From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Nova Scotia

I have 3 different plants going, all with only females. Anyway to get males?

6/15/2012 10:31:27 AM

Petersburg, Mi

Females bloom first. Hang tight and you will start seeing additional females and males.

6/15/2012 1:36:03 PM

St. Thomas Ontario

Put some full, unopened beer bottles of Keith's on ice in front of your vines...males will come;)

6/15/2012 1:48:23 PM

Long Island,New York

Females bloom first????

6/15/2012 2:32:12 PM

Menomonie, WI ([email protected])

Males always bloom prior to the females 7-10 days..Thats what attracts the bees.

6/15/2012 2:35:42 PM

Upa Creek, MO

Yeah, I have always had the problem of too many males and couldn't get the females to show up. Reminded me of high school parties after 11pm.

6/15/2012 2:49:01 PM

South Hero, VT

Extremepumpkinstore on Facebook has a great tip on how to save pollen( a tip of the hat to Kevin Companion of VT for sharing).

Check it out, or sign up for Tom Privitera's free newsletter.

6/15/2012 5:20:40 PM

South Hero, VT

Sign up for the Extremepumpkinstore free news letter and find out how to save pollen(thanks to Kevin Companion in VT for the tip).

6/15/2012 5:24:48 PM

South Hero, VT

Sorry for duplicate messages. Poor connection. :-(

6/15/2012 5:25:47 PM

Canada

That's odd I've had males opening all week females just showed up :-)

6/15/2012 6:34:02 PM

Allentown, PA

Are you sure your not a terrorist and you just blew yourself up and are now seeing your 72 virgins??

6/15/2012 6:50:40 PM

St. Thomas Ontario

Trying to get females your whole life and when you get 'em you don't want 'em...maybe it's the "Ewok" again from the LiquorDome and her trickery paying you back!..lol;)

Pull those heaters and dollars to donouts your plant will grow out of it. Your burners may be throwing CO (carbon monoxide) which may discourage maleness or the ethylene which may encourage femaleness.

6/15/2012 8:42:57 PM

Linden, Mi.,

Females bloom first ???????
I think that might be a first.

6/15/2012 9:43:22 PM

Petersburg, Mi

Oh I would of sworn that was the case. Sorry about the mislead guys.

6/15/2012 11:19:37 PM

Rhode Island

im sure no harm was intended but this is a prime example of false information being passed around (at times ) here on bp.
if you dont know or are not sure? keep quiet please.
these new/newer growers can be easily mislead.
pap

6/16/2012 8:29:02 AM

Rhode Island

now as to mr.t's question of no male flowers only females on his plant? i have never in over twenty years of growing had this happen.
if you soil test looks good?, then id say its possible you have a sterile type plant on your hands? thats the only thing i can think of?
that sucks though after all the early work we put into our plants.
pap

6/16/2012 8:34:18 AM

Rhode Island

with three plants all in the same condition though? id have to say its either in the soil or something you did or added to your soil along the way.

6/16/2012 8:36:19 AM

Minnesota([email protected])

Mr. T are you sure they are females? Do they all have a bulb under the flower petals?

Maybe they are cross dressers....sorry I couldn't resist.

6/16/2012 1:31:43 PM

Upa Creek, MO

lol Doug

6/16/2012 3:06:49 PM

Nova Scotia

yah all females. I can only guess that my hurrican lanterns in the green houses spiked the etholen and the side affect was all females

6/16/2012 4:59:39 PM

nOVA sCOTIA

Maybe your buddy in Ontario should be sharing a few tips.:)

6/16/2012 5:54:52 PM

nOVA sCOTIA

Not to be rude but i think there is a little more going on other than the lanterns.Are you using city compost? Personnely i wouldn't put it on my wife's flower garden.

6/16/2012 5:59:13 PM

Mill Bay, British Columbia

Looks like we better start a mail in program for Mr. T and get him some pollen when he needs it...

6/16/2012 8:18:14 PM

nOVA sCOTIA

nothing worse than a female ready and no male.

6/16/2012 9:25:37 PM

nOVA sCOTIA

Viagara!!

6/16/2012 9:26:31 PM

nOVA sCOTIA

Sorry for my spelling John :))

6/16/2012 9:30:10 PM

Huntsville Texas

Do you know any other local growers you could get pollen from, like an unbloomed flower the night before?

6/16/2012 10:12:18 PM

Ashland, KY

Hi- are your plants sorta small? I thought that low nitrogen will help produce more females, so if your soil is very nitrogen-poor, then I'd guess that the plants will probably be small and maybe all female. Just a guess, since this is so odd!
EP

6/16/2012 10:31:41 PM

Ashland, KY

Mr T- I just googled "ethylene female flowers curcubits" and found several scientific papers that support exactly what you proposed. Ethylene promotes female flower production. But why is ethylene produced from the lamps??
EP

6/16/2012 10:36:07 PM

St. Thomas Ontario

In times past, burning kerosene in storage inadvertantly ripened lemons due to ethylene production, Mr.T has probably now stumbled on a way to bring more girls to the 'party'..(20 yrs too late;)

6/17/2012 8:19:52 AM

Boscawen, NH

Mr. T, If indeed the burning of you hurricane lamps produced ethylene then you are probably correct in that you know have male sterile plants. It is one of the reasons that I do not suggest using mancozeb fungicide early in the season as it has ethylene in it and if timed poorly seems to have the same effect. As Pap mentioned, if they are male sterile you will not be able to get a pumpkin to set even with pollen from other plants.

6/17/2012 8:42:49 AM

New Hampshire, USA

Males come first then females!

6/17/2012 10:09:48 AM

The bottom of New Jersey

But won't the absence of ethylene from this point forward make the plant start producing males, or is this a permanent condition?

6/17/2012 12:14:14 PM

Boscawen, NH

I think if you do a search on this site "male sterile plant" you will find that everyone that has had a plant whose genetic switch has flipped to produce male sterile flowers has not been able to get the plant to flip back. The plants are usually incredibly healthy just unable to produce a pumpkin. I let one of my plants go to about 600 sq. feet last year before deciding to pull it.

6/17/2012 12:54:27 PM

Nova Scotia

some good stuff, although sounding disapponting that all maybe sterile. One thing I keep learning over and over again never give up. Hopefully I 'll luck out and somehow get one of these females to set.
EP - one byproduct of burning kerosene is ethylene. If anything mynitro is to high burning of males before I see them
DONKIN - I learned my lesson on city compost 3-4 years back PS. it was my tips that got him the record
North Shore boys - Lookajook has same plants I want to cross, but your suggestion brought it to mind, thanks
sgeddes - good to know on fungicide. friend of lookajook had one years back and got one set but never got very big.
PA_J - I wish. My luck they'd be hairer than me.

6/17/2012 1:36:32 PM

Mill Bay, British Columbia

Glad you got it covered Sean, I think you'll be able to get something pollinated with lookajook pollen!!

6/18/2012 12:01:53 AM

St. Thomas Ontario

Unfortunately your "tips" have also caused my plants to be monoecious with apical meristems overly extended and rapcious...Sorry, no 'deliverable' pollen here:(

6/18/2012 7:17:23 AM

Nova Scotia

how long did your work on that post lookajook. never mind I called at noon when you started so according to the time stamp about 6hrs accounting for time difference. lol

6/18/2012 9:18:12 AM

St. Thomas Ontario

Lets see, 24 courses over 4 semesters works out to about 3 years i guess....what a waste for one post:( Shoulda stuck with dancing...lol:)

6/18/2012 1:54:59 PM

Joliet, IL

http://m.jxb.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2012/01/20/jxb.err448.full

6/18/2012 2:46:18 PM

Joliet, IL

The above link is very scientific but has some interesting info. There are no cures mentioned but discusses the issue of male sterility. I too have a plant that has only now 3 males that have made it close to development. If the open I will see if any pollen. At least they are getting closer to maturity and I hope it is a sign the plant is normallizing out. I hope. This is a first for me in 10 years so I will also do my best to still get one set. I am not worried if it is seedless if I get it to produce. I just want to get something on the plant and will do my damndest to do so. Even if secondaries only and I run out of main. Seeing that seaweed has gibberellic acid and based on the above article, I am going to do a heavy kelp drench around my plant. Worth a try.

6/18/2012 2:56:26 PM

United States

I believe I am suffering the same male sterile problem in one plant. Thankfully I kept a vine going on my other plant for pollen. Not a single male flower has developed on my main plant. Some are getting closer, but still not a full male. I probably have about 8 females opened with many more on the way. They all looked healthy and normal. I have pollinated several, but am unsure if any have taken yet. It is very healthy looking big plant, but will I not be able to get a fruit set with this issue? Any luck Shazzy?

7/13/2012 12:16:27 PM