How to Cross-Pollinate Carolina Watermelons

Some hobbyists have been growing giant watermelons for a long time.

Carolina Cross watermelons produce giant-sized fruit that contestants often grow for 4-H and county fair contests. This watermelon variety can grow to 200 lbs. given the right conditions. To reach full size, pollinate the melon flower well, remove all but one fruit from each vine and give the Carolina Cross watermelon 2 inches of water a week. Fertilize only if a soil test indicates you need to. This large-fruited melon requires slightly more than three months to reach full growth.

Things You'll Need

• Greenhouse
• Bees
• Cross-pollinating species

Instructions

By Bee

1. Grow your Carolina Cross watermelons in a controlled environment like a high-tunnel greenhouse. Incorporate bumblebees or mason bees into your greenhouse. You want many bees so that they visit each female flower repeatedly. Bumblebees and mason bees are recommended because of their passive nature and excellent pollinator abilities.

2. Grow a second variety of watermelon in addition to your Carolina Cross watermelon. Time the planting so that they will flower at the same time. Get information on each seed variety and check the time to bloom with the grower. If your male plant has a longer time to flower than your Carolina Cross watermelon, plant it earlier.

3. Identify the male and female flowers on your Carolina Cross watermelon. The male flower blooms earlier while the female flower has a swollen barrel shape below the bloom, which will become a watermelon fruit after fertilization.

4. Remove all the male flowers from your Carolina Cross watermelon as they appear. You can also remove the female flowers from your cross-pollinating species to increase the number of bee visits to your female Carolina Cross watermelon flowers. Depending on how many watermelons you are growing, this can be labor intensive but is faster than cross-pollinating by hand.

Hand Pollination

1. Grow a second crop of watermelons in a controlled environment along with your Carolina Cross watermelon, but this time exclude bees from your greenhouse.

2. Remove all male flowers from your Carolina Cross watermelons as they appear.

3. Pick a male flower from your cross-pollinating species early in the morning between 6 and 9 a.m.

4. Remove the petals from the male flower you picked without brushing the stamen because the sticky pollen will come off on your hand.

5. Brush the yellow anther, the top part of the stamen that carries the pollen, of the male flower across the top stigma of the female pistil 15 times.

Tips & Warnings

• If you wish to pollinate Carolina Cross watermelons with themselves, either method will work with slight modification. Only plant the Carolina Cross variety -- no need for a second variety -- and skip removing male flowers except those used to hand-pollinate the female flowers.

• You can use honeybees as pollinators, but they are more aggressive than mason and bumblebees and will protect their hive.

References

• University of Missouri; High Tunnel Melon and Watermelon Production; Lewis W. Jett; February 2006
• University of Florida: How to Grow Giant Watermelons

Resources

• Univerity of Georgia; 4-H Watermelon Growing Contest; Geroge E. Boyhan
• University of Illinios: Flower Parts