From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Harrisville, Pa

when you are polinating them? Any suggestions in keeping them cool so they will not abort?

7/5/2010 7:46:50 PM

Buffalo, New York

i am going to put bags of ice around mine tomorrow morning, gonna be mid 90s again here tomorrow.

7/5/2010 7:54:00 PM

Fresno, CA

I wish I knew the answer to this too. I have 22% shade cloth over the patch. I have misters going in the heat of the day. I have a small upside-down styrofoam cooler elevated about 8 inches over the female and a frozen gatorade bottle full of water about 3 inches from the fruit. So far has not aborted in 3 days since pollination but whether it has actually 'taken' is yet to be seen. I figure after softball size is hit I'm clear. But last year when the high temps were over 100 I wasn't able to successfully pollinate females even with most of these mitigating factors.

7/5/2010 8:02:06 PM

Nicholls Georgia

this is what we did that worked buy a small starafoam cooler and cut a notch in the end where the the fruit will be frezz a 2 litter coke bottle of water it should stay cool all day as it was 97 when we did it and it worked.

7/5/2010 11:46:19 PM

Www.extremepumpkinstore.com

Great Advice Lee.

7/5/2010 11:53:25 PM

Simi valley, ca

It is also a good idea to shade the area that pumpkin is at ,for up to a week before, i have seen them be cooked way before pollination day ! To the untrained eye it may look ok , but not be!, , Like here now- not to hot yet & my pumpkin is small like 3 days or so, & its is going to get hot in few days , So i will shade that area like approx 3 x 5 ft over pumpkin, & On poll day i will use the cooler with frozen bottle, But also not over cool pumpkin ether I have tested the temp under it & sometimes maybe a bit too cold, usually i will lift one end!! gOOD LUCK !!

7/6/2010 1:01:47 AM

Littleton, Colo

...Subway.....I'll pozt picz tmrw in my diary.....Juzt like Lee said ( Ice and Cooler )....We also use one of thoze foil windshield foil sun shadez for your car.....KEEP THEM COOL....Biz

7/6/2010 2:37:45 AM

Rhode Island

if you have electricity available at the patch a fan in addition to above commentary helps a lot. kinda like you sitting in front of a fan in the shade vs none at all?

7/6/2010 6:13:02 AM

Massillon, Ohio

we use ice but then again we've had 3 abort so far this year and we are only growing 3 plants. makes me want to injure myself honestly. i cant remember this ever happening before.

7/6/2010 8:49:57 AM

Navarre,OH

Its been a rough year so far with all the rain and storms earlier this year, all this heat. Had so many aborts on my giant marrow I was ready to give up now good fruits are coming up everywhere.It sucks this year....battling black aphids, cucumber beetles, squash bugs, SVB's, DM and my giant maize I think may have a strain of MDMV. I didnt have ANY of these probs last year. :(

7/6/2010 9:17:15 AM

43.841677 , -79.086692

Lucky we had an early start here in Ontatio. I have big beautiful plants but have been plagued by aborts. A week of near freezing followed by a week of rain and then a week of record high's......

7/7/2010 3:10:24 PM

Deer Park WA

If nothing else is available shade the lil stinker with a chair!

7/8/2010 1:22:13 AM

Littleton, Colo

......subway....picz pozted in diary....try to keep them cool....biz

7/10/2010 12:59:56 AM