The irrigation furrow generally supplies moisture for the cantaloupe hill. It should always take soaking through the soil to reach the seed or plant. Irrigation should never cause the soil to over-soak or flood, as the soil then becomes tough and does not create for proper growth. A rather mooted issue is the connection of irrigation to a new collection of cantaloupes.
Some growers argue that frequent watering is used to secure a good set during the setting period. Others prefer to keep the cantaloupe vines slightly dry and even let them show the need for water before they irrigate during the setting stage. Results have appeared to support both theories, yet close observation would not warrant following either plan to an extreme, but rather an ordinary course of supplying sufficient moisture for an even, healthy growth, which seems to be the essential condition throughout. An abundance of irrigation during the hot weather in July will undoubtedly continue to grow vines at the cost of fresh fruit.
The most catastrophic consequence of so much water is having the soil soaked until the surface is almost entirely saturated. Affording the warm, dewy state favorable to its growth as is the production of rust. The problem of rust in Colorado’s cantaloupe culture is a serious one. Controlling it by correctly applying irrigation is only a palliative measure. Yet a marked contrast is often seen in two parts of a field; one over-irrigated, and the other comparatively dry, aside from the moisture needed for the vines to grow.
Rainy weather and dewy nights provide the right conditions for rust spore production, and although the gardener is unable to alter climatic conditions, while carefully applying water, keeping the rows well-drained, and sufficient lateral waste to avoid over-soaking and flooding, the surface of the field should dry quickly after a rain or irrigation. Thus the night-time dews will be less, and in one measure will alleviate the effects of rust.