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PostPosted: Fri Jul 06, 2012 2:08 pm 
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Hello,
We have a beautiful cantaloupe plant in a small raised bed that has produced lots of vines and keeps setting fruit, but the fruit stays tiny - only 2-3 inches diameter. Any suggestions on helping our plant along? I'm new to melons and have only been foliar feeding, so wondering if some other feeding is needed?


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PostPosted: Fri Jul 06, 2012 3:02 pm 
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Location: Fort Worth,TEXAS
If they get ripe at that small size then you have lovely personal melons.

Where are you and how did you prepare the soil? How much are you watering?

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PostPosted: Fri Jul 06, 2012 4:10 pm 
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We're in North Texas. It's very hot - which the plant seems to love! It does droop after the hot afternoon sun, so we've been watering every day if its very hot, and every other day if it's not so bad.

A couple of the tiny ones have gotten ripe, but many seem to have "stalled." Also - there are a lot of fruits on this plant: about 10 at one time. Should we trim a few off perhaps?


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PostPosted: Fri Jul 06, 2012 4:46 pm 
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Last year I had a volunteer cantaloupe - one huge vine - and it probably had a dozen fruits going on it at any one time. It got water, but not a lot - and most of them, until it reached the end of the season, grew to full size. This year the plants I planted on purpose from seed are struggling - I suspect it's the place that might be the problem because it isn't quite full-sun.

Cantaloupe entry from the Dirt Doctor library.

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PostPosted: Sat Jul 07, 2012 6:31 am 
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It is normal for those plants to droop in the hottest part of the day. They perk up when the sun is off of them. Do NOT water everyday. Water deeply every 2-3 days and fertilize every 2-3 weeks. Do you know what variety of melon you planted?

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