From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Minnesota

Does anybody change up there feeding schedule when its time to pollinate? I have a flower should open tommorow and it is also the day I usually feed my plants, does it make a difference if you pollinate on the day you feed your plants?

7/6/2012 11:58:32 AM

Sourthern Utah

richard with the exception of tea,, i dont fert feed till around day 12 or so,, have had fruits abort,, when i did,, oh and water lol

7/6/2012 6:19:28 PM

Minnesota

I will have to stop feeding them if tommorow the fruit aborts. Could be the heat also, 102 today, hot for MN.

7/6/2012 6:42:45 PM

Rhode Island

richard we used to back away on fertalizers a week before up to one week after pollination period.
we have stopped this practice several years ago because we no long use granular( salty) or water soluable high salt fertalizer applications.
now that we use drench tanks and a lot of natural fertalizers (fish-kelp-etc)and soil drenches consisting of disease and soil control-balancing-etc, we no longer need to worry about that.
ps--we have also found that with the three drench tanks available? we no longer need to use the compost tea.
compost tea is good but we just no longer need to because of the ability to drench up to 885 gallons of these mixes onto the plants.(approx use 110 gal of drench on each of our 8 plants.

7/9/2012 10:00:06 AM

President - GPC

Richard,

Answer to your question in your diary....YES, One MUST cover the maleZ too the night before you use them.....I spot out 3 good maleZ>...always one from the main...and cover them with my nylonZ...
If my femaleZ are in the same patch...I leave thoZe covered maleZ on the plant for the next mornining funZ.
If the female is at another patch...then I cut the covered maleZ, put them in a plastic cup with 1/2 water in it...and to the refrigerator they go. Next morning...they get warmed on the hood of my car...at the patch..about 5 minutes before I pull the nylonZ off.... Pollen iZ alwayZ nice and fluffy...and plentiful and pure....
If you use an uncovered male for pollinating at any point...then that iZ considered an opened pollination for that fruit........
Good Luck.

7/9/2012 10:16:30 AM

Minnesota

Thanks, Yes I used unopened flowers, 8 of them. I am always picky about whitch flowers to use, if there just opening I use them, or used to. Now I will pick them before, instead of day early flowers. I never read about or realized the pollinating flower should be covered or picked and kept away from the bee's. I pick off the main vine, with the idea you would rather grow off the main vine than a side vine.

7/9/2012 12:06:57 PM

Illinois

Last year was my first. I had good vines etc. The Pumps wern't all that good though. This year I am fertilizing and watering more. I seem to be developing a problem. I have a 20 foot main with 20 or more laterals! [last year I had seven] I have so meany that they are growing up out of the patch. No room till they get heavy enough to fall down. Do I prune any of these or what?
I'm also watering about an inche every other day. Sometimes more in this hot weather. Is this to much or not enough?

7/19/2012 2:47:46 PM

Sourthern Utah

jm,, i prune sidevines and terminate them when they hit patch end ,, i also bury all my side vines ,, but leave the main open so i can watch fer problems ,, i dont water as hvy as u do,, maybe 1 inch every 4 days ,

7/19/2012 4:38:17 PM