cantaloupe pollenation

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mr_yan

New Member
Does anyone know if cantaloupe is self fertile. I know it has male and female flowers and needs to be pollinated but will a single plant produce?

I lost two of the three vines I had going. Is the surviving third vine a waste of space or might it give a mellon?

Thanks
 

RonsGarden

Super Moderator
Staff member
You can hand pollenate using a q-tip!
Best done in the late morning! Wait for the male flowers to open fully. Then transfer the pollen!
 

Crabbergirl

Super Moderator
Staff member
Yes, you can have only one vine. Ron is right about pollenating by hand. I would do it just to insure it happens ;)
 

klevelyn

New Member
To pollinate the female flowers I just pick a male flower and peel the petals back and rub the male flower onto a female flower. I do this in the morning when the flowers are open and fresh. I can pollinate several female flowers with on male flower.

It has worked very well. I also grew my cantaloupe on a trellis this year next to my baby watermelon to save space.
 

mr_yan

New Member
This one is going up a trellis about 4 feet away from the sugar baby watermelon. But the watermelon and the cantaloupe are on different trellises.

Naturally the day that the female flower opened it was a steady light rain and the flower opened facing up like a cup. Anyway when I got home from work the flower was filled with water - flowers were not yet open when I left for work. I emptied it and tried to dry it by letting my shirt absorb what was still in the flower. I then used a male flower from the same vine to attempt a pollination. We'll see but I don't expect much.
 

Crabbergirl

Super Moderator
Staff member
Even though a flower has closed as long as it did not drop,and it is not dried up, you can still pollinate it;) I hate when that happens.

I had a rough time getting my luffas pollinated the first couple weeks so everyday after work I woulod go out. The flowers were closed by then, they only last about 6 hours, but I opened them and did my deed anyway. It appears to have worked well. i have about 30 luffas on the vine.
 

klevelyn

New Member
Flowers keep growing so keep checking for new flowers to use. It is so fun to see a melon finally growing.
 

mr_yan

New Member
It has been a busy week and I had not checked the vine again until today. Looks like I have three fruit set right now. The largest is still oblong along the blossom / stem axis and about 10 cm long and 5 cm across. The others are not much bigger than a two year old girl's fist.

I hope to get cantaloupe this year. I'm wary of feeding store bought melons to my family right now with the salmonella outbreak.
 


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