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Location

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Date Posted

Topsfield, Ma.

hi all !
got a couple questions. having some timing troubles it seems. got females opening and no males around...or males
a plenty and no females popping. been lopping off male
flowers and storing in frig. any time limit for storing
these flowers? does pollen degrade or is it ok to continue ?
i've just been bopping the tops of the female lobes with the male flowers. is this sufficient for pollination...or
does the plooen have to be worked heavily into the flower ?
first attempt was 7/9 and pumpkin is still growing daily.
it hasn't lost any luster
thanks in advance for any input. would love to perfect the
technique as bee activity seems pretty scarce for some
unknown reason.
topsfield weigh-off neighborhood
duff

7/14/2000 9:04:36 PM

Western Pa.

Hi Duff! I've heard of guys saving flowers with dry ice, but I don't know the success rate. I've always thought the fresher the blossom the better, when fresh, the pollen is like a fine dust, as it gets older it kinda turns into a paste, at least where I'm at. Pollinate gently, like an artist with a fine brush, and try to get pollen on as many surfaces as possible on female lobes. If I have them I try to use 3-5 males when I pollinate. If you can find another grower near you, they should have some males to donate!

7/15/2000 7:21:40 AM

Topsfield, Ma.

kilr,
appreciate the input. was fortunate enough to "borrow"some males from a friend first time around and it's looking successful so far. don't want to "go to the well" too often and wear out my welcome. got 1/2 dozen males chillin' in the frig as a back-up measure. i guess experience will show the vitality, or lack there of, of stored male blossoms.
thanks again..and best of luck to all in '00
duff

7/15/2000 6:23:05 PM

Topsfield, Ma.

kilr and all,
you were correct about pollen getting pasty after sitting too long, even in the frig. one day old male flowers displayed pollen grains impossible to shake from flower.
had to massage grains off male onto female. still too early
to report on success rate.
duff


to report on success rate. waiting and watching!!!

7/16/2000 7:07:04 PM