The Fastest Watermelon Pollination Methods and Yield-Boosting Tips

Watermelon is an annual trailing vine with thick stems and branches that have distinct ridges. Because it is cultivated throughout China, there are many varieties, and it is a summer fruit that people greatly enjoy, able to cool you down and relieve the heat; the seeds contain oil and can be eaten as a snack; the rind can also be used medicinally. So then some farmer friends will ask, if you want to increase watermelon yield, what is the fastest watermelon pollination method to use?

The selection of male and female flowers is also very important in pollination, and it is the first step in determining whether watermelon yield is high or low and whether quality is good or bad. You should choose female flowers at the fruit-setting node with a large ovary, abundant fine hairs, and a long, thick fruit stalk. Female flowers like this set fruit relatively easily, and the fruit grows large and the yield is high. For the male flowers used for pollination, choose male flowers that opened the same day, are bright in color, and have a relatively large corolla diameter.

The best time to pollinate watermelon is on a clear day, from 8 to 10 a.m. on a sunny day. This time period is when the physiological activity of the female flower stigma and male flower pollen is at its peak, so this is the best time for artificial pollination. The pollination completion time is usually 7-10 days, and no more than 10 days at most. In this way, the fruit-setting period is concentrated, management is convenient, the harvest period is concentrated, and the fruit size is uniform, with high yield as well. If it exceeds 10 days, fruit setting will be relatively uneven. Some melons have already grown to the size of an egg and need watering immediately, while some melons have just set and are growing slowly and should not be watered, which makes management inconvenient, causes uneven fruit sizes, an unconcentrated harvest period, and reduces yield by 10%-15%.

There are generally two methods for pollinating watermelon:

The first is the flower-to-flower method. When pollinating, gently lift the female flower stalk so that the stigma is exposed, then choose a male flower that opened the same day, pick it together with its stalk, turn the petals outward to expose the stamens, and gently smear the pollen onto the stigma of the female flower at the fruit-setting node so that the pollen is evenly scattered on the stigma. One male flower can pollinate 2-4 female flowers.

The second is the brush-dipping method. Pick male flowers that opened the same day, collect the pollen into a clean container and mix it, then use a soft brush or small brush to dip up the pollen, aim at the stigma of the female flower, and gently smear it a few times. Once the stigma shows obvious yellow pollen, it is done.

If there is a lot of rainy weather during the watermelon flowering period, which affects normal pollination, you can cover the female and male flowers with paper caps or small plastic bags 1 day in advance before the rain to protect them from rain, remove the bags when pollinating, and after pollination put the caps back on the female flowers for protection, then remove them after 3 days. If there are showers during flowering and pollination, pollinate 2 hours after the rain. Pollination should be completed within 3 hours. If there is no rain within 3 hours after pollination, normal management can proceed; if there is light rain within 3 hours, pollinate once more.

After pollination, hang paper tags of different colors at the node of the pollinated melon as a marker. This confirms that pollination has been done, prevents repeated pollination, and also makes it easy to determine the watermelon's ripening period so that it can be harvested at the right time.

On the afternoon of the day after pollination, if the fruit stalk of the female flower bends and droops as it grows, and the front end of the ovary begins to touch the ground, it indicates that pollination was successful. If the fruit stalk of the female flower still points upward or still extends forward, it indicates that pollination did not take. At this time, clear away the marker tag on that plant and select a female flower again for pollination.

In summary, if you want to increase watermelon yield, farmer friends need to learn the fast watermelon pollination methods. Combined with scientific planting techniques, the watermelon yield will surely double. I hope this article can help everyone.

For wonderful pictures and text and popular comments about watermelon pollination, you may be interested in the content recommended below by Nongxun.com. Welcome to read.