I am in Sacramento CA. We have a 9 foot long by 8 foot tall trellis that is supporting about 13 cantaloupe plants, and has just under 60 melons. The first 40 or so have been on the vine for well over the stated period. They have not turned yellow or produced the aroma of ripe fruit yet, and the plants are now at about 104 days, give or take. They seem to have stagnated as far as maturity. I've been watering with a line of drip emitters on each side. each emitter is 1 gallon per hour, and there's about 1.5 emitters per plant, with a watering cycle of 13 minutes twice a day. I recently cut back to hand watering to see if there would be any change, but as of yet there isn't. Don't know why they are taking so long to ripen. there mulch and compost around the base, it's not soggy by any means, and only recently have we seen the beginnings of aphids on one section. They look healthy otherwise, some are small and some are large and medium size, as well as some newer ones that came later still forming. Any ideas, or should I keep patient. The fruits are still greenish on the background and the exterior is properly rough. No sine of cracking around the vine
I am in Sacramento CA. We have a 9 foot long by 8 foot tall trellis that is supporting about 13 cantaloupe plants, and has just under 60 melons. The first 40 or so have been on the vine for well over the stated period. They have not turned yellow or produced the aroma of ripe fruit yet, and the plants are now at about 104 days, give or take. They seem to have stagnated as far as maturity. I've been watering with a line of drip emitters on each side. each emitter is 1 gallon per hour, and there's about 1.5 emitters per plant, with a watering cycle of 13 minutes twice a day. I recently cut back to hand watering to see if there would be any change, but as of yet there isn't. Don't know why they are taking so long to ripen. there mulch and compost around the base, it's not soggy by any means, and only recently have we seen the beginnings of aphids on one section. They look healthy otherwise, some are small and some are large and medium size, as well as some newer ones that came later still forming. Any ideas, or should I keep patient. The fruits are still greenish on the background and the exterior is properly rough. No sine of cracking around the vine