How to Prevent Shriveled up Baby Cucumber, Cantaloupe, Melon, Squash, Zucchini, and Pumpkin Plants by Hand Pollinating

Member

By npd65
User-Submitted Article

Article Rating: (0 Ratings)

Two male plants

Ever wonder why you see a baby cucumber or other fruit growing on your vine with a flower on it and then, a few days later, it just shrivels up? This is usually because the female flower has not been properly pollinated. The reason this happens is due to lack of bees and other friendly insects that pollinate your flowers.
In fruits that grow on a vine, each vine usually has individual female and male flowers. There are more male flowers than female flowers and often the first flowers you see are male. When your baby fruit on your plant just shrivels up, it usually means the female flower was not pollinated. Therefore you should try hand pollinating the female flower.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Cotton Swab
Patience

Step 1

Inside of male plant

Identify the male flower by looking at the inside of the flower. If it has a stamen with powdery pollen on it, it’s a male.
Step 2

Inside of female plant

Identify the female flower by looking at the inside of the flower. If it has a multi segmented stigma, it’s a female.
Step 3

Nice little fruit with flower on it

Or identify the female flower by looking at the base of the flower. If there is a baby fruit, it’s female.
Step 4

Gather pollen from male plant

Use a cotton swab (Q-Tip) or small paint brush to gently gather the pollen from the male plants.
Step 5

Put pollen in female plant

Brush the pollen on the stigma of the female plant. Repeat this several times with pollen from the other male flowers that are growing and be sure to touch the female stigma on all sides and in the center.
Step 6

I don't know what it is, but I hope it taste good!

With luck, a few days later you’ll have a fruit growing instead of a shriveled up baby fruit.

Tips & Warnings

Make sure you make buzzing sounds while you do this so that the plants will think you are a bee!
These vine type plants grow fast and furious. You will be able to know when the flowers are ready to open so you will know when you need to go out in the morning and pollinate.
If you have a poor bee population, let your lawn grow wild with weeds. Bees love those little white clover flowers as well as dandelions and other flowers on other weeds. The more wild your lawn is, the better pollination of your garden.
If you don’t want a wild lawn, plant flowers, and lots of them, all over the place. The bees will love them and will visit your garden while they are there inspecting your flowers.
Not all the plants in your garden have male and female flowers. For instance, a single tomato flower is both male and female. Some melon and cantaloupe flowers also contain male and female parts.