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North Dakota

We are growing pumpkins for our 4-H clubs corn maze and pumpkin patch. My question; is there anything to spray on the pumpkins to get them to turn orange? We have some later seeded pumpkins that I do not know if our growing season will hold on to allow them to turn orange. Thanks for the help.
Daryl

8/8/2007 7:37:50 PM

Long Island,New York

One thing you can do is not water them at all....stressed out pkn plants mature early.

8/8/2007 8:21:45 PM

Rhode Island

daryl

wipe the fruit down with vegtable oil. not saturated but wipe the whole fruit down

do one first and wait a few days to see if you like the results

it will turn an orange fruit redder a yellow fruit somewhat orange and a greenish salmon fruit mustard color

pap

8/8/2007 9:10:35 PM

Menomonie, WI ([email protected])

What variety and what was your planting day...they don't take very long to orange up. Season is still atleat 50 days away...you should be fine. They orange up fast after a frost also.

8/8/2007 9:47:05 PM

Thornhill, Ontario, Canada

I'm pretty sure that letting sun shine on them should help. Most growers keep their fruit covered for precicely that reason. They don't want the skin to mature and firm up since a soft skin will grow for a longer period.

Of course, you could try spraying on food colouring :-)

8/8/2007 10:54:49 PM

Ray, North Dakota

PAP,

Will the oil help make the skin stretch more? I'm getting little stretch marks tearing at big in the skin of one of mine.

8/9/2007 11:18:36 AM

Western Pa.

Herbie,

I think what you're looking for is a pumpkin stretcher! Anyone have an extra one?

8/9/2007 8:58:15 PM

San Jose [email protected]

cut it from the vine and it will "orange up" happens in a couple of weeks

8/10/2007 2:12:27 AM

Nashville, TN

IF it HAS 'orange genes' (some GPs don't have them... just look at the 'white' and 'pale yellow' world records...) Then around 30+ days they will start changing.. Solar exposure does SEEM to help - but some 'kins will turn blazing orange without exposure...

Orange development also SEEMS to be an indicator of seed/kin maturity. Pumkins seem to generally slow down in growth the deeper orange they become.

8/10/2007 7:17:13 AM