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| Manual pollination |
With most Cucurbitaceae e.g. squash, gourd, pumpkin, cucumber, courgette, watermelon, and cantaloupe, one can assist pollination by transferring pollen from the male flower to the female flowers.
Female flowers are distinguished by the bulbous or longitudinal ovary behind the petals as seen here.
Remove a male flowerfrom the plant and strip the petals as shown.
With pumpkins the male stigma can be inserted into the female ovary.
With smaller cucurbits it will suffice to use the male stigma as a paint brush and brush pollen on to the female ovary.
In a matter of a couple of days the petals on the female flower will die back if pollination has been successful.
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