Message Board - BigPumpkins.com

I think the pollinating problems are only to do with the 895 Hester group of squash, I as well as others have had nothing but problems getting a set on the 895 line, As i have read on here, even the Mckenzie seeds are tough.
I have never had a prblem with the Beachy, and Andrews Squash, but they come from different lines with little or none of the 895 in them

7/3/2007 7:38:18 PM

Stevenson

Ft. Branch, IN ([email protected])

I am growing three squash this year, all with the 895* line. All three plants are aborting fruit left and right. I think I may have finally gotten one to take on the 521* Andrews (on a side vine), but the other two I am still fighting with.

7/3/2007 9:38:06 PM

Ontario, Canada.

I have had trouble with my 695* seed line and the 848* aborted a couple for me last year. This year I've lost the first one on my 586* but I thought it may have been due to hot weather. I've never really thought of this as a problem but when I take another look at it there may indeed be something to it.

All of the squash plants I have grown seam to be on the border line of wildness with excessive top growth. This may have something to do with the fruit set problem.

7/3/2007 9:38:51 PM

Andy W

Western NY

last squash I had major problems setting was the 895* itself. didn't pollinate until mid- august, but i swear it was still growing when it was in the 30's out.

7/3/2007 10:29:29 PM

Long Island,New York

excessive top growth? whats that mean?

7/3/2007 10:31:30 PM

geo. napa ca

Napa Valley, CA

Personally I have had good luck pollinating squash, including the 895.5 Hester* and its offspring.
I have grown the 895.5 twice with good results.
I have also grown the 552 Sherwood 02* (895.5* x sibb) and the 732 Wells 03* which is out of the 963 Needham* (895.5 x self). I have also grown
some of my own seed stock which came out of the 895.5*. I have had no pollination problems with the above mentioned plants.

I grew the 848 Mac Kenzie*, 744 Welty 00* and 807.4 Buntrock 00* squash plants with no pollination problems.

I have had only 2 squash plants that did not set fruit......the 663 Andrews* and 970 Nesbitt*. I don't think that there was a plant problem
with either one of these. The problem was the temperature, which was between 102 and 110 degrees at pollination time.

7/4/2007 12:26:23 AM

Dutch Brad

Netherlands

My 1055.5 Pitura (selfed 848) aborted two of the three fruit, both at about day 5. Fortunately this plant produced females at every other node.

7/4/2007 1:32:38 AM

Ontario, Canada.

excessive top growth? whats that mean?

Vine growth. Too much salad.

7/4/2007 8:39:31 AM

Smoky Mtn Pumpkin (Team GWG)

Long Island,New York

Isn't that why we prune?

7/4/2007 8:46:03 AM

sevierville, Tn

I'm growing the 1086* CARLSON/PETTERSON 04 , which is from the 552 SHERWOOD 02 selfed, 1st one aborted after 5 days, 2nd one never even thought about setting, just aborted right away. I'm hoping the 3rd one i pollinated on july 2nd will set. We had a cool cloudy day with a high of 80. Couldn't ask for a better day. fingers crossed !

7/4/2007 8:51:30 AM

Tremor

Hey Glenn - Is there an all green squash today that doesn't have 895 in it's lineage?

7/4/2007 8:58:59 AM

Long Island,New York

Yes, there seems to be Steve...but that all depends on who/what you believe(long story) and whether you believe the problematic pollination issues go back only as far as the 895* or whether they go further back to the 900Lyons.
Best bet is to go back to stuff that I call "surprise squash" that has been selfed....things like the 815Andersen that should have made pumpkins but made squash instead. I believe some Andy Wolf seeds are 100% 815Andersen, if not avail Im sure Andy knows people who have grown it and since most people who venture to the green side do it with one plant they're very often selfed. Stellplug lines from the Mitchell/Gancarz line are non-hester genetic sources. They are out there.
Best bet however is to pick through the 895Hester based seeds that don't seem to exhibit the femal aborting problem....Im sure there are some...but you'll have to do the homework to find them. I have shyed from the 900/895 line as best as possible due to its tall leaf structure which isnt good in my windy area...not easy to do and Im suffering now cause everything I have in is predominantly 900 based. Just my 2 cents

7/4/2007 10:13:25 AM

Long Island,New York

837Thorson might be one....821Garrel might be one...703smith, a few others.............

7/4/2007 10:14:30 AM

scienceteacher

Nashville, TN

I'm also having problems with the 'true GS' pollinating, or even holding onto their developing females for that matter..

Now my 300 'Peck pear' (572 BosworthX572 Moore)- which came from what was supposed to be a GP - but matured to a 'Green pear'... Are doing very well - some setting multiple fruit with multiple hybridizations. Some with other 'kins, GPs, GSs, and hubbard squashes...

The only problem is that the only way I got the 572 Bosworth to set fruit - was to pollinate it with the 572 Moore... The Moore produced a red orange 'Football'.. And the 300 Peck Pears are all developing fruit with 'Dad's characteristics'... But Most are being crossed with green and/or blue males - And they ALL are carrying one rec. Green - so I SHOULD have a 50% green/blue production in the offspring from the 300 Peck Pear.

Tried Mitchells and Razo's ... So far I've lost the Mitchells early every year - though the Razo is recovering from very early 'almost death' setback. So still hopeful. But I've got a nice 300 PP X Razo maturing...

7/4/2007 10:28:07 AM

Brooks B

Ohio

Andy, your crack is showing.

7/4/2007 11:37:14 AM

Tremor

Glenn,

Perhaps it would be good to search out some other "non-900 Lyons" genetics to spiff up the green line a little?

589 Nesbit '89 or other 574 Mitchell progeny maybe?
673 Rose '93 progeny?

7/4/2007 11:44:03 AM

Andy W

Western NY

here's my stuff that has no 900*:

535* Wolf (selfed 815 Andersen) - has thrown all green. I know of 2 guys growing it again this year.

411* Inzero (selfed 535* Wolf) - Should make a good pollinator, this thing was very thick and very round.

451* Wolf (selfed 535*)

585* Wolf (selfed 463 wolf est.) - one of two 585's on the same plant, solid green. the 463 was (815 Andersen x 920 Cole)

450 Wolf (815 Andersen x 535* Wolf) - orange pumpkin, never grown.

291* Wolf 06 (703* Smith x 865 mettler) - this is one i want to try the next time i grow squash.

233* Wolf (217 Crews x 703* Smith) - green/gray, first time i got that color. 217 background is mostly white pumpkin, but you'd have to get the details from Don.

also have 229* Hathorn x 535* Wolf and reverse.

And since brooks brought it up, i haven's split a squash since the 535*. weird.

7/4/2007 12:20:14 PM

Ontario, Canada.

You can't easily prune excessively wild growing plants enough to control them so they will set fruit. These are the ones that grow with vines that are thick and the tips go skyward. Ammonium nitrogen derived from foliar ferts. or soil applied OM will cause abortions and excessive top growth in such conditions. The Squash I have grown seam to be prone to this. They maybe more efficient in the uptake of N and as a result abort fruit more readily. This maybe one explanation of the troublesome fruit setting squash we have in our patches.

7/4/2007 4:33:32 PM

Ontario, Canada.

Three other hypotheses could be the cause. One is related to pollen quality of squash plants and or the induction of pollen grains from the stigma the into the females ovules.

Efficiency of nutrient allocation, specifically calcium may play a very important role in plants that are prone to abortion.

Selective fruit maturation of this monoecious plant may be a way of ensuring only the fittest fruit with the most seeds survive. Sink source relationship is at play here. If the assimilates are not yet meeting requirements of the fruit, abortion is a protective measure for future fruit.

Fruit absicsion is complex and squash may simply need a canopy that is more mature to ensure viability.

http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0012-9658%28199809%2979%3A6%3C2123%3A%22FPASF%3E2.0.CO%3B2-3&size=LARGE&origin=JSTOR-enlargePage

http://aob.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/62/6/653

7/4/2007 5:22:20 PM

Long Island,New York

I don't know Steve...on the one hand no non-900 genetics have grown anything big...and yet the 1K plus greenies seem to have set ! I am really surprised that since the GPC went "heaviest wins regardless of color" that more people arent growing pkn x squash crosses and visa versa. Im even more surprised more people aren't growing the 848MacKenzie*....based upon its success with multiple 1k fruit with a much much smaller growing sampling that seed has to be a consideration in anyone's patch.

ps...if you're having problems getting a squash pollination to set try pollinating at 10am or a little later. I've had decent success at the later time when it didnt seem to work at 7am.

7/4/2007 5:51:11 PM

Jim-B

Goffstown,nh

I believe if you try to self pollinate you will have good luck. Linda Rodonis and i were having no luck cross pollinating last year. She finally self pollinated both her plants and they both took. I continued to try and cross pollinate and never got a set all summer... had to pull the plant. Just a thought.

7/4/2007 10:19:03 PM

Tremor