Cantaloupe pollination?

[Franco]

I am growing cantaloupe from seed from a store bought cantaloupe. The plant is growing vigorously and it's very strong and there are many many many flowers but no fruit setting. Do cantaloupe need to be pollinated by a female plant? We eat cantaloupe ALL the time and I would love to get one in before the season ends.

[Newt]

Hi Franco,

You need bees for pollination or you will have to hand pollinate. Here's some info.
https://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/hil-8.html
https://apis.ifas.ufl.edu/papers/VINEPOL.HTM
https://pollinator.com/squash.htm

Since you grew your melon from seed from a fruit from the store, it could be a hybrid and be sterile.

Newt

[Franco]

I see bees all over them all the time, so they might just be sterile

[Newt]

Uh oh! Your melon was probably an F1 hybrid. You might want to search google with:
hybrid melon + sterile
and click on the 'cached' version. Some interesting info out there.

Newt

[opabinia51]

I think that cataloupe plants are hermaphrodites (both sexes on the same organism) as I have planted only one plant in the past and had fruit.

[Franco]

oh no... I guess they are sterile then if opa says they are hermaphrodites.. darnit! should I just buy seeds or can I try to use store bought again next year?

[opabinia51]

Well, they may not be. Just do a little research by googling the melons name and Hermaphrodites.

And if they are, it doesn't mean that they are sterile, what it would most likely mean is that you don't have a pollinator visiting your plants. Therefore, you would want to figure out how to attract pollinators like:

Planting other flowers to attract beas, syrphid flies and so on.

One thing that I think that every gardener should do is hang several syrphid fly homes around their garden.

[Newt]

Op, the seeds came from a grocery store bought melon for consumption so he might not know the name. Franco did say there were bees all over it, so now I'm confused. I did some googling and that is why I came to the conclusion they might be sterile. Live and learn.

Newt

[Franco]

I look at them everyday and I'm positive there are bees all over it. I guess next year I'll just buy seeds since the plant is doing absolutely amazing.

[opabinia51]

Ah, yes I see, I see said the blind man.

Did you check to see if cataloupe are hermaphoditic Franco?

[Newt]

I checked and they are not hermaphrodites. They have separate male and female flowers. From what I found it appears that many of the melons grown commercially are F1 hybrids and are sterile. At least that's how I understand it.

Newt

[opabinia51]

Thanks for looking that up Franco.

[Franco]

AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GUESS WHAT!!!!!! THERE ARE FRUIT ON IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was watering everything on my roof and I go to the cantaloupe and I'm watering as usual and then I see this huge orb and I'm like HOLY S**T!!!!!!!! There are like 4 more growing on it too I'm sooooo happpyyyy!!

[Newt]

Franco, Wonderful news!! You'll have to let us know how they taste!

Newt

[Franco]

will do!

[opabinia51]

You should see the size of the smile on my face Franco. I'm glad they fruited for you.