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Gettysburg, PA

I got home last night looked at my first female pollinated 6/28. I just learned you should pull the petals off the flower after the first day, so I did that and found that the little 4 lober had rotten lobes. Moldy fuzz all over them. Is this because I didn't pull off the petals and give them air? We had a little rain the past 2 days, so it was a little wet inside.

It's day 4 and the pumpkin is now about the size of a tennis ball. I remember reading something about a 10 day rule or something. Can someone refresh my memory? How big should it be by day 10. There's a 5 lober on the same plant that's out 15 feet, pollinated yesterday. That's probably gonna be the one I keep anyway if it takes.

Charlie

7/2/2009 8:37:56 AM

[email protected]

It aborted.

7/2/2009 12:22:16 PM

Bemidji Minnesota

yeah, I learned last year to take off the petals.

I took mine off just a bit too late and the lobes had just started to mold, but the pumpkin was already football sized.

I did delicate surgery on her, with a sharp knife, and a removed the lobes by cutting in half that 1" white shaft that grows out betweent he lobes and the pumpkin. Then I smeared daconil on it with my finger tips.

kept an eye on the area, and had to repeat just once after a heavy rain.

This year I will take the lobes off the day after pollination, and apply daconil anyway, around day 5-7.

7/2/2009 1:39:02 PM

[email protected]

It wouldn't say it aborted for sure. The best thing you can do now is clean it off and try to get it dried out. But with the rain most of PA is having right now that may be easier said than done.

I wouldn't worry about the day 10 benchmark.

7/2/2009 4:03:13 PM

Bemidji Minnesota

Also, let that one at 15ft grow, remove its petals, and if it is growing faster than the first one, then keep the one at 15ft, and turn the first one into salad dressing dip sticks.

7/2/2009 6:52:17 PM