How to Water Cantaloupes, Melons & Watermelons

Decide how you will water the crop. While cucurbits are developing blossoms and setting fruit, they need frequent, consistent watering. Drip irrigation provides water consistently, slowly, and directly to the plant root zone through a network of plastic pipes, but does not wet foliage. Soaker hoses can also be used, but gardeners must ensure that plants are not overwatered. Overhead sprinklers present some danger. Gardeners must avoid getting water on the leaves from sprinklers, or diseased foliage is a possibility. Diseases such as powdery mildew make melons less flavorful.

Provide 1 to 2 inches of water a week, according to the University of Minnesota Extension, until the plants are pollinated and fruits that developed the earliest have reached full size. Make sure soil is moistened to a depth of at least 6 inches to reach roots.

Reduce watering for cantaloupes and melons other than watermelons for their fruits' last few weeks on the vine to increase their sugar content and flavor. Provide just enough water evenly so the plants do not start wilting and become stressed, particularly during their fruits' last two weeks on the vine, the University of Minnesota Extension recommends. If plants receive a lot of water during the ripening period, sugar content in fruits and plant nutrition might be reduced. Their stem-end may also crack and the fruit rot. Plants can survive with little water at this stage because their root systems are well-developed.

Stop watering watermelons totally when the fruits begin to ripen, for better flavor. Watermelons have extensive root systems and can survive with available ground moisture, according to the University of Florida IFAS Extension Gulf Coast Research and Education Center. Water only if a prolonged dry spell occurs.