Is bitter gourd self pollinating? If you are a first-timer growing bitter gourd, sometimes you will encounter challenges in growing this plant. You will experience some problems with the plant and you will fix them. Just like the problem with fruits. Sometimes bitter gourds do not produce fruits and you will wonder if this plant is self pollinating or not.
Is Bitter Gourd Self Pollinating?
No, bitter gourd is not self pollinating. The bitter gourd plants rely on pollination from pollinators like bees. The bees really help this plant to make them produce fruits. That is why it is really great when you see that there are a lot of bees on your plant.
Bees will not damage your bitter gourd plants and will help them grow fruits. Don’t disturb those bees and let them roam around on the plants.
Aside from bees, the air can also help the plant pollinate flowers. The wind will blow the pollen from a male flower to a female flower. When there are no bees or less air you can do hand pollination.
Does Bitter Gourd Need To Be Pollinated?
Yes, bitter gourds need to be pollinated. The bitter gourd flowers can be pollinated with the help of air, pollinators, or by hand pollination.
There are some pollinators that will really help the flowers to be pollinated. Bees are extremely helpful to a lot of plants including bitter gourds. They will get the nectar from the flowers but will transfer pollen to the flowers’ stigma.
It is easy to grow bitter gourds from seeds but along their journey, pollinating the flowers is important to make their fruits. You didn’t grow this plant in order for them not to fruit.
Also to have more flowers on the plant you need to fertilize bitter gourds. Improving the soil will help to increase flower production.
When Does Bitter Gourd Flower?
The bitter gourd started to flower as early as 30 days after transplanting. Most of the early flowers of the plant are male. You need to wait for a few weeks before the female flowers appear.
It is a good sign when the flowers start to grow on the plant because the fruits will be the next. There will be around 15 to 25 bitter gourd fruits per plant but it can also be lower or higher depending on how it is nourished or depends on the topography of a place.
Why Do Bitter Gourds Don’t Bloom?
There are many reasons why bitter gourds do not bloom yet. One main reason is the plant is still young. The bitter gourd may produce flowers 30 days after transplanting, but those are male flowers. The female flowers will appear a little bit late so fruits will appear a little bit longer. When the bitter gourd plant is already 2 to 3 months old, you will see a lot of flowers on the plant.
Another reason why it doesn’t bloom is because of the lack of sunlight, water, and nutrients. These three things are very important to the plant’s growth. Make sure they are getting these essential things to make the plants flower.
Also in order not to get bored, it is good to know how long it takes to grow bitter gourds. In that way, you have an estimated time when the plants will flower. You can take note of that and it will be enjoyable to observe the plant. The bitter gourd grows fast compared to other plants that also produce fruits.
How To Make a Bitter Gourd Flower?
To make bitter gourd flowers you need to make the plants mature first. Too young bitter gourds don’t have the capability yet to flower. Wait for a few weeks or months and you will eventually see flowers appear on the plants.
While waiting for the flowers to appear, you need also to make sure that the bitter gourd plants receive their needs. Make sure that the plants are receiving at least 6 hours of sunlight daily. They will make food with the help of the sun.
Give the plants enough water regularly. When the soil becomes dry you need to give the plant water. You can water the plant every 3 days.
Nutrients are also important for this plant. Improve the soil by adding fertilizer and it will help also to increase bitter gourd fruit size. Taking care of bitter gourd plants is what you need to do to make the flowers.
How To Pollinate a Bitter Gourd Flower?
There are three ways to pollinate bitter gourd flowers: one is two rely on pollinators like bees, two is to depend on the air, and three by doing hand pollination.
One of the most useful to your plant, in order to make them produce fruits, are the pollinators. Bees are common pollinators that roam around on your plant. They go to the flowers of the plant and get nectar and transfer pollen to the stigma of a flower without even noticing it.
You need to keep bees on your plant and don’t disturb them. Don’t apply pesticides or chemicals especially when there are a lot of bees. Having more pollinated flowers will increase the production of fruits.
Air is also useful to increase pollinated flowers on your bitter gourd. The air will blow the pollen from one flower to another. You will see more fruits on the plant sooner.
There are times that there is less air and also no pollinators. If those two are not available, you need to do hand pollination. To do hand pollination, you need to get a small brush. Get a small brush and try to insert the pollen from the male flower into the stigma of the female flower.
You need to repeat it to other flowers to have more fruits on your plant. You can identify the male and female flowers by looking at their appearance. The male flowers have the color orange inside the flower which indicates the pollen while the female flowers don’t. Also, there is a swollen part on the female flowers while male flowers don’t. If pollination will not occur, bitter gourds will not produce fruits.
The bitter gourd plants have many growth stages. Along its journey the pollination of the flower is important. This is the part that needs to happen so that fruits will appear. Caring for plants is important to make them healthy. The bitter gourd needs water, sunlight, and nutrients.
It is great to know about “is bitter gourd self-pollinating.” When you know the bitter gourd plants well you will grow them easier. Sometimes the plant may not produce fruits even if they have a lot of flowers. And what you can do is help your plants by doing hand pollination especially if no pollinators are roaming on the plant.