Both male and female flowers open at dawn and close by the end of the day. The window for pollination is short! If, on the other hand, you see female and male flowers open at the same time but the ovaries never enlarge and instead shrivel up and drop off, you can probably blame a lack of pollination.
A shortage of bees in the area is a likely culprit. While other insects can pollinate pumpkin flowers, bees are typically the best pollinators , according to Alex Surcica of the Penn State Extension Program. Read more about hand pollination here. I imagine a female pumpkin under heat stress to be like me, on the Fourth of July in Oklahoma, at nine months pregnant. For some reason I had decided to tromp around town with friends and watch a fireworks show in degree weather with 60 percent humidity.
I could barely breathe. In addition, high temperatures around the time of pollination can prevent the pollen from germinating and fertilizing the female flower. So keep an eye on the weather in your area, and if stressful conditions are in the forecast, provide your plants with shade. Old sheets tied over hoops work well, as do row covers or some other type of shade cloth from the gardening store. Be sure to provide adequate irrigation during hot periods as well, and lock the moisture in with a light-colored mulch that deflects sunlight.
But too much water, especially in the case of waterlogged roots, can cause issues with fruit production. Too much water can cause roots to become stressed and stop producing flowers, especially female flowers.
It can even cause young fruits to shrivel and die. The fungus will kill the leaves and gradually kill the vine before its fruit can develop properly. Powdery mildew is easily avoided by watering the vines early in the morning, giving any water that might come in contact with the leaves plenty of time to dry before evening.
Enhance air circulation by ensuring enough space between plants, typically 5 to 6 feet. Each pumpkin vine can handle only so much fruit. If too many blossoms develop into pumpkins, each one will necessarily be smaller. To ensure larger fruit, pinch off female blossoms on vines that contain fruit already.
Each pumpkin plant has both male and female pumpkin flowers. Female blooms emerge later. For fruit to develop, pollen from the male blossom must come in contact, typically through pollinating insects, with female blossoms.
If the pumpkin plants are not producing pumpkins, it is likely that pollination is not occurring. Pick a day after the last frost to sow seeds directly in the ground. Each seed packet will list how long on average the plant needs to produce full-grown pumpkins "Days for Maturity". For example, Small Sugar Pumpkins need days to reach maturity. If you wanted them to ripen about a week before Halloween, then plan on planting them in mid-July.
Select a full-sun spot and space out the seeds based on the recommendations provided on the packet. Pumpkin vines can sprawl quite far, although there are some "bush" varieties that grow in a more compact form. If you're feeling ambitious, plant the seeds in pumpkin "hills" — mounds of dirt slightly raised off of the ground. Most vegetable crops need a deep yet gentle soaking once per week — about an inch of water at a time.
Adjust based on rainfall accordingly. Note: Pumpkin leaves can look wilted in the afternoon heat, even if the soil is still moist. Resist the temptation to douse the dirt even more if the foliage perks back up again in the evening or under cloud cover, as overwatering can contribute to root rot. Mulching your beds will help keep pumpkin plants more consistently hydrated and also tamp down weeds.
In general, you do not need to prune your vines. Big leaves help them produce more carbohydrates, which mean more pumpkins. Some people will thin their plants to one or two fruits each in order to grow giant prize pumpkins, but everyday backyard gardeners can skip this step.
Pumpkins are heavy feeders. Using an all-purpose vegetable garden fertilizer not one designed for lawns can provide them with the right food they need. It's also a good idea to test your soil every couple of years. The results will reveal what type of dirt you're dealing with — including the pH and nutrient levels — and help you plan accordingly. After several months of growing, your pumpkins will reach maturity when the rinds harden and reach the desired shade. Definitely harvest before a heavy frost, which will damage the fruits, Burpee advises.
Cut the vine with pruning shears leaving several inches of stem attached. Then enjoy the fruits of your labor — either by carving , cooking, or decorating. You' re better off buying seeds from a reputable brand than saving ones from a random pumpkin.
0コメント