I think, melon plants are annuals, right? They grow in countries like Germany, Italy and such, but die during fall. Well, I am located in Jamaica. I have a melon plant that grows, and even started to develop blossoms. But is there any way that the pant might become perennial if there is no season such as autumn and winter? My second question is, I want to do pollination with the blossoms of my melon plant, but it looks like all blossoms might be male, I don't see any blossom looking female. Can that be? Are there male and female plants, or aren't they uniting both sexes in two different sets of blossoms? Are male and female blossoms appearing at different times?
Your melons/squash will likely produce only male blossoms early on. Later it may produce female blossoms assuming good growing conditions which is unlikely indoors. Hand pollination will be required unless you place the flowering plants outdoors where insects can find them. Practically speaking they will flower fruit and die from the energy expended in fruiting, not from being annual plants.
Hmmmmm..... That means, I will have to try to store the pollen somehow, so I can use it later with the female blossoms. I will make some photos and add them to this thread...
Well, at this moment, I can't pollinate due the lack of blossoms of both sexes. Might have to try preserving the pollen. Here're some photos of the blossoms. I believe, all of them are male blossoms, right?
And one more photo of a blossom. Is it a male blossom? Easier for me to tell you the sex, if I got an awesome, curvy girl in front of my eyes... ;-) I used two 4-diopter lenses but a weak zoom factor.
The differences between male and female blossoms are obvious. Look at the backside of the blossom, not the front. Female blossoms have a miniature version of a melon attached to the back of the blossom, while the males lack this feature. Take a look at some photos on Google Images.
Sooo obvious is the difference? I saw some photos now, thanks for your helpful answer. How can I preserve the pollen of the plant? Can I cut the male blossoms and store them in a fridge? Or are there better ways to keep the pollen until the female blossoms occur? And, when would they occur, how many days/weeks is the difference between male and female blossoms by average?
As Ron B mentioned, you shouldn't have to store the pollen. Melons normally start with male only blossoms but produce both sexes later.
Thanks! I first thought, there's one sex at a time, not both. My fault. Thanks! I see now the first female blossom coming up, and lurk around, ready with my brush! :-)
Howdy SvenLittkowski, Don't worry. If the plant is outdoor, do nothing. The bees and insects will do the job for you. Hand pollination of melons must be done several times during the day for it to be effective especially if the 'female' has both stigma and stamens. (Reason still unknown.) From your pictures, the melon you are referring to belongs to the Cucumis genus and as such no matter where one is, it is an annual. Peace Thean
Thanks, Thean. The plan is indoors. So it's me who_s going to be the giant bee... Thanks for the advise to do it several times a day. I will.
