From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Aberdeen, Scotland

So I'm fairly inexperienced at the whole giant pumpkin game. I grew a pretty pathetic 25kg Atlantic Giant last year from generic seed, it was clearly limited by its genetics. This year I got some seed from a 1300lb pumpkin but it's been disaster after disaster.

First all but one of the seeds didn't germinate.

The one that did got stuck in it's shell underground and had white, twisted seed leaves, causing a couple weeks delay as it recovered.

Then it decided to become a flat/ribbon vine and I had to pinch it out and use a secondary as a main vine. Another couple weeks delay.

Then my chosen secondary decided to burst. Another couple weeks delay to get a new one going.

So now it's late August and I am only just getting fruit set, given where I live it's not looking good even with being in a polytunnel, the days are getting short now and the weather's turning cold.

Anyway.

I was reading the other day that you have to get pollen on all of the female flower segments for the fruit to reach its maximum potential. If this is true, I've got a question:

What if you pollenate half the segments with pollen from one plant, and half with pollen from another? Will the pumpkin follow the 'bloodline' with the most pollen, or will it be a mix, or is it pot luck?

8/22/2017 3:42:25 AM

Morgantown, WV

Pollination that are not physically controlled by the grower ( protected the night before, pollinated with clean male flowers, then covered again for one day to set after pollination ) are simply considered "open pollination". They will be viable seeds, but a pot luck of genetics.

When sprouting seeds, many people take a piece of sandpaper to file the edge around the seed to help it soak up water and shed the seed coat early on. Additionally, if you plant the seed at an angle rather than straight up and down, sometimes the bend it creates in the seedling will help pull that seed coat off as it pushes out of the soil.

Don't give up, lots of help here.

8/22/2017 6:14:07 AM

Anamosa, IA BPIowegian@aol.com

Each seed in the pumpkin you grow will have half its genetics from one grain of pollen. It will be impossible to tell which cross you end up with, because it is pretty much impossible to get the pollen on an individual lobe without getting some on other lobes. And each pollen grain will be slightly different than all the others. So no matter if you use just one plant for pollen or several, it still is pot luck.

You do want to get as complete pollination as possible. If one lobe doesn't get good pollen, it won't develop as much as the other lobes. I try to use at least 3 male flowers just to make sure I get enough pollen.

Most growers won't keep seed from a ribbon vine plant. It has not been proven if ribbon vine is caused by genetics or environment, but most don't want to take the chance. If I were you, I would not keep seed from your pumpkin. There are so many good seeds available there is no reason to risk that next year's pumpkin is a ribbon vine too.

8/22/2017 7:45:13 AM

Menomonie, WI (mail@gr8pumpkin.net)

Only a few grains of pollen are needed to start the fertilization process. Then you get pumpkin growth. The amount of pollen grains does affect how many seeds you get in the end.

8/22/2017 7:46:56 AM

Ontario, Canada

Not sure why you would want to pollinate 1/2 the segments with 1 flower & the other 1/2 with a different flower. How would you know what seeds were from what pollination? It would be considered open pollinated if you were to do that.

With the trouble your having this year with the plants, I would be happy just to get one pollinated before season's end. If you pollinate one now, you will likely beat your previous best & maybe even get one over 200#.

From what I've heard, it only takes 1 grain of pollen to pollinate it. In my opinion, more pollen we use, the better. We'll use 2-3 male flowers, per female.
Good luck.

8/22/2017 8:01:08 AM

Aberdeen, Scotland

OK, makes more sense now. I've been pollinating with basically every male flower I can find on anything squash-related (I wonder what a trombone squash crossed with an atlantic giant would look like) hoping that one of them might work as I feel with ribbon vine it's a dead loss in terms of re-using seed and I'd just like to get a fruit.

I'm going to try again next year with new seed of course. Any recommendations for where to get seeds in the UK or Europe? The only shop I could find selling non-generic seed I'm hesitant to buy from again after having only 1 of 3 seeds germinate and the one that did germinate become a ribbon vine.

8/22/2017 12:50:18 PM

Menomonie, WI (mail@gr8pumpkin.net)

If it is not C. maxima it will not cross with Atlantic Giant

8/22/2017 1:07:30 PM

Colorado

Get some seeds from ian and stewart patton who live outside London. Theve got some world class fruit growing-check their diary out/Ianp. You can email them through their diary.

8/22/2017 3:51:24 PM

Owensboro, Ky.

Dustin, from what I am reading...Raize's one and only AG plant, if pollination happens, and it grows an AG, would be selfed...not open. Let me know what you think? Peace, Wayne

8/26/2017 4:11:00 AM

Aberdeen, Scotland

Wayne, you'd be correct if I hadn't forgotten to mention about having two other AG plants from generic seed. Upsettingly, they are setting fruit just fine while my "good" plant (which is about twice the size of them both put together) refuses to.

I've pollenated four female flowers during the last week but the flowers are now rotting and falling off and the fruit underneath is still only about two inches in diameter (it started at one inch) :(

8/28/2017 5:28:45 AM

Owensboro, Ky.

Thanks for the update, Raize! Peace, Wayne

8/29/2017 12:24:59 AM

Aberdeen, Scotland

Another question.

My plant has two main vines because of all the problems earlier in the year. They both start about a foot from the base of the plant and each one is perhaps 20 feet long. There is a pumpkin which I believe to have set on one of the vines, about 15 feet along it.

Will the second vine without the pumpkin be helping anything or should I just (have already) removed it?

9/5/2017 7:17:04 AM

Aberdeen, Scotland

I've also taken this picture of the aborted fruit that I removed and cross-sectioned. Not sure if it's possible to tell anything from cross-sectioned aborted fruit, but if it is, then someone here will be able to!

https://s26.postimg.org/f54faouwn/IMG_20170905_122007.jpg

9/5/2017 7:24:01 AM