Greenhouse Pollination – Trellis Fruit Support

Flowering and Pollination

by Gabriele Gusmini and Meri Reeber
Department of Horticultural Science
North Carolina State University
Raleigh, NC 27695-7609

How to make a watermelon fruit support bag for greenhouse breeding nurseries.

After pollination, watermelon fruit can grow quite large and break the stem or fall off the plant that has been trained onto a trellis. If the fruit falls before it can be harvested for the seeds, it is a loss for the breeding project. This can be avoided by adding a support bag to each fruit when the rind has become tough and the fruit reaches approximately 100 mm diameter.

Fruit support photograph
Fruit support photograph
Fruit support photograph
1. Cut a square piece of cheesecloth from the roll
2. Open the fold and cut again in two square halves
3. Fold the square in half
Fruit support photograph
Fruit support photograph
Fruit support photograph
4. Fold the rectangle in half
5. Wrap the string 3 times around, 1 inch below the free corner
6. Tie the string tightly twice and cut the string leaving a 5 foot tail.