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Nashville, TN

OK - I've got 15 GP plants growing from about 12 different 'varieties'... I'm selfing all of those - so I can use the same lines again next year to check for growing consistancy (since this year's been very unusual as a hot drought year....)

Now, just for giggles - I've got a patch of white spagetti winter squash growing. Most of them I'm just letting bees do the work... A few of the females I've tied shut and am pollinating with 'extra' GP pollen.

I'm hoping to get double-sized Spagetti squash next year (since my three kids just LOVE it!)... Have any of you tried this? And what were your results??

6/30/2005 11:49:03 AM

Menomonie, WI (mail@gr8pumpkin.net)

OK I am going to try and be nice. But for someone saying they are doing experiments, you have not studied hard enough. Most of your questions my daughter could answer. She is 8. An Atlantic Giant is of the Genus "Cucurbita " Species is "Maxima". A Spaghetti Squash is Of the Genus "Cucurbita" species" Pepo". They can not cross with each other. Please reference the link below.
http://ag.udel.edu/enwc/faculty/dmcaron/Pollination/gourds.html

6/30/2005 12:26:21 PM

Nashville, TN

My degree is based on animal biology - not horticulture 'persay'....

I do recall reading that the Dill's atlantic giant was created by crossing Pumpkins with white squash. I will try and find that article (somewhere in the multitude of printouts!)

And why do some GP seeds produce to much green - thus, must be competed as 'giant squash'?

7/1/2005 7:51:44 AM

Nashville, TN

Interesting, went to the site you cited... they ,list pumpkins as 'moschata' - winter squash are 'maxima'...

On the site you cited it states that viable hybrid offspring (those that will reproduce..) can be obtained through crosses of pumpkin with BOTH Cushaw Squash & Summer Squash... and that even 'incompatible' pollen from one (say pumpkin) can cause development of fruit by another (say winter squash) - and produce seedless offspring.

Also the SPECIES is Cucurbita.. ( as per your own source...)

And you source also states that different Cucurbita crops need to be kept isolated to protect from intercrossing and produce 'pure seeds'....

I'm trying to be nice.. but maybe you need to do more research as well??

7/1/2005 8:40:42 AM

Menomonie, WI (mail@gr8pumpkin.net)

An Atlantic Giant still can not cross with a Spaghetti Squash. So your point is?

7/1/2005 9:30:12 AM

Syracuse, NY

all right you two...
now it IS the growing season.
lets' get out there and make them
viable crosses we've thought about all winter.
kinda neat to hear that something COULD be pollinated
by something that should NOT be able to do it,
another spin on the laws of Nature.....

"""Rate of fruit-set is similar in selfed or crossed fruit, but cross-pollination produces heavier fruit as shown in squash in India (Girish, 1981)." HMMMMM??????

errr, i mean, HMMMMM........

"""Different varieties of the same species, and even different species, can cross each other in Cucurbita (Table 46.1). Even with incompatible species the pollen of one may stimulate parthenocarpic (seedless) fruit development in another; this phenomenon does not result in contaminated seed, but it does reduce total seed yield (Free, 1993). Thus, different varieties and species of Cucurbita must be isolated from each other in order to produce large quantities of pure seed.""""

SO, IN OTHER WORDS, if you want seeds from your pumpkins, make sure your fruit are being pollinated by
a plant nearby that is compatible.

according to the chart in question, there were only a couple of situations that would cross-pollinate, VIABLY,
like Moschata and Mixta, neither of which are the Atlantic
Giant, so i kind of lost interest, but interesting nontheless, lol!

7/1/2005 5:37:57 PM

Nashville, TN

Preliminary results from using GP pollen on Spagetti Squash and Nut Squash females:

ALL Females were fertilized and are developing squash successfully...

I'll try and germinate some of the 'hybrid' seeds this summer. Only 3 weeks or less before the Spagetti & Nut squash to be mature enough.

7/3/2005 9:40:03 AM