If seedless watermelons have no seed, how do you grow them? This article by three UGA horticulturists answers the question.
Growing Seedless Watermelons
by Darbie M. Granberry, W. Terry Kelley and George E. Boyhan
The seedcoats are edible and are generally not found to be objectionable. An occasional hard ‘true seed’ is found routinely in seedless melons. For that reason, many growers and seed companies refer to seedless melons as triploid melons. Normal seeded melons are diploid.
Although production of seedless watermelons (more correctly called triploid melons) is similar to production of seeded (diploid) melons, some differences exist:
* Triploid watermelon seed has more difficulty germinating and becoming established in the field.
* A pollenizer variety must be planted in the field with the triploid melons.
* A row of the pollenizer variety should be alternated with every two rows of triploid melons.
Field Seeding Not Recommended
Germination of triploid watermelon seed is inhibited at temperatures below 80
Tags For This Article: fruits, watermelon
