Once dried, the mucilaginous coating is very difficult to remove, even with a steam cleaner. A noxious weed. Dudaim melon also grows along waterways and irrigation canals. Infestations along waterways and irrigation ditches should be controlled to prevent seed dispersal to new areas. Prickly paddy melon is a vinelike, summer annual that is often found in fallowed fields.
Growth is rapid following spring rains and melon production is prolific.
It is a CDFA class B noxious weed. However, dudaim plants may form adventitious roots from nodes along prostrate stems. Therefore, any tillage should completely sever the roots from the shoots and control will be improved if hot, dry conditions follow. Tillage should be conducted before any melons are produced, because some seed are viable, even in very immature pepos. Since both dudaim and prickly paddy melons are very closely related to musk melon, biological control has not been pursued.