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New Berlin,NY

Any idea as to what could be the cause? I am getting a lot of females that develop great. Missed pollinating on my two best plants, now my mains are over 20 feet.

Tips and suggestions welcome.

6/28/2018 12:07:30 AM

Germany

Does that happen on one plant only (the males with no pollen)? It could be a sterile plant. Oh well... :(

(In 2015 I´ve had that problem with two out of six plants.)

6/28/2018 12:15:44 AM

Colorado

do the males open normally and not have a anther?. Open normally but don't seem to have pollen on the anther?

6/28/2018 1:03:23 AM

central Nc

Males have a pistil, according to bubba's videos for beginners. Lol

6/28/2018 7:13:21 AM

Germany

Talking about their stamen? Framac, if you got confused, everyone of us simply wants to know if there´s just no pollen (but something which usually carries the pollen), or if there isn´t anything male inside the male (after it opens normally, in case it opens normally).

6/28/2018 7:36:15 AM

New Berlin,NY

They look normal, and open normal, but no "Male Protruding Part", Stamen, Pistil, what ever you want to call it.

4 out of 4 plants.

1 plant has thrown 2 good flowers, the other 3, nothing.

6/28/2018 8:12:47 AM

Germany

4 out of 4 plants with sterile males? There must be a real problem...somewhere. Which seeds did you grow? (...four plants from the same seed stock, or a diverse selection throughout Atlantic Giant genetics?) If they are from the same seed stock, and the parents had a genetic problem, it could increase the odds for having many seeds which show problems (e.g., sterile plants). However, if they came from totally different pumpkins, then I would suspect the problem somewhere else (nutrition, for example).

6/28/2018 10:49:22 AM

Burt NY

do you have any pictures ?

Are you picking the male flowers the night before you are going to use them ?

I have picked flowers the night before i want to use them ,had them in the refrigerator and the flower has to worm up before using it.

6/28/2018 11:13:54 AM

New Berlin,NY

Some more information.

The Pistil(part the the pollen is on) is none existent.

3 different seed stocks (2 2363, 1 1500ish Casper, and a 1701 Jutras Squash)

Warmer than average, but not hot here yet. 80 for highs, mid 50's for lows

6/28/2018 11:33:09 AM

stoughton WI

Have you been giving them plant hormones or had excessive heat

6/28/2018 12:04:21 PM

New Berlin,NY

No hormones, Heat for highs in the 70's low 80's

6/28/2018 12:37:16 PM

Santa Rosa, CA.

I would be calling growers in the area and ask them for some male flowers while you figure out the cause.

6/29/2018 12:17:55 AM

Menomonie, WI (mail@gr8pumpkin.net)

4 seeds with the same condition...something is causing this other than genetics. What kind of fertilizer and treatments have you been doing?

6/29/2018 7:41:10 AM

New Berlin,NY

Here is any and all relevant information not currently present that I can think may help to identify the root cause.

I have been growing in the same plot for 5 years now. Garden is 90X90, and i rotate where the giants are planted, never planting them in the same spot 2 years in a row.

My soil amendments this year were mainly composted sheep/horse and chicken poo. There was some Boron(Not a lot), 12-12-12, zinc and Mag sulfate added.

Plants grew too well in the hoop houses (Warmer than normal may) and stunted a touch when the hoops came off the first of June. Growth of the plant, and overall plant health on the new growth is great. Nice leaves, good/great color, normal to slightly above normal growth and patch coverage in June.

Fertilizer treatments in may and light as we can get down into the 20's at night and I do not encourage fast growth in May as the plants would quickly out grow my 8X4 houses. A diluted Miracle Grow mixture is all they get.
Once the houses come off I do a half strength Blossom booster with some calcium. Mid to late june they get full strength Blossom Booster, a little boron, and calcium.

I vine bury every two days when conditions allow, and bury with a compost/topsoil mixture with Azos and Micos.

The one difference this year over other years is that June has been Dry, I over heard water in late morning, early afternoon from a well.

6/29/2018 9:29:50 AM

New Berlin,NY

and lime

6/29/2018 9:52:10 AM

Central Illinois

Did you use any chemicals I read that honor Guard- banner max
is known to have growth regulating effects & may reduce flower formation if used before flowering

6/29/2018 10:36:36 AM

Menomonie, WI (mail@gr8pumpkin.net)

That is odd. You are not a new grower so I will not ask if you are checking old males, or males later in the afternoon after the bees have stolen it all. Are the males fully opening? I know if I store mine inside I sometimes have to hit them with the hair dryer on low to make them open and produce pollen.

6/29/2018 1:13:51 PM

New Berlin,NY

The only Chemical i use is seven for cucumber beatles.

I get my males the night before they should open. Glass of warm water for use in the morning.

6/29/2018 2:36:08 PM

New Berlin,NY

http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=292579
http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=292585

There is two pictures of the Male flowers.

I did get a few last night that were normal.

7/1/2018 12:39:36 AM

Syracuse, NY

I don't think that half-strength applications of a blossom booster (like, 15-30-15, 10-50-10) would cause your plants to grow FASTER, but would alleviate the concern that there is not enough Phosphorous in the soil/plant/water, etc. to enhance the flowering and rooting processes. we've seemingly lost track of why the fertilizers HAVE these combinations in recent years; everybody has their own mixtures and regimens. 0-0-60 seems to surface when anyone is trying to grow their fruit just before the weighoff. Joel Holland throws down Urea or similar in a 10-foot-radius circle before tilling for an initial growth spurt. we are supposed to switch to what the plant(s) NEED when the times come for each. Lotta growth = lotsa Nitrogen; Lotta flowers = lotsa Phosphorous; Lotta weight = lotsa Potassium...the only thing my plants have gotten since planting in Mid to late May has been FULL-strength Miracle-Gro 15-30-15; i JUST yesterday let my 1585 Werner out of its 8' x 8' floating row cover greenhouse and got a sprinkler on it - several more to get that treatment today; I'm SO excited! Aside from being a bit 'bewildered' from lack of serious waterings, they look terrific, green and stocky; I'd better get some sleep before i do that, lol---I would water the hell out of my plants with whatever the LABEL says on any fertilizer you use, even if on only one plant as a test, but, if MY plants look good...

7/1/2018 8:13:10 AM

Syracuse, NY

In re-reading it all, i will amend it to saying that once the GHs come off, by all means, start in then with the full-strength of anything (the beginning of seeing grownup male flowers is the alert that the plant knows what time of year it is). eg

7/1/2018 8:42:02 AM

Central Illinois

try some seaweed, it couldn't hurt anything

7/1/2018 10:55:23 AM

Germany

While spending some time on BP I better should have checked the males on ALL of my plants. This year I found out (by the unusual "growth" of the fruit, which did stay shiny, didn´t grow and didn´t abort either) that there must be something wrong with the plant, and inspection of the males finally confirmed my guess...sterile plant.

http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=293213

7/9/2018 5:52:36 AM

Georgia

My main plant did that last year. Hundreds of male blooms, no stamen. I took to driving the countryside looking for any other growers who might have some pollen. Lots and lots of rain, no interesting fertilizer or insecticide; I assumed at the time it was genetic.

6/30/2019 5:20:30 PM