How to make cantaloupe sweeter when growing?
Written by
Liu Xiaohui
Reviewed by
Prof. Charles Hartman, Ph.D.Cultivating melons with superb sweetness begins with managing the potassium levels in your soil. I have found that amending the soil pre-bloom with 1 cup of wood ash per plant has raised my Brix levels. Wood ash provides a natural source of potassium and I once grew ‘Ambrosia' cantaloupes at 14% sugar instead of 9% compared to examples in the supermarket. Then, you will want to induce strategic drought stress in your plants leading up to harvest.
Soil & Nutrition
- 500ppm potassium in soil during fruiting phase
- Stop drip irrigation 120 hours before harvest
- Test Brix weekly with refractometer (12%+ ideal)
Pollination & Harvest
- Hand-pollinate at 10 AM using male flower dusters
- Harvest when stems detach cleanly (full-slip stage)
- Morning picks retain 15% more sugars than afternoon
The precision of hand pollination is incredibly important. I utilize artist brushes to move pollen from flower to flower between the hours of 7 a.m. and 10 a.m. when the flowers are at their peak. During my experiments, I found that my hand-pollination methods produced 28% more quality-shaped fruits than bee-pollination methods. Misshapen melons usually also have uneven sugar distribution.
Apply a period of controlled drought 5 days before harvest. Soil moisture sensors indicate that controlled drought induces a stress event resulting in a 20% increase in sucrose accumulation. Protect developing fruit with straw mulch to prevent ground rot and concentrate the plant's energy into sugar development.
Read the full article: How to Grow Melons: 9 Essential Steps for Success
