Need help with my pumpkins

[sara26276]

:( This is my second year attmepting to grow pumpkins. However, we have gotten so much rain, and I think that is the root of my problem. I get pumpkins that start to grow and get about the size of a marble, but they soon turn yellow and fall off. Is it the water that is causing ths? Is there something I can do? Or, is it something else?

HELP

sara

usually when this happens to my kabocha (not real pumpkins, but close)
it is for lack of pollination. It can happen when you get a lot af rain and the
bees don't get out.

Pumpkins have male and female flowers, the females are the ones
with the little pumpkins on the end, the males are the ones without.
You should have male flowers at just about all times, and might try
hand pollinating.


Maren

[sara26276]

That really makes sense. But, what if the female bloom has not opened yet? Do I open it? I have self-pollinated when the bloom has been opened before with squash, but not sure about this.

Sara

basically, just like the squash. They are closely related.
A friend of mine had problems with squash pollinating kabocha.
The flowers then behaved like they had been pollinated, but they
dropped off soon after like yours. Is it possible that you have
some cross pollination going on, with squash, cucumbers, or
some such?

Good luck,

Maren

[backyardgardener]

Squash male and female flowers do bloom at the same time, you just have to wait for your plant to get a little bigger or plant several plants.

I always know where my male flowers are... when they opened and how fresh the pollen may be. Now, knowing the status of the male flowers, I would hunt down a "unopen" female flower. In the "morning", you'll notice the unopen female flower is now "open" and you also are aware of the male flower which is fresh and full of pollen.

Take a camel hair paint brush and collect the pollen from the male flower and rub the pollen inside the "open" female flower. You could also collect pollen from more than one male flower.

[tanya]

I have the same problem I started getting female flowers a few weeks ago and after a couple of days they turn yellow and fall off before they have had a chance to open. I thought it was cause of too little rain. Any thoughts.

[tanya]

After asking the same question I decided to do some research and here's what I found.

Fruit Set refers to the overall process of pollination and early growth of a fruit or vegetable. Proper fruit set has occurred after pollination as described above. But other factors affect the proper setting of fruit. The emergence of male and female flowers is an important part of this process. Your fertilization program can impact this. Early in your plants' life, an emphasis on placed upon Nitrogen to promote leaf, vine and root growth. But, too much nitrogen for too long a period may cause your plant to delay the flowering process. If this seems to be the case, first check with other growers in your area to see if their plants have begun to flower. Once you decide your flowers are late, stop putting any fertilizer with nitrogen on your plant for a week or two, and add more phosphorous.

A few other factors can affect fruit set. The most common is a mid summer heat wave. High day and night time temperatures will cause plant stress. The tiny pollinated fruit may abort as a result. A heat wave can also deter bees from their job, making hand pollination more important. If your fruit is shriveling and dying and you are in the middle of a heat wave, don't worry or panic. As soon as the weather cools you will see new females appear and successful pollination should occur.

While you can not completely cross out plant disease as a cause of poor fruit set, it is far less likely. If your plant is visibly healthy, is growing well, and you can find no evidence of disease, this is most likely not the cause of poor fruit set. If you identify a disease problem, vigorously attack the problem. Once conquered, you should find successful pollination and growth even though it will be later in the season.



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Hope this make sense, it does to me since we have had a heat wave up here in MA.

[FairQueen]

My female pumpkins are beginning to pop up finally. I planted my vines next to a fence and the first set of females are on vines which are midway up the fence. I'm trying to keep the vines loose so taht if successful polination occurs the pumpkins will have a chanve to grow...my problem is that the main vine has maneuvered it's way through the fence and has a bend in it. Should I just write this vine off? We're trying the GIANT pumpkins this year. We had succes iwht jack-o-lanterns last year...I justdon't want to waste my time fretting over one vine that may already be doomed. ALso...another vine is cracked along the top. What causes this (lack of consitent rain I'm sure, which I'm now providing)...should damaged vines be removed so that other vines can strengthen and become the main pumpkin providers? :roll:

[FairQueen]

PS...sorry I should have used spellcheck on that last entry!! :oops:

[WOOLFSTER2]

I TOO HAVE PLANTED GIANT PUMPKINS IN AN OLD POOL AND THEY ARE 25 FT LONG AND IS SEEMS THAT I HAVE A NEW ON EVERYDAY. THERE BUMBLE BEES EVERYWHERE.