When training watermelon vines, you must take into account the large size of the fruit.
Like many fruit plants, watermelons form on vine-like branches that stem from the plant's roots. If these vines are left to grow without any form of management, they can spread wide, push their way through other plant beds and eventually take over the garden space in which they are planted. Prevent watermelon plants from invading the plants grown around them and keep watermelons up off the ground through training methods.
Instructions
1. Plant watermelon plants with adequate spacing between them. To ensure that the vines of watermelons have enough space to grow, plant the seeds in rows, leaving 10 feet of space between each row and 6 feet of space between each seed in the row. As the watermelon plants begin to grow, pull the weak growers from the ground, leaving only 3 to 4 plants in the area, which provides the vines with plenty of space.
2. Trim back the watermelon vines by cutting off just the tip of each vine by a few inches at a time if the vines begin to grow into the territory of other plants. Use a sharp knife to make the cuts and do not remove any buds or sprouts of new watermelons when cutting back the tips of the vines.
3. Install a heavy-duty trellis alongside each watermelon plant and train the watermelon vines to grow up the trellis. When installing the trellis, bury the bottom 6 to 12 inches of the trellis beneath the ground to create a sturdy base and lead the watermelon vines up the trellis by either winding each vine through the openings in the trellis or tying each vine to the cross sections of the trellis with wire.
4. Support each melon that grows from a vine with a piece of fabric. Tie both ends of the fabric to the trellis on which you have trained the vines so that the fabric creates a sling and rest each melon in the piece of fabric so that the fabric supports the melon's weight, which prevents the watermelon from breaking off of the vine before it is ready to be picked.
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