How many watermelons per plant will grow depends on several factors, such as how much care you provide.
It also depends on what your goal is.
How many watermelons per plant will you get?
Credit:Carson Downing
Under ideal circumstances, watermelons can produce massive melons weighing over 50 pounds.
However, the average watermelon fruit usually weighs about 20 pounds.
Most watermelon vines can support two to four average-sized watermelons or one to two bigger melons.
Credit: Peter Krumhardt
To grow a massive blue ribbon melon, prune all but one melon from the plant.
How to Prune Watermelons for Bigger Fruit
Avoid pruning surplus melons early in the season.
Give the plants time to drop extra fruit on their own.
Instead, wait until the watermelons begin to fill out to decide if you want to prune.
If you do,use clean prunersto clip off the smaller melons and any with signs of damage.
Avoid pruning plants in wet weather to prevent the spread of diseases.
Some of these tips also save garden space, allowing you to grow more melons in asmall garden.
Start with rich soil.
Watermelons are heavy-feeding plants that need lots of soil nutrients to grow.
Choose the right seeds.
Some watermelons produce bigger fruit than others.
If your goal is to grow a prize-winning melon, try watermelon varieties like Giant Watermelon or Carolina Cross.
Plants grown too close together compete for soil space, water, and nutrients and can become stunted.
Watermelon flowers need to be pollinated by insects to set fruit.
Invite pollinators to visit your melons bycompanion plantingwith flowering plants such asdill,nasturtiums, andmarigolds.
you’re free to also try hand-pollinating the flowers with a small paintbrush.
Mix a slow-release, nitrogen-rich fertilizer into the soil when planting melon seeds.
Then, apply the fertilizer again when the watermelon plants start to vine.
With a name like watermelon, you know these fruits need lots of water to grow.
Frequently Asked Questions
Keeping watermelons well-watered during the growing season produces sweeter fruit.
Yes, you should pinch off extra watermelon flowers after a plant has several melons growing on the vine.
This redirects the vines energy toward developing the existing melons.
Fertilize watermelons with a balanced 10-10-10 fertilizer throughout the growing season.
