Re: Hard graft?
John:
Marv in Altoona mentioned to me, last month, that he wanted to develop a deer & groundhog eating pumpkin. Some of my remarks
in my response are pertinent suggestions as to certain purposes & effects of grafting. For your edification:
Marv:
I hate to break it to you but you have to get them to like meat, let
alone develop a taste for ground hog & deer. You have a long road to
hoe, there.
However, OF COURSE, I have some ideas & suggestions. Of course this
depends upon the availability of plant material to work with.
1. You could cross a pumpkin with a venus fly trap...look for a big
one. For a faster solution, how about grafting? If you could graft a
"head/mouth or two " from a Venus fly trap (again, as big a one as you
could find, It would still eat meat. feed it hamburger & since the
nutrients go down the stem, to the pumpkin plant, anyway, Your pumpkin
would adapt to animal enzymes etc; perhaps even develop a taste for the
stuff. Then, as long as you can grow the plant big enough, groundhog &
deer are only a step away.
2. How about locating the plant from the little shop of horrors.
Here is large plant material suitable for an instant cross with the
"biiiig" pumpkin plants. Another idea is to graft this plant to your
pumpkin vines. God help the deer, groundhog or pumpkin thief that enters
your patch. However, a word of caution. If planning to obtain
pollen, & probably grafting material, from this plant. Special garb is
recommended for your safety. Just go to any local museum & ask to borrow
a suit of armor. Take the sword, too, it will be useful in grafting.
That plant is a bit willful, though & might take a bit of tact to
handle. I seriously recommend that you use it as the pollen plant for
"seed crosses". It might not take kindly to seed harvesting & you do
remember what its favorite food is, don't you? This way, one grab of the
ol' anthers & you're home free.
That is, unless you decide to graft, too. If you are going to graft,
be a bit tactful taking the pollen. These things never forget, & when
you go back for grafting material; it will be waiting. There's something
decidedly un-nerving about going back for grafting material & seeing a
bottle of ketchup on the pot rim & a mat in front that says "Welcome
Marv". My best suggestion is throw it a dead sheep. That's big enough to
keep it occupied. If you are reasonably gentle, you should get away with
the pollen without incident.
When obtaining grafting material, there is no point in taking
chances. Go whole hog, literally. Coat the dead hog with a substance
that is almost glue-like. (remember you may need more material later, so
you don't want to kill it or permanently seal the mouth closed.
Temperarily, however, is fine. With the added precaution of keeping the
mouth orifice sealed & busy; you should get your grafting material
without incident.
I hope this has been of help to you. I hope you realize that this
is specialized advice that is not available to just anyone.
If this works, I think you should consider appointing me your
imperial advisor, when you become emperor of the pumpkin world.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN
Terry Lynn
