Sunday, October 10, 2010

Pumpkin Whoopie



I've gotten several different viewpoints regarding the lack of fruit on my pumpkin vines. One person has said too much fertilizer will produce lots of flowers and not much fruit. I read something else that said pumpkins are heavy feeders, so I'm not sure what to believe. Another gardener told me that it's probably a pollination problem.
 One of his suggestions was to pollinate by hand. I figured, why not? It would make a great homeschool lesson as well. After all, I've got nothing to lose and I love learning new things. So, here goes!


 
Here's the female blossom with fruit forming.
Fair warning: the next picture is not for the faint of heart...

 
I did find some curious critters inside the male blossoms. One was a worm-like creature, the other was some sort of luminescent green flying thing that was feasting on the pollen. I also found evidence of what seem like perfectly round holes in some of the blossoms.




What to make of all of this? I wish I had time to research it! I'm just hoping that my matchmaking will do the trick. Hopefully, we'll know soon. 
When I went to check on the recipient of today's experiment, she had closed up around herself, so I'm hoping it took. It's all so amazing. I'll be looking for more candidates tomorrow so I can try it again. 
My own fertility clinic for pumpkins.
 Oh, where my garden has taken me...

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