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Mount Prospect,illinois

First, i had them abort before they looked ready (supposedly from the extreme heat). Now i have had 2 that looked like they were going to open and never did. Is there anything i can do to change this? The plants are growing well. I am having big time problems and have no clue what i am doing. All i want is just ONE to take!!!

7/23/2006 8:57:42 AM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

No fertilizer right now. Have you been hitting them?

7/23/2006 10:35:52 AM

Mount Prospect,illinois

I have actually laid off from what everyone was saying, fertilizer doesnt do much to help. Would anyone be able to explain why?

7/23/2006 10:44:54 AM

Sacramento, CA

DaveP-

Same problem here.. i have great plants and no pumpkins. My daughter says... "no pumpkins, eh?" she is almost 3.

I last fertilized with 16-16-16 about 10 days ago. I will lay off. Drip system is on 24/7 and has been for a month. All plants look healthy and are growing. 4 female flowers have gotten almost ready, then nothing, then wrinkled and died.

it was 112 yesterday. Not a typo, it was 112. should be 108 today, what a relief.

What can I do to get these girls to open?

7/23/2006 11:09:14 AM

Mount Prospect,illinois

OK Matt,
One of us needs to get a fruit set!!!!! I have 3 boys aged 5 3,3, so we need to do this for them.

7/23/2006 11:11:22 AM

Mount Prospect,illinois

and Emma too!

7/23/2006 11:11:47 AM

Kalamazoo, MI (Jpwrhse@charter.net)

We weren't quite that warm here but the weekend my first female was to open we were in the mid to upper 90's. I didn't want to take a chance since I'm only growing one plant. So I used ice. A couple of glasses full of ice on the ground next to the plant and I placed a styofoam cooler gently over the top. I started shading my female from the day I saw her show up too. So far seems to have worked.

7/23/2006 11:15:28 AM

Sacramento, CA

Any thoughts on terminating some of the secondaries to focus the plant's attention to setting pumpkins? Emma says, "we have plants, but no pumpkins?"

So Jpwrhse, are you saying to cool the female flowers during the day? How many days until the flower opens?

I got a little aggressive. I ripped open a female flower on on of my Wyatts and pollinated it. Probably a waste of time, but I'd rather try that then watch it wrinkle and die.

Updated forecast: 111 today. It is 10:00am and 91 degrees already. Isn't that medium rare?

7/23/2006 1:10:21 PM

Kalamazoo, MI (Jpwrhse@charter.net)

I still a newby myself so don't take my advise as the absolute, but I cooled my female the day before and the day of pollination.

7/23/2006 5:17:01 PM

Sacramento, CA

When you cooled it, it opened? My problem is that they never look like they will open and then they die. Maybe, I will select a few to cool and see how it goes. Currently 107 degrees.

7/23/2006 5:18:53 PM

Kalamazoo, MI (Jpwrhse@charter.net)

My blossom was yellow around the edges the day before it opened, I decided to cool it that day and the next day when I pollinated it. It could be the heat is killing them before they can get to opening. I don't think cooling them even earlier than I did would hurt them. I just chose those days based on the heat we were going to get. It only took like two glasses worth of ice in the morning,and two glasses at night each day. I put one glass of ice on each side of the vine, not quite touching the vine, then covered with the cooler. Good Luck, let me know if it worked.

7/23/2006 6:19:51 PM

Sloughhouse, CA

Matt do you have sun shades up and misters? It helps some. I have one pumpkin 20 days old and about 3 females I hope make it. 114 here in Sloughhouse east of Sacramento.

7/23/2006 7:22:49 PM

Sacramento, CA

Suzy- Thanks for your e-mails. I have tried to respond to them, but my e-mail chokes on your e-mail address for some reason. I was not being rude, it is just that my e-mails failed.

I have a tree over the patch that shades the patch until 1:00. I will try the shading, and the coolers (I guess the coolers will do the shading too, eh?). Misters might help, too, but that will require another run to Home Depot.

To answer your e-mail questions, I am in East Sac, in the middle of town. I have torn up my back yard for this.

7/23/2006 8:30:28 PM

Wood River, IL (kennyw_49@yahoo.com)

Dave & Matt,
I'm in the same boat as you guy, pressure from my 5 year old. We have had a 5 get to about 15 inches and then roll over and die. But most of my blooms abort before they open. I've tried everything, I really didn't think it would be this hard to get the fruit set. Good luck and keep trying.

7/24/2006 6:17:49 AM

Mount Prospect,illinois

Why cant they grow like my cucumbers or tomatoes? They seem to be doing well. I am perplexed......and a bit vexed.

7/24/2006 7:01:53 AM

Garden State Pumpkins

That is excessive heat...If the vines are growing maybe to well could be to much nitrogen...The nitrogen will keep the plant in a growing stage not fruit setting stage...try and avoid any nitrogen..Keep the little females covered..maybe place a chair over them to keep all direct sun off off them. a cool micro climate can only help.Good Luck!

7/24/2006 8:29:20 AM

Wood River, IL (kennyw_49@yahoo.com)

Chuck,
I'm getting pretty desperate here. So your saying if I were to wait till I had 3 or 4 females. It might help if I were to dead head everything and then more nitrogen would go to the blooms? I might just try that on one of my plants, it couldn't hurt now. My vines are growing 6 to 8 inches a day still.
Thanks,
Kenny

7/24/2006 12:16:33 PM

Garden State Pumpkins

No Kenny NO Nitrogen!! Nitrogen tells the plant to keep growing green stuff...signaling the plant to expand not set fruit...when the nitrogen is getting low the plant will convert to making seeds for next year..hence "fruit set"...if nitrogen is applied during this stage the plant will revert to a growth pattern and abort the fruit. If I were to apply anything now it would be a "bloombuster" type fert...10-50-10...which promotes the flowers and fruit set.
I think the cooling of the females and cool micro climate will do more for ya now...xx-xx-xx being the NPK numbers of fert..you want the high middle number for flowers and fruit set.

7/24/2006 12:44:27 PM

Wood River, IL (kennyw_49@yahoo.com)

Chuck, thanks for the explanation I hadn't done it yet.

Kenny

7/24/2006 1:52:36 PM

Mount Prospect,illinois

Ok, after reading these posts and trying to research my issue, i have come to the conclusion that i over fertilized my plants. Probably pretty obvious to many. Question, how long (approximately)does it take for the plant to recover and start giving up some girls?
Heat is another issue.

7/25/2006 8:05:12 PM

Garden State Pumpkins

Water heavy..try and leach out some of the nitrogen..the faster it leaves the faster the girls will come...Not to worry we all overdo some things...Good Luck! GrowEmBig!

7/25/2006 8:46:08 PM

Eastern Pennsylvania

Yes, water heavy- fortunately most N is pretty water soluble. Cover the females with anything you can find, lawnchairs, whatever. As soon as you see them. Don't cut the secondaries. I ended up cutting my main in order to get good sets on the end secondaries on my 781. I had the same problems you guys are having, and I got thru it. It's a long way to October. Good luck - Jim

7/25/2006 9:57:56 PM

Mount Prospect,illinois

Thanks guys. I hope this works..of course they are talking upper 90's again here (Chicago area) by Monday so i have that other issue to content with as far as aborts go.

7/26/2006 8:03:24 AM

Sacramento, CA

Upper 90's... I wish. Today is supposed to be 105. We have set a record for the most 100+ days in a row. Today is the 11th or 12th in a row.

I went out and put icebags around a few of the females. Then yesterday, I bought a foam cooler and hacked it in half the make houses for two of the best contenders. The remaining females that I can get to are shaded.

The one female I ripped open to try to polinate has wilted and died.

For those keeping score:
6 plants 0 pumpkins.

Maybe I over fertilized too.. i hit the patch about 2 weeks ago with a couple pounds of 16-16-16. I have been using a drip system, perhaps it is time to be more forceful with the watering to get the Nitrogen out.

7/26/2006 11:38:47 AM

Eastern Pennsylvania

Matt, it's so hot, water that plant overhead with a shower nozzle or whatever. Make sure you hit the leaves and all. The leaves will thank you for it.

7/27/2006 10:48:34 AM

Sacramento, CA

Orangeneck- the plants actually look great, perfectly green, growing like crazy in all directions and filling my tiny patch.

Any progress anyone??? I have built my igloo's over a few select female flowers that I can reach, and they look OK, but nothing has opened.

I have to say, these pumpkins are really high maintenance right now.

Maybe my last batch of fert is wearing off, b/c I have noticed a lot of females on thier way. Maybe, like every other problem I have had this season, time will cure it.

Only supposed to be 99 today!!... time to bust out the sweaters.

7/27/2006 11:25:31 AM

Mount Prospect,illinois

Matt,
Your frustration appears to be showing though. Me? I just kick my cat around the house.

7/27/2006 1:03:59 PM

Sacramento, CA

I think i need a hobby to relieve the stress of this hobby. I need a cat to kick like DaveP, anyone have a spare?

Does anyone have a pic of a female flower the night before it opens so I know what they look like? I can trade pics of dead shrivelled up ugly female flowers.

7/27/2006 1:11:44 PM

Hampshire, UK

For a picture check out http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=51117

7/27/2006 5:53:54 PM

Sacramento, CA

AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!

Nothing. Most promising one died today. Darn vines have grown several feet during all these heat problems. I am now turning them all back away from the end of the patch.

Any thoughts... I have iced the flowers for days and still nothing, heat broke a few days back.

7/31/2006 12:46:56 AM