RE: Dead females/Females aborting before they flower (where the boys aren't)
- Subject: RE: Dead females/Females aborting before they flower (where the boys aren't)
- From: "Mark K" k*@adelphia.net
- Date: Mon, 14 Jul 2003 23:11:32 -0400
- List-archive: <http://www.hort.net/lists/pumpkins/> (Web Archive)
Just out of curiosity, do you have a lot of males or very few? I have 3
crowded plants, many secondaries pruned/Captaned; I have had 3 "never
matured" females that the cone yellowed and withered without ever opening, 1
on each plant--on 1 plant, very close, 5-7ft from stump, on another, about
10ft and on the last, about 10-12ft, in a perfect spot in the patch, great
position on vine & with a nice long stem (about 3-4" compared to a 1" bulb.)
I can blame anything such as heat, Murphy's Law--positioning/pruning before
"my eggs are hatched," pesticides, etc. The one thing in common is NO plant
has had more than 3 males open yet. My own plant has had 2 other females
pollinated, 1 on the 6th & 1 on the 12th but the 1st one, while still shiny,
is only about softball/canteloupe size. All 3 plants are around 15ft-18ft.
I've only used a hi-N fert 1 or 2x a couple weeks ago but a 15-15-18 set on
slow delivery thru buried drip irrigation 12"+ deep (about 1 gallon per 700
gallons of water) 30 minutes/day. Added 12-16" municipal compost over the
patch and planted directly in it instead of tilling in (around 1-1-1 NPK
rating of the compost.) pH about 2-3 weeks ago was 6.7. Don't believe I'm
over fertilizing; hit with Neptune's fish & Maxicrop seaweed every 4-5 days
or so, today added some hi-P to the drip. Maybe it has more to do with the
pruning or W-T or lack of males?
Mark K.
Buffalo, NY
hi today: 91*
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-pumpkins@hort.net [o*@hort.net] On Behalf Of
RParsonsNP@aol.com
Sent: Monday, July 14, 2003 9:46 AM
To: pumpkins@hort.net
Subject: Females aborting before they flower
I have a good, healthy plant going - w/ no cucumber beetles or SVB's.
Problem is the females are rotting before they reach the size of a marble
(and well
before the buds are ready to bloom). The latest one to die is 22' out on
the
primary vine. I'm running out of space (and time), and am wondering if
anyone
on the list has any suggestions.
I have not used any high nitrogen fertilizers for 3 weeks. My last chance
to
pollinate on the main vine will be in 9 or 10 days, approx. 27' feet from
the
stump.
Rick
Ocean Twp, NJ
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