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addison Il

okay here it goes my first yr growing pumpkins and now i have a big question for all. plant number one has a female on it at 15 feet the first im allowing to get big the thing is it is solid green weird yes but oh well this yr is for fun since there mutts my question is the female is about the size of a golf ball and i was wondering when she will open so that i may try hand pollinating ( I know why bother when there all mutts right?) but practice is good and for me and sis its exciting so is there a way i can tell when she will open. just so were straight my other ags are all producing yellow females and there also the same size as the green just waiting for them to all open. I will tell all of you this im in love with this hobby and plan to grow for many yrs to come so your advice is helpful and welcome thanks

6/20/2005 4:57:43 PM

Utah

I got this from a grower a few years ago ... it works well... the short answer is "they pucker" before they open.

" It's easy to tell which flowers will open in the morning. Watch the tips of the flowers. If they come to a sharp point and look tight, the flower will wait at least another day to open. When you see the end of the flower near the point start to bulge slightly, the flower is about to pop open. Sometimes the tip of the flower starts to seperate some also. Every evening check your female flowers and look for a bulging tip. It's a little subtle but once you've seen it, it's easy to spot. "

6/20/2005 5:13:17 PM