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Santa Cruz, CA

We are thinking of crossing a wheel shaped pumpkin with a long pumpkin. Are there problems with that type of cross? Does the big difference in shape tend to stress the pumpkin from that cross out? Would you find a higher percentage of splits? or does new pumpkin tend to take on a combined shape of the two pumpkins? (ie: tall and long)Maybe the combination is out of our control and will be what it is. Maybe long, maybe wheel or maybe the combo. Thanks for your thoughts!

2/12/2007 1:56:38 AM

Netherlands

The shape of the mother does not dictate the shape of the pumpkin-to-be. Wheels can throw long ones and visa versa. A certain plant can throw several different shapes even.
Last year I had a wheel from a long-shaped mother. It's sib was long and low.

2/12/2007 11:25:41 AM

Montoursville, PA

Many ole time gardeners consistantly and for generations have crossed good with good to improve their seed and genetic factors of the new seed. This works for them. Consistant selection of the finest seed from the best quality plant or fruit has many followers today.

2/12/2007 11:35:30 AM

Western NY

depends on what you mean by "crossing a wheel shaped pumpkin with a long one".

if you are growing 2 plants, and one grows a wheel for you, and the pollinating plant grows a long one, the offspring can be an "average" of the two shapes (fairly round). I have seen it with my own seed.

2/12/2007 11:48:56 AM

Rhode Island

The 1068 wallace while not exactly a wheel was definately a bagel shape and grew on its blossom.

To my knowledge only a couple offspring from the 1068 was a true wheel. most will be round and big at the stem ends or tapered at the blosson and round at the stem. i attribute this to the 898 pollinator.

the pollinator has a great effecton what you are attempting to accomplish.

pap

2/12/2007 12:20:23 PM

Santa Cruz, CA

Last year we grew the 1180 Daletas and crossed it with the 1420 LaRue for the 630 Sprinsock. It went 20% heavy. The 1420 was the fastest growing pumpkin in our patch and DMG at 540 lbs. It was a wheel shaped pumpkin with an off centered blossom end. The Daletas was a long and low steady grower. Sounds like what you are writing in the above posts is that we could get a variety of shapes when we grow the 630 Sprinsock seed this year. We are going to cross it with the 1502 (Thanks again Ron and Dick!). I was hoping we would get a fast growing long but possibly not so low pumpkin. My understanding is the male pollinator has no genetic say in producing the growing pumpkin from that cross but does play a 50% part in the seeds from that cross. Is that correct?

2/13/2007 8:17:09 PM

Rhode Island

correct Riley ( i think its riley? )

This years pumpkin will not show any effect from the pollinator until the offspring seeds are gathered after the pumpkin reaches maturity amd are replanted.

Likewise, that 1502 you are planting should have a great shape.
The mother as you saw was full at the shoulders, ,kinda shaped like a big strawberry ( tapered at the blossom end)
and a bit odf a wide / low rider.

The 1354 checkon that we used as a pollinator on the 1502 thru off a whitish colored round fully shaped pumpkin. (taped 720 if memory serves me correctly and weighed 970 )
when you consider the 1502 pumpkin was way over the charts and the pollinator plant used on the 1502 thru a pumpkin way over the charts, you just might have caught lightning in a bottle? time will tell.

PS--- THANKS FOR THE PERSONALIZED MEMBERSHIP ENVELOPE LOL

PAP

2/13/2007 11:20:37 PM

Santa Cruz, CA

Thanks everyone for the help. We are really excited about this years seed line-up. It's not all the way figured out yet but Riley, my 12 year old son and I are going to grow five plants this year. There are so many great seeds out there it's hard to choose from them all. Thanks again- Kristine

2/14/2007 12:59:32 AM