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Marion,IN

In the past, I always waited to bury the vines after all the flowers on the plant had grown to a decent size. If you bury the secondaries as they are growing out, will this inhibit the pumpkin flowers from blooming up through the dirt? I don't want to kill off any potential world record pollinators!! hahaha

Thanks,
Mark G.

3/13/2009 3:29:36 PM

Colorado Springs.Co

As you bury the vine the flowers are jutting upward anyway so you can leave them exposed. You want to cull most of them anyway. You will have way more males than you need. Selective pruning is key. Leave just enough males to cover your ass.

3/13/2009 4:09:50 PM

Ohio

Mark, new thing I tried last year and that was leave all your females grow on your first couple secondaries only, and all the rest of your flowers after that on your secondaries cut off as you bury the vine. You will find the first two secondaries is plenty to do your pollination's when the time comes. I found it also eliminates the old rotten flowers that bloom you will never use anyway. I think it helps in keep the disease down also.

3/13/2009 5:31:32 PM

Mill Bay, British Columbia

I did the same as Brooks and left flowers only on the first couple of secondaries and then trimmed all others off when I buried the vines.

3/13/2009 5:39:06 PM

milford, CT,

I don't know about everyone else but...I trim inner males off..I try to use the ones on the outside of the secondaries so I don't have to walk into the plant to harvest them. There are always plenty of males so why compact the soil when you can harvest from the outside vines...Mark

3/13/2009 5:45:52 PM

Ohio

I look for using the males that are down the main or right next to the main when I do my pollinations, they are usually the ones that are the biggest , and also have a lot of pollen in them. .

3/13/2009 6:09:42 PM