[Vegetables and greenhouse](https://dunger.ua/en/blog/categories/vegetables-and-greenhouse) # Growing watermelons outdoors: vines, pollination and ripening Published 2 hours ago Updated 2 hours ago To read 7 min Care after watermelon establishment: vines, flowers, pollination, moisture during fruit expansion, fruit support and ripeness indicators. Once watermelons have established, care centres on room for vines, pollinator access, adequate moisture during fruit expansion and choosing the right harvest stage. Those are the tasks covered here. Sowing dates, raising seedlings and initial bed preparation belong earlier in the process. A new pruning routine or extra fertilizer cannot substitute for suitable growing conditions. Find the cultivar name and its characteristics. Development period, plant size and fruit type matter; seedless watermelons also need an appropriate pollen-producing cultivar. Do not give every plant the same number of vines or fruits simply because that arrangement worked in another garden. Use the actual plant and the supplier's information to understand what you are managing. ## Inspect before working Check the plant base, leaves, young growth and fruits. Identify places where water stands, vines cross a path or leaves are damaged. Compare morning condition with what you see during heat before drawing a conclusion from one visit. Persistent wilting, spots or rot require identification before the next intervention. Do not describe every problem as a nutritional shortage. Temperature, moisture, root damage or disease may restrict growth. Fertilizer cannot reconnect a broken vine or provide pollination. Photograph the whole plant and affected part where the damage is unclear, and keep information about recent watering and applications. These details make the next assessment more useful than repeatedly trying a different product. ## Give vines room Watermelons occupy substantial space, although vigour varies by cultivar. While shoots are young and can be handled without damage, gently guide them towards the planned part of the bed. Keep access for watering and inspection. Avoid piling them into one dense bundle solely to preserve a clear path between plants. Control weeds early. After vines have spread, work carefully to avoid cutting roots near the surface or damaging shoots with a hoe or equipment. Do not pull the whole plant by a fruit to move it. Before adjusting a shoot, trace its direction and check whether tendrils have attached it to nearby growth. ## Male and female flowers Watermelon plants bear separate male and female flowers. A female flower has a small swollen ovary beneath it that resembles a miniature watermelon. Its presence does not prove that fruit has set successfully or will continue growing. Pollen must move from a male flower to a female flower; bees and other insects play an important part outdoors. Observe open flowers and insect visits. Rainy conditions can reduce bee activity. If flowers are plentiful but fruits are scarce, assess pollination access as well as nutrition. One failed ovary is not a reason to remove the remaining flowers or urgently increase feeding. Check what is happening over the planting rather than using one flower as evidence for a whole-crop treatment. ## Covers and seedless cultivars If covers were used during early growth, provide insect access during flowering. A material that protected a young plant may later prevent pollination. Conditions beneath a cover can also become too hot, so assess it against the weather rather than leaving the same arrangement in place throughout the season. Seedless does not mean pollination-free. These hybrids need an appropriate seeded watermelon as a source of viable pollen. Check the seed supplier's advice on compatible pollenizers and their arrangement. A pumpkin or muskmelon nearby does not replace that requirement, and stronger feeding cannot solve a missing source of suitable pollen. ## Must every watermelon be pinched? No single compulsory pruning system suits an unidentified cultivar. Consider plant strength, training method, the remaining warm season and the condition of existing fruit. A greenhouse training system should not automatically be applied to vines spreading freely outdoors. Removing healthy leaves also removes part of the plant's existing leaf area. If a cultivar has specific training advice, clarify it before making cuts. Do not choose an arbitrary fruit number as a guarantee of a large harvest or particular fruit size. Misshapen and damaged fruits need inspection and a separate decision. Avoid injuring healthy parts while working, and do not carry out unnecessary operations on wet vines. ## Moisture during setting and expansion Moisture shortage is an important constraint while fruit is setting and expanding. Check soil in the root zone rather than only the dry-looking surface between rows. Drip irrigation supplies water to the soil without wetting all the leaves. When watering by hand, apply gently without washing out the base or leaving a standing pool. Determine quantity and frequency from soil, rain, weather and plant size. Sandy ground and heavy, moist soil do not need an identical schedule. A bucket every day is not a universal instruction for the whole planting. Before the next watering, check whether the previous application penetrated and whether the ground remains excessively wet. ## What changes near ripening? Approaching harvest is a reason to reassess water needs, rather than continuing to add water without checking. Excessive late moisture can affect quality and contribute to splitting. A rule to stop all irrigation a fixed number of days before picking cannot suit every soil and weather pattern. Plant condition also matters during a prolonged dry spell. Southern Ukraine, central areas and cooler gardens have different amounts of usable warmth. Consider the cultivar, actual fruit set, fruit condition and local forecast. A small late ovary does not come with a promise of maturity simply because the plant was fed. This summer growing plan does not imply that watermelons should be grown outdoors in November. ## Keep fruit away from a persistently wet surface Clean straw or a suitable dry support beneath a developing fruit can reduce direct contact with wet ground. Inspect it after rain so the material does not become a permanently damp mass. Put it in place carefully, without twisting the fruit stem or pulling the watermelon off its vine. Vertical growing of small-fruited cultivars needs a structure capable of carrying the plant and fruit, with separate support for each melon using material that dries quickly. Do not hang a large watermelon solely by its stem. Where a secure system is unavailable, do not transfer a method intended for a purpose-built trellis to an improvised fence. ## Fertilizer for early growth before fruiting [Fertilizer for melon crops granules](https://dunger.ua/en/mineral-fertilizers/small-packaging/for-garden-plants/fertilizer-for-melon-crops) This granular product for melon crops comes in a 5 kg pack. The excerpt concerns early-stage nutritional assessment. Consider the open-ground row below only before fruiting, according to soil need and previous inputs. Do not turn it into a new application during fruit expansion. Application of fertilizers is determined by the current condition of the soil, and then by the stage of crop growth. The best time for feeding plants is after the appearance of two or three true leaves. Fertilizer will help them grow strong and healthy. As soon as they begin to bear fruit, feeding should be stopped. **Vegetation period: 3-4 weeks after planting for open ground**: 20 g/m2 The canister contains dry granules. Measure the planned application area before buying; do not convert a square-metre rate into an improvised per-plant amount. For plants already fruiting, this block is not a repeat-feeding recommendation. Check the full instructions before purchase and use, matching them to plant stage. Nutrition does not replace pollinator access or suitable watering. My Garden can hold the zone, crop and measurements for a product plan at the relevant stage. Keep fruit-set dates and previous application records separately. [View fertilizer and instructions](https://dunger.ua/en/mineral-fertilizers/small-packaging/for-garden-plants/fertilizer-for-melon-crops) · [Plan products in My Garden](https://dunger.ua/en/my-garden) ## Assessing ripeness Combine several signs: changes in the ground spot, drying of the tendril closest to the fruit and rind appearance appropriate to the cultivar. Expected size and information about development help but do not establish maturity by themselves. Treat tapping as an additional clue rather than an infallible test. A watermelon does not detach using the full-slip behaviour of certain muskmelons. Cut its stem instead of pulling or twisting. After harvest it does not gain sugar as it would while ripening on the plant. Do not pick an obviously immature fruit expecting it to become sweet in a room. For the earlier stage, see [sowing and planting watermelons](https://dunger.ua/en/blog/planting-watermelons). Review the nutritional plan separately with [feeding watermelons by growth stage](https://dunger.ua/en/blog/feeding-watermelons). Compare products in the [vegetable fertilizer range](https://dunger.ua/en/vegetable-fertilizers). ## Frequently asked questions ### That is the ovary of a female flower. Continued development requires successful pollination and suitable conditions. Its presence alone does not guarantee a mature fruit, so inspect flower activity and the wider planting before deciding what went wrong. ### ### ### Share this article ## Related Posts  [Vegetables and greenhouse](https://dunger.ua/en/blog/categories/vegetables-and-greenhouse) ### Feeding windowsill cucumbers: light, containers and nutrients Choose feeding for an apartment cucumber by checking its cultivar, light, root container, existing nutrients and the vegetable concentrate instructions. 1 hour ago • 7  [Vegetables and greenhouse](https://dunger.ua/en/blog/categories/vegetables-and-greenhouse) ### Potatoes before planting: inspecting tubers and assessing treatments Inspect seed potatoes to separate suitable material from a questionable lot. 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