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Ohio

Working overtime during pumpkin season, espically around pollination time just might not be worth it. lol

What is the latest part of the day you have pollinated a female and surprisingly she ended up growing? Reason why I ask this is because I just pollinated a female about 25 minutes ago and I dont think she stands a chance in hell....lol. ( I couldnt have ask for a more perfect place for a female to be out on the main vine!! lol)

6/20/2013 1:24:28 PM

Winston Salem, NC

Brooks I read someone elses on this the other day that they have pollinated the night before the lady opens and it took so maybe thats an option for the future.

6/20/2013 2:19:35 PM

Upa Creek, MO

Here's an older interesting thread:

http://www.bigpumpkins.com/MsgBoard/ViewThread.asp?b=19&p=146152

6/20/2013 2:57:20 PM

Ohio

Nice little thread Luke, thanks!
Just by reading that thread and what I have been told over the years about evening pollinations , I really dont think anyone has a definitive answer on what time during the day is best to pollinate. I have heard for years the best time to pollinate is before 10am when the female is most receptive to male pollen, but is this true? Now that I think about it, I dont know if there is a difinitive answer to that because how many growers really have tried to pollinate in the evening? Not very many that I know of , well, besides the people in that thead that Luke put up,and they seemed to have better success in the evening.

Does heat play a part in aborts? Who has done studies on that to prove that is the case? Just icing the female to keep it cool does it really help it to be more receptive to pollen? This might be true, but when I think about growers just putting ice just around a little female flower to cool it down while the rest of the 800 sq ft plant is hot, wouldnt your chances be better to maybe shade and cool the entire plant to keep the leaves and vines cooler and be a better idea if its true that females are hard to pollinte in the heat? Just icing the little female flower to be receptive would be like a person trying to keep cool by only putting ice on their junk...lol.. Seriously, wouldnt you have to cool your entire body down to really keep cool while ur out in the sun ? So how does just icing and cooling a female flower really work? Has there ever been real serious studies done on this?

6/20/2013 6:50:25 PM

Upa Creek, MO

Brooks, couldn't agree more with the ice and 800 sq foot comment. Last year I had a very late start and tried pollinating many times in late June and July on days ranging from 95 to 108 and most were above 105. I had close to around a 900 square foot plant and it was in pure survival mode meaning everything aborted no matter what localized ice set up I used. If anything I recall extra male flowers being produced during that extreme hot spell since that would be the easier way for the plant to spread its genetics when in survival mode?

6/20/2013 10:36:43 PM

Joliet, IL

Misting system set on intervals to cool plant during hottest part of day. Ice is microclimitizing the magic zone. There are studies of high heat affecting pollination rates in squash. Both pollen and female are effected by heat. Small tables over females for shade. Leave a fan blowing on tje female 24-7 one day before opening until its sets and temps cool off.

The only way I know it works is it has worked for me. Not everytime...but have set pumpkins successfully on 100 degree day. And I know growers who have not taken these measures and got nothing to set. After all the hard work to get to this point try anything.

And I have no idea about window of time Boz...but I would think as long as fresh pollen stays viable in the day after flower opens is probably a major factor.

6/20/2013 11:12:11 PM