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Ontario

This year I had a major problem with pollinating. I could not get anything set at all. Is this caused from using too much manure? As This year I switched from horse manure to a cow manure. I used a quit a bit more manure than I ussually do. Or is this caused from putting too much fertilizer in the pits? Thanks for all your help.

11/5/2002 9:17:46 PM

Puyallup, WA

Manure causing aborts??? I don't think so. How big is your patch? How much manure did you add?
Most aborts occur because of incomplete pollinization. How many males did you use to hand pollinate each female?

11/5/2002 10:34:31 PM

Western Pa.

Temperature also has a lot to do with aborts!

11/6/2002 12:41:00 AM

Caceres, Spain

Ontario is not a warm place, since I've been there, at least. And going with Stan I am pretty sure that manure doesn't matter in that business. Is recommended to use one male per female lob, cover the selected flowers at night (males and females) and pollinate early in the moorning.
If you already do all this, or you leave the bees do your work and even they don't get it, you can try with some hormones like ANA or Giberelic Acid or both plus high phosphorus fertirrigation in the flowering days. Good luck
Don

11/6/2002 1:08:50 AM

Bobcaygeon Ontario

Sometimes I think it could just be a bad plant. I had 1 plant this year that did nothing but abort while all my other plants produced pumpkins. It was in the same soil, had the same temp. and was cared for the same but was from a diff. genetic background. I do know that too much nitrogen may cause aborts.

11/6/2002 1:18:26 AM

Roanoke Il

To much nitrogin will abort fruits to Jay at least thats what I've read. If you used alot of manue pluss fertilized I think that had to be your problem.

11/6/2002 5:44:23 AM

Southern Illinois

your all wrong it does not have any thing to do with all the things you mention,why do you call a pumpkin a fruit and not a curbit.

11/6/2002 9:02:11 AM

South Hill, Virginia

Heavyhitter is right....you guys are all wrong. Aborts are simply the plant exercising her right to choose.

11/6/2002 9:16:58 AM

Frankfurt, Germany

now, you are also wrong! Accourding to my book, the pumpkni is no way a friut, it's a berry! *g* (the biggest in the world though.)

11/6/2002 10:56:04 AM

Paradise Mountain, New York

Nitrogen being to high, very hot weather has alot to do with it

11/6/2002 10:56:15 AM

Southern Illinois

i had pumpkins aborting just last week before we had a heavy frost,you mean they abort when it is cold to,well nitrogen level to high,i should not of had any pumpkins because i pour on the nitrate when the vines lay over,the problem is in the flower it is a disease,that pumpkins get during flowering,at first i thought it may be a disease that cucumber beetles carry from flower to flower,yes if you pour on the nitrate during flowering on some plants the flowers will fall off,i have pour on the nitrate and they abort, i have not used any nitrate and they abort,cold weather hot weather that is bull,i had pumpkins flower at same time, laying beside each other,100 degrees one aborts the other one will not ,bees not properly pollinate that is bull to,i have used many types of ways of pollinate and they still abort.

11/6/2002 12:51:03 PM

Caceres, Spain

Heavyhitter is right: my father in law (who plant and cultivate wineyards for over 60 years and still doing it) use to say "nobody knows the fields". As far as I understand, he means all the things we know about Nature are very very very little compare with the unknown.
However, you are not going to have too much nitrogen in july although you have added tons and tons and tons of caws, horses and sheeps manure the previous fall and no nitrates in spring; of course you will have much, but not too much.
Recomendation to avoid aborts for unknowable reasons: play music for your plants; they love Bach and Jazz.

11/6/2002 1:55:25 PM

Tacoma, WA

I wonder what they would think of Elvis and The Beach Boys?

11/6/2002 2:48:42 PM

Ontario

I added aprox 10 tons of cow manure to two patches that are 50 x 50 . I pollinate with as many males that i have. (no less than 3) Ontario is a hot place in July. I tried putting ice under the just pollinated pumpkin (not touching) and it didnot work. I eventually gave up and let the plants go. One plant never did get anything . The other 3 just got small ones pollinated by bees.
thanks.

11/6/2002 4:56:37 PM

Bobcaygeon Ontario

Try reading "how to grow world class giant pumpkins 2" by Don Langevin, it has a section on avoiding aborts that may help you.It talks about high nitrogen levels and weather conditions.

11/6/2002 7:42:33 PM

Western Pa.

After reading all these posts, I guess that only Mother Nature is "right"!

11/7/2002 1:03:53 AM

Caceres, Spain

You have a problem Jay. I can imagine isn't matter of laugh for you.
I only can say that I use the same amount of manure as you did for the same area (in fall), and mid west Spain summers are much hotter than Ontario (I can assure you) and never used ice; however I've to cull off hundreds of little pumpkins from every single plant.
I guess you have tried with different seeds, didn't you? If with all the seeds happen the same, I would order a complet soil analysis or even try to change the patch location.

11/7/2002 1:18:07 AM