Re: Australian Scene
- To:
- Subject: Re: Australian Scene
- From: S* D*
- Date: Tue, 5 Jan 1999 22:27:09 +1100
Beth,
I don't think my boss would allow that, but she is going on holidays next
week.
I have placed a styrofoam box over the flowers. The tight fitting lid is on
the ground and the box fits on top. I broke a small piece out of the box for
the stem to pass through so I get the flower in the box with just a small
hole for the flower stem.
I then place a dish of water and a frozen softdrink bottle of water inside.
I pollinate early while the temperature is low and put the ice in. Have no
idea if it will work but I have to try something.
The first 4 or 5 secondaries on the Andersen #815 are now at the edges of
the patch and the main has only about 3 m (10') to go to the end of the
patch.
The first female on the main vine aborted before the flower opened and the
second (pollinated on 29 Dec) seems to have stopped growing. I have a third
pollinated and will do the fourth tomorrow.
There are about 4 more on secondaries done as well, and so far they are
growing.
I have a second plant (Ryan) growing from the side of the patch and the two
mains are now intersecting. I was planning to chop this one out but it is
interesting. Big crickley leaves that stand up high. A thick main vine and
short secondaries. This plant has two fruit pollinated on the main vine and
so far they are looking good. I spoke to Ken Ryan tonight and he said this
is how the plant grows and it produced good fruit.
The Andersen #815 suffers badly from the sun on these hot days (we are in
the middle of 6 days around 100F). Any growing leaves exposed to the sun are
turned into crusketes. I think I should have used a heavier mulch (a lesson
for next year)
The Ryan does not seem to suffer nearly as badly from the sun and other
plants seem totally unaffected, perhaps it is related to the rate of growth
as the #815 is growing at a faster rate.
Ken Ryan lost one plant to strong wind and his others are yet to flower.
Stewart
Canberra Aust
the nation's capital
sdeans@pcug.org.au
-----Original Message-----
From: B Rado <rado1000@hotmail.com>
To: sdeans@pcug.org.au <sdeans@pcug.org.au>
Date: Tuesday, 5 January 1999 8:43
Subject: Fwd: Australian Scene
>temperatures above 35C/ 95F.
Hi Stewart,
I pollinated a few last year with the temp in the upper 90's F. I used
over $100 worth of ice, but several pumpkins set. I had a good shade
structure set up. Each morning I went to a grocery store and bought
10-12 twenty-pound bags of ice and poured it in mounds around the
blossoms that I pollinated. At lunchtime, I raced home, stopping on the
way for 10-12 more bags and poured that on (it's a good thing my boss
was on vacation then!). When I mounded it around the plants, I tried to
keep it off the vines as much as possible. One day it was 98F and my
temperature monitor inside said it never got over 79F in the shade
structure with the ice.
I kept up that routine for 3 days; the fourth day wasn't quite so hot,
so I just put ice on in the morning and crossed my fingers.
We are in a fairly urban area with grocery stores nearby, so this wasn't
too insane (except for the $$). I think Joe ZooDoo Mills used jugs of
water he froze in his freezer, but that gave him less ice to work with,
plus when he did it the temps weren't quite so high.
You might also try Chris Andersen's strategy of wetting down the fabric
you have on the sides of the shade structure - you will get additional
cooling from the evaporation.
Good luck!
Beth
______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
---------------------------------------------------------------------
To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@mallorn.com with the
message text UNSUBSCRIBE PUMPKINS
