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Post by spacecase0 on May 18, 2011 17:58:38 GMT -5
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Post by steev on May 18, 2011 19:23:56 GMT -5
The only time I've known watermelons to burst was during an extreme heat spike; they were already picked, and I would suppose they'd been grown in much more moderate temperatures. I note that not all the farmers who reported melons splitting had used the unidentified chemical.
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Post by keen101 (Biolumo / Andrew B.) on May 18, 2011 19:40:49 GMT -5
hmm.. interesting. Probably Gibberellin. I'm pretty sure that's how they get those large oblong grapes at the supermarkets. I've read overwatering can also cause watermelons to burst, but that's still a bit strange...
...seems like some sort of environmental factor, but who knows...
I will add that i do suspect that before widespread cultivation, that it's likely that watermelons used to naturally burst open in the wild when ripe to attract animals.
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Post by ottawagardener on May 19, 2011 8:21:09 GMT -5
That sounds plausible Keen, like the exploding wild cukes.
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Post by wildseed57 on May 19, 2011 11:15:18 GMT -5
Like Keen said its most likely the growth Hormone Gibberellic Acid which can cause sudden growth spurts. Chinese Farmer use quite a bit of it to hurry natural growth in this case it back fired on them.
George W.
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