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Ellwood City, PA, USA

I'm about 2 weeks behind where I normally am, so I am just now doing the first pollinations. The problem I am having is that none of the female flowers are opening and the flowers look small and compact. All the male flowers are opening normally.

I had a couple of female flowers tied closed, for controlled hand pollinations. I went ahead and opened them and hand pollinated. I assumed they should have opened on the days I did this. I left a few others alone and they never opened naturally.

Does anyone have any idea what this is? Does that mean the ones I hand pollinated aren't going to take? Any ideas or suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks a bunch. Grow 'em big and orange.

7/11/2017 1:04:31 PM

Western ny

i wait till the end of the female flower turns a little orange ----11:00 A M ---then i think its ready ---good luck

7/11/2017 4:28:54 PM

Ellwood City, PA, USA

I guess my question really is, why this is happening. Is it something genetic or a nutrient imbalance? I just never experienced no female flowers opening.

7/12/2017 5:48:00 AM

Partlow,Va

Three or four things:
You could/probably have too much N and plant is in fast growth stage, and or too much moisture in the soil, and or low P. Or even if P is ok on your soil tests you need to give them some bloom buster or shot of P when the plant first shows any flowering at about 12-15'. Another tip is to shock the plant into fruiting by letting it get a hare dry for a day or two. It will produce fruit when it thinks it could be going to die.

7/12/2017 9:13:19 AM

Partlow,Va

Pollen is not viable for long,a couple of hours.In Virginia I think by 10am it is too late. I pollinate before work at 5:45-6am. I have to open the females but they were going to open. I think give em some P and no waterdon't cover em just pollinate and leave them open this late if you are running out of room

7/12/2017 9:18:03 AM

Ellwood City, PA, USA

I went ahead and opened them carefully around 8:00 AM and hand pollinated them. We'll see what happens. It just struck me as odd that no females are opening on their own. They stay closed and a few days later the flower turns brown and gets mushy. Weird.

7/12/2017 12:07:24 PM