From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Aloha, Oregon

Hi all theres no pollin on my males that I can see.I had a female open and made the mistake of pollinating it with males from afew diffrent plants the pumpkin is still doing good so im guessing it was successful still so that will be an open.I need your expertis experts.

Thanks!

Yours Truly,
Jordan

7/18/2006 10:45:54 AM

Menomonie, WI (mail@gr8pumpkin.net)

What time are you checking your males for pollen and are they protected from the bees. The Bees will steal all your pollen.

7/18/2006 10:56:10 AM

Aloha, Oregon

Theres no bees out there.I even opend some a day early and there was no pollin.

Thanks!

Yours Truly,
Jordan

7/18/2006 11:06:12 AM

Menomonie, WI (mail@gr8pumpkin.net)

OK we need to do some Biology Lessons here. Pollen is produce by the male on the morning the blossum opens. It normally depends on sunlight and temperature. I will use the mailman and the mail box analogy for you. The mail can not possibly be in the mailbox before the mail man arrives. Cut a few male blossums the day before they are to open and place them in a vase of room temperature water in the morning you should have pollen. Find a black sheet of paper and tap the flower over it.

7/18/2006 12:01:00 PM

No Place Special

Yes Jordan practice every day trying to predict what male flowers will open the next day. It wont take long and you will be an expert at determining what a ready male flower looks like the night before. You can pick them the night before and put the stems in a glass of water in a window that warms up in th emorning to the morning sun. Warm temps make the pollen pucker up. I have found that if I dont see a bunch of pollen on an open male that if I lightly blow inside the male flower with a breath like your trying to fog your eye glasses so you can clean them that the warm air will make them come alive with pollen.

7/18/2006 12:33:21 PM

Little-TON - Colorado

I did all that last nite.....it was almost like the mail came before mail man......actually when I checked one of my females last night it had already open and was closed....IT was my first and wasnt quite the size of a golf ball yet....I was bumbed cuz I been waiting to do the covering and pollination. However it was my first time....I had another female the next node down. I wasnt going to let it happen again. I covered her with a large styrofoam cup and triple layer cheese cloth around the bottom so nothing could get in. taped and rubber banded. One on the 1204 Kline and one of my Langevin, I went to pick some males.....Darn...the Reiss had none avail, Kline had 4 and Langevin 3. Picked all and put into separate glasses of water they were real close to opening but not open. Today I posted about possible crosses with other garden squashes and was redirected to a site. On that site I read about only a 4-6 hour window to pollinate. Once the flower closes it is never to reopen....... and forcing open only gives a possible 10% chance to pollinate.,.......Wham out like flint....took off work and headed home.....10 min. away....
continued

7/18/2006 3:14:42 PM

Little-TON - Colorado

SInce the night before I forced open several males to see if any pollen was avail to help out the closed flower I missed. I picked 3 closed males.....forced them back open and I found several bees trapped inside. Not one speck of pollen....(premature evacuation)...So today I undercovered my female to find it half open and a virgin..no dark specs from bees)...my males were starting to open since the sun was hitting them and it was quite warm outside. I peeled the petals off.....whoa look at all that pollen, already some had fallen off onto the petals.......gently i rubbed the pollen onto the female....three flowers full. I cabled tied the flowers shut, recovered with coffee cup and cheese cloth....I put my screen with a wet towel to allow for shade and cooling as it was almost 100°......wish me luck......IT was my first ....could you tell.....Way cool...Time will tell.

7/18/2006 3:59:10 PM

Utah

The pollen is contained inside little tubes on the stamen. The tubes do not open until the flower opens. the warm dry outside air dries the tube covers and exposes the pollen.

the following might be helpful to you:

here is a picture of a male that will open the next day:
http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=50962

here is a picture of a female that will open the next day:
http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=23322

here is a picture of a female stigma right after pollination:
http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=37803

here is a picture of a female a two days after pollination:
http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=51601

7/18/2006 4:57:41 PM

Mocksville, NC

its called multi pollinated, as long as males , and fem were protected, it is excepted, but not my 1st choice, but you never know

7/18/2006 8:01:08 PM

Little-TON - Colorado

Multi pollination??? Using several males from the same plant? Is that what you are saying?

7/19/2006 1:30:31 PM

Owensboro, Ky.

Wiz, I think Rog, was describing a female pollinated with males from more than 1 plant...usually the thinking process gets me in trouble...but I thought I would give it a shot!!! Jordan's original post states that he used males from diff plants??? Peace, Wayne

7/19/2006 9:28:25 PM

Little-TON - Colorado

Yes, I thought so too Wayne, I had asked this question earlier in the year and am still wanting to but understand there would be little way to track any type of inheiriting of genetics, kinda of a crap shoot, too bad we couldnt color coat the lobes..lol Darn I hope my Reiss female opens today, I got 3 males ready to go

7/20/2006 8:37:14 AM

Syracuse, NY

maybe at the next SEMINAR in Niagara Falls they should have an actual video created that depicts an actual pollination
process, from beginning to end, day before thru day after, that would answer ALL of everyone's questions and concerns about pollination, similar to the Joel Holland video that i love, lol...
isn't it great that we can go to a site that depicts the ongoing lives of us AG growers? it sure gives me something to look forward to when it is slow here at work....eric g

7/20/2006 7:17:22 PM