Answers to your seasonal pumpkin questions - LaRue

Thank you Jack and Sherry for your support.

> Duncan, Hopefully this will answer some of those questions.  
Jack & Sherry LaRue
http://www.eskimo.com/~mcalpin/rem.htm

Maybe I will bug Kirk Mombert next time.

> > Why do have to hand pollinate a pumpkins? 
> 
> 1.  You hand pollinate pumpkins to guarantee the parentage.  If you
> let
> mother nature do it you might have giant banana squash, or the pumpkin
> might be crossed with itself or a closely related pumpkin which would
> weaken the genetic line.  Hand pollination makes sure that the pumpkin
> is pollinated.  
> >
> > Why should I pollinate in the morning? 
> 
> 2.  We find that we pollinate as soon as the pollen is dry.  Often
> times
> in our area we have morning fog (or rain) which keeps the pollen
> moist. 
> After it has dried, it comes off of the male much easier.  If we wait
> until afternoon when it is hot, sometimes the pollen has 'fried' or
> the
> heat cause the female to wilt.  During hot weather you have a small
> window of time in which to get a good pollination set.>
> 
> > How do I pollinate a female flower? 
> 
> 3.  You pollinate a female by cutting or tearing away the flower part
> of
> the male leaving a "paintbrush" loaded with pollen.  You rub the
> pollen
> all around the lobes of the female.  We cover the female the day
> before
> it opens with cheesecloth, remove it to pollinate, then cover with
> cheesecloth after pollinating.  We leave the cheesecloth on for a day
> or
> two after pollinating.  This keeps bees or other insects from
> spreading
> unwanted pollen.
> >
> > Why can't you wait for mother nature to pollinate the female
> pumpkin? 
> 
> 4.   Mother Nature does not pay much attention to genetics.  We want
> to
> strengthen good characteristics and do away with bad characteristics.
> By
> controlling which plants are crossed with each other we hope to
> increase
> weight, strength, seed production, color, shape, and  hopefully
> eliminate splitting problems.
> >
> > Should I cover the female flower with a paper bag after it is
> > pollinated?
> 
> 5.   Some growers use paper bags.  We prefer cheesecloth.  It allows
> the
> female to breathe and keeps unwanted insects out.  If rain or overhead
> watering is a problem, we sometimes cover it with a plastic baggie.
> The
> baggie is removed if the temperature gets too warm.
> >
> > How far should the female flower be from the main root to grow a
> large pumpkin?
> 
> 6.   Growers have set pumpkins anywhere from 32 inches from the main
> root to over 20 feet.  Most of the largest pumpkins are grown at an
> average of 12 to 18 feet from the main root.  Too close to the main
> root
> doesn't give you much maneuverability.  Some say too far away doesn't
> give you enough growth (leaves and roots) beyond the pumpkin to help
> feed the pumpkin.
> >
> > Is it ok to pollinate more than one pumpkin on a pumpkin plant?  
> 
> 7.   Yes.  We pollinate 8 to 10 per plant to start with.  This insures
> that enough pumpkins will 'take'.  Then we watch them for the
> characteristics that we associate with large pumpkins such as shape,
> growth, stem size, position on vine, etc..  Then we begin to eliminate
pumpkins.  We measure their size from end to end, side to side and their
> circumference and compare for the 'best' ones eventually leaving 2
> pumpkins per plant.  Some growers even narrow them down to one per
> plant.  Others might leave 3.
> >
> > Is it ok to pollinate a female flower on a secondary vine?
> 
> 8.  Yes.  We have had several large pumpkins grow on secondary vines
> although most of our large ones have been on main vines or second main
> vines.  In 1995, Jack LaRue had a pumpkin that weighed 850.5 that grew
> on a secondary vine.  That same plant had an 875 pound pumpkin on the 
> second main vine.
> >
> > What does a female or  male flower look like?
> 
> 9.  A male flower has a long stem with a pistil and stigma covered
> with
> pollen.  The female flower has a small pumpkin behind it and grows
> close
> to the vine.  The female has lobes (ovaries) which the pollen is
> transferred to in order to 'set' the pumpkin.  Without this process,
> the
> unpollinated pumpkin will wither up and drop off.
> >
> > Should I mound my soil near a pollinated pumpkin?
> 
> 10.  We tend to smooth out and flatten the soil under and around the
> pumpkins that we plan to keep.  We also put a ground cloth under them
> to
> allow moisture to drain away and reduce 'friction' and allow the 
> pumpkin to slide  as it grows. We also build a shade cover over the
> chosen pumpkins to protect from sun and moisture.
> >
> > What is a segment on the female flower and why should I care?
> 
> 11.  Segments are usually referred to as lobes.  There is thought that
> each lobe creates a seed pocket on the inside of the pumpkin.  With
> this
> in mind, many growers prefer to pollinate 5 and 6 lobe pumpkins.  We
> have had 4 lobe pumpkins grow large and haven't really researched the
> issue.  However,  most of our large pumpkins have had 5 lobes.
> >
> > Why should I look for a female flower with a stem angle of 90
> degrees?
> 
> 12.   We feel that a 90 degree angle allows for more room for the
> pumpkin to grow without having to put stress on the stem to move the
> pumpkin away from the vine.
> >
> > How can I train the female flower stem to be 90 degrees?
> 
> 13. We have been having success with bending the vines as they grow to
> make an S shape away from the pumpkin. Another way is by  slowly
> moving
> the pumpkin  away from the vine.  Just a small amount at a time. 
> Otherwise you risk tearing the stem or vine.  You also must keep the
> vine loose where a pumpkin is growing.  This may mean cutting out side
> vines and cutting roots.  We make sure that the vine has a lot of
> movement (flexibility) and will use styrofoam to help prop the vine as
> needed.  Some growers devise slings to support the vine.  The vine
> needs
> to be raised as the pumpkin grows.
> >
> > Should I change my fertilizer program now after I pollinated the
> > pumpkin?
> 
> 14.  That depends on your plant and your fertilizer program.  During
> the
> set and bloom stage you want more phosphorus for increased root
> production.  Nitrogen will help with leaf growth.    A lot depends on
> how fertilized your soil is.  If your plant is healthy and your
> pumpkins
> are growing at a good rate you could run the risk of over fertilizing.
> 
> We always have our soil tested by a lab at the beginning of the season
> to help with those decisions.  
> >
> > Should I break off all the other pumpkins after I just pollinated
> one pumpkin?
> 
> 15.  Not until you have 5-15 good sets. You wouldn't want to take off
> all of your new pumpkins if later you found out that the earlier
> pollinated pumpkins didn't set. Once we have determined how many
> pumpkins we are letting grow on each plant and are satisfied with the
> ones that are growing, we begin to break off other pumpkins.  Or if a
> small pumpkin appears in a spot that we don't want one we break it
> off. 
> We also take off side vines from secondary vines as well.  We bury all
> of our side vines and parts of the main vines.
> 
> 
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