How to Prune Watermelons: [Dates, Tools and Ways to Do It]

Pruning watermelons is a practice applied by farmers with two objectives: better manage the space or obtain higher quality fruit.

In general, it does not represent a complex job, but it must be done carefully to avoid damaging the plant.

Being a version that grows horizontally, you will have easier access to each area, unlike fruit trees such as orange or lemon trees, for example.

You may also be interested in: the watermelon subscriber.

Why prune watermelons?

The watermelon plant needs pruning to keep all its stems and branches in order.

In addition, it is useful to leave in productive activity the stems that are closer to the main one and that need more nutrients.

This means that the fruits that are generated there are much larger and of higher quality, since they will be developing in the best conditions.

In planting watermelons there are two pruning systems that can be applied. The first system consists of acting on the plant from the beginning of growth and the second allows some main branches to develop, pinching and eliminating other secondary branches.

Differences with melon pruning

The fructification of the watermelon differs from that of the melon in that in the first the fruits set normally in the female flowers of the main branches and in the flowers of the second budding, while in the melon it fructifies in those of the second budding and others. times in the flowers of the third.

When should pruning be done?

The pruning of the watermelon must be carried out since it begins to generate its own stems and leaves.

If the idea is that the plant develops with vitality, it will be necessary to eliminate all the stems that are produced in a disorderly manner.

Especially those that are born and grow disproportionately between the main stem and the strongest secondary ones.

As for the outside temperature, it is better to wait until spring or summer to prevent frost from affecting the internal part of the plants.

But if these are developing inside greenhouses, there will be no problem doing it during the fall or winter.

What tools do we need for pruning watermelons?

If the pruning is done from the beginning, no tool will be necessary, since the simple pressure with the fingers is more than enough.

In case the pruning is done when the branches are thicker, with disinfected gardening scissors the goal will be achieved.

How to prune a watermelon plant correctly?

In order for your watermelon plant to be in optimal conditions, you will only need to prune it in the way that we indicate below:

Identify the main stem and the two secondary stems that are most strongly visible.
Along these two main stems, many more branches will be produced that will subtract quality and energy from the main ones. So, what we will do is count 8 knots from the base and then make the point cut. These will be the secondary nodes.
Now, from the secondary branches, only those shoots that appear in unfavorable places, such as between the main branch and a secondary stem, for example, should be removed. These will only generate nutrient losses and no benefit.
Always check the state of the plant to have the opportunity to remove those leaves and fruits that are not taking long to have a good development. This is because they could be presenting some disease. To make a proper disposal it is necessary to remove it from the plant and burn.

When pruning, you must be very careful with the number of flowers that are removed from the plant because each one performs a specific job.

The female flowers are the ones in charge of producing the fruits but they need the male ones for the pollination process.

Therefore, if the difference between one and the other is not well known, you should avoid removing them without planning.

Bibliography and references