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Belgium/brussels

Hi !
I'm very happy, because the first males on the plants have opened today...
But, the males are the pollinators for the females, so the night before a male or female opens, I should cover it.
But does the male flower open every day ? So when I recover a male before it blooms, is it going to open every day or not ?
I've heard the the female flower should be pollinated the first day it opens....
Is this correct ???
Thanks in advance.Love, Stijn

6/13/2003 12:03:28 PM

Garden State Pumpkins

No Stijn, tomorrow the flower will be gone. That's why many growers have side plants growing as pollenators...If that female opens and you don't have any males your up the proverbial creek....read pappy's diary two tears ago!

6/13/2003 12:09:12 PM

Cologne / Germany

Stijn, you can pick the male flowers a night before they will open and have good pollinators for a couple of days storing them in a glass of water in your fridge. From here, you live three hours to go by car, do you have it as humid as it is over here? Last season I had wet pollen several times and pollination was not sucessful. So take the males inside and cover the females, that should work. A diary pic from 2002: http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=5416

6/13/2003 12:31:49 PM

Appalachian Mtns.

Nice..good job floh. Thanks for that handy tip and pic.

6/14/2003 12:24:02 AM