From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Littlerock, WA

I'll be pollinating tomorrow or the next day on my early fair plant (1053 Pugh) and have plenty of males to self-pollinate it. However, I will have ONE male from the 1723 Marshall. What do you think? My gut tells me be safe and self, but it would be nice to cross it with something....

6/13/2012 11:38:39 PM

Germany

If it´s the one you want to grow big, make sure pollination will be successful (i.e., probably use a couple of males). It´s just for the sake of making it grow. You can still do the cross with the 1723. Just later in the season let a secondary set a pumpkin, and get it pollinated with the 1723. Then, after day 30 or so, I would try to cut this secondary off the main plant...I would try to cut halfway through the secondary at about 3 leaf nodes after the main, and after another couple of days I would cut it off the plant (to make sure it doesn´t withdraw too much power), and its tap roots at the leaf nodes should be capable of supporting the little pumpkin for another couple of weeks, because you don´t want another big one, you want the seeds and their genetics. That´s what I have also planned for my patch this year to get some additional crosses out of the limited number of plants. (Need to see if it works. Maybe others have already experience with such kind of method? I would also appreciate further comments and suggestions on that.)

6/14/2012 4:55:04 AM

Goodwood, Ontario, Canada

I'm planning on doing the same thing to create some interesting genetic mixes. My plan is to pollinate a pumpkin on one of the first secondaries that has grown out about 25 feet. Once the pumpkin is growing well, I'll sever the vine with about 8 feet behind it, which should be enough to support the pumpkin growth and yield me a 100lb pumpkin with seeds.

6/14/2012 5:55:15 AM

(rocky) Bonney Lake Wa.

Cindy I would self it as I was wanting to do that with the 1136 Pugh but never got a good set. so I think it would be good to self it and if another comes up and you have males from something else you can use those as a back up plan pollination should the first not work out. Or do another self . You know what the 1053 throws as far as heavy and shape so it would be good to tighten up those genetics.

6/14/2012 6:28:15 AM

Hampstead, NC 28443

Do you have any growers near by with pollen? May have some other males available.

6/14/2012 7:26:11 AM

Littlerock, WA

Well, it was my lucky day. Just when I decided to play it safe and self it, a nice grower invited me over and gave me some 1161 Rodonis flowers as well as some 786 Summers (1068 Wallace x 1145 Summers) male flowers. It'll be ready in the morning to pollinate, my earliest ever!

6/15/2012 12:52:18 AM