lack of melons

[pmc]

I`m trying to grow 2 melon plants in pots in the greenhouse. The plants are doing well but all I`m getting are male flowers. There`s no sign of a single melon developing. Any suggestions please.

[Kristen]

Male flowers come first, I reckon they are around for a good couple of weeks before the females arrive. I think the theory is that they can provide diversity by pollinating any other plant that already has female flowers, and reduce the risk of self pollination (although you still get loads more male flowers than females, even when the female flowers arrive on the plant)

[Kristen]

You'll almost certainly need to hand-pollinate, do you know about that?

[Snadger]

You'll almost certainly need to hand-pollinate, do you know about that?

No graphic descriptions please.......

[pmc]

I didn`t know the male flowers came first. Bit confused about the hand pollination tho cos how do I do that when I don`t have any female flowers?

[Kristen]

The female flowers will start to appear in a few weeks time (maybe sooner). They are easily spotted, so don't spend too long looking for them in the meantime.

The male flowers have quite a long stork (1/4" or so). Some stalks are shorter, but even so the storky-bit is there. The Female has a distinctive little "mini fruit" behind the flower and has no skinny-stalk at all.

I pollinate mine in the morning when I water (between 7 - 9am). Morning up to mid day is considered best I believe. I don't think you will have anything like the same success in, say, the evening. If you are not sure choose a time when bees would be most active - the two are made for each other!

Pull a male flower off the plant - stork and all; with a circular motion tear off the petals. If you keep going (like peeling an apple) you will also pull off some of the outer green flesh surrounding the base of the flower, below the petals, which will expose the yellow stickey-out bits [technical term!] with the pollen on

The books say to check that the pollen is "ready". I have no idea how to do that, I've never been able to get any to come off onto the back of my hand even, but I do have ripening melons so I assume that doesn't matter!

I brush the exposed inner part of the male flower against the female flower (there is NO need to prepare the female flower; do NOT remove its petals etc. You will see that the innards are different to the male - it is designed to be easy for a bee/insect to deposit pollen onto it without any form of training!)

I rub the male flower back-and-forth against the female a bit, hoping that will transfer some pollen, and I then leave the male flower inserted/attached to the female so that as the day progresses any pollen which wasn't quite ripe / ready can transfer by itself. Crawling insects may well get the chance to "help" as well.

Female flowers are normally available for pollination for two days (so you get two chances, so to speak), after than the petals close up and its either a done-job, or not. It "not" then the little melon like fruit will turn yellow and drop off. If successful it will start swelling perceptibly immediately (well, enough to notice that it has "worked" within a day or two).

Support the melons using old tights, or somesuch, as soon as possible because the weight of the developing fruit is significant for the stem to support on its own.

I "stop" side shoots at 4 leaves, and any side-shoots off those at two leaves.

I try not to let female melons develop on the main stem, only on the side shoots, and only one per side shoot, I limit to 4 or 5 per plant (but if yours have not flowered yet it might be wise to go for fewer than that, so the plant has enough time / energy to mature the fruit before the summer is over)

Water and Feed well - I use the same watering . feeding regime as for my Tomatoes (including same fertiliser and application timing / rates)

[Kristen]

"No graphic descriptions please"

Its OK, I only used words ...

[kentvegplot]

I use a little paintbrush - pick up a little pollen on it (you can see the yellow) and 'tickle' the melons. Always gets a laugh at home when i say I'm going to 'tickle the melons'

[pmc]

Thanks. I actually knew about the hand pollination but didn`t realise the female flowers came along later. Should I be picking off a few of the male flowers now or just leave them alone & patiently wait for the females to arrive?

[Kristen]

"Should I be picking off a few of the male flowers now or just leave them alone & patiently wait for the females to arrive?"

Nah, just add water for now! watch the length of any side shoots and train them up a string or somesuch.