Why do ALL my pumpkins die every year!?

[sparkles2307]

I wish I had advice but I do not, I am sorry. I was going to rip out my watermelon vine (since I just picked the last melon in garden #1) and I was going to put in pumpkins. I am hoping to learn something from here before I do this!

WOw, we are so far behind here in MN that my canteloupe are only 3 inches across and no mellons have set because they JUST started flowering. Thank goodness for the predicted El Nino!

 

[davaroo]

Pat, when do the females open tho? Mine are always all bunched up tight...do I have to do this while I am doing my hair and geting kids ready before we leave the house at 6:45 for the day?

It needs to be done in the heat of the day, when the flowers are fully open and dry. You can use a soft bristle brush, too, like the kind used to apply facial blush makeup. Dip a clean brush into the male flower, then dust lightly into the females.
Since you're not there in the midday, though, this might present a problem...

 

[jessejames]

OKAY newbie question
how you identify male and female flowers!
i am also having major flower production but not alot of fruit setting. vines are happy and i have plenty of bees. i too have been picking cuc beetles daily for months with tweezers so I am in an out of the flowers too.
thanks

 

[davaroo]

Male flowers typically stand tall on a stalky stem, and females are squat. They also have a small swelling just behind the flower.

Here you go:

http://www.pumpkinnook.com/howto/pollen.htm

 

[sparkles2307]

Saturday at 10:00 a.m. the females were all open at the same time as the males. The bees were THICK, but I didnt see many on the male flowers so I hand pollinated everything I could find.

 

[davaroo]

Saturday at 10:00 a.m. the females were all open at the same time as the males. The bees were THICK, but I didnt see many on the male flowers so I hand pollinated everything I could find.

Now you're talking. Human-Flora Interactive Pollination, it's the way to go!

 

[sparkles2307]

As I was doing this, 14 y.o. stepson was gagging at the thought of "flower s_x" haha

 

[ams3651]

you may want to look into growing flowers and shrubs that attract bees. I looked it up but I cant right now remember what I found. Im definitely looking into it for next year.

 

[obsessed]

You could do a "bee" search on this forum and pull a ton of info....

 

[sparkles2307]

Its crazy how many bees are in there, on the pumpkin flowers, all day long, its almost scary to walk in there. BUT I noticed on my hand-pollinating adventure that the bees seemed to be ALL over the femaled but I never saw any on the males, like they were just bypassing them... anyways my hand pollination worked because there are 8 new pumpkins SET and HOLDING!!!