Female Pumpkin Flowers Dying before Opening (5 Reasons)

Female pumpkin flowers are kind of hard to grow. It is very common that they die before even opening. This is very frustrating as it makes it difficult for the pumpkin to grow. 

Want to know why your female pumpkin flowers dying before opening?

If it can’t pollinate, it won’t open. You need to give it the right conditions for it to undergo pollination. You also need to care for it properly. Because, if you don’t provide it with the right kind of nutrients or conditions, it will die before opening. 

It is quite difficult to make these pumpkin flowers bloom. If you are intrigued to know whether you can make it happen, take a few minutes to read along! 

Reasons That Cause Female Pumpkin Flowers To Die Before Opening

After the growth of the pumpkin, the flower may die. That is normal so don’t worry when that happens. 

However, if the flower dies before even growing into a fruit, there’s something wrong. It can be that the pumpkin is not properly pollinated. Moreover, the flower might not have the right conditions to grow in. 

If you do these things right, there is an 80% chance that most of the flowers in your garden will bloom. 

Now let us learn how we can solve this issue! 

1. Not Pollinating the Female Flowers Properly

The main reason that your flowers will open to produce pumpkin is when they are pollinated. We can tell pollination is the issue if all other growth factors are provided properly. 

We need to know how to properly pollinate the female flower. This will ensure that they won’t die.

Solution

The garden should be designed in such a way that the female flowers sit in the middle. They should be fully surrounded by lots of male flowers. Make sure that all the male flowers surrounding the female flowers are well and healthy. 

Male flowers are not that hard to grow. Watering them properly and growing them in good and fertilized soil would do the work. This ensures the flowers remain open. 

What if the female flower doesn’t seem to bloom within a week or two? Then you need to hand pollinate it. Do it before 10 am. If you don’t hand pollinate, it may die without producing a pumpkin. 

2. Irregular Watering of Flowers

Pumpkin flower’s food for survival is water. If you see that the soil is always either too dry or too moist, this is the reason for the death of the flowers.

Solution

Regularly water the plants with an adequate amount of water. But don’t let the plants or the soil remain overly moist for too long. 

You can check the moisture simply with the help of a chopstick. If it is too moist the next morning, don’t water it at that time. Check again in the evening. If the moistness has reduced by then, only then should you water it. 

3. Improper Temperature of the Environment

This one is crucial so that the plant can carry out chemical reactions properly. If not, then they will not make adequate food for growth. Otherwise, the flower will not open. 

Solution

Make sure that the environment in which the plant is growing is right. It should not be too cold such as below 10 degrees Celsius. It should not be too hot such as above 45 to 50 degrees Celsius, it will not survive. 

If the place where you live is too hot or cold, then you can grow the plants indoors in a garden room. That way, you can set up and control the growth conditions. 

4. Plants Growing too Compactly

If you grow them too compactly, there’s more competition in taking up nutrients from the ground. The plants also get suffocated due to this.

Solution

Make sure that the plants are not placed too close to each other. Make sure that you plant flowers according to the space that is available.

Place your pumpkin patch about 400 square feet apart from each other. This is the ideal space a pumpkin plant requires.

5. Missing out on Fertilization

Fertilizers ensure that the plants get the right nutrients for their growth. If it can grow properly, the flower will open in time. 

Solution

When you plant the flowers, learn how to do a soil test first. Then according to the components available in the soil, add relevant fertilizers and supplements. make sure that you give high-quality fertilizers to the soil. And as you do, make sure to mix it well with the soil. 

Here are some good fertilizers to help you choose from: 

Besides that, regularly check the soil with a test kit. Do this to check for any deficiency of any form of nutrient like magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, etc. If there seems to be any deficiency, then add fertilizers likewise. 

Once you set up all the conditions in the right way, the big step is done. Then, you just need to constantly monitor the plant and be regular in caring for it. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Question: Should I pinch off pumpkin flowers? 

Answer: When one or two pumpkins have already started growing, then you can. This would allow the pumpkins to take in more nutrients and have healthy growth.

Question: How can you tell if a pumpkin flower is male or female?

Answer: Female ones have a swollen bump at the base of their bloom. The male ones don’t have it. Male ones simply sit atop the stem. 

Question: Do all pumpkins have male and female flowers?

Answer: Yes. All pumpkin plants can have both male and female flowers on the same plant. The first ones to bloom are male. The female ones bloom after a week or so. 

Wrapping Up 

Are you still worried about your female pumpkin flowers dying before opening? If you apply these tips effectively, you won’t have to worry anymore. 

Let us know how it goes for you. Make sure to follow all the procedures properly. Good luck!