When to Pollinate Melons?

About Melons

• Watermelons, musk and other melons all grow best in full sun and fertile, well-drained soil that's fully warm. The traditional approach to enriching soil is digging in generous amounts of well-rotted manure, shredded leaves and other organic matter. Melons require a fairly long growing season to mature before fatal frosts. Home gardeners and small growers sometimes warm up the soil before planting with black plastic, but plants can also be started indoors three to four weeks before anticipated planting outdoors. Melons can be grown vertically in small backyard gardens by training vines onto trellises, fences or other sturdy supports, though maturing fruit will need support from slings.

Need for Well-Timed Pollination

• Watermelons and all other melons develop separate male and female flowers on each plant. Male flowers open first, usually about a week before the first flush of female flowers will bloom. Female flowers -- many of which later develop into mature melons -- are easy to distinguish, because they have a tiny embryonic melon at the blossom's base. These female flowers open after sunrise and stay open, available for pollination, for only one day. Because all pollen is heavy and sticky, wind isn't enough to move it from male to female flowers. Be it a bee or human helper, some agent must physically move the pollen and fertilize the female flowers to get good fruit set.

Naturally Pollinated Melons

• Melons, squash, gourds and cucumbers have historically been pollinating thanks to the efforts of hardworking nectar-collecting bees, including domestic honeybees, bumble bees, mason bees and solitary bees. According to University of Missouri Extension research, female melon flowers need to be visited by bees at least eight times to successfully pollinate a large, marketable fruit. Encouraging healthy honeybee and native bee populations, and even introducing pollinator bees, can greatly improve melon pollination, fruit quality and production.

Hand-Pollinated Melons

• Though less effective than natural pollination, melons can also be pollinated by hand. According to research conducted by University of Missouri Extension, hand-pollination is most effective when done between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m., right after female flowers open. The process is simple and straightforward: select and pick a newly opened male flower and carefully remove all petals surrounding the pollen-producing stamens. Carefully and gently brush these exposed stamens against a recently opened female flower, at least 10 to 15 times. Some hand-pollinators fertilize each female flower with two different male flowers. To pollinate the female flowers of seedless watermelon varieties, always use pollen from a seeded watermelon variety.