Pumpkin Flowers

[JimineyC]

My pumpkin plants are growing on and they are beginning to generate the odd flower. However, I've never seen one open fully. I see them look as if they are about to open, and then I'll see them curling in on themselves but they never seem to actually open. Atleast one pumpkin had started to grow but then slugs got it.
Is this normal flower behaviour? It doesn't seem right as they would never get pollinated. It's a male flower as well.

Any ideas? Again, it could be my rookie knowledge level. Searching around I couldn't find an obvious answer though.

Jim

[FoxHillGardener]

mine are making flowers but then, nothing. just how you descibe it JiminyC. Does that mean they're males? they all seem to look the same to me. I remember reading somewhere that they make lots of males first before the females come along. Doesn't seem very efficient to me! When do you get the females?

[Shortie]

I can only talk of butternut squash, but they are in the same family....

If you can see something like a mini pumpkin directly under the flower, it's female. If it's just a flower on stalk, it's male.

Also, some people have problems with the females being pollenated. I always hand pollenate anyway, just to be sure

Hope that helps !

[JimineyC]

Today - popped out before work and bingo - a male flower fully opened! So, it can happen, I'll just have to see if this one curls up. It's the only one that is exposed to sunlight so I don't know whether that matters.
However, there are no female flowers open to hand pollinate yet, although one looks close. Shortie is right - the male flower is just the flower at the end of a stem -the female flower sits on top of a ball at the top of the stem - and this ball is the proto-pumpkin I believe (if i get a chance later I can post some photos).
I hadn't read about the production of lots of male flowers first but my plants certainly bear that out. I will hand pollinate if male and female open simultaneously (or go out into the garden and have sex with my flowers as my lass calls it).
I have got some butternut's growing as well though the first few plants were slug munched so these are behind my pumpkins.
And it all helps Shortie (and FoxHill)- I'm the only person I know who's growing veg so at the moment this is my only outlet for veg advice.

[Shortie]

We're happy to help (and greatful for your advise too)

The male flowers don't tend to last very long, mine last about 2 days before they start looking sorry for themselves... I think the pollen if still viable though..? Or at least it didn't stop me using it last year!

I've started to get males now but only had one female (whose flowere I knocked off before it was pollenated ). I think the males do start ahead of the females... not idea why though as that seems like a watse of the plant's energy to me! Must be a valid reason, just can't think of one...

[JimineyC]

So here they are. The female, about to flower on top of the green bulge, and a male about to flower next to a male that has curled up without me ever noticing it open. They have the flowering life of a mayfly! The male that had flowered this morning is already curled. If I did a timelapse film of the pumpkin it would look like fireworks.

[nick the grief]

we don't want to see any more Jiminey You'll be having LJ moderating it else

[Shortie]

Question.... I have kobacha and butternut squash growing. I'd like to try and keep the resulting seeds true for next year's plantings... I always hand pollenate mine.

Does anyone know if I have to keep the pollen seperate for each variety? I.e. if I was pollenating my butternut with a butternut male and spotted a kobacha female and have no males,I realise it will pollenate okay, but will the seeds of that kabocha be true to type?

[JimineyC]

I don't know off hand but wouldn't pollinating one type with a different type produce a hybrid?

[Saoirse]

Hello!

Thought that I would add my penny worth... Not sure if you would get cross pollination between squash types, as it is often the case that the pollen grain will not "fit" the female part of the "wrong" flower. So fertilisation cannot take place. So you would have to hand pollinate with a male flower of the same squash: I've read that you need to gently pull off the male petals and then apply it to the female flower.

Does anyone know if this applies to aubergines too? I've lots of flowers but no fruit...

Nicky

[JimineyC]

I wouldn't see why not. If you have no fruit it can't hurt to try, though I don't know when aubergines start to fruit.
Popped out this morning and male and female pumpkin flowers were open so I grabbed a feather one of the wood pigeons left and hand pollinated. They seem to open very early pumpkin flowers.

[iainhawk]

Hi

you can cross pollinate squash, but the hybrids will be the seeds within the fruit and you will only see anything different if you go on to plant these seeds next year and the plants then will product hybrid squash- only if the seeds are fertile. It is not that easy to do and all of the varieties are not compatible-

cross pollination in this year does not affect the fruits.

It is very common for squash to produce even hundreds of male flowers before producing a female, and even to start producing a female fruit and then to let it die before it is very big - they have to have enough resources to complete a fruit before they will- as always female fruit are a big investment whereas male flowers are not. Your squash probably was not ready yet.

[nick the grief]

the little gits are promiscuous anyway & will have probably cross pollnated with ecveryone elses marrows squash & courgette

[JimineyC]

Just popped out this evening to inspect the pollinated pumpkin and Aaaaaarggh (insert various swear words), there it is on the ground detatched and munched in half. Not slugs in this heat, it must be birds or squirrels. This relates to another post but that's the first two pumpkins I've lost like this now. It's my own fault I suppose, I have protective mesh but I haven't used it. Quite how I'll get it over huge pumpkin plants i'm not sure. Not very amused I can tell you.