvest...... I did a lot of internet searching and they all said when the melon is no longer green between the veins, but that's not quite true as I have noticed even the ripe ones in the shops are still green between the veins. I agree with John when they start to smell sweet, feel heavy, the stem attaching them to the plant dries out and the green between the veins fades from the bright green to starting to be a dried out dusty looking green. Hope that helps!

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30 Jan 16, (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

How do you know when a rockmellon is ripe.

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01 Feb 16, John (Australia - cool/mountain climate)

The best indicator in my experience is by smell. Ripe rockmelons have a sweet aromatic aroma up close and almost none if they are still unripe.

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10 Feb 16, Willem (Australia - temperate climate)

Apply some pressure on the blossom side. If "soft" , give way a bit, the rockmelon is ripe.

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