What is happening to my Pumpkins?

[~Boudicca~]

I am growing sugar pumpkins and things have been going great until this past week or so. Many of the leaves are yellowing, not a mottled yellow but just turning completely yellow and the ends are curling up and turning brown. Also some of the blossoms are just falling off the stems, like you could just flick them off. It doesn't seem to be bothering my watermelons or cukes, just the pumpkins. It also seems like very few of the blossoms are actually turning into fruit.

This sucks! I thought they were going to turn out great because just a few weeks ago they were so healthy and vigorous. We eat a ton of pumpkin during the winter too so I'm really bummed out.

I took a walk through today to survey the damage and it is affecting easily about 80% of the plants (I think I have 20 or so). I got frustrated and ripped some of them out.

Can they be salvaged, and does anyone know what it could be? I have been googling like crazy and haven't found any pics that look what I have going on.

[alllyssa]

Don't ripe any more out! This sounds totally normal to me.

Is this the first time you've grown pumpkin? I'm asking because all my squash do the same thing . . . the oldest (first) leaves will brown and basically die and many, many of the blossoms will also fall off - they are the male blossoms - the ones w/o the fruit, just the long skinny stem and a blossom, correct? You won't get fruit from those anyway :-) Only the females eventually turn into fruit.

My squash started out this year w/lots of males, but eventually the females came and were "fertilized", now I have lots of zucchinis and cucumbers. Just saw my first male blossom on my winter squash this morning (and no females yet

Hang in there!

[~Boudicca~]

Originally Posted by alllyssa

Don't ripe any more out! This sounds totally normal to me.

Is this the first time you've grown pumpkin? I'm asking because all my squash do the same thing . . . the oldest (first) leaves will brown and basically die and many, many of the blossoms will also fall off - they are the male blossoms - the ones w/o the fruit, just the long skinny stem and a blossom, correct? You won't get fruit from those anyway :-) Only the females eventually turn into fruit.

My squash started out this year w/lots of males, but eventually the females came and were "fertilized", now I have lots of zucchinis and cucumbers. Just saw my first male blossom on my winter squash this morning (and no females yet

Hang in there!

Mama, WOW! Thank you for this info. This is so good to know. Yes, this is the first year I've grown pumpkins. This is the first year I've done any large scale gardening (large for me, it is about 400 square feet not including my corn and potato patches or the peppers that I have in pots all over the place) so I was really disheartened when I thought my pumpkins were in trouble.

Well, you live and learn, right? Now I just feel stupid because I ripped out about 5-6 plants, but there are still lots left.

Whew! Thanks for chiming in before I cleared the whole bed!

[Proudmomoftwinsplusone]

i was just going to post about this! my pumpkin plants are growing, thriving, tons of blossoms, but no fruit. i will hang in there.

[koalove]

Originally Posted by ~Boudicca~

I am growing sugar pumpkins and things have been going great until this past week or so. Many of the leaves are yellowing, not a mottled yellow but just turning completely yellow and the ends are curling up and turning brown. Also some of the blossoms are just falling off the stems, like you could just flick them off. It doesn't seem to be bothering my watermelons or cukes, just the pumpkins. It also seems like very few of the blossoms are actually turning into fruit.

This sucks! I thought they were going to turn out great because just a few weeks ago they were so healthy and vigorous. We eat a ton of pumpkin during the winter too so I'm really bummed out.

I took a walk through today to survey the damage and it is affecting easily about 80% of the plants (I think I have 20 or so). I got frustrated and ripped some of them out.

Can they be salvaged, and does anyone know what it could be? I have been googling like crazy and haven't found any pics that look what I have going on.

i have the EXACT same issue here. im glad folks are saying its normal. it sure looks ugly though!

[SamGroom]

not to be a downer... but it could also be a vine burrower. You would find what looks like saw dust on the stem, you can try using a sharp knife to make a slit in the stem to see if you can find the white worm and pull him out. You then just covered the cut area with dirt and it will re-root.

My pumpkins look horrible I don't think they are going to make it

[catballou24]

i was going to say vine borers too...they can destroy a plant within a very short period of time. check under the vines near the base of the plant. if there is sawdust looking stuff, then you have them. you can do what the pp suggested and hopefully, as long as the plant is established enough and healthy enough, it will rejuvenate. all my pumpkins are growing slowly and i've lost a few to the borers this year...those bugs are my nemesis...good luck!!

[~Boudicca~]

No, the vines look healthy and green coming out of the ground all the way down, no sawdust anywhere.

[catballou24]

if no evidence of borers then i'd just wait it out.. this summer is strange all over for veggie gardeners it would seem! good luck!