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Newville/PA

Does the number of lobes in the female blossum really make a difference? I hear people say the more lobes the bigger the pumpkin. Hopefully thats true becasue I have two female blossums with 10 and 12 lobes in them. I was just wondering if that is true.

6/24/2001 11:37:54 AM

Choctaw, OK

Buzz......there are two parts to one lobe....i hope you know what i mean, maybe someone else can explain it better, but your 10 and 12 lobers are probably 5 and 6 lobes. I don't think 10 and 12 lobes would fit inside a female blossom without looking awfully funny or mutated. And it is not necessarily true the more lobes, that bigger the pumpkin...there have been some big 4 lobe pumpkins.....5 is ideal and i would say 4 is better than 6 lobes. I am not sure why but for some reason i think a flower with more than 6 lobes is not as good as one with 4 or 5. I must have read that somewhere, but that was a while ago and not sure if that is even right...or that case. Hope someone can back me up here.

6/24/2001 12:36:20 PM

Long Island,New York

More than likely they are 5 and 6 lobers. I think 4 is most common, followed by 5, then 6 and up. because of the prevalence of 4's and 5's over 6's, I don't think anyone can say for a fact that 6 is better than 4 or visa versa. There's too many variables involved. To ponder this I think this way....and this is just how I look at it.....the fruit is there to nourish the seeds for next year.My guess is that the plant's goal is procreation and will aim to nourish as many seeds as it has. 6 lobes is generally more seeds so MORE stored nourishment would be needed to supply the extra offspring with "food". That is why I think a six lober has a slight advantage (innately) over a 4 lober and that is why, with ALL THINGS IMPOSSIBLY EQUAL, I would chose a 7 over a 6,a 6 over a 5, a 5 over a 4 etc...........Glenn

6/24/2001 1:56:30 PM

Choctaw, OK

Could it happen, well, lets say a 7 lober would put more energy into the seeds than the pumpkin it's self? You don't see to many 7 lobers, especially on the main vine.....usually 4,5, and 6. I really do wonder if a 6 is better than a 4 or even if a 7 is better than any of them? your reasoning is good glenn......i wouldn't argue against it....wonder what the heavy hitters would say?

6/24/2001 4:04:32 PM

Newville/PA

Oh ok. I am learning new things everyday at the website. I think my lobes have something wrong with them...One of the lobes looks like it was split right down the center. Can anyone tell me what this is?

6/24/2001 5:57:24 PM

Roanoke Il

Buzz the number of lobes isn't important the world record last season only had 4 lobes heard that from Dave himself. The only Advantage would be the number of seeds produced by the pumpkin. That is another question. mark (3)

6/24/2001 6:35:21 PM

Lake Stevens, WA, USA

Buzz, I don't think there is anything wrong with your lobes. One lobe looks like it has two parts to it.....lets say "a left side, and a right side". With that in mind, look down into the center of the flower. It should look like the "left side" and the "right side" of the lobe have melded into one single piece. If you see this, what you have is normal lobes.

I think you came up with "10 or 12 lobes" because you counted the individual "sides" of each lobe as a single and seperate lobe. Thats why the others have said that you probably have 5 or 6 lobes.

It sounds to me like you have 5 or 6 perfectly normal lobes.
David

6/24/2001 7:07:34 PM

Lake Stevens, WA, USA

There is a picture of a 5 segmented flower submitted by "BART" on 7-3-00 in the photo gallery. 5 segments means the same as 5 lobes. Take a good look at this picture.

Does your flower look like this one?

Relax and smile :)

David

6/24/2001 7:11:47 PM