Watermellon Seedling Thinning?

[Javier Vazquez]

When I first sowed the watermelon seeds, I put 3-5 per hole... almost all of the seeds have germinated and around 1.5 inches high but grouped together around 2-4 other seedlings less than an inch away. My question is when I should thin the plants and whether I should transplant them or cut all but the strongest one per hole at the soil level.

 

[Durgan]

Cut. It is almost impossible to move without severe damage to the roots. It is always nice to have good germination. Hilling together is fine but an inch is really too close.