I’m growing a Big Max pumpkin this year. This is my second year gardening and first time trying to grow a pumpkin.

Does anyone know if this is a male or female flower? I think I’m supposed to seal the female ones until later but also think I remember reading the male ones come first.

  • phikshun@lemmy.fmhy.ml
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    1 year ago

    Either low on nitrogen or the soil pH is way off. You should have a lot more leaves before it starts flowering, and they should be greener. Some fish fertilizer might pep it up.

      • phikshun@lemmy.fmhy.ml
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        1 year ago

        Yes. You don’t have to use fish fertilizer, any nitrogen fertilizer should do the trick. I find fish fertilizer helps build good soil over time though. Also, it won’t burn your plants, so it’s a bit more user friendly than chemical fertilizer.

        Usually it comes in a plastic jug and you have to dilute it quite a bit before using. Just follow the instructions on the package.

        Once the pumpkins start growing it’s gonna get pretty potassium hungry. You can switch over to a seaweed fertilizer to get nice big pumpkins. But it needs lots of leaves and plenty of sun first, to fix the necessary carbon.

      • Bumblebb@kbin.social
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        1 year ago

        It can be either. You can get slow release non urea based osmocote stuff for pumpkins as they are very hungry. Consider putting some peas or beans in there after the pumpkin is done to help recruit fungi to convert your nitrogen into a useable form. Since it’s your first year you might have just had too young compost

        • JackbyDev@programming.devOP
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          1 year ago

          I was planning on doing a cover crop this fall. This is a 4 foot square raised bed. I used Miracle Gro Raised Bed soil and nothing else. Maybe that’s why lol.