Re: pumpkin seed questions

Dave Locke,

You don't need different seeds for a pollinator plant. Many of the
largest pumpkins grown have from 'selfed' pollinations where male pollen
came from a flower on the same plant. When people use a different pollinator
they are trying to introduce other genetics into the line of seeds they will
have for the next season and beyond. Also growing more than one plant gives
you a better probability of having male flowers opening when you are ready
to pollinate female. I only have enough space for one main plant but I still
grow a second smaller pollinator plant to increase the number of male
flowers I get. I also will pollinate the second plant and grow a much
smaller pumpkin on it. On the question regarding specific nutrient
fertilizer packages and their advantages there's several books worth of
material on just that question floating out there on the internet and in
gardening books. A super simplified version is that Nitrogen grows a
healthy vegetative mass such as leaves, Phosphous grows roots and blooms,
and Potassium grows the fruit (pumpkin). All are necessary in balanced
amounts to grow a big pumpkin. Other there are probably a dozen other
elements/checimals that that you might need or want to supplement depending
on your soil conditions. You can get a soil test from A&L Western Labs
pretty cheap that will recommend which soil ammendments you need. Also Tom
at Extreme Pumpkin Store can help you interpret your soil test and
recommendations.

-j-

Jason Thomas
Fresno, CA

On Tue, Dec 7, 2010 at 8:44 AM, Dave Locke <novardave@hotmail.com> wrote:

> I have been enjoying the forum.  I have been looking on most of the
> suggested
> sites, and am still not quite sure of the best way to proceed.  My first
> question, when I buy seeds do I need different ones to polinate?  What
> advantages do I recieve from the specific nutrient/ fertilizer packages
> offered?  Are sites available specifis to someone in Ontario?  Thank you,
> Dave
> Locke
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> Pumpkin-growing archives: http://www.hort.net/lists/pumpkins/
> To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@hort.net with the
> message text UNSUBSCRIBE PUMPKINS

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Pumpkin-growing archives: http://www.hort.net/lists/pumpkins/
To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@hort.net with the
message text UNSUBSCRIBE PUMPKINS
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index