Germination temperature
Optimum soil temperature 32 °C (90 °F); good range 24-35 °C (75-95 °F), minimum about 16 °C (60 °F).
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Muskmelon needs heat, sun and well-drained soil. Sow into warm soil or into small pots, keep roots undisturbed, and let fruits ripen in dry weather for the sweetest flavour.
Optimum soil temperature 32 °C (90 °F); good range 24-35 °C (75-95 °F), minimum about 16 °C (60 °F).
1.5-2.5 cm (about 1/2-1 in).
3-4 days at 25-30 °C (77-86 °F); about 8 days at 20 °C (68 °F).
Full sun.
None needed; TNAU coats seed with a biological fungicide.
Direct sow, or transplant young seedlings from pots or trays.
TNAU treats seed with Trichoderma viride (4 g per kg of seed) or Pseudomonas fluorescens (10 g per kg) before sowing to protect against soil-borne disease.
Not needed. Melon seed takes up water easily.
Not needed. Muskmelon is a warm-season crop and needs heat, not cold, to germinate.
Not needed. Warm soil matters far more than soaking.
Seed germinates poorly below about 16 °C (60 °F) and best around 32 °C (90 °F). In cool spring weather sow indoors at 18-21 °C (64-70 °F) or more and plant out only when nights stay above 12-15 °C (54-59 °F).
About 2.5 cm (1 in) outdoors and 1.5 cm in pots.
Sandy loam rich in organic matter, well drained, pH 6.5-7.5. For seedlings use sterile seed compost in individual pots, polythene bags or 98-cell trays.
TNAU irrigates before sowing. Keep the soil moist but never waterlogged until seedlings emerge, especially in cool weather.
No light is needed under the soil; give seedlings full sun as soon as they emerge.
3-4 days in warm soil; about 8 days at 20 °C (68 °F).
Muskmelons dislike root disturbance. Sow in individual pots or cells and transplant young: TNAU moves seedlings at about 12 days old, Illinois Extension starts them only 3-4 weeks before planting out. Overgrown transplants stall.
TNAU sows on one side of channels 2.5 m apart with hills 60 cm apart, and thins to two seedlings per hill after 15 days. On drip-irrigated raised beds plants go 30 cm apart in rows 1.5 m apart.
Keep the bed weeded until the vines cover the ground; TNAU hoes and weeds three times.
Cause: the first flowers are male and drop naturally; poor bee activity, cool wet weather or crowding also reduce fruit set. Fix: wait for female flowers (with a tiny fruit behind the petals) and hand-pollinate if bees are scarce.
Cause: melon fruit fly, worst in the rainy season. Fix: time sowing to avoid the rains, destroy affected fruits, plough to expose pupae and use bait traps as TNAU advises.
Cause: powdery mildew, worse after drought stress. Fix: grow resistant varieties and water evenly. Do not use copper or sulphur dusts on melons; they are phytotoxic.
Cause: bacterial wilt spread by cucumber beetles. Fix: control the beetles from the seedling stage and remove wilted plants.
Cause: picking too early, wet or cloudy weather at ripening, or low potassium. Fix: reduce watering as fruits ripen and harvest only at full slip.
In Tamil Nadu TNAU sows from November to February; in North India Punjab Agricultural University sows directly in February-March, or in protected nurseries from the last week of January.
TNAU works in 20 t/ha farmyard manure with a basal NPK dose and adds a nitrogen top-dressing 30 days after sowing.
RHS pinches the main shoot after seven to nine leaves and keeps up to four fruits per outdoor plant for better size and sweetness.
Pick when the melon smells sweet and the stalk cracks and separates with light pressure. Melons soften after picking but do not get sweeter.
Sow muskmelon into warm, well-drained soil for sweet, aromatic fruit.
In South India from November to February; in North India directly in February-March, or in a protected nursery from late January. Fruits should ripen in hot, dry weather.
It smells sweet, the rind between the netting turns from green to tan or yellow, and the stalk cracks and comes away easily from the fruit.
Yes, in a large container of free-draining compost in full sun, with support for the vine and regular watering.