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Ct

Exanole: If I have one seed from one fruit, and two other seeds from two other fruits, and plant them all in the same area, should I avoid taking pollen from one plant and fertilizing the female on another plant? For instance, if one seed came from a 700 pound pumpkin, and the other two came from a 300 and 400 lb, should I pollinate the females only from the males on the same plant?

4/6/2009 12:50:13 PM

Ct

Spell check " Example" lol!

4/6/2009 12:51:06 PM

Anamosa, IA BPIowegian@aol.com

Depends on your goals. If one pumpkin has all the desired characteristics you want (size, shape, color, etc) then self pollination may be what you want. But if they each have some desireable characteristics you may want to corss pollinate to try to get them combined.

4/6/2009 1:07:24 PM

Ct

So if I take pollen from the 300lb pumpkin seed flower and pollinate a flower from the 800lb seed , will it take away from the weight/genetics?

4/6/2009 2:39:11 PM

Murfreesboro, TN, USA

I would not say that would be true based on the seed stock that is available today. Just because a seed came out of a 300lber doesn't mean it can't produce a 1600lber. If I understand correctly, the pollination between the two during this season means nothing. It is the offspring or the seeds that are harvested that will have the new genetics built into it. So what I mean, the fruits of your pollination strategy this year will not have an effect until you plant those seeds next year. This is why people are so interested in crosses.

With that being said, I wonder if someone could reproduce the cross that made the 998 and create the same results. Would those seeds potentially produce some whoppers of pumpkins? Of course this is under the assumption that the same growing conditions exist in all cases, which is virtually impossible.

These are just some thoughts.

4/6/2009 5:40:18 PM

Georgetown, Ontario

The potential of the pumpkin is in the seed you planted. It makes no difference if it polinated by another plant, the same plant or the next door neighbors dog, the seed you planted is what will determine the pumpkin that grows. The seed from the pumpkin you grow will pass on the gentics of what you polinated with. If you are just trying to grow a big pumpkin it doesn't matter what it gets pollinated with, just that it gets pollinated. Does this make sense?

4/6/2009 7:33:47 PM

Ct

So if I have this correct, if I cross pollinate two plants this season { coming from two different seeds }, the outcome and genetics will be in the actual seed that comes out of the fruit from either vine.

4/9/2009 12:54:11 PM

Taylorsville, California

yes you got it right fisher! You could pollinate your 700# pumpkin with a hubbard squash,also a maxima like AGs, and the pumpkin would grow just the same. Its the next generation, the seeds inside, that will be affected. Also something to consider is the genetics of pumpkin you are growing and not just the weight. Take for instance the 275 Van Hook, not an impressive weight, but its cross is 1443 X 1407, so it has huge genes. You would be better off planting that small seed,or a 227 LeLand, 125 Wolf, ect, than alot of 800-1000# pumpkins. So your 300# seed could have superior genetics to your 800# seed.

FDR, to somewhat answer your question, the 998 has been "remade", as have many great seeds The 991 Urena is the same X as 998, same year i believe so it wasn't actually a remake, just the same cross. It has done very well in limited planting and i believe has a chance to be a great seed also. The 1068 has been remade a few times, never with the same success. Even seeds out of the same pumpkin have genetic variances so to replicate a cross is almost impossible. But you could always get a better cross also, you never know. The 1127 Glasier,1081 Leonzi,1071.8 Houghton,1024 Mombert,1121 Bobier and 561 Rockwell are all the same cross as the 1068, and the 1121 Bobier is the only one i know of that has grown over 1200#.

4/9/2009 1:41:16 PM

Oklahoma State Record Holder

I am growing a 1081 Leonzi this year.

4/9/2009 7:48:42 PM

Hamilton Nj

im growing 2 plants next to each other this year , im confused i thougt the bees polinated the flowers for you ??? and there from the same seed pack nothing special , is that going to affect them when they polinate???? pizza

5/18/2009 7:14:35 PM