What to Do When Bitter Melon Doesn't Set Fruit? Causes and Prevention Methods
Bitter melon is a common vegetable in our daily lives. It has the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, dispelling internal heat and improving eyesight, and is deeply loved by people. Bitter melon also has relatively high economic benefits, and many people grow it, but during cultivation, the phenomenon of failure to set fruit can occur, which gives farmers a real headache. Let's take a look together below at the specific causes.
1. Fruit abortion
Fruit abortion is a common phenomenon in bitter melon. The plant produces quite a few flowers, but after the female flowers bloom, the young fruit does not swell and instead gradually shrivels. This is the phenomenon of fruit abortion. The main cause of fruit abortion in bitter melon is insufficient light during the flowering period, which prevents the leaves from carrying out photosynthesis normally, leading to fruit abortion. In addition, poor pollination or failure to harvest the root fruit in time can prevent the small fruit from growing and developing normally, also causing fruit abortion.
Prevention methods: During the flowering period of bitter melon, increase light conditions and appropriately remove some leaves to improve light penetration between plants, which can effectively reduce fruit abortion. For fields with poor pollination, manual pollination can be used to increase the fruit-setting rate, and fruits that have already grown to maturity should be harvested in time.
2. Excessive vegetative growth
Excessive vegetative growth is also one of the main causes of bitter melon failing to set fruit. The plant's stems and vines are thick and strong, the leaves are thick and fleshy, and the growth is extremely vigorous, but only male flowers bloom, with very few female flowers, resulting in an extremely low fruit-setting rate or no fruit set at all. The main causes are improper fertilization and excessively high temperatures. Many farmers, in order to promote plant growth, often apply too much nitrogen fertilizer, which can easily cause excessive plant growth. In addition, high temperatures also promote plant growth, and if not controlled, this can lead to leggy growth.
Prevention methods: When fertilizing, pay attention to a balanced combination of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. During high temperatures, strengthen ventilation or spray water mist to lower the temperature. When the plant is growing excessively, some side vines can be removed to reduce nutrient consumption, and at the same time appropriately control excessive growth, accurately matching the concentration of growth regulators. Use manual pollination, remove male flowers, and keep female flowers for pollination to increase the fruit-setting rate.
The above is an introduction to the causes of bitter melon failing to set fruit and prevention methods. We hope it can help you. If you want to learn more related knowledge, please follow us.