Belly Rot

Belly rot looks almost as bad as it sounds (but I couldn’t find a decent photo).

What starts as brown or black mushy areas on the underside of your melons or squashes turns dry and leathery. It won’t hurt you but can make fruits susceptible to other pests and diseases.

​Melons, squashes, and other cucurbits can all get belly rot. Belly rot is a fungal disease caused by Rhizoctonia solani. Infection occurs when the fruit is left to sit on the soil for prolonged periods, especially when moisture is present.

Symptoms of belly rot

If you see water-soaked, sunken, black, or brown spots on fruit and it is not blossom end rot, it is probably belly rot. The lesions can be tiny or cover the complete underside of a fruit. As the infection spreads, the lesions dry out and become leathery or scabby. Infected fruit should be removed and tossed in the trash.

Preventing belly rot

To prevent the spread of belly rot, avoid overhead watering and get that fruit off the ground. You can use trellising, tomato cages, children’s furniture, straw, those little plastic pizza box props, benches, colanders - anything that will allow airflow between the fruit and the soil. Improving drainage will also make this disease less likely to occur. 

Generally, the fungi that cause belly rot are everywhere, so prevention is your best bet. So check the bellies of your melons regularly!