naive newbie! melon question

[vhellum]

hello!

can anyone help?
I decided to grow two melon plants this year. Everthing was coming along really nicely and the plants looked really healthy. They are now covered in black fly and i would like some advice on how to get rid of them without using any harmful sprays?
Also, if i manage to save them, should i limit the number of fruit per plant or does this not really make a difference!
hope someone out there can help, the fly are now moving to my cucumbers and peppers........
thanks
vhellum

[Alice]

Hello Vhellum, sorry about your blackfly but it should be manageable. There has been a lot about blackfly on the vine so type it in the search box and see what comes up. I don't grow melon myself so can't answer your other question. Maybe that will come up in search too.

[smallblueplanet]

We use Ecover washing-up liquid, to wash-up with but also to spray black-fly/green-fly with (diluted), seems to work.

[nick the grief]

Hi Vhellum

Welcome to the vine. Soapy water will do the business. And limit your melons to two per plant if you want averaged sized oned or 4 if you want them a bit smaller (a bit bigger than a grapefruit)

[vhellum]

Thanks for the advice, we also use ecover, so i'll give that a go an also limit the fruits.
At what stage do i remove the fruit, when it's in the flower stage?
Also the plants are climbng up and up should i pinch out the growing tips to stop them growing anymore?
thank you for all your interesting replies.
Will search for black fly now...

Vhellum

[nick the grief]

When you say remove the fruit, I assume you mean harvesting.

The timeing is something that you'll have to learn I'm afraid. You usually get some cracking around the top of the fruit near the stalk & if you smell it it will smell ....errr fruity is the best way to describe it then if you bress on the bottom of the fruit very gently (not too often as yuo'll bruise it) you'll feel it just give a bit (practice ofn one in secret in the supermarket ) then it should be ready to pick.

Don't forget that they will need some support otherwise they'll break off the stem with the weight & you'll find them on the floor.

Traditionally they used nets but a pair of stocking will do the job just as good - I prefer stockings to tights but thats another story