I had no idea!!! I have a volunteer pumpkin patch growing from my pumpkin this past Halloween I have been getting a few flowers now I’m excited to see male female !!
Hi Roger what happens if the flower of small pumpkin comes out after its pollinated?? Because I was doing cushion with grass for it, and by mistake my hand touched it and it came out. Will my pumpkin not become big??
Hi, thanks for your excellent question! It is quite normal for the flower to fall off but there needs to be enough time for 'nature to do its thing' before the flower drops off ... so the key question is how does it need for the magic to happen ...? I would guess that it will take about a day, so if your flower fell off in less than a day after pollination then it might not have had enough time ... how long was it do you think?
When you have multiple pumpkin plants, are you better off hand pollinating the male of one plant to the female of a different plant or is it better to do male of one plant to the female of the same plant or doesn’t it not matter either way?
Hi - thanks for your comment, I am not sure but don't think it really matters - I have previously had just one plants and used its own male flowers to pollinate and had good results - so it should be fine either way ... unless anybody else out there in TH-cam lands knows better?
I sometimes take the male flowers that haven't bloomed yet. I'm not a morning person so that male flowers pollen are gone everytime I go look. Because i know it is about to bloom in the morning next day due to the flower looking yellow.
@@rogthegardener1 thx. It's the first time growing my own, but it have worked so far. It's early to say this but I strongly recommend this method, and you could store that pollinate in the freezer till the pumpkin season is over I guess. I have seen this method by other plants and fruits growers and it should work as good.
Hi again Tami - thanks for your questions, I would wait for the flower to open properly on its own because that is when the female part (Stigma) is 'ripe' and ready to receive the pollen, if you open it too soon it may not be ready to receive the pollen - does that make sense?
@@rogthegardener1 yes! Perfect sense. I thought it might be best to wait, but I got some "advice" to do the taping. Thank you so much again for your responses! I think it's super that you take the time to answer questions. 😁
Hi Roger, I have 8 pumpkin plants, all growing well. However only the female flowers will bloom, all male flowers will die prematurely - turned black & dropped off. Why is that so? Soil is lack of potassium ? Thanks
Hi - thanks for your comment - if you are getting plenty of flowers your soil probably has enough potash (if they were all leaf but no flowers that could be a sign that you need to add some potash) The problem you have described is a quite a common one - the plant produces flowers but not the right mix of male and female at the right time ... it usually works itself out, and eventually you will get male and female flowers at the same time .. I hope so anyway! also worth remembering that sometimes bees can bring pollen from another pumpkin plant from another garden .. so hopefully either way you will get some pollinated flowers soon - please keep us updates with any progress, thanks!
Question: can you pollinate a female after she's already closed up? Can you pollinate a pumpkin more than once? And is a paintbrush less effective than using the male flower itself?
Hi Tami - thanks for your comment, I have tried to open up a closed female flower to pollinate but usually I find that the centre (stigma I think) of the flower where you place the pollen is often starting to go black so it is too late ... but if it is still fresh looking yes it is worth a go. Not sure about the paint brush option, I don't have one to hand, but some people say that it works fine for them ... I would be very gentle though
Hi - that's a good question! I don't: maybe some others do ... anyone in 'TH-cam land' out there who does please let us know ... I suppose one advantage may be that the cover would add some protection from rain ... but on the other hand it might also restrict access for bees who can also help greatly with pollination? Thanks again for your comment, please let us know how you get on ... Roger
Hi - thanks for your comment, I usually try to pollinate as many as I can see - you can always remove a couple if you have too many fruits forming. Keep the plants really well watered that is key to setting fruits
Hi Mary - I am not sure that there is much you can do ... apart from waiting, possibly a little tomato fertilizer (or another high potash feed) - that will encourage more flowers but they could be male or female, I have had the same experience in previous years and the female flowers do eventually arrive, and some of the plants in our gardens this year have only just started producing females in the last few days .. so you are not alone - please keep us posted ....thanks
Roger Crookes I was going to post my pumpkin patch but this site won’t let me. Anyway, what a difference a month made! I now have 6 pumpkins growing, very nice size! I am concerned about powdery mildew. Seems to be getting away from me. I spray baking soda/dish soap/ veg oil but it doesn’t seem to be helping. May be time to break out the heavy chemical fungicide.
@@marymady614 hey that’s encouraging with 6 pumpkins! Maybe a combination of removing the worst affected leaves and spraying with a fungicide ... I don’t think it has got so bad for me to need to spray, it would be helpful if we could post pictures on TH-cam wouldn’t it? Thanks for the update, keep us posted 😊
My pumpkin become yellow and die after 3-4 days after pollination. I have put ash, fertilizer, cow dung to the soil and mixed it. What is the problem? Why my pumpkin become yellow and die? This is for 4th time. Please help!!
Oh Queenie, sorry to hear about this, it can happen for several possible reasons (and it has happened to me too in the past, so please don't give up 🙂) I have found it can happen towards the start of the season when the plant is still growing its roots - it needs plenty of roots, and the water that they supply to the plant, to support the developing fruits. Can I ask a couple of questions - where in the world do you live? - what is the weather like there at the moment, what temperatures ... any rain? - What is the base soil like .. does it get dry easily - what soil preparation did you do before planting? I know you used some cow dung etc - was it well rotted or quite fresh? did you add any compost to the soil? - how does the plant look - does it look healthy, ... big green leaves? ... no yellowing leaves? how big is the plant? Sorry to ask all these questions, I wish I could visit your garden to see you plant ... but I think you are too far away!?
@@rogthegardener1 I live in Goa-Varca. Not its winter season but too hot weather in not good. The soil is from field it is grey in colour it gets dry fast but the soil near the pumpkin plant is wet I add lots of water. Before planting I did not do anything. After many days I was putting cow dung and ash. For first time it was wet after 1 month I added more it was dry. I also added ash, fertilizer for second time. The plant is healthy. It is mighy be 5-6 metes long but the down part leaves are yellow. Thank u sir but u dont waste your time to visit here. Thank u very much!! Can I ask you another question. My mom tell not to look the pumpkin after or pollination because if u look os again and again they die. I dont no if she is right and I make joke of her and look the pumpkin again and again. Please tell me sir is my mom correct?
@@queenierodrigues1428 Hi Queenie, Wow Goa looks lovely - and very hot compared to here in Wales in the UK - here in the UK our normal summer days are only around 18-20 degrees C - whereas you are over 30 degrees I think? That means that keeping lots of water around the roots will be very helpful for you - as it is water that fills up the small pumpkins to make them large. We like to put lots of compost / organic matter in the soil before we plant please see this other video of mine which shows how we do this th-cam.com/video/pbrYNgxMKzQ/w-d-xo.html . Re your Mums idea … 🙂 I have never heard of this before here in the UK … but she can't be wrong because I believe mums are always right in what they say ...? (I heard this from my Mum! 🙂) My best regards to you and your Mum - please let me know if you manage to get a pumpkin or two this year - thanks Roger
Hi Roger I have hand pollinated a pumpkin. The pumpkin is small and will be pollinated. But the problem is some jelly like structure is growing on the pumpkin. Plz tell me what I can do to avoid this.
I had no idea!!! I have a volunteer pumpkin patch growing from my pumpkin this past Halloween I have been getting a few flowers now I’m excited to see male female !!
Thanks for your comment, enjoy your garden … and all those lovely pumpkins !
Very helpful! No idea what I would do before the days of internet research and TH-cam visual aids with good instruction like your video thank you
Thanks very much for your comment - enjoy your garden!
Just did this hand pollination to my little female flower!
:-) Brilliant - should start swelling in a week or so ...
Hi Roger what happens if the flower of small pumpkin comes out after its pollinated?? Because I was doing cushion with grass for it, and by mistake my hand touched it and it came out. Will my pumpkin not become big??
Hi, thanks for your excellent question! It is quite normal for the flower to fall off but there needs to be enough time for 'nature to do its thing' before the flower drops off ... so the key question is how does it need for the magic to happen ...? I would guess that it will take about a day, so if your flower fell off in less than a day after pollination then it might not have had enough time ... how long was it do you think?
@@rogthegardener1 After 1 day the flower fell by me. So there is no fear to the pumpkin no?? My pumpkin will grow normal no without the flower??
When you have multiple pumpkin plants, are you better off hand pollinating the male of one plant to the female of a different plant or is it better to do male of one plant to the female of the same plant or doesn’t it not matter either way?
Hi - thanks for your comment, I am not sure but don't think it really matters - I have previously had just one plants and used its own male flowers to pollinate and had good results - so it should be fine either way ... unless anybody else out there in TH-cam lands knows better?
I sometimes take the male flowers that haven't bloomed yet. I'm not a morning person so that male flowers pollen are gone everytime I go look.
Because i know it is about to bloom in the morning next day due to the flower looking yellow.
Good idea, especially if it works 👍😀, yes I am not a huge fan of early mornings either
Thanks for your comment, enjoy your garden 👍
@@rogthegardener1 thx. It's the first time growing my own, but it have worked so far.
It's early to say this but I strongly recommend this method, and you could store that pollinate in the freezer till the pumpkin season is over I guess.
I have seen this method by other plants and fruits growers and it should work as good.
Oh, one last- is it a good idea to open a female that has not yet opened, and if you do, should you tape up the female after pollinating her?
Hi again Tami - thanks for your questions, I would wait for the flower to open properly on its own because that is when the female part (Stigma) is 'ripe' and ready to receive the pollen, if you open it too soon it may not be ready to receive the pollen - does that make sense?
@@rogthegardener1 yes! Perfect sense. I thought it might be best to wait, but I got some "advice" to do the taping. Thank you so much again for your responses! I think it's super that you take the time to answer questions. 😁
Hi Roger, I have 8 pumpkin plants, all growing well. However only the female flowers will bloom, all male flowers will die prematurely - turned black & dropped off. Why is that so? Soil is lack of potassium ? Thanks
Hi - thanks for your comment - if you are getting plenty of flowers your soil probably has enough potash (if they were all leaf but no flowers that could be a sign that you need to add some potash) The problem you have described is a quite a common one - the plant produces flowers but not the right mix of male and female at the right time ... it usually works itself out, and eventually you will get male and female flowers at the same time .. I hope so anyway! also worth remembering that sometimes bees can bring pollen from another pumpkin plant from another garden .. so hopefully either way you will get some pollinated flowers soon - please keep us updates with any progress, thanks!
Question: can you pollinate a female after she's already closed up? Can you pollinate a pumpkin more than once? And is a paintbrush less effective than using the male flower itself?
Hi Tami - thanks for your comment, I have tried to open up a closed female flower to pollinate but usually I find that the centre (stigma I think) of the flower where you place the pollen is often starting to go black so it is too late ... but if it is still fresh looking yes it is worth a go. Not sure about the paint brush option, I don't have one to hand, but some people say that it works fine for them ... I would be very gentle though
@@rogthegardener1 okay, thank you so much for your response!
Should we cover pumpkin with plastic cover after pollination??
Hi - that's a good question! I don't: maybe some others do ... anyone in 'TH-cam land' out there who does please let us know ... I suppose one advantage may be that the cover would add some protection from rain ... but on the other hand it might also restrict access for bees who can also help greatly with pollination? Thanks again for your comment, please let us know how you get on ...
Roger
Hi ,
How many female flowers need to be pollinated ? I have tons of small female fruit dying. Any ideas ?
Hi - thanks for your comment, I usually try to pollinate as many as I can see - you can always remove a couple if you have too many fruits forming. Keep the plants really well watered that is key to setting fruits
My pumpkin patch only has male flowers. I planted early June. Today is July 23. Help!
Hi Mary - I am not sure that there is much you can do ... apart from waiting, possibly a little tomato fertilizer (or another high potash feed) - that will encourage more flowers but they could be male or female, I have had the same experience in previous years and the female flowers do eventually arrive, and some of the plants in our gardens this year have only just started producing females in the last few days .. so you are not alone - please keep us posted ....thanks
I got a female flower! Hoody Whooo!
@@marymady614 Hey - congratulations!! let the fun commence ... would love to know how your crop does, thanks
Roger Crookes I was going to post my pumpkin patch but this site won’t let me. Anyway, what a difference a month made! I now have 6 pumpkins growing, very nice size! I am concerned about powdery mildew. Seems to be getting away from me. I spray baking soda/dish soap/ veg oil but it doesn’t seem to be helping. May be time to break out the heavy chemical fungicide.
@@marymady614 hey that’s encouraging with 6 pumpkins! Maybe a combination of removing the worst affected leaves and spraying with a fungicide ... I don’t think it has got so bad for me to need to spray, it would be helpful if we could post pictures on TH-cam wouldn’t it?
Thanks for the update, keep us posted 😊
My pumpkin become yellow and die after 3-4 days after pollination. I have put ash, fertilizer, cow dung to the soil and mixed it. What is the problem? Why my pumpkin become yellow and die? This is for 4th time. Please help!!
Oh Queenie, sorry to hear about this, it can happen for several possible reasons (and it has happened to me too in the past, so please don't give up 🙂)
I have found it can happen towards the start of the season when the plant is still growing its roots - it needs plenty of roots, and the water that they supply to the plant, to support the developing fruits.
Can I ask a couple of questions
- where in the world do you live?
- what is the weather like there at the moment, what temperatures ... any rain?
- What is the base soil like .. does it get dry easily
- what soil preparation did you do before planting? I know you used some cow dung etc - was it well rotted or quite fresh? did you add any compost to the soil?
- how does the plant look - does it look healthy, ... big green leaves? ... no yellowing leaves? how big is the plant?
Sorry to ask all these questions, I wish I could visit your garden to see you plant ... but I think you are too far away!?
@@rogthegardener1 I live in Goa-Varca. Not its winter season but too hot weather in not good. The soil is from field it is grey in colour it gets dry fast but the soil near the pumpkin plant is wet I add lots of water. Before planting I did not do anything. After many days I was putting cow dung and ash. For first time it was wet after 1 month I added more it was dry. I also added ash, fertilizer for second time. The plant is healthy. It is mighy be 5-6 metes long but the down part leaves are yellow. Thank u sir but u dont waste your time to visit here. Thank u very much!! Can I ask you another question. My mom tell not to look the pumpkin after or pollination because if u look os again and again they die. I dont no if she is right and I make joke of her and look the pumpkin again and again. Please tell me sir is my mom correct?
@@queenierodrigues1428
Hi Queenie,
Wow Goa looks lovely - and very hot compared to here in Wales in the UK - here in the UK our normal summer days are only around 18-20 degrees C - whereas you are over 30 degrees I think?
That means that keeping lots of water around the roots will be very helpful for you - as it is water that fills up the small pumpkins to make them large.
We like to put lots of compost / organic matter in the soil before we plant please see this other video of mine which shows how we do this th-cam.com/video/pbrYNgxMKzQ/w-d-xo.html .
Re your Mums idea … 🙂 I have never heard of this before here in the UK … but she can't be wrong because I believe mums are always right in what they say ...? (I heard this from my Mum! 🙂)
My best regards to you and your Mum - please let me know if you manage to get a pumpkin or two this year - thanks
Roger
@@rogthegardener1 I will surely tell you if I get pumpkin
Hi Roger I have hand pollinated a pumpkin. The pumpkin is small and will be pollinated. But the problem is some jelly like structure is growing on the pumpkin. Plz tell me what I can do to avoid this.