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Lexington, Ky

This year I planted pumpkins memorial day weekend with the rest of my garden. I have a small garden an planted four hills with 3 plants already 12 inches tall bought from a local nursury. The plants are all growing very well and the blooms sprout up everywhere but only one or two open at a time and I haven't seen any pumpkins start to grow the blooms open, wilt, and then fall off. Can anyone help

6/30/2008 7:16:48 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

If it's raining on the day the flowers open then the bees probably won't be around.

6/30/2008 9:27:27 PM

Kevinstinindians@yahoo.com

I'm gussing they're all male flowers. Male flowers don't produce fruit, only pollen for fertilizing the female blossoms. Males bloom for about 3 to 5 days then just fall off as you described. The plant will usually produce males well before females.

Males have long, hollow stems. Females have shorter, solid stems and a small fruit just under the flower.

6/30/2008 9:46:18 PM

Lexington, Ky

Will a vine have both female and male flowers? Also is there any way to know if a flower is female before it opens, and what time of the year do you have female flowers?

6/30/2008 10:03:32 PM

Kevinstinindians@yahoo.com

Yes you'll get both males and females, but usually you'll get alot more males than females.

A female looks like this:

http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=86101

See the small fruit just under the flowers and the short stem.

A male looks like this:

http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=86614

Note the long thin stems and no small fruits under the flower.

6/30/2008 10:21:37 PM

Rudolph

yes a pumpkin vine will have female and male flowers, you can tell a female flower by a small fruit at the bottum of the flower, you should get a female flower on your plant at around 3-8 feet, good luck

6/30/2008 10:23:42 PM

Rudolph

phamer me and you posted all most at the same time now it looks like i copyed you lol!

6/30/2008 10:26:20 PM

Lexington, Ky

Is there a way to make the plant put on more females than males?

6/30/2008 11:14:45 PM

Rudolph

every plant is different some have more female than other's, and there is'nt a realy good way to get more female on your vine, but mabey try to use a firtilizer that stress'es bloom, like fox farm big bloom fertilizer.

7/1/2008 12:02:44 AM