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Cornelius, Oregon

Okay here it is....
The only 895 Hester SQ that has grown a pumpkin was actually grown in my patch..... BUTTT... I was saving that one particular seed as it looked different from the rest. It was the same size, same basic shape, but lacked the odd darker brown/tan color blotching that the 895's tended to have. So I planted it and the plant and fruit were totally different. This 895 was very leggy vegetatively and the fruit was a light almost florescent orange color and the end result was a 818 pumpkin. Was this cross contamination??? I am willing to admit and say yes. That particular seed out of the 895 was contaminated. All other 895's have thrown squash. More on the 986 and 895 offspring later.

12/11/2008 7:57:03 PM

Ohio

Brett, do you have any other seeds that look even close to that seed that grew your 818 orange pumpkin? or was that the only one in the bunch that looked a lot different? Id try another one if you have one that even looks remotely like the one that grew your 818 and see what you come up with. Has anyone grew your 818 yet and did it grow orange or green? It would be interesting to see what your 818 Grows.

Another way you can get a orange one out of your 895 is send to Glenn Andrews, hes always good for popping a orange one thats is suppose to grow green ,lol.

12/11/2008 10:35:59 PM

Eastern Washington State

I don't want to step on any toes here, but accidents happen all the time in this world. It seems the simplest explanation is that the odd seed that grew the unexpected plant was simply a pumpkin seed that got in with the 895 lot at some point by mistake. Not an unreasonable assumption when all kinds of seed may be laying out on a table.

12/12/2008 6:13:43 AM

Cornelius, Oregon

Brian, good point, I looked into that possibility, but no other seeds from my fruit harvested that year were even close to looking like that one seed. Not to mention that seed was noticeable when I took the seeds from the fruit itself. The 895 seeds were a unique creature, I still have not had a fruit with as many seeds, and 99% were good.

Also, I did grow the 818, and it produced a VERY aggressive vegetative plant that had a hard time setting fruit...so that trait remained constant from the odd 895 seed, and the hard to set fruit trait from all the 895's, but... the fruit was a beautiful orange pumpkin that went a touch over chart at 953.5.

12/12/2008 11:33:03 AM

Cornelius, Oregon

As for the 986 SQ, it has thrown all pumpkins, and they all seem to be either light orange or the darker brilliant color orange. Another go figure...
Also, also, 895 offspring, the 856 especially tent to throw either very green or brilliant orange fruit, not the inbetween stuff. Also interesting.
This all brings me back to the 900 Lyons being the one fruit with the most genetic diversity ever. Every size, shape and color has been grown off the 900 Lyons. If Someone wanted a melting pot so to speak, cross that 898 Knauss with the 900 Lyons. Now that would be one for the ages.

12/12/2008 11:37:34 AM

Cincinnati,OH

So the 895 producing only squash is a medellian thing?
That is to say of all the 900 Lyons progeny your 895
got the rare green bullet genes so to speak.
And it was grown enough for people to realize it

12/12/2008 6:18:23 PM