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Help with growing pumpkins please

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  • Help with growing pumpkins please

    Hi folks,

    We could really do with a bit of advice, as we are very frustrated by our pumpkin this year.

    We have had lots of male and female flowers on a non named variety plug plant we picked up at the local GC, and which has flourished well as a plant, being a good 6 ft or so across.

    We have had a lot of female flowers open, and these have been pollenated by us, using male flowers from elsewhere on the plant, as leaving it to the bees wasn't working.

    The flowers have then died off leaving a "bulb" about the same size as a golf ball or bigger, but every time, this has rotted about a week later.

    The plant was suffering from a bit of mildew (white powdery like clusters on the top of the leaves), which we have been struggling to clear given the extent of it.

    What have we done wrong?

    We are both that frustrated that we are writing off the idea of pumpkins and squashes next year,
    Last edited by out in the cold; 25-08-2013, 07:10 PM.
    Quanti canicula ille in fenestra ?

  • #2
    The pumpkins have rotted because they haven't been fertilised properly.

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    • #3
      Cheers rusty.

      How would I encourage / ensure this if we do decide to try again next year?
      Quanti canicula ille in fenestra ?

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      • #4
        They did grow a bit after the flowers dropped off though. Maybe as big as a tennis ball in some cases. Would this still be the case?
        Quanti canicula ille in fenestra ?

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        • #5
          They're hungry and thirsty plants. Has it been getting enough feed and water?

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          • #6
            I gave them loads of water rusty.

            Watered just about every second or third day during the height of summer (to make sure didn't dry out, but not over watering) and had regular chicken poo pellets. It was planted on top of a pile of rotted horse dung when it went in too.
            Quanti canicula ille in fenestra ?

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            • #7
              Are they mini-pumpkins?

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              • #8
                Not sure VC.

                It just said "Pumpkin" IIRC. I sort of assumed they would be a bit bigger than the tomatoes though
                Quanti canicula ille in fenestra ?

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by out in the cold View Post
                  I gave them loads of water rusty.

                  Watered just about every second or third day during the height of summer (to make sure didn't dry out, but not over watering) and had regular chicken poo pellets. It was planted on top of a pile of rotted horse dung when it went in too.
                  Chicken poo = high in nitrogen, so will create lots if green growth at the expense of flowers/fruit.

                  A 5 gallon sized hole filled with manure/compost is what mine get- when planted out. Mainly for the moisture retention. When female flowers form i feed with comfrey, but a tomato feed would do too. The female ones are always a couple of weeks behind the male ones.

                  Mine are enormous- have never had them so large (feeding weekly with comfrey tea).

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                  • #10
                    I agree with Chris there; once they're flowering with female flowers, I switch to tomato type feed (high potassium), whether home-made comfrey or organic shop-bought. I very rarely use chicken manure pellets after the initial bed/planting out preparations.

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                    • #11
                      Do you know, it's the first time I've grown them. I just shoved them in our awful soil and hoped for the best! They are rambling all over the garden 5 have large green globes larger than tennis balls. The rest have lots of flowers but no fruit. I never thought to feed them and they've only been watered when it rains! Looks like I had better start paying them some attention!


                      Sent from my iPhone using Grow Your Own Forum mobile app
                      You may say I'm a dreamer... But I'm not the only one...


                      I'm an official nutter - an official 'cropper' of a nutter! I am sooooo pleased to be a cropper! Hurrah!

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                      • #12
                        I feed mine with comfrey tea too
                        Granny on the Game in Sheffield

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