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Location

Message

Date Posted

PacificNW

I have heard that one can get the vine to produce more female flowers by timely fertilizing. Is this true and if so, what should I use and when?
Thanks in advance.

4/24/2015 10:50:44 PM

Deer Park, WI

I would caution against attempting to use nutrients to influence flower expression. Im not aware of any conclusive evidence that suggests any one particular tactic will work. Further, applying a nutrient in a concentrated form, whether it be foliar or drench, may have unintended downstream consequences.

There is a fair amount of evidence for temperature/light effects on reproductive structure expression in curcurbits, however I have yet to see anything conclusive for C. maxima.

Moral of the story, at least from my perspective, is there isn't much we can reliably do to influence this process. You'd likely have equal success by simply asking plant very nicely to pop a female or two.

4/25/2015 8:23:08 AM

Upa Creek, MO

Play some David Lee Roth.

I have had this issue in the past, and the only advice I got was to use bloom boosters, but that is just for flowering in general. I am not sure you can select male\female by ferts. If I am wrong, please correct me so I know for this year.

4/25/2015 8:25:16 AM

Menomonie, WI (mail@gr8pumpkin.net)

Wine.... and a credit card

4/25/2015 9:36:57 AM

Mill Bay, British Columbia

Luke, David Lee Roth explains partly why you have 2 boys....try some music from Pink or Sarah Mclachlan and you might have had better luck siring a daughter.

4/25/2015 9:43:33 AM

Anamosa, IA BPIowegian@aol.com

There are some "bloom booster" fertilizers that are high in phosphorus. But high phosphorus can be hard on micorhizae. Usually the problem is that the plants put out too many females that you have to remove. Just keep the fertilizer balanced according to the soil test and you should be OK.

4/25/2015 10:43:29 AM

Muddy Waters

Try foliar feeding with a product that contains some phosphorus, not a lot when the plants about 6-8 feet long.The little boost should help but not put it overboard.Works great on melons to

4/28/2015 7:09:05 AM

Muddy Waters

our problem is we tend to go overboard.Slow & steady EDDY!!

4/28/2015 7:10:24 AM