Cantaloupe Melon - Leaf Burn

[Susan BBPM]

This is my first time growing cantaloupe melon. I've selected a variety suited to my short, cool Scottish climate. I'm growing them in a polytunnel in big tubs on a bed heated with soil cables. Anytime night time temps are below 15 degrees I put the soil warming cables on.

Spring was VERY hot here. My cantaloupe did fine.

Then the wet, cool weather came and at some point I started getting leaf burn on the leaves. First on the plants at one end, then on all of them. The leaves just went brown and crispy around the edgees and then shrivelled up completely in time.

New growth is fine, although all the big leaves have now been picked off due to being dead. Fruits are forming just fine.

The only pattern I can see is on the two days when I went in and suddenly saw this leaf burn it was when it had been sunny early in the morning and I hadn't quite got out early enough to open the polytunnel. Both times it wasn't extremely hot inside, but there was loads of condensation and steam. I'm guessing this is the cause? Tomatoes and peppers were fine.

Thoughts anyone?

 

[oneeye]

This is my first time growing cantaloupe melon. I've selected a variety suited to my short, cool Scottish climate. I'm growing them in a polytunnel in big tubs on a bed heated with soil cables. Anytime night time temps are below 15 degrees I put the soil warming cables on.

Spring was VERY hot here. My cantaloupe did fine.

Then the wet, cool weather came and at some point I started getting leaf burn on the leaves. First on the plants at one end, then on all of them. The leaves just went brown and crispy around the edgees and then shrivelled up completely in time.

New growth is fine, although all the big leaves have now been picked off due to being dead. Fruits are forming just fine.

The only pattern I can see is on the two days when I went in and suddenly saw this leaf burn it was when it had been sunny early in the morning and I hadn't quite got out early enough to open the polytunnel. Both times it wasn't extremely hot inside, but there was loads of condensation and steam. I'm guessing this is the cause? Tomatoes and peppers were fine.

Thoughts anyone?

Can you post a photo so we can see what it looks like?

 

[MiniOrchardDude]

If I'm understanding your problem properly this sually happens to my cucumbers, canteloupes, watermelons, honeydews and pumkins. The leaves start drying out at the edges first, slight brown and then become crispy and eventually fall off. I spray copper to help control this. They will still dry out but copper helps slow this down. You should remove them once you notice it.
Not sure but guessing the hair/fibers on these leaves hold moisture. My environment is humid which I believe is the culprit.

Like oneeye mentioned a picture will help us help you better.

I will see if I can take a picture of this when I get home. Not sure if I cut them all off.

MOD

 

[Susan BBPM]

Thanks guys. I'll get a photo tomorrow. But MiniOrchardDude - that description matches perfectly.

And yes, I have read that hairy plants trap water droplets that then work like magnifying glasses, burning the leaves.

I've been closing the polytunnel at night as our temps can dip as low as 10 degrees C some nights. I know melons like to be above 15 C. But I think the risk of condensation causing burning in the mornings is greater than the risk of cold at night. Especially as I have heating cables under the pots.

 

[MiniOrchardDude]

I don't think its leaf burn. I believe it is disease related. In the morning the leaves are basically wet from the dew. My area is very humid. Everything is covered with dew. Walk through the grass and you shoes will be saoked.

Your cold nights along with the electric heat you added to the soil is probably causing condensation. Similar to the dew in my area. I say this because the copper would not slow down the leaf burn.

Here are pics of a cucumber and canteloupe. This is what I was refering to. Notice how the canteloupe leaves start in the middle where I have to wet the leaves to water. This will be the worst area. Eventually it will work its way down/up the vine faster if not removed.

The cucumber is the first pucture.

MOD

 

[Susan BBPM]

So watering in the mornings would make sense - letting it dry out during the day, and keep it well ventilated at night. Maybe a spray with Neem too?

We had dry weather without a drop of rain for most of may and june. I was misting the polytunnel daily to keep the heat down and it was fine then. But since late june it's rained every day. Most of the plants in my garden have signs of some kind of fungal problem or other.

This makes more sense than leaf burn.

 

[oneeye]

When some leaves reach the end of their life, they will give up nutrients for the younger leaves. If the oldest leaves are the ones affected I wouldn't worry. However its happing to newer leaves then it could be a start of a problem. Most problems stem from water management and with all the bad weather some are getting its easy to over or under water.

 

[Susan BBPM]

It wasn't old leaves going brown. It was very acute - it initially happened overnnight and it was young and old leaves. Not gradual, but just burnt to a crisp around the edges of leaves. It happened to plants at one end of the polytunnel in one night, and then a ffew nights later I opened up too late and it had happened to the other plants.

The leaves that were initially damaged worsened over time and eventually shrivelled up and died completely. But there's been no damage to new leaves that have grown since then. (Or at least, most new leaves are OK).

I've stripped off the dead leaves, taken out the soil warming cables, given everything a good clean and will keep the doors open at bothe ends over night. We've got no cold nights forecast for a while. Oh, I also sprayed with neem.

The plants look awful, but the fruits are growing well and look healthy. Cucumber is right beside the melons (touching them) and it's fine. But it's pot isn't warmed by the cables, so maybe that's the key thing.

 

[MiniOrchardDude]

I would spray copper instead of neem. Copper is OMRI listed is that is your concern. I used neem oil early on for that problem, maybe 3-4 years ago. Neem has it uses but I now only use it for insect control.

My vined fruit never made it until frost. That disease would eventually work its way through the vine and eventually kill the it. With the copper spray they now survive until the frost takes it out. I spray after it rains religiously. Do your best to keep the leaves dry. Do not wet them when watering if possible. I plan to install drip irrigation for those now that my melon patch is pretty much layed out for the future.

Good luck and props for your determination to grow them in your area. Your a true gardening warrior.

MOD.

 

[Susan BBPM]

Neem is all I have - I'll look into Copper.

I'm growing a short season cantaloup that should do well in my climate. It might be worth looking at for you - the quicker you can harvest the better from the sounds of things.

"Minnesota Midget
First seen in 1948, this fantastic variety was bred for short summers - it swaps size for earliness - but without any sacrifice of sweetness or flavour. Compact vines grow about 4' and quickly set several small (cricketball-sized) melons with sweet orange flesh, edible right to the rind.

The scent and flavour are incredible. Ripe melons can be located in the garden by smell alone! Fusarium-resistant, and the female flowers are formed even while it is young, thus outperforming many other varieties.

Very, very early melon. It's going to be hard to improve on this one."

Lots of errors on my part this year, so hopeful that even if I don't get a harvest this year I will next. We had an outstanding 8 weeks earlier in the season - too dry and very hot. I spent weeks misting the air to keep the tunnel cool. Then the rain came, and ididn't stop for weeks. Sun didn't come out much either, so pretty much everything in the garden had fungal type problems. It's been sunny this past couple of days and things are looking up.

 

[MiniOrchardDude]

Definetly going to try it next year. Let us know how good it tastes. I'm trying 2 different varities this year. Mango Melon Hybrid and the Giant cantaloupe. Only because I was sucessful last year with the Sugar Cube. I redid the Sugar cube again this year. Kind of got brave with the others since the Sugar Cube went well for me.

Per Burpee the sugar cube is the most disease resistant variety. Rather small but worth the effort. All 3 are doing great so far.

The Giant so far seems pretty inpressive but taste is more important so have to wait and see.

Canteloupe is sensitive and not to disease reistant to begin with. Only way to know how well it works for your area is to try different varities. I always say live and learn.

MOD