Understanding the growth stage, care tips, and flower knowledge can always help obtain the maximum yield of monoecious vegetables like Cantaloupe.
However, you need to determine the sexuality of the Cantaloupe flower to expect more harvest. So, continue the article for clear insights.
Table of Contents Show
What Does A Cantaloupe Flower Look Like?
Whether the variety is an heirloom type like Hearts of Gold or a hybrid like Ambrosia, the flowering pattern of Cantaloupe flowers remains the same.
The Cantaloupe shows monoecious behavior where male and female flowers appear on the same plant.
However, with a closer look, a slight difference remains to determine the fruit-setting flower apart from the male that does appear on the plant to produce pollen.
Cantaloupe Flowers: Male and Female Difference
Differentiating male and female Cantaloupe flowers is important if you plan to hand-pollinate without bees and other pollinators.
| Features | Female Cantaloupe Flower | Male Cantaloupe Flower |
|---|---|---|
| Bloom Shape | Small, Disk-shaped | Large, Bell-shaped |
| Appearance Time | After 7-14 days of male flowers | First flower to appear on the plant |
| Bulge at the end | Has bulge at the end of the base as a seed pod | Does not have a bulge instead has round pod that holds stamen |
| Size and growth | Smaller that grow solitary | Little longer and larger that grow in cluster |
When Do Cantaloupe Flower?
As a summer crop, Cantaloupe tends to give medium size melons ranging from 5-8 inches in diameter before the fall.
And if you have started the Cantaloupe seeds indoors in winter, you can bring them out after the soil has warmed to 65ºF and expect the flower to appear by July.
However, the male appears 1 to 2 weeks earlier than the first female.
Here the male-to-female ratio is usually 10:1, making the fruit number less than the number of Cantaloupe flowers and sometimes leading to no fruit.
The reason could also be no pollination, as you can not confirm successful pollination until you perform yourself or allow the bees to do their work.
How To Make Cantaloupe Flower?
Cantaloupe flowers are essential to set the fruit and add medicinal benefits to your daily nutritional dose.
The Cantaloupe melons, produced after the time lapse from flower to fruit, lets you enjoy a sweet juicy summer fruit rich in Vitamin A, antioxidants, and potassium with no fat.
So make the Cantaloupe bloom by following the growing guide for successful fruiting.
- Allow the sprouts of Cantaloupe to receive 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight.
- Maintain a distance of 2 to 3 feet between the seedling to allow the full growth of the vine.
- Transplant the plant outdoors only when the night temperature does not drop below 50ºF and the day temperature is around 70-90ºF.
- For the plant to flower, maintain the humidity at around 60-70%.
- Keep the water frequency once or twice weekly to provide 1-2 inches of continuous moisture.
- Use organically rich, well-draining, and slightly acidic to neutral soil (6.0-7.5 pH) amended with fully decomposed compost.
- Apply balanced granular fertilizer by mixing in the soil or water a couple of times till the blooms appear.
- Avoid pruning the foliage, as the bushier the vines, the faster the blooms appear to set fruit.
- However, if pest or disease infestation is visible, you can perform pruning, use neem oil for pests, and spray copper fungicide for infection.
From Editorial Team
Extra Tips!
Try planting companion plants like Marigolds, Nasturtiums, and Lettuce around Cantaloupe to attract pollinators like bees.
Also, the female flower only opens for a single day, so you must keep track of time if you want to perform hand pollination for successful fruiting.
