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Torrance, Ca.

Well, I got what looked like a couple hundred seeds out of one of my pumpkins. After drying them out a lot of them feel so dry and hollow??? is this normal and are all the dry hollow ones junk???

They all looked so good when I pulled them out???

11/5/2012 2:55:24 PM

Germany

Last year I had the same effect observed with a load of seeds out of one of my pumpkins, when they were dry they looked like crisps. Nonetheless, some of them were still viable (a few days after I had thrown them to the compost pile alot of nice greenery began to grow). Hence, take 10 seeds and make a germination test. With underdeveloped cotyledons they might have troubles to get out of the seed shell. Therefore, don´t just look at the seedlings emerging from the pot, also check the seeds for roots after a few days.

11/5/2012 3:49:23 PM

Torrance, Ca.

That's what I just did, cool! Stuck 10 of them in the germ both and see what happens.


Thanks and I'll keep ya updated ;)

11/5/2012 3:59:25 PM

Massachusetts

bounce em'

11/5/2012 4:01:18 PM

Torrance, Ca.

How high should they bounce ??? ;)

11/5/2012 4:28:30 PM

Germany

No idea. Anyway, they´ll probably make a funny noise, and if they turn out to be duds (after a week in the pot) you´ll at least have had some fun with them.

11/5/2012 4:45:51 PM

Joliet, IL

after 5 days or so drying on a house screen, i remove the onion skin like coating to further help them dry and preventing possible mold spot them sometimes show under the onion skin coating on seed surface. removing the skin by gently rubbing with fingers loosens them up. while doing so you will see and feel seeds that are hollow. not. shell formed but insides did not. if you take a piece of cardboard and fan the onion skin coating off the seeds still on the screen, the wind will slightly lift and move the hallow ones. i put those to the side. once all are completely dry in 3 to 4 weeks, i drop them on a hard table to listen....hollow ones sound halow. doesnt mean they are hallow, but suspect. full ones have no hallow sounds. sometimes half developed interior parts are premature and smaller than shell. i havent had much luck with those even if i get them sprouted. so any hollow sound at all i will not distribute but keep for myself as ify

11/5/2012 5:26:39 PM

Joliet, IL

hollow....jeez...lol

11/5/2012 5:31:01 PM

Joliet, IL

not that uncommon that was also supposed to read where it says not.

11/5/2012 5:33:26 PM

Torrance, Ca.

Thanks shazzy!

11/5/2012 7:12:41 PM

Menomonie, WI (mail@gr8pumpkin.net)

Potato Chips...I think a bright LED Flashlight would work like candling an egg..

11/5/2012 8:12:06 PM

Stanwood, Washington

You could just open a few of them up and look at them.

11/14/2012 7:09:38 PM

Menomonie, WI (mail@gr8pumpkin.net)

Drop them on a hard surface...if it sounds like a potato chip it is not good

11/16/2012 12:35:03 PM

President - GPC

Germ a couple betwee towels....you may be surprised

11/16/2012 12:46:51 PM

Upa Creek, Mo

Just try germinating one. I read on another post about putting em up a rear as a new method, but not recommended here. lol

11/16/2012 6:30:09 PM

Torrance, Ca.

Up a rear Luke ?


Wow! ;)

11/16/2012 6:37:41 PM

Rhode Island

is this some kinds prison story? up a rear????????? lol

11/17/2012 12:11:27 PM

Eastern Pennsylvania

bahahaha they don't grow well in the fresh stuff Luke!

11/17/2012 1:05:43 PM

Piqua, Ohio

a while back Mark Clementz was told to stick seeds in his hind end by someone he pissed off!!! I think this is what Luke's getting at.

11/17/2012 2:13:30 PM

Germany

...and now I have an idea how Mark managed to grow such a monster this year...the only drawback is, that this method would be good for only one monster per year, otherwise one could end up with a seeds mismatch.

11/17/2012 2:21:24 PM

Upa Creek, Mo

Yep, that is where it came from Josh. Pumpking, Mark kindly told whomever it was he chooses not to use that method. I advise the same Chris. Paper towel method is not the same as the toilet paper method.

Pap, you been to prison? lol

11/17/2012 3:27:28 PM

Massachusetts

OK WITH THIS NEW BUM METHOD I HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS, 1. DO I STILL HAVE TO BURY MY "STUMP"? AND DOES GREAT WHITE STING IF I DIP MY "ROOT" IN IT? AND WOULD A 3" VINE BE DEEP ENOUGH TO SUPPLY MY "BUM SEED" THE NUTRIENTS IT NEEDS? AND LASTLY, SHOULD I HAND POLLINATE OR HAVE SOMEONE ELSE LIKE MY WIFE DO IT?

11/17/2012 3:47:11 PM

Germany

1) Better don´t bury your stump, at the beginning of the season you can´t know how thick it would get and if anything around it might then exert too much pressure. Also: Beware of a foaming stump!!!
2) Not sure if inoculation would be necessary or if your stump itself might be attractive enought to environmental microorganisms, especially from the fungi type.
3) no idea if 5" would work better
4) Try wind pollination!!!

11/17/2012 4:22:08 PM

NSW, Australia (barracatcher7@hotmail.com)

............................... lol!!!

11/17/2012 5:06:55 PM

Massachusetts

love the wind pollination idea, but want to go organic, would a can of beans do the trick, or is there to many preservatives in it? but i'm leaning twords a bag of brussel sprouts to do the trick.

11/17/2012 5:20:53 PM

Germany

Rotation is the key. Beans in one year, brussel sprouts the 2nd year...and find something for the 3rd year (rye doesn´t work, would only be good to avoid a total fallow season), and then start with the beans again. Brussel sprouts year by year could make your patch susceptible to particular diseases.

11/17/2012 5:28:53 PM

Germany

BTW, Sudan grass is also fine, but only in case of the elephant sized project.

11/17/2012 5:30:11 PM

Germany

Ever tried "compost tea"? ...could be an effective source of wind for the 3rd year.

11/17/2012 5:31:21 PM

Torrance, Ca.

Oh Boy....................... ;)

11/17/2012 5:37:35 PM

Upa Creek, Mo

Marley, from what I have read, 8-15 Schlitz Ice (depending on your weight) consumed in 4 hours followed up by a round of 3, double bean burritos from your local Taco Bell should do the trick. Baked beans do work, especially when loaded with ample brown sugar and bacon, but the above has proven to have a higher success rate.

If anyone has a rebuttal, no pun intended, I'd like to hear.

11/17/2012 5:44:59 PM

Germany

Luke, brown sugar??? Molasses, molasses and ...???...ah yeah, molasses should be added! (The Canadian variety would then be the maply syrup loaded bean & bacon combo).

11/17/2012 5:50:37 PM

Massachusetts

ok, the beer is in, i like the idea of hopps and barley, also top it off with maple syrup a week before pollination.
do you guys think i should send in a "soiled sample",. i just don't want to get "rear ended" by mid-season?

11/17/2012 6:09:26 PM

Germany

As long as you don´t see any need for sending in tissue tests you should be fine. As to soil tests, especially in extremely small patches soil conditions will change dramatically day by day, you probably can´t afford so many soil tests.
Finally, we need to change LMAO into LMPO (P stands for PATCH).

11/17/2012 6:15:05 PM

Massachusetts

lmpo! lol!!!!!

11/17/2012 6:25:47 PM

Upa Creek, Mo

LMPO!! New growers 3 years from now will be askin about the "P".... lmpo

11/17/2012 7:46:39 PM

Germany

Chris, how many out of your 10 test seeds produced little seedlings? (...two weeks after the start of your test the time might have come to ask that question).
Cheers,
Jörg

11/18/2012 3:52:22 PM

Torrance, Ca.

Jorg, I put 10 to the test! More then half came up and looked normal!! After reading what shazzy posted,,,,, I has to ask myself the question," would I plant a seed that looked like the ones I tested????????" No I wouldn't.........

Most of them did come up, they looked normal,,,,,,,, but they looked so weak and had that hollow sound when dropping them on a table. I had about 125 of the lame ones. They got put in a bag and labeled. For those friends and neighbors that say they want to grow a giant,,,,,,,,, but I can tell really don't and won't take care of it after a week or two,,,,,,,,, that's the bag I give them seeds out of!

I had 170 really nice, thick, good colored and just looked like a seed ready to plant. Those were put in a coffee container and put on the "good" shelf in the garage!

Its been a really fun year and I've even had 11 seed request for my bright orange one,,,, really cool!!!!!

11/18/2012 5:26:08 PM

Upa Creek, Mo

I'm sure you already know this, but many seeds are different colors and sizes. A seed doesn't have to be the robust carmel color with a thick shell to grow a monster or looker. The 1059 Vincent McGill seed I bought and grew was a thin white and ugly seed, but produced one of the best looking pumpkins I have seen. Just make sure the seed is viable.

11/18/2012 8:26:53 PM

Germany

Thank you, now that observation is pretty much in accord what I have noticed with "potato chips seeds" from one of my previous pumpkins. In spring you could go a step further, take two fat seeds and five "potato chips seeds" of that pumpkin, and then take the strongest seedling from each group and let them grow for a while in a little test patch (maybe 50 sqft per plant). The chips might turn out to produce plants of similar strength, but they might be a few days behind because of the weak start. Anyway, it´s a good idea to keep them for particular friends...but don´t be surprised (or angry or whatsoever) if any of them grows a real giant off such a seed...things can happen.

11/19/2012 8:40:56 AM