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Sunnyvale, CA

Hi! I am fairly new to growing giant pumpkins. My plant is growing great with large healthy leaves. However the male flowers were slow to open and now I'm finding all the male flowers are sterile (no stamen when they open). I have another plant that I can use for pollination purposes, but I'm concerned about the females now. Anyone had any experience with this before? Is there a reason why the male flowers are this way? Should I be concerned about a female being able to grow a pumpkin?

7/5/2012 9:42:14 PM

Rhode Island

if the female has segments you should be ok.no idea why the males have no stamen.could be any number of reasons. if other plants in your patch do not have this problem? and all plants were treated in the same manner? id say it might be the seed stock?
pap

7/6/2012 8:49:03 AM

Eastern Pennsylvania

I had this a few years ago, a big healthy plant and no stamen in the flowers. Sadly no females would take even using another plants pollen. I have heard of a few growers who manage to get one to take like this but I don't think anyone's has grown much more than about 500 pounds.

7/6/2012 9:04:32 AM

43.841677 , -79.086692

I believe this is a genetic thing. Many have been traced to offspring of 1161 rodonis. I had no stamen in my 1197 Matessa (1161 x self). I could not set a fruit on that plant. Now I check the males as soon as one comes up. If that happens again I will just pull the plant rather than wasting time and resourses on it.

7/8/2012 5:08:09 PM

President - GPC

Well I gueZZ Ole BiZ will find out....Here I go to use hiZ pollen on my 1789 FreakZ... It took all I could to find 2 two flowerZ ready....next morning...open them...and like you said..no stamen...inside...waZ all shriveled up...

Now this one has a real nice long femaleZ on it...he pollinated it...so we will see if it takeZ>...hope so....

7/9/2012 10:07:18 AM

43.841677 , -79.086692

On my 1197 males all they had in the bottom of the flower was a hole. No sign of a stamen. Not even a tiny one. Shazzy and I both have a plant this year where the males were underdeveloped. Never maturing till around the 10th set of secondary's. Gradually the males got better. The first 2 femails on my main shriveled up. Finally I got a pollination that is now on day 13. It is my smallest day 10. It will be interesting to see if it holds or aborts.
Interesting enough my seed is my 1065. (my 1030x1161)

7/9/2012 1:32:38 PM