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Newmarket, NH USA

Any of you having the same problem we are all having on the east coast my females abort before they open any input on this would be great we are in a serious mess here in New Hampshire I have lost 7 females so far and I have only 2 that look like they may have took. Many other growers are in the same boat as me.

7/6/2005 5:29:08 PM

There was a post about this a few days ago... "females not developing" posted by bear. I've had the same problem as well but after a weather switch, and some Bloom Booster, they seem to be snapping out of the problem. (crossing fingers)

7/6/2005 6:17:27 PM

Manchester,N.H.

I am having same problem they are not even getting than a grape before aborting. I have been able to pollinate only one female.

7/6/2005 7:14:27 PM

Springfield, VT

Some on the plant in the wetter part of the patch. Last weeek I had 3" of rain in 2 days saturating parts of the patch which seems to be my main problem.

7/6/2005 7:32:24 PM

Mastic Beach, New York

my 1071 Houghton plant is doing that it's around the 20ft mark with nothing pollinated..it's a first for me

7/6/2005 7:48:49 PM

Butler, Ohio

I just had my first one abort before it opened this morning. Same as you Dennis. About the size of a grape then...poof!! I cant get one set on the main of this plant for nothin. I think I got a good one goin on the end of the first big secondary, so keep yer fingers crossed. Mike

7/6/2005 7:50:47 PM

Puyallup, WA

....and folks think there ain't "nothin'" to grow a giant pumpkin!

7/6/2005 8:47:50 PM

South Hill, Virginia

Has it been exceptionally hot up there? I have that happen to me every year and I always thought it was the heat down here which is typically in the 90s (with 90%+ humidity) during early July.

I also believe that excess N may play a part.

7/6/2005 10:20:47 PM

South Hill, Virginia

I forgot to mention that I shaded females before they even opened and put ice around them near pollination. It's in my 2002 diary.

7/6/2005 10:22:39 PM

New Hampshire

I haven't had any problems with early aborts. I have pollinated 3 and all 3 are set. The only thing I can think of is that I used little or no ferts early on. Some fish/seaweed, and alot of compost tea in the last few weeks.

7/6/2005 10:30:57 PM

Selbyville, Delaware

I don't think it's the weather, I have no aborts yet.

7/6/2005 10:52:08 PM

San Diego

well, my fruit are aborting in a different way:) They keep blowing up between day 6 to 9! Most amazing thing I've ever seen. Got enough fruit to set that I got a keeper though:)

7/7/2005 12:53:00 AM

Chico, Ca

weird year...seen it here too.

7/7/2005 1:45:49 AM

Canada

Ya i'm having the same issues here, That and the lack of females. I pollinated 1 on monday and it fell off today
and I'll be pollinating another 2-3 the next couple of days
hopefully I can get at least one to take

Dave

7/7/2005 2:56:47 AM

Marion,IN

After too many to count females not developing, I was able to pollinate my first today. I have 5 new ones and have been shading them. The one on the main vine at 15 feet is still growing, so I should know in a couple of days if I will get to pollinate one on my main plant. The heat has been way above normal here.

7/7/2005 7:00:10 PM

Mine are finally developing, you can sure bet that I'm stocking up on ice bottles with the 90's degree heat in the forecast.

7/7/2005 7:35:07 PM

Topsfield, Ma.

Now I'm worried! Two plants and two aborts before even opening at around 8-10 feet out. Couple more coming and wasn't worrying any until now...geeesh! Some critter got to a back main fruit about ping pong ball size today...electric
fence went up today! Haven't fertilized yet this year. What's going on?

7/7/2005 9:23:50 PM

South Hill, Virginia

I really hope we can come up with a solution to this problem because it's plagued me for years. I guess that was why I assumed to was the heat...because it happened down here and not up there. Thats really poor deductive reasoning on my part but I've been grasping at straws. Maybe it is the heat but that is just a guess.

I have more confidence in the fertilizer overdose theory because of something I saw one year. Excuse me if you've heard this story before but I had a row of tomatos one year along the edge of my patch. Since it was convenient the tomatos were on the same watering system as my pumpkins and were getting a steady dose of the water soluable fertilizer that was going through the pumpkin watering system via an injector. I got the biggest, prettiest tomato plants I ever had but never got the first tomato. Just blooms then no tomatos. Never had that happen before or since but then again it was the only time I fertilized tomatos like that.

Maybe it's the convergence of several different factors. I don't really know.

7/8/2005 2:28:25 PM

Mansfield, Ma

I am having a problem with the females and was wondering if anyone had some suggestions. My plant seems very healthy but the females are not developing at all. I only see dried up little nubs about the size of a pea or smaller for the female blossoms. This is true for all the females so far. I am getting male blossoms. Help.

7/9/2005 9:07:41 AM

Montoursville, PA

Me too.........but the last three over the past full week or so have pollinated. Not far enough along to know, for sure, that we are beyond the early abort time period.

In this area patches that had an early chemical boost are not producing flowers nearly as well as patches that were not pushed at all.

7/9/2005 10:00:52 AM

Canada

I went out and purchased a roll of lanscape material today
and now my entire patch is shaded, which keeps the plants just a tad cooler as temps are back in the 90's today, females i saw developing at the tips the flowers on the tips of these are browing which = more aborts, Hopefully
the entire plants being shaded and temps a tad cooler, next few females to show hopefully will develope and open for pollination.

I guess even later pollinations last week in July first week in aug still have 60 days of growing so ya we might still have time to get some descent sized fruit, might mean early main terminations along with secondarys but i'll see what happens.

this heat is a killer and along with NO RAIN makes this matter much worse :-(

Dave

7/9/2005 2:35:00 PM