Pumpkin Question

[Shelle]

i have had the delight of drying out pumpkin seeds from a brought pumpkin and growing a successful plant

Now the pumpkin plant is rapidly taking over my lawn - which i do not mind - but i am wondering whether it is actually better to cut a few of the runners off now as i have little pumpkins forming?

I am a little hesitant to cut away at the plant - when the plant first started i tried to control it a little by cutting it back here and there and it really did not seem to appreciate that (went brown) and only started taking off once i let it be for a while.

any thoughts on what is best?

[Boots]

Might need to call Nev in to confirm this one, as it happened to me too when I only had one vine and not much bee action...

I read recently that the trick with one vine in to grab a paintbrush and help the pollen sharing process by dabbing inside the flowers when they form and sharing it around.

That sound right to you Nev? I was going to try it... I have about 8 sprouting now, so may not have to. Will see how they go.

[ina]

Don't know about cutting off runners - but I have always taken off the little pumpkins if there were too many forming. The fewer you have on one plant, the bigger they should get (theoretically).

[Andy Hamilton]

Squash is the same family and if you cut the lowest producing vines off that the others should have more energy to produce more.- not entirely sure with pumpkins, mine were used as footballs by the local youths before I got a chance to see.

Hand polination is also a good idea if you don't have the insects.

[Wombat]

G'day All,

Yep, I have read that cutting the runner as soon as the the first female flower appears and then hand pollinating it - (paint brush is good) gives you very good yeilds!

I generally just remove the petals from the male flower and rub the stames around inside the female flower but the paintbrush idea (or cotton bud too) is good!

Andy, the use of your produce as footballs! thats pretty irritating! How about including some nitroglycerine in the next lot - they only do it once!

Nev

[hedgewizard]

I spoke to someone at a pumpkin farm in New England last year, and she said they grow mammoth ones to pull the crowds in come Halloween... but the little ones (football-sized downwards) outsell them by weight by a factor of four because they're easier to cook with. This is because once cut a pumpkin doesn't last more than a couple of days at room temp, but uncut they last for months especially if you leave a decent "neck" on them.

She also said that she uses the same variety for both - if you nip off all but a few pumps you get giants. She also said that if you do this, the overall yield is lower.

So in true SS spirit, this year I'm going to grow two giant pumpkins - one for the kids and as a spirit lantern (pagan tradition to place a lit lantern facing west to invite the spirits of the dear departed into the house), and one as a backup in case of accidents. The others I'll allow to set as much fruit as they want - until I run out of old roof tiles to set them on, that is.

Check this out! http://www.extremepumpkins.com/

[Shelle]

cool, thanks for all the info ... seems like i may just let these ones do their thing this time around - heaps of little ones are probably best for me so they keep longer and once cut used more easily - there are only two of us (although i can always give them away!)

one question though - how do i distinguish the female flowers?
are they the ones without the little pumpkin balls?

pumpkins making more sense as the days go on

[Wombat]

Yep, Shelle, the femal ones have the immature pumpkins on 'em. You usually get lots more male than female flowers and the male ones are edible too - stuffed with rice and simmered in stock.

Nev

[hedgewizard]

Wow Wombat, nice idea! Mine always seem to produce a lot of male flowers first, then the females a little later. For this reason I try to start one plant off a few weeks before the others.

[Boots]

Bloody ell.

A rangy rooster has wiped out my pumpkin seedlings. Gonna soup the bugger.

[nick]

Have read somewhere that pumpkins are light sensitive in terms of fruiting. Don't know the truth in this as generally maturity is about 12 -14 wks when days are getting shorter anyway. Have grown golden nugget, baby blue, butternut and qld blue this year.

golden nugget has been an excellent bearer with close to nine being picked already. a handy variety - bush type, early maturing, pumpkins are a good size as they cover our family for four meals (2 adults, 2 little people) can be picked progressively mid to late summer.

baby blue - two pumpkins! bush type

butternut- one for winter storage, can't comment on yeilds as I can't remember how many seeds germinated.

qld blue. another for winter storage. have a couple of large ones this year.
need lots of room to take off and time to ripen.

[ina]

Mine always seem to produce a lot of male flowers first, then the females a little later.

That's how it's supposed to be - so that a male is ready when the first female appears...

[hedgewizard]

Oh yeah, I remember being a teenager.

[Shelle]

few bees around today ... but i noticed a few of the little females have started to drop off ... will have to get out there with my paint brush in hand and start helping

thanks heaps everyone for you insight ... it is so much better to get different perspectives from you all that reading a general book that i cannot ask specific questions!

Sorry to hear about your pumpkin Boots

[Andy Hamilton]

Is it something to do with the temperature that makes the flowers either male or female or is that just with crocodiles