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Seattle, Washington, USA

Hey y'all,

My plant looks pretty healthy overall and is producing both male and female flowers. But the strangest thing is happening, which is that my male flowers are not producing any pollen. Not even a tiny spec!! I looked with a magnifying glass! lol

My sugar pumpkin plant has tons of pollen, but that doesn't help my giant.

I have read a lot of posts about no pollen in the male flowers on this site and elsewhere and I have tried different problem solving techniques.

- I have tried gently tying the male blossoms closed before they open for the first time to make sure bees aren't getting to the flower before me.
- I have tried cutting them off as they are about to bloom and bringing them inside in a cup of water to bloom.
- I have been experiencing this problem in all different temperatures, ranging from low 60s, mid 70s, and mid 80 degrees over the last 4 weeks.
- I have been feeding my plant 12-5-19+ High Cal Mag Vegetable Plant Marvel and have also tried rotating bone meal in. Other than that I give it soluble seaweed and humic/fulvic acid.

I am going a little crazy because I have a ton of fruiting blossoms to pollinate, but none of the male flowers are producing pollen. I only have one plant because I am growing in my backyard. So there aren't any other plants to take flowers off of.

Has anyone ever experienced this? Is my plant sterile?

7/12/2022 6:33:54 PM

Grittyville, WA

Its probably time to think about getting males from a grower near you or even males from a winter squash. Or go to a big box store or nursery and see if their neglected maxima (hubbard for example) squash transplants are blooming?

Its possible you have a nutrient issue but with that fertilizer lineup I doubt it.

7/13/2022 2:19:18 AM

Grittyville, WA

Feel free to email me or email the pnwgpg for further help.

7/13/2022 2:21:13 AM

Grittyville, WA

One last tip! I have found bone meal works pretty good when its in direct contact with the roots (directly below the plant for example) but it doesnt seem to do much spread on the soil surface. For better solubility, you could try a bloom booster fertilizer. I think I can state truthfully that the soils over here have very little available phosphorous.

7/13/2022 2:29:57 AM

Springfield, VT

It is possible the plant is male sterile and you will need a pollen source to get fruit.

7/13/2022 8:22:49 AM

Seattle, Washington, USA

Thanks for the advice Gridiot and VTWilbur! I might try the soluble blossom booster. But yeah, I agree with y'all that at this point, I will try to seek out another pumpkin or large squash plant :( Such a bummer! I will ask around at the next farmers market.

Next year I will find a way to plant two, to avoid pollination drama. Live and learn!

7/13/2022 10:04:55 AM

Merrimack NH

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you have a male sterile plant, you most likely will not be able to get a pumpkin to set, even with good pollen from another plant. The pumpkin will grow to about day 10, then abort.
I've had male sterile plants and know other growers who have and I've never known anyone to get a pumpkin to grow on one.
Maybe others have had a different experience, but that's been mine. Now I check the first male flower that opens for pollen, and if there is none, I'll just pull the plant rather than waste time with it.

7/15/2022 9:23:49 AM

Massillon, Ohio

I agree completely with Barry. In my years of growing, I've had 4 sterile plants. All were from selfed seeds. So, I'm curious......Is your plant from a selfed seed?

7/15/2022 11:11:55 AM

Seattle, Washington, USA

That is so interesting and terrible news! Dang, hard lesson on my first time trying to grow a giant pumpkin. I will definitely keep an eye out for this issue next year.

I actually got my seeds from Joel Holland's website: http://www.hollandsgiants.com/

These things happen! I will try again next year and I will try to clear enough space in my backyard to fit two plants so it isn't all riding on one.

Thanks for your input BarryL and Nana Rea :)

7/15/2022 1:46:20 PM

Syracuse, NY

Well, what did you try? I was gonna chime in about Blossom Booster which I would have recommended but Gritty (Gridiot, above) said it first; I've never had any plants of a non-pollen-producing nature (jinx!) and hope never TO either, lol---I did not know about them (!); I'd still give the entire plant 1 tbsp./gal H2O of Miracle-Gro 10-52-10 Bloom Booster 3 times in 10 days and beyond and see what happens; It IS foliar so the results could be immediate and you'll wanna have it on hand next year when I recommend it again, lol!
PS - 3 in 10 is just my opinion and PSPS - Whatever doesn't stick to the leaves will become a drench anyway, so, all is better than none! - Good Luck - eg

7/16/2022 3:18:59 AM

Seattle, Washington, USA

Gotcha, I might as well give it a try! I have been using bone meal throughout the mid season, but maybe the issue is that it isn't water soluble. Heck I'll try anything at this point! Thanks pumpkinpal2 :)

7/18/2022 1:07:30 PM

Syracuse, NY

Yup! eg

7/18/2022 2:17:21 PM

Mill Bay, British Columbia

@pumpkinpal2, I know you are making the label recommendations of 1 tbsp per gallon, but I’d just like a clarification on dosage and chime in my 2 cents if possible.

I use a 250 gallon tote to water and fertigate from, so with the math applied that would be approximately 16 cups of blue powder.

For me, that is way too much of any fertilizer at one time, especially applying it 3 times in 10 days. Not saying pumpkinpal2 is wrong, just seems like overkill to me under any circumstances.

7/19/2022 12:51:41 PM

Syracuse, NY

Yeah, I always throw down what I would do on my own plants and that I'd never had a problem with, or had had actual improvements in my plant(s) by doing, of course, as you or anyone does. We've always been on opposite sides of that issue about PPM/ppm/parts per million and I see it exactly the opposite as you with respect to it in that I have thought that you err to the side of caution about it wherein a company's recommendation on their label is what I would go with myself rather than even a respected grower's recommendation such as yours (envision smiley here). I suppose it's like politics and I may blabber here more later as in it's time for work and that's when I get off-track and off-topic, lol; I usually point out that it's MHO and not for it to be taken as solid, HH advice but it is always meant well - see 'Leaves turning brown' on another post just today as well - that person also got advice that I intended to be in conjunction with mine. I've never had a plant keel over by applying as I do.
All with VERY DUE respect to you.
Will look here later, of course---eric g

7/19/2022 1:49:59 PM

Mill Bay, British Columbia

It’s all good, we all do things similarly different and my approach is more science based, and with advice from other seasoned growers with proven results.

7/19/2022 2:17:50 PM

Grittyville, WA

I doubt anyone here really needs my two cents but I'll mix up a 5 gallon bucket at the recommendes rate and that provides a nice boost for a few days. I will agree with Northshore if you add it to your entire irrigation at that rate, it will quickly double your nitrogen... if your soil is already where it should be, then probably that would be a lot.

7/19/2022 5:47:30 PM

Grittyville, WA

There's differences between growing a pumpkin and growing a big pumpkin, of course.

7/19/2022 5:55:40 PM

Syracuse, NY

Everybody's regimen is almost-unfortunately different;
Therefore, Grower A might have the freedom to say 'Well, I have everything going along well except for no pollen.
Hmmm...I'll bet that low phosphorous has something to do with that,
(just for reference, 12-5-19 is in use)
so, I'll hit that plant with some relatively-harmless Miracle-Gro 10-52-10.
It's supposed to result in bigger, more-beautiful blooms, or something, so...
THOSE should have some pollen in 'em!
Right?
Maybe a little more frequently because I'm runnin' out of options here and I don't wanna go nuts and send in a soil test nor a tissue test and then take another week or more to see the results from an expensive course of testing and then have to make a big change to my original regimen;
(Well...);
Just $8.95 and it'll last me just long enough to see if it's gonna work.
If it doesn't, well at least I tried and I'll know the look of a sterile plant in my many later years of growing.
Live and learn!'

7/20/2022 5:12:10 AM

Syracuse, NY

'PS - 3 in 10 is just my opinion'...
Beyond that, I'd say 2 in 10, then 1 in 10 and then nothing from my suggestion anymore on this;
I wouldn't even change the original regimen except for I don't care for the 12-5-19, which is numerically the OPPOSITE of what I am 'recommending' during this flowering period, lol;

GO FIGURE.

This just in:
WHOOPSIES if the 12-5-19 is from Wallace Organic Wonder, lol!!!
Too late to un-say anything now, ha ha ha---

You WILL note that the phosphorous level @ 5% is the LOWEST of the low;
Fertilizer levels are supposed to change throughout the life of a pumpkin plant
pertaining to its needs in addition to what is in the soil as a nutrient base.

I have never had a plant with no pollen.

I've also never had 'sun scorch' nor 'leaf burn' on a grand scale;
Sure, aged leaves and powdery mildew, reliably, lol -

Most of my problems are insect infestation-based and a lack of enthusiasm and
weeds overtaking my patches and adding to the last two, lol---
My plants look terrific and yet most are small as HELL due to very late planting-outs
and NO irrigation pump YET, which is VITAL to me for adding everything I speak of;

I didn't know I'd need a new one until yesterday and yet, by the end of the coming weekend,
I'll be all caught up.

I offered what I think will help this grower along and he or she got a lot more
advice all 'round than was probably expected.

All I've ever technically said to anyone is "Give it some Miracle-Gro at the recommended rate" -
and yet I've done what others have similarly done - suggested a greater-than-recommended number of
applications in a given time frame.

BUSTED!!!

PM6 - Give it a shot - You have NOTHING to lose!

Next year, let's talk about Mycorrhizae!
Later---Eric G

7/20/2022 5:36:02 AM

Upa Creek, Mo

I agree with Barry and Nana Rea. I had one sterile plant, and once I pollinated the females would grow awkwardly until 10-15 days and die off. I'd still try pollinating with outside plants, maybe you'll get lucky.

IMO, unless you are growing in the sands of Arizona, a viable plant will produce both pollen and pumpkins without fertilizers. The fertilizers are meant to push the plants, pumpkins and get the most out of them. If you have a sterile plant, I think it was already pre-determined when the seed germinated, and was not lack of nutrients in your soil. Pouring a bunch of heavy ferts on a sterile plant will do nothing.

It's like putting a nitrous kit on a drag car without gas.

7/20/2022 8:18:43 AM

Central NY

Good analogy…I think we’re outta gas this year too Maximus. Fight as long as you can but know when it ain’t right, it ain’t right…next year usually starts now anyhow. Good luck.

7/20/2022 11:06:30 AM

Grittyville, WA

@smallmouth we dont have very balanced or sufficiently nutrient rich soils up here... Quite the opposite. I have to fertilize a lot just to get a plant, much less a pumpkin. In the past I've managed two yellowish cotyledons and thats it. 1-3 ppm nitrogen... and the phosphorus is totally locked up. Thats the native soil here in Western Washington (the river valleys are better though). In my experience it's definitely possible to be critically short on macro and micronutrients!

7/20/2022 12:28:23 PM

Seattle, Washington, USA

Haha, honestly I learn so much from everyone's back and forth!! I really love reading all the message boards/diaries, they are an incredible resource, and this post has generated some interesting conversation.

UPDATE:
I got my first little bits of pollen 2 days ago!! Now every blossom that is opening up has some pollen in it. I started the miracle grow 3 days ago and the pollen production started one day after. It was the tiniest bit of pollen, but since then more pollen has been accumulating more and more. So I am really not sure, but it does seem like the miracle grow impacted the production of pollen? I think I made a big misstep when I used bone meal as my main source of blossom food, before I realized it wasn't water soluble. Not sure if it is as simple as that, but I am thrilled that I might still have a chance to pollinate a fruit!

I am so new to this that it is possible that I was doing something wrong that we haven't touched on and ended up directly inhibiting the pollen growth. Thank you so much everyone! I am already so excited to start again next year, with much more knowledge and preparation.

7/20/2022 12:49:38 PM

Upa Creek, Mo

Gridiot, I am not recommending not using ferts by any means. I just think sterile plants are predetermined.

7/20/2022 1:12:40 PM

Grittyville, WA

Glad to hear maximus. Its always good to check those early blossoms and try to correct any deficiencies by the time you want to pollinate. Thats what I have to do. A small amount of the correct nutrient is usually all it takes. I'm not enough of a scientist to remember which exact deficiencies affect the anthers, so I just go with the ones that provide just a little of everything.
I do think it will be worth a try to put the bone meal under the plant next year. I think it can give a good early-season boost!

7/20/2022 3:56:03 PM

Germany

The males of your plant looked fine (in my opinion), and it looks like you found out what the actual issue had been.
As to sterile plants, that´s what I consider a clear indicator for a male sterile plant: http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=293213

7/21/2022 9:33:45 AM

Seattle, Washington, USA

Oh wow that's wild, Pumpking. I didn't realize they just straight up didn't have stamens. Good to know!

7/21/2022 11:21:20 AM

Syracuse, NY

What a week - Glad it worked for you and I'll be Miracle-Groing my own plants tomorrow at full force! All you or I need is a barrel and a pump, a sprinkler and a...lot more time, lol---eg

7/23/2022 1:56:15 AM