Melons set female flowers or. Fruits only on the secondary shoots of the second order.
Only careful pruning ensures a satisfactory yield. The main shoot is stripped for the first time, if that 6. Foliage leaf is normally developed. You cut over that 5. leaf. The resulting side shoots 1. Order is truncated after that 3. leaf. The shoots develop on these side shoots 2. Order with the female flowers. After the first fruits have reached the size of a walnut, the shoots are trimmed two leaves above the first fruit set. It may be necessary, to leave a larger number of leaves on the plants, so that sufficient leaf area is available for the fruit to develop. The entire floor area should be evenly covered with leaves.
When instructing on Dederon espaliers or on cords in a small greenhouse, the main shoot is cut, after reaching the upper tension wire. The side shoots 1. Order are already after 1. or 2. Pruning sheet, the secondary shoots 2. Order one leaf after the first fruit.