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Location

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Date Posted

Milky Way

All females on my plant have 5 lobes, no with 4 or 6 lobes.

7/18/2008 2:25:51 AM

Buffalo, New York

i have heard of 4, 5, and 6

do more mean better or what?

7/18/2008 2:27:26 AM

Colorado Springs.Co

I've had three open on my main and all were five lobers, another opens tomorrow, I'm curious if it will be a five lober as well. I wonder if its genetics. I'm also getting better secondary growth on one side and was wondering if its mom may have been grown in a flag pattern. Or I might just be thinking too much,lol

7/18/2008 2:32:31 AM

Colorado Springs.Co

Others have done the research I'm just a good listener but Five lobers are better if you have a smaller patch, there is Data to prove this. Bob Liggett grew I think it was a 1300 plus plant on a 300 sq ft plant on a five lober. I would like to here some data on six lobers.

7/18/2008 2:38:18 AM

Wi

My plants are all roughly 650 sqft areas. Not filled yet obviously, but I had almost all 5 lobe flowers this year. Lots of mutants, but almost all 5 lobes on my 6 plants.

I believe I only had about 2-3 total 4 lobers and I had 2 6 lobers. One is a keeper and I'm pretty pumped about that.

7/18/2008 9:16:16 AM

Western NY

almost all of mine are either 4 or 5 lobes, i don't think it really makes a difference in pumpkin size, but i do try to avoid 3's unless i have to take it.

7/18/2008 9:52:41 AM

Deer Park WA

Our 1112.5 was a four lobe pumpkin (650 sqft plant) and all of the plants I have grown from it have only had 4 lobe pumpkins...

7/18/2008 11:10:33 AM

Klickitat Washington

I have 1 female open now on my 456 kirts (1011 hunt x 500 northrup) was just wondering if i should polinate this one or not it has eight big lobes and 1 small lobe for a total of 9 lobes all together. Thank You any info would be great will try to post pics on diary this weekend again Thank You Duane

7/18/2008 11:23:10 AM

No Place Special

Im with Andy. Most I see are 4 or 5. I wouldnt take a 3 unless I had to. I actually have a 6 lober going right now and it may be my first one with more than 5 ever. I doubt it will make any difference but im excited to try it.

7/18/2008 1:00:20 PM

San Luis Obispo, Ca.

4 to 6 had an 8 once she never took though. Mostly 4-6.

7/18/2008 3:17:39 PM

Pocatello ([email protected])

From what I've seen, about 5 to 10% of all the females I see are six-lobers. Of the rest, about half are five and the other half four. I have never seen a three lober in all the years I've done this.

I have a six lobe fruit going on the 857 Christensen. And, I must say, this particular fruit is awesome. It's perfectly egg shaped, nice and symmetrical, growing pretty fast for what I'm used to seeing. I don't know if it's a coincidence, but this six lober is looking good! I need to post another photo, maybe I'll do that soon, but some are here:

http://cliffsgiantpumpkin.blogspot.com

7/18/2008 4:51:37 PM

Pocatello ([email protected])

What might be interesting is, take a seed from a six lobe fruit, and see if you get a higher percentage of six lobe females showing up on it.......

7/18/2008 4:53:00 PM

Denver, CO

Pumpkin Stephan
Here is a link to some research I did over the winter.
http://www.bigpumpkins.com/MsgBoard/ViewThread.asp?b=3&p=240782

I can’t directly answer your question in regards to all pumpkins but I can tell you what I found in regard to all pumpkin grown over 1200 pounds that were listed on the AGGC.

Out of 169 pumpkins over 1200 pounds, I don’t think one was a 3 lobe pumpkins. That is zero out of 169.

The most normal number of lobes for 1200 pound and greater pumpkins was 5 at 103 of 169 or 60%.

Then 4 lobe pumpkins accounted for 52 of the 169 or 31%

This leaves the 9% which were chiefly, 6 lobers.

The incidents of 6 lobe pumpkins over 1200 pounds was quite small at about 12 out of all the pumpkins. This is in part to the rarity of 6 lobe females. All though the number is small in the over all scheme, given the "rarity" of 6 lobe pumpkins, to have 12 of them show up in the "over 1200 pound" category might indicate a greater propensity for bigger pumpkins.

Until we can get about 60 to 70 of these grown, we won’t know for sure what the meaning of 6 lobes versus 5 and 4 lobes is.

Though not directly related to your question, my research showed that a 5 lobe pumpkin needs a smaller plant size compared to a 4 lobe pumpkin which needs a bigger plant size, BUT in either case, with the correct corresponding patch size a 4 lobe or 5 lobe pumpkin are equally capable of producing a pumpkin over 1200 pounds.

I love CLiffWarren's idea, it would be great to know what comes about or has com about in the past.

7/18/2008 11:57:11 PM

Windsor, Ontario, Canada

I had my first 3 lober show up on the 649 Spada this year. I pollinated, but it was only putting on 1 pound a day. This could have something to do with the main vine being partially crushed early in the season, but that didn't slow the plant growth down, so who knows.

7/19/2008 9:18:42 AM

Joliet, IL

i grew a 3 lober and hit 650 on the nose. it was a last chance pollination i had to go with. it sort of grew triangular and long with 2 wide ribby sections on the sides and a huge humpy ribbed section in the middle on top. the 3 seed chambers were in the obvious spots. really weird looking pumpkin. 4s or 5s are what i normally see, and grew a decent 6 lober too. not much difference in my 4s or 5s.

7/19/2008 1:17:55 PM

Pocatello ([email protected])

We should identify those 6-lobers that are already out there... see who's growing some of them...

7/19/2008 6:29:05 PM

Minnesota

All of mine on both plants have been 5 lobers, 1 of the plants were big and puffy 5 lobers, don't know if it means anything.

7/19/2008 7:20:02 PM

Brooklyn Corner, Nova Scotia

I notice growers taking note of a nice 5 lober or a 6 lober but what actual evidence is there that one is better than another. If a 4 lobe can produce a world record, why should I believe a 5 or 6 lobe is the holy grail. Is it selection over placement on the vine. If you had the choice over a well placed 4 lobe versus a 5 or 6 lobe further up the vine, which would you choose. I would like to see some scientific evidence on how the number of lobes equates to size. Respectfully, AGGC can only produce stats from the data entered. Data in data out. If the top growers choose to ignore 4 lobes or heaven forbid a 3 lobe female even if perfectly positioned, how can the data be seen as being objective. Being an novice gower I am ready to be corrected or educated at any time. I look forword to the replies, Thanks.

7/19/2008 8:03:49 PM

Denver, CO

Andy,
I am not sure if you read the aritcle I refered to above;
http://www.bigpumpkins.com/MsgBoard/ViewThread.asp?b=3&p=240782 and understanding that what you say is correct, data in is data out, it nonetheless is the best we have right now. And when a person reads that article, what they should come away with is that its every bit as likley that a 4 lobe OR a 5 lobe pumpkin can produce a 1200 pounder or greater. Neither is a better choice EXCEPT that the data shows that a 4 lobe pumpkin needs a little biiger plant to acomplish the task versus a 5 lobe pumpkin.
No top grower that I know of would ever ingnore a 4 lobe pumpkin in good postion in favor of a 5 lober, or vice versa. But, 3 lobes is a very diffrent animal because experince has shown time and time again that these pumpkins do not develope correctly. If you get the chance, set a 3 lobe pumpkin sometime and see what happens.

7/23/2008 5:40:26 PM