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Garden State Pumpkins

Same Problem different year. Soil was tested and the only amendment recommended was nitrogen. Believe me this plant has to beg for it. Three or four males open everyday just to watch the clams on the plant. They're on every three feet of the longer vines about a quarter in size and the flower never opens and wilts. Looks like this week is perfect weather for it but if the females don't cooperate The guys are wasting there time. Curly is growing in a cloister. Been shining flashlights on him at night...Chasing rabbits to see if I can get them to run in the gate...Looking to buy an Iguana...Giving the guys pickup lines....like "Nice Pumpkins" etc...still nothing.
Seriously did change feeding last week and stop the sevin/daconil dose. Terminated the tip of one vine where the female about five feet back didn't open. Everything looks healthy but so did last years that females came on an never opened and if they did aborted. Any ideas would help!
Chuck

7/9/2002 2:37:31 PM

Western Pa.

Chuckie,

First off, a question or two. Are you home during the early morning hours to see if they open? I know I leave for work at 6 A.M. and the females don't open until around 6:30. I have sucessfully "forced" pollination this way before the female has opened naturally. I really don't think the sevin or daconil would affect your pollination. Nitrogen leaches out of the soil pretty quickly. I do know that certain fungus problems can "build up a resistance"to fungicides, so I've been alternating fungicides every other time I spray. (Daconil and Nova). You want to be sure that both have different compositions to avoid a buildup of resistance. What have your temps been? If it's too hot you'll get a lot of abortions. How "complete" is your soil test, PERHAPS they're missing something. Just as there are "millions and millions" (thanks Carl Sagan!) of insects out there, there also millions of pathogens and fungi out there. I'm hoping you don't have something as nasty as phytophera out there,(which can float and exist on the surface of any lake or stream), but with so many possibilities out there, you may want to have a "tissue test" done. I truly hope that some of this will help and that I wasn't just "blowin it out my butt!"

p.s. The pick-up lines really haven't worked much on pumpkins OR human females! Maybe one of those rabbits "feet" may bring luck! I'm no expert, but I hope it all turns out for you!

kilr

7/9/2002 4:27:10 PM

South Hill, Virginia

i finally got mine to last long enough to open by shading them and cooling some with ice on hotter days. i was losing all kinds of females that were only the size of a marble.

7/9/2002 5:11:43 PM

Garden State Pumpkins

Kilr, Brent It has been hot and the rain just came through for the first time in a long time been north or south of us and the last time rain hit Curly He took off. Kilr your daconil/sevin solution last year saved that plant and thought for sure it was the nitrogen that was causing my none opening females and softball size aborts. Once I stopped feeding it I got some pumpkins. Got the soil test done from Penn state will send another sample of the soil this week and a tissue sample if That's what has to be done. Like the Dirty Harry movie "I got's to know"...Hopefully, last year in this patch but will take years to get this type of soil down below. This rain is supposed to break the heat will see if One opens. Kilr usually out there from about 6:30 to 8 am doing the stuff that has to be done. This females are shut tight will post a picture when it stops raining. Males pop everyday so the plant blooms just not the females...Got me! Let ya know the answer to the test when I get them back.

7/9/2002 5:35:53 PM

Garden State Pumpkins

Hey guys took some shots of the none bloomers. You can see they just didn't get going. The other pictures are of flowers just down the vine from the ones that didn't open and look just like the non bloomers. They look good but this is as far as they get and just wilt. probably take a while for them to post in the diary. Thanks again

7/9/2002 6:31:56 PM

Long Island,New York

Chuck...how big is the plant? Some plants need to be a little larger than others before they set fruit...they will absorb the females until they feel (guessing the emotions here) able to support them. Id open your screen/windbreaks a bit further away from the plant (for air circ, cooling) and let it get bigger.....you have time...........G

7/9/2002 7:42:10 PM

Garden State Pumpkins

G remember it's half a plant. Side to side is about 17 feet means the secondaries I'm terminating are abot 15 feet. main is a little shorter because of the flat/double problems. It's starting to flatten again so more problems ahead. Never really noted before that the flowers just stop growing and don't open. The wind blocks come off tomorrow, soil samples go out and iced water bottles in the ice box. Take all the plastic down or leave up opposing walls?

7/9/2002 9:41:56 PM

Cologne / Germany

Chuck I saw your diary photos and it looks you burry your vines a lot. I realized that new secondaries on my plants don´t like to walk through the soil, they just appear and stop. All "open-air-vines" are doing well and grow. I would in particular remove all that soil around your flowers, maybe it helps.

7/10/2002 4:57:23 AM

Garden State Pumpkins

Flohberger, Thanks for the tip. I only bury the secondaries up after three feet of growth and leave about a foot out. Curly the plants name has a problem if I don't keep them down will stand straight up. I have left the main out and it becomes flat on me making it extremely difficult to handle. I have started to let the secondaries grow on both side now just in case I snap the main. Thanks again.

7/10/2002 6:22:51 AM

Garden State Pumpkins

Maybe...just maybe Curly's Choice is still growing and might ....dare I say OPEN!!! OH please CLEON let there be an orgy in the garden in the morning!!!!

7/11/2002 9:28:14 PM

Knopp, Germany

put some frank sinatra music and a candle out there alexsdad, always works for me!

7/12/2002 1:19:13 AM

Garden State Pumpkins

Well the boys all showed up again this morning...I'm out there singing strangers in the mite...said my prayers to Cleon...Curly's Choice is definitley warming up Think she winked at me...but it is cold out there low 60's...Now I just wanna know if "SOPHIE" will open! same bat time same bat channel...tomorrow! Bringing a blamket and picnic basket watch the sun come up sophie let's go!

7/12/2002 7:02:33 AM