My Cantaloupe Plant Has Flowers but No Melons Growing

Pollination

• The plant has both male flowers and complete flowers containing male and female parts on a single plant. The complete flowers are identifiable by the immature fruit appearing like a knot below the flower. If pollination does not occur, the plant flowers without setting fruit.

Nematodes

• Disease such as root knot, caused by a nematode infesting roots, cause excessive flowering without fruit set. Nematodes live in the soil and are killed or prevented by planting a high-nitrogen cover crop like cereal rye before using the soil for melons. Shred and till the crop under before planting curcubits.

Encourage Pollination

• Planting pollinator-friendly flowers near the melon patch encourages pollination. Many weeds such as dandelions attract bees and butterflies, as do lilac, butterfly bush, and various wildflowers. Keeping a bee habitat intact helps not using mulch in your garden and leaving wood piles or brush piles where bees nest.

Hand Pollination

• Pollinate your melons by hand to ensure fruit set. Carefully pluck a male flower and brush it into a female flower, being sure the pollen gets down into the heart of the flower. A single male flower can pollinate four female flowers.