![]() ![]() The unripe watermelons have a higher pitched sound. Knock them with your knuckles and listen for a dull, hollow sound. The skin overall becomes duller and tougher.īut the most popular way to tell if watermelons are ripe is the sound. It is initially greenish, but as the watermelon ripens, the green tinge disappears and it becomes yellowish. The most obvious sign is a curly tendril at the stem, once it is totally dry (kind of like straw), it is ready.Īnother sign is the light coloured patch on the bottom of the fruit. Telling when a watermelon is ripe is a work of art. This isn’t essential, you can let them grow on their own. If you’re after large fruit, you can pinch out the tip of the branch after several fruits have set. Brush the pollen laden stamen against the stigma in the centre of the female so the pollen sticks. Pull off several male flowers and remove their petals. You can take matters in to your own hands and “hand pollinate.” This is best done early in the morning. If the plant does produce female flowers but the little fruit at the base of it shrivels up and dies, then the flowers are not getting pollinated. Watermelon flowers are pollinated by insects. This could be a number of reasons, too hot, too cold, not enough water or not enough nutrients. If you don’t see any female flowers, in short, it means that your watermelon plant is not happy. The female flowers are larger and you’ll be able to see the tiny melon beginning to form at the base of the flower. Watermelons grow male and female flowers on the same vine. Watermelons are very hungry plants too, we recommend using a high nitrogen fertiliser in the early stages and switch to a fertiliser that is higher in potassium once they begin to flower and fruit. Applying mulch also helps to keep weeds at bay. Make sure that their soil doesn’t dry out, applying a thick layer of mulch or compost will also help with that. Watermelons have shallow roots and they need a lot of moisture. Gently move the vines in the direction that you would like them to grow. Watermelon seedlings germinate very quickly, after a few weeks you’ll be able determine the weak watermelons from the strong, thin out your crop by keeping the strong seedlings.Īs they start to grow bigger, they will begin to take over more space, even potentially smothering other plants in their vicinity. If your soil isn’t rich, planting in a mound is a good way to add compost to the area that you’re planting your watermelons in. Planting in mounds means that the water won’t sit on the soil, watermelons don’t like wet feet. Make sure that you give them some room between rows (1 metre) and half a metre between mounds. Plant your seeds a half inch deep (12mm), sow 4-5 seeds in mounds. The soil should be around 18☌ to allow them to germinate. If your soil is lacking in nutrients look to add some compost or organic matter as watermelons like rich soil. Start your watermelon seeds in the ground where you would like them to grow. Generally from late November onwards should be fine to plant in most areas. You will need around three months of warm (20-25☌ days), sunny weather to grow and ripen a watermelon, so take this in to consideration when planting. ![]()
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