Subject: Kiwano (Cucumis metuliferus)

From: Ute Bohnsack <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 06 Aug 1999 11:43:36 +0100

Hi!
Has anybody experience with Kiwano (=African Horned Cucumber = Jelly Melon)?
I got a few seeds this spring from a lad in France, sowed them on April 5,
planted them out in my tunnel (a bit late) on June 11. At planting I saw a
flower on one of the 5 plants. Now they are growing like triffids but there are
no flowers, i.e. no fruit!
(BTW I've done a lot of planting this year according to Norbert Kaschels  moon
phases and cosmic rhythms but due to time constraints sowed the Kiwano on a LEAF
day! ... but all that is a different story)
Is Kiwano flowering linked to day lenghts? If so, what would be the
requirements? Or could the ground be too rich (I made a large planting whole for
each plant, filled with compost)?
It belongs to the genus Cucumis, as do cucumbers, gherkins, melons. They all
flower still.
I'm in the West of Ireland (equiv. US zones 8/9).

Bamboozled,

Ute