Pumpkin Flowers Falling Off

[Garvey]

I have a problem with my pumpkins this year. The flowers are forming beautifully but fall off before the fruit starts to form. Result - I have no pumpkin fruits forming. Any one know why this is happening and what the answer could be.

[snakeshack]

Are you sure there are both male and female flowers? The female flowers have a bulge behind them which form the fruits while the males just have a thin stem. Most squashes initially form only male flowers ,the female ones starting somewhat later.if you do have both, it could be a pollination problem , easily solved by picking a male flower that's fully open and ripping off the petals to expose the pollen filled anthers then pushing into the female flower to transfer pollen, one make will do several females but its good to go round with a couple of males to ensure transfer


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[sparrow100]

I have the same problem - the female flowers & fruit are going brown and falling off before opening. Not sure if it is a lack of food, water or the plant is stressed for whatever reason.

[Garvey]

Snakeshack many thanks for this invaluable advice. I pollinated a female flower straight after your reply and a fruit is now forming. What a relief - can't thank you enough.