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Ohio

Last year this seemed to work very well. I have to be at work at 530 am in the morning so about 500am when its still dark outside and I know the female is going to open that morning I will force the females peddles open and dump my pollen in and secure it shut after. Just wondering how many have done it this way and how well it works for them. I have a very good success rate this way.

Brooks

6/9/2005 6:12:50 AM

Belgium

Brooks-I did the same thing last year and it set fine.

Jake

6/9/2005 7:11:57 AM

Montoursville, PA

I did that so I could go fishing at dawn, in the cool of the morning. Drives the neighbors nuts trying, to figure out what the heck is going on. I tell them I'm shooting cattle grade steroids, to them hoping, to avert an abort. :)

6/9/2005 8:14:29 AM

Butler, Ohio

Good idea Brooks, I'll have to try that this year as I too get up very early for work, and am gone for the better part of the day. Mike

6/9/2005 6:07:50 PM

Indiana

I believe welty starts at like 4 am sometimes

6/9/2005 8:45:34 PM

Mastic Beach, New York

lmao i do the same thing...my wife calls it rape when i force them open!!

6/9/2005 9:21:57 PM

Www.extremepumpkinstore.com

omg!!!!!!! lmfao!!!!!!!!!!!! my sides hurt!

6/9/2005 9:24:43 PM

Ohio

Baaaaa HAHAHAHA

6/9/2005 10:14:45 PM

I have successfully pollinated at around 5:30 before too (I rub the males though, I don't dump... ha ha). Usually I pollinate around 7:00 though. However, this year I will probably be doing the early thing like you because I have to be at work at 6:00.

6/9/2005 10:18:21 PM

[email protected]

I've had trouble finding male pollen this early unless I harvest the night before & keep them warm on the oven door.

Any other tricks for harvesting pollen?

6/9/2005 10:38:29 PM

Springfield, MO

I'm with Steve. It seems like the little seams containing the male pollen don't really burst open until they get hit by a little warmth and light. I think I've actually seen them opening, and sometimes a few warm breaths on the male blossom seem actually to speed the process. I confess I've never tried to pollinate in the pre-dawn dark before, however. -- Chris

6/9/2005 11:43:22 PM

Central Oklahoma ( [email protected])

....OMG... you guys are cracking me up. I also go to work early and do the same thing. My wife will call me at work and ask if I pimped my pumpkin this morning or does she need to. She thinks she is funny

6/9/2005 11:54:34 PM

Ontario, Canada.

Brooks, You are a fine pumpkin pornicator.

6/10/2005 12:35:44 AM

Deer Park WA

Arise slumbering Dragon tricks,,, Cut the male in the early AM and place it in a vase of hot water with a crushed asprin. It will open within an hour or so (as long as you know how to pick a prime one). Viagra will probably work better, but I dont have a need for any of those around the house yet! Another trick is to pick the males prior to them bursting and place them in a vase in the fridg with a string over the flower you can hold them for a day or two that way. One last sperminanotor trick; if the males are looking scarce, prune off all the early wimpy looking males (imature ones) and foliar feed with --X a few days before you think the prime female will open, should cause the horn dogs to rise to the occassion. Last resort try freezing males,,, last, last, resort pollinate it with a zuccinne (sP) from the neighbous garden!

6/10/2005 12:55:41 AM

Circleville ,OH.

I had to do it last year by 4:00am so I could go to work.It works fine. To get the male pollen sacs to open ,hold a hair dryer on them for about 5 mins and you'll have all the pollen you need.My success rate was also very good this way.

P.S. dont tell those you work with what you were doing before you came to work!!!!

6/10/2005 3:34:56 AM

Ohio

LOL kahuna!!

I pick my males that I know is going to open the next day that night and I take a pin and scrape the pollen out with a large pin,I then put into small pill bottle in frig, I force them open as well about 10:00pm that night,you would be surprised how much pollen you get outta em,there is also some that will fool you that isnt ready.

6/10/2005 5:07:52 AM

Appalachian Mtns.

Cut the males the night before, place them in the fridge in 20oz styrofoam cups with a touch of water. Get up at 4:30-5:00 to beat the bees,(you can't) start the truck, and turn the windshield heat defroster on.
By the time you've gone and gotten your Coleman lantern fired up, coal miners head lamp on, and stuff ready to go out and pollinate, the male flowers are warmed up, open, and the pollen is nice and dry for easy pollination transfer.
Works like a charm every time.
(PS...I've found if you have to force a female open, it probably isn't really going to be ready until the next day)

6/11/2005 6:24:55 AM

Appalachian Mtns.

PS...Set the styrofoam cups on the defroster vents of course...

6/11/2005 6:25:50 AM

Ontario, Canada.

Last season I waited for the all important warmth before attempting pollination. I never considered opening the flower early.

I had previously stored several male flowers for many days. In fact all of my plants had their own air tight storage container in the refrigerator for pollen storage.

On some of the cooler mornings I picked the flowers and set them on the oven door to warm up so the pollen could be harvested for later use that same morning. The flowers can be picked in the morning or the night before they open. Set on a sunny window sill to open indoors. Remove the petals and store the whole stub of the Anther and stamen with about a inch or so of stem(peduncle) only. Carefully remove the petals without disturbing the loose pollen grains. This is best done in the late afternoon or early evening after the flowers have been opened for a few hours. This technique allows you gather lots of dry pollen from each flower. You may over a few days accumulate several flowers from each plant. Refrigerate the freshly harvested potential pollinators in containers and wait for the first available cross to commence copulation.

Freezing the pollen allows for much long durations of storage time. I have several flowers harvested in the freezer from last years crop and some from the winter plants that produced several indoor flowers.

6/11/2005 9:15:20 AM

Ontario, Canada.

Gads, your comment about using asprin has me curious?

is the asprin feeding the flower or preventing bacteria from multiplying?

Could it prevent the flower from healing the cut by stopping enzymes from close off the wound?

6/11/2005 9:27:50 AM

Appalachian Mtns.

Russ,
Frozen pollen rarely, if ever, works.
You'll find that when you thaw out those flowers from last year, they'll turn to mush and the pollen, and leafs/petals/stems will be all wet and unusable...give it a try and you'll see.

6/12/2005 1:59:20 PM