Hand pollination of icebox watermelon (Creative ways to grow watermelons) – Watermelon cultivation
Growing icebox watermelons in mulch cultivation. This time, we will perform pollination on the female flowers. (Hand pollination of icebox watermelon.) Icebox watermelons can naturally pollinate and bear fruit on their own, but if you want to ensure a fruitful outcome, it’s recommended to perform hand pollination.
It’s been about 20 days since we pruned the vine of the icebox watermelon plant. Now that the female flowers have started to bloom, we will try pollinating them with the male flowers. (You can distinguish between male and female flowers by looking at the underside of the flower. Female flowers have a swollen base that makes them easy to tell apart from male flowers.)
We pruned the main vine (primary vine) of the icebox watermelon plant in mid-May, pinching the tip of the main vine to encourage the growth of secondary vines.
https://www.vege-try.net/en/pinch-small-watermelon-enThe pollination method for icebox watermelons
The pollination method for icebox watermelons is easy. Just touch the stamen to the pistil and gently rub them together. The best time for pollination is in the morning, preferably before around 10 AM. (Pollinating in the morning increases the chances of successful fruiting.)
It’s a good idea to keep a record of the date when you performed the pollination. Icebox watermelon, how long to grow？ If pollination is successful, icebox watermelon maturity time is in about 35 to 40 days. If pollination fails, the fruit won’t grow, and the female flowers will drop.
Icebox Watermelon, how long to grow？ Icebox Watermelon maturity time can be calculated from the cumulative temperature. Cumulative temperature is the sum of daily average temperatures. For mini watermelons, the cumulative temperature ranges from 850 to 900°C (1562 to 1652℉).
Following is the video for how-to. English subtitles are available.