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Atlanta, Georgia

I'm in Atlanta and have a nice 1092 Martin plant with a primary vine over 24 feet long now. Problem is that females have appeared since about 18 feet but they remain about the size of a pea and then just shrivel and die remaining pea size without even developing into a full and blooming flower to pollinate. Any ideas, comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Please email me if you can at [email protected] or [email protected] if you know anything that could help or at least explain what might be happening or if it can be resolved.
Thanks,
Michel

6/23/2008 11:23:04 PM

Colorado Springs.Co

Michel, I think you just might have people chime in about too much nitrogen in your recent regiment.

6/24/2008 1:05:58 AM

Garden State Pumpkins

If it is to much applied nitrogen start watering and leach all the nitrogen out. It could be heat, chemical burn, disease etc. If it is a disease a fresh tissue sample will need to be done...I lost 2 years of plants doing the same thing only to find out I had a disease not to much nitrogen. fusaria causes similar conditions. Good luck!

6/24/2008 3:05:50 AM

Garden State Pumpkins

Also excessive nitrogen is an ideal condition for a Fusaria bloom.

6/24/2008 3:15:31 AM

Rhode Island

excessive heat (over 90 degrees) can also cause aborts but usually not until after a pollination attempt.
it does sound like something is in excess in your soil.

6/24/2008 6:46:18 AM

Windsor, Ontario, Canada

Basically if anything is stressing the plant out, it will abort all the females. The plant will only produce fruit it is is "safe and secure" otherwise all attention will be devoted to the plants survival.

Other guys are right, most of the time its too much N or too much heat.

6/24/2008 2:16:08 PM

Atlanta, Georgia

Thanks everyone!
Too much nitrogen usually means very dark green leaves though in my experience, and these leaves seem a perfect shade of green, and my soil test shows my nitrogen as being high, but not abnormally high.
I guess time will tell. If I overwater to try to leach anything from the soil I give myself the problem of having growing tips that want to reach for the sky and end up snapping, so that isn't much help at this point either.
I guess I'll just abandon the plant and chalk it up to experience.
Best regards to all.
M

6/24/2008 3:04:36 PM

Joliet, IL

try any high phosphorous fert. you can get a bloom buster at home depot. i use agro k's vcp (vigor cal phosphate 0-13-0 i believe) amd 9-18-9. root drench and foliar. the higher phosphorous amounts will help greatly with both male and female flowers. i had an early pea size abort on one that was going to be pinched anyways 2 weeks ago and have rotated spraying vcp and 9-18-9 every 3 days since. now i have been pruning strong females on almost every secondary and, on the females look good so far on the mains as well. temps have been lower, since that first pea size abort and a couple i noticed on secondaries, but i have shaded every main vine tip and females on mains with plastic lawn chairs since. i also just purchased some small 7" fans at Lowes for 8 bucks a piece and will put them under the chairs and a frozen of a laundry detergent bottle that was filled with water and frozen solid in front of the fan so it will blow cold air on the female if temps are too hot. i will have a pollination in 88 degree temps in 2 days and this will mean the female will get that treatment just to be sure. if it stays hot consistently like over 90 four days in a row, the females get that treatment 2 days prior and 3 days after pollination. i replace the frozen bottles with fresh ones when i get home from work at 430 pm. a lot of work, but when its hot like that, i have lost females to heat aborts, and a couple years back 3 on one plant and that set things back a bit and i almost ran out of main vine room before finally getting a set on that plant. all the energy up to this point makes it worth going the extra mile when it gets hot during pollination time in my eyes.

6/24/2008 9:04:15 PM