From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Mission Viejo, CA

Nick, talk to us about heat. What has been the max temperature on pollination day?

6/29/2026 7:54:43 PM

Portland, CT

Like 77-82. We have had a stretch of perfect weather here in CT. And nice night time temps as well that stay pretty high.

6/29/2026 8:01:50 PM

Sainte-Catherine-de-Hatley, Quebec, Canada

Excessive N maybe

6/29/2026 8:30:29 PM

Sainte-Catherine-de-Hatley, Quebec, Canada

Or boron deficiency

6/29/2026 8:30:38 PM

C N Y

How about Phosphorous deficiency, in a game show, here.
Winner gets 10 seeds from a pumpkin that sets for real.
I'm just impressed at the random sentences ending in a.
Ha, ha---IMHO, regardless of anyone's soil report and amending,
a plant can have different desires as to the levels it likes to live its best life with.
For ME last year, abort...abort...added EXtrA, high-P water-soluble *in frequency alone*
and as I alone would predict, the next one(s) 'took', on that one particular plant.
I'm excited to practice what I preach, soon, lol.
Good luck, of course, in any event---eric g

6/30/2026 1:22:23 AM

Bethlehem CT

Sorry to see it nick. Keep fighting!

6/30/2026 7:18:05 AM

Austria

I had my pumpkins pollinated right in the middle of the heat wave (95 degrees). I usualle don't fertilize +/- 1 week before and after pollination and only put shading on the fruit. it always worked for me.

6/30/2026 9:53:03 AM

Portland, CT

Maurice: You very well may be right on the high N theory. My vines are all standing up tall which is a sign of high N. Some people say High N can cause aborts and others say that's BS so I'm not sure. There's not much I can do to control that now that the soil is warm and the microbes are creating lots of N.

6/30/2026 10:10:27 AM

Portland, CT

pumpkinpal2: Since I had adequate P shown on my soil test and have been drip feeding a balanced fertilizer it's hard to believe this is a nutrient deficiency thing. I should send in a soil sample though just to be safe.

6/30/2026 10:12:30 AM

Portland, CT

big moon: At least the cantaloupes look good!

6/30/2026 10:13:02 AM

Portland, CT

Wyldaur: Yeah they are tough plants and can put up with a lot so I'm not sure why I'm having these issues even with ideal weather.

6/30/2026 10:15:21 AM

Grittyville, WA

Are you using a lot of ammonium based fertilizer? It might be acidifying things plus adding too much nitrogen. You might be light on available phosphorus? Last, zinc is omitted from some of the blue fertilizers. What are normal feed schedule, amounts? Plants look good but lastly there could be some mild root disease issue.

[Last edit: 06/30/26 2:10:42 PM]

6/30/2026 11:13:03 AM

Upa Creek, MO

I had this happen years ago, they would all shrivel up and die. Longest one would live is up to 10 days. I was told it was a sterile plant. I really doubt it is a micronutrient deficiency as it would likely show up in the plant first and the pumpkins wouldn't be the fastest growers. Billions of plants grow in bad soils all over the world lacking nutrients, but just not to their potential. I don't believe these plants are that hypersensitive that they would just abort everything or else they wouldn't be here now (hello Darwin).

Hopefully a sterile plant is not the case here and you get this resolved.

6/30/2026 5:51:19 PM

Grittyville, WA

Darwin is the reason they abort. The plants get greedy when they have plenty of nitrate and water they think the good times will last forever and that by delaying their reproduction they can get larger and have EVEN MORE offspring.

Smallmouth, you're right in a sense. In nature there is rarely a bunch of free nitrate up for grabs. So things do generally reproduce at the first chance. But when there is excess nitrate and water it changes the evolutionary game into one of hogging all the nutrients and sun first, and then reproducing...? Its a theory.

6/30/2026 6:10:03 PM

Grittyville, WA

Agree that pumpkins are not too sensitive about the micronutrients but the tomatoes very often have blossoms that are not viable and the micro nutrients can affect the fruit set.

6/30/2026 6:13:52 PM

New England

Perhaps I didn't read enough but did you try male pollen from another plant or self pollinate? Having a bloom of each pollination may have helped to determine if its pollen or blossom issues. Infertility can come from either male or female or both. However, per the aforementioned, it could be a few things. Hope you narrow it to one cause, good luck!

6/30/2026 7:21:15 PM

C N Y

Thank you all/Nick and Little Ketchup - I had forgotten about the high N/more aborts phenomena. I'da thought 'Those fertilizer #s mean something' and I'da been a hypocrite more than usual, lol. Be well - Time will tell---eg

7/1/2026 12:42:36 AM

Portland, CT

Little Ketchup: I'm just using half strength Plant Marvel Cal-Mag and haven't fed any in over a week since the plant is growing like a weed.

7/1/2026 10:02:31 AM

Portland, CT

Smallmouth: I was able to get a very early pollination to about 30lbs so I'm pretty confident the plant isn't sterile.

7/1/2026 10:08:03 AM

Portland, CT

Country Boy: Honestly that is an interesting theory. This was crossed with my 1727 Jacobus which has been a sluggish plant with deformed females. I'll try selfing or crossing with my 2115 Barron if I get another flower opening.

7/1/2026 10:11:26 AM