Garden Q&A: Many factors affect sweetness of cantaloupe

Some years my cantaloupes are sweet and tasty, and other years they have no flavor at all. What could be causing this to happen?

Cantaloupe (Cucumis melo) flavor depends upon environmental conditions. High rainfall or excessive irrigation as the cantaloupes near maturity will adversely affect fruit flavor. Also, diseases which reduce the vigor of the plant and the leaves' ability to produce sugar will affect fruit flavor.

Maintaining the plants in a healthy growing condition and avoiding excessive watering near maturity will improve cantaloupe flavor. Lack of flavor is not caused by cantaloupes crossing with other vine crops, such as cucumbers.

The variety of cantaloupe grown affects flavor. Choose one of the new hybrid varieties such as Athena, Galia or Ambrosia. Galia has green flesh. Days to maturity from seed are between 85 to 110 days. From transplants the days to maturity are between 70 to 90 days.

Harvest when the fruit cleanly separates from the vine with light pressure. Once cantaloupes are removed from the vine they stop ripening.

I've heard the term solarization. What is solarization and what does it do?

Soil solarization is one of the most effective methods for ridding a site of weed seeds, insects and some disease pathogens. The high heat and humidity produced by covering moist soil with clear plastic are lethal to most organisms. To be effective, however, the procedure must be done properly, during the hottest months of the summer.

Here's how to treat your soil with the sun's radiant energy.

• Clear the area or bed of all existing plants and debris. Break up any clods of dirt and rake the surface smooth. Dig a trench 3 to 4 inches deep around the area. Water the soil thoroughly until it is soaking wet.

• Before the soil has a chance to lose moisture, spread 1 to 4 mil clear plastic film over the area, and press it down so that it touches the soil. Black, opaque,or translucent plastics are not suitable for solarization

• Mound the dirt over the plastic in the trench to seal off the edges. Keep the soil covered for four to six weeks. Solarization may be impaired by overcast skies and rainfall during the warmest summer months.

In order to counteract these effects, the solarization time could be prolonged.

Is it a good idea to apply iron to a lawn?

Plants with root problems caused by mechanical injury, root rot diseases or nematodes may exhibit iron deficiency symptoms.

Symptoms appear on newly emerging leaves as a sharply delimited interveinal chlorosis. In severe cases, new leaves may emerge reduced in size and nearly white in color, often with necrotic spotting. Iron deficiency is primarily a problem in high pH soils.

An application of iron, applied as a foliar spray, may improve the color of the turfgrass for a short period of time. Having your soil's pH checked would be something you would want to have done to see if it is the cause of the iron deficiency.

Tom Bruton is a master gardener with the Duval County Extension Service and the University of Florida/IFAS.