Re: pollination
- To: pumpkins@mallorn.com
- Subject: Re: pollination
- From: "* R* <r*@hotmail.com>
- Date: Fri, 02 Jan 1998 08:32:37 PST
>
>Here's a rookie question. Why are we pollinating our pumpkins?
>Bumble Bees love to pollinate my pumpkins. Will I get bigger pumpkins
if I
>learn to pollinate? Should I have 2 plants for genetic diversity?
>
>Patrick
Hi Patrick.
I will take a swing at this one, maybe save the more experienced
growers some keystrokes and hope that they will correct or refine my
response, as necessary!
Cross-pollination is for the sake of genetic diversity in subsequent
generations. Hand-pollination (from the same or another plant), I
think, does at least two things for you now.
First, it allows you to control where the fruit will set on the
plant. The idea is to select and pollinate a flower that is 10-15 feet
out to get maximum nutrients flowing into the pumpkin.
Second, hand-pollinating will help your pumpkin-in-progress by
pollinating every potential seed in that pumpkin. The developing seeds
release a growth hormone - was it "PGR" (plant growth regulator or
something like that)?? So the more ovules that you get pollinated, the
more seeds you have growing and the more of this hormone there will be
and the bigger the resulting pumpkin. Hand pollinating, done correctly,
is more thorough than those inconsiderate little bees, who really don't
care whether you grow a large pumpkin or not.**
**Here, a major apology is due to the original contributor of this
information. It has that Noffke ring to me, but try as I might, I
couldn't locate the original post in the archives. If someone else
knows when it was, it would give Patrick better, more specific info.....
???
In other words, yes, you will get bigger pumpkins if you hand pollinate.
Two or more plants?? That depends more on your goals as a grower.
Beth
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