Hello Buds, I am back from vacation.
Mary, all your answers are correct. Many growers will often go the the extra step of putting ice around a newly pollinated female to keep her cool so the pollination will take.
Another reason for females dying off is the soil is not in the proper ph range. Pumpkins do best with a ph of between 6.5 and 6.8 or soil that is slightly acidic.
Yes, many growers will hand pollinate their females. It's simple, I've done it. Pollination has to take place in the morning, before it gets too warm. Pick a newly opened male flower and remove the flower pettles. Rub the pollen laden stamen from the male on a female flowers stigma. It is said that females with a stigma of 6 or 7 segments will produce a larger pumpkin than one with 3 or 4 segments. I hope this wasn't too intimate for you all.
Unfortunately the large pumpkin in the last batch of photos has stopped growing. This sometimes happens. But the next largest one is coming along nicely. I'll have more photos this week.
How fast do pumpkins grow? At the height of the growing season, when all conditions are just right, giant pumpkins can put on an incredible 50lbs per day!!!
Yes, most growers will only let each plant produce one pumpkin to focus all the plants energy in the one fruit.
Later.