Watermelon plants produce a lot of watermelon fruits. It is not unusual to see watermelon farmers harvesting up to 8 watermelon balls from just one watermelon plant.
The production of watermelons from watermelon plants depends on a lot of factors. We generally do not allow our watermelon plants to bear a lot of watermelons for reasons we will explain later in this article.
How many watermelons per plant?
You can get up to 12 watermelons per watermelon plant. However, we advise you to thin your watermelon fruits to 2-3.
Thinning of watermelon fruits helps in making watermelon fruits become bigger. Harvesting just 2-3 watermelons per plant may be better than harvesting 12 small watermelons which may not be marketable.
Thinning of watermelon fruits can also reduce stress in the watermelon plants.
When plants are less stressed, they are likely to be better in resisting and tolerating pests and diseases.
Factors that may impact the number of watermelons a watermelon plant can produce
The following factors can impact the number of watermelon fruits produced by plants:
Variety of the watermelon
Some varieties of watermelon are known for the production of several watermelons per plant. We have seen a hybrid watermelon variety that produced over 10 watermelons per plant.
Hybrid seeds generally produce more watermelons per plant than open pollinated varieties of watermelon.
Soil Fertility
The fertility of your soil can also determine the number of watermelons you will get per plant. If your soil is fertile, your watermelon plant is likely to produce more fruits. Poor soils cannot support a lot of watermelons per plant.
Pests and Diseases
If you grow your watermelon with no incidences of pests and diseases, the watermelon plant is likely to produce a lot of watermelons.
Watermelon plants affected by pests and diseases may produce little or no watermelons. Some pests and diseases attack the watermelon fruits while they are developing. Some may even prevent the production of watermelons.
The type of fertilizers used
If you use the wrong type of fertilizers, your watermelon plants may not be productive. Excessive usage of nitrogen fertilizers especially during flowering and fruiting stage may negatively impact the production of watermelon balls.
Water
If your watermelon plants get the right quantity of water, they are likely to have a lot of watermelons. Watermelon plants starve of water may not produce enough watermelons. Water is very important in watermelon farming.
Do you grow watermelon? If yes, why not share with us the number of watermelons you get per plant.