Question Butternut pumpkin help?

Bobo

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So this is the first time ive grown pumpkin or squash (as the americans call it) and im fairly familiar with how it grows. However im stumped with the way it is flowering, its a little over 10ft tall now, climbing my verandah and the first flower it formed when it was smaller was a single male which has still not opened, since then it has ONLY produced females with no more males in sight. it has around 8-12 female flowers several of which have opened but wilted as they will not be pollinated due to lack of males, i dont have any similar crops to cross it with either so i was wondering if there is any way to encourage the males? Thanks.
 

daveb

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old trick i learned from grandfather many years ago he would take one plant in center of the rest and shade it to the point the leafs would actually show signs of getting pale from lack of sun and also hold back some nutrient and the only blossoms that plant would produce was male. Female blossoms show the plant is maturing getting full sun , water and nutrients so ready to bare fruit and at that point most will be 7 to 10 female per one male bloom. so basically i will assume the plant is in full sun good soil with sufficient water because you mention how tall and vigorous the growth is.

In affect its tricking the plant from the extreme shade that it needs to reproduce but its easiest way is to supple a male pollen baring bloom. with as mature as plant sounds you could try shading it to trick it but i dont know if it will work or not. i know a farm extension group did same study years ago and the plants they grew for pumpkins/squash that got less the 5 to 6 hours of sun had nothing but male blooms.

Alternative see if a friend or gardener nearby has 1 or 2 mature male flowers to collect some pollen from
 

Bobo

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Jun 16, 2020
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Location
Wollongong
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Temperate (all seasons)
old trick i learned from grandfather many years ago he would take one plant in center of the rest and shade it to the point the leafs would actually show signs of getting pale from lack of sun and also hold back some nutrient and the only blossoms that plant would produce was male. Female blossoms show the plant is maturing getting full sun , water and nutrients so ready to bare fruit and at that point most will be 7 to 10 female per one male bloom. so basically i will assume the plant is in full sun good soil with sufficient water because you mention how tall and vigorous the growth is.

In affect its tricking the plant from the extreme shade that it needs to reproduce but its easiest way is to supple a male pollen baring bloom. with as mature as plant sounds you could try shading it to trick it but i dont know if it will work or not. i know a farm extension group did same study years ago and the plants they grew for pumpkins/squash that got less the 5 to 6 hours of sun had nothing but male blooms.

Alternative see if a friend or gardener nearby has 1 or 2 mature male flowers to collect some pollen from
Great thank you so much!
 
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