Female Pumpkin Flowers Dying Before Opening (7 Reasons)

During the Fall season, it is quite difficult to imagine Halloween or other fall celebrations without pumpkins.

Nowadays many people try to grow a pumpkin plant in their front yard or backyard or even on the terrace. Thus female pumpkin flowers dying before opening raises tension for the plant owner.

There are many factors that can affect the dying of a female pumpkin flower like the timing of the plant growth, lack of nutrients,  lack of Sunlight or excess heat from the sunlight, and even fungal infections. 

Sometimes female flowers dying is not even a matter of concern. Maybe you have just missed the blooming time and the flower is already pollinated.

Also if the vein is already having a pumpkin in it then the newly grown flower will die eventually.

It is not always necessary to be concerned about dying flowers. Just try to recognize the reason and take proper steps in time.

Reasons	Solutions
Planting time	May to July
Soil Condition	Apply Iron and phosphorus based fertilizer
Lack of sunlight	Provide 6 to 8 hours light per day
Excess heat	Provide shadow

Why Female Pumpkin Flower Is Dying?

1. Timing of Plant Growth

If you are wishing to have your pumpkin plant bloom with flowers it is very necessary to sow them at the right time.

Considering the basic needs of pumpkin plants it is ideal to plant them during the summer season. The best time period is from the month of May to July. 

Planting your Pumpkin seeds in summer times ensures that you get a proper environment for pollination.

Another important factor is the time period that your plant needs for germination and pollination is affected by the timing of planting the seeds. 

Once you sow the seed you will need about 7 to 10 days for the germination to complete. After 7 to 10 days, the sprouts will be coming through the ground.

In about 50 to 55 days the flowers will appear. This time duration is only possible if they are planted in the right season. 

If you sow seeds in Spring or winter, then they will not get the proper natural environment that they need.

As a result, they will grow to have flowers, but the female flower will die before blooming due to environmental factors.  

Many planters will tell you that they get pumpkins even if they sow their seed in spring or winter. This is a very unusual case. You can say that they just got lucky. 

Solution:

The only solution to the problem is planting your pumpkin during the summer season, that is between May to July you will get proper natural factors.

Once you start doing this you see a huge difference in the flower blooming and ultimately will get a healthy Pumpkin in the fall season. 

In case you are living in a  place with a very extreme weather situation, you can still have your pumpkin in the fall by planting them in greenhouses.

If you have a Greenhouse where you can control the environment, there you will see the blooming of flowers in any season you want. 

2. Soil Condition

The blooming of flowers is an indication that your plant is in a healthy condition to proceed with fruit.

For this succession, it is very important that the soil has all the necessary properties that a pumpkin plant needs to give fruits. 

If there is an imbalance between the elements and minerals in the soil then your plant will face an unhealthy environment and lack of nutrients.

Most of the cases if the flower is not opening and dying then the soil you have planted your seeds in has an excess amount of Nitrogen.

The lack of phosphorus and iron in the soil also causes a huge nutrient deficiency that results in the death of pumpkin flowers before they open up.

Due to the lack of these elements, the germination organs don’t develop properly. 

If the soil is infertile before you plant the seed the damage can be severe. On the other hand, the soil will start to get infertile after you have planted the seeds.

In that case, you need to recognize if the plant is hungry or not and take care of it likewise. 

Sometimes the lack of nutrients can damage the veins of the plant. They don’t have the proper nutrients to hold into a mature pumpkin thus it refuses to bloom the flower.

As a result, you will see the flower dying even before opening and performing pollination. 

Another indication that your plant is lacking in nutrients from the soil is the rotting of the stem of the flower. It means that the plant does not have immunity for self-defense. 

Solution:

If there exists nitrogen in the soil then you need to balance it by providing substitutes.

You can also balance it by changing the soil partially from the soil bed. But your plant needs nitrogen to process its organic functions. 

Sometimes due to nitrogen deficiency, the following problem can arise. Therefore make sure to use fertilizers that have a balanced amount of Nitrogen.

It is always wise to prepare your soil bed before you start planting seeds in healthy soil. 

If the soil is not fertile to deal with the deficiency of nutrients the best is to introduce fertilizers into the soil.

You can find them both online and offline. But make sure that these fertilizers contain all the properties that your soil is lacking.

Sunlight is a mandatory thing for most summer plants. Even though you get your pumpkin during the fall season, the pumpkin plant is actually a summer plant.

Therefore to proceed with photosynthesis and other biological functions it is important for pumpkin plants to have proper sunlight.

One of the major indications that your pumpkin plant is not getting proper sunlight is the death of flowers before blooming.

This is more visible with the female pumpkin flowers. 

The plant recognizes that it doesn’t have favorable sunlight for the germination process and dies before blooming.

You will see that the flower buds that give in the shadow are dying but the one in the sunlight is blooming with full enthusiasm.

Solution:

A pumpkin plant needs at least 6 to 8 hours of Sunlight for growing properly and using its nutrients to its full potential.

The best way to ensure access to Sunlight is to plant them in an open space.

You can always plant your pumpkin seeds in the front yard where there are fewer trees to create a shadow.

Or find a place where the sunlight is accessible throughout the day.

To get your plant proper access to sunlight you can always create higher shelves.

This way once the plant grows to its full potential you can just put the plant on the shelves. You can even use your roof as shelves for the plant. 

This way your plant gets access to sunlight for at least 6 to 8 hours a day. Otherwise, it gets very difficult to provide light for your plants through artificial lighting.

In case you’re planting your pumpkin in a greenhouse then use your fluorescent light to provide the proper amount of lighting. 

4. Higher Temperature Causing Too Much Heat

Access to proper sunlight doesn’t stand for that your plant needs too much Sun heat or any sort or any sort of heat.

Providing proper sunlight for your plant means they will use the sunlight for photosynthesis not to increase the temperature.

When your plant gets too much heat, it refuses to bloom. Sometimes even the flower gets fried due to high heat, let alone bloom in time.

Even if a flower is blooming it will be hard for pollination to take place. Heat can affect the blooming of both male and female flowers. 

Solution:

Pumpkin flower grows and blooms best at a temperature of 75 degrees Fahrenheit to 85 degrees Fahrenheit in the daytime and 60 degrees Fahrenheit to 70 degrees Fahrenheit during the nighttime. 

Depending on where you are living it might be difficult to balance this temperature.

If it is too hot during the daytime then try to plant the pumpkin seed where it will get sunlight but still be under a shadow.

In this case, you can take help or just find a place where the temperature stays low, especially during the mid-day.

If you’re planting to cultivate pumpkins in an open land where it is difficult to give a shadow during the mid-days you can Sprinkle cold water so that the temperature remains low in the field.

Some farmers even provide bamboo shade over their fields. This way the pumpkin plants get the sunlight they need along with a balanced temperature. 

5. Fungal Infection on the Pumpkin Plant

Lots of time pumpkin plants get affected by a fungal infection. One of the most common fungal infections of pumpkin plants is Fungal Mildew.

This disease affects the pumpkin plan severely which results in the days off of the pumpkin flower. 

Sometimes you can see this fungal infection at the very early stage of the plant or even when the plant is already having pumpkin.

If not treated properly in time then the disease can turn into a deadly disease.

To identify the infection you will see that there are other powder-like substances spread in the veins and the flowers.

If the plant is already having pumpkin the white powder-like substance will also be found on the pumpkin. 

Solution:

If the fungal infection has not spread to a dangerous extent then it is quite easy to take care of it with some fungicide.

There are several fungicides available in the market that can help you to take care of the disease. 

In case you are concerned about the spread of the fungus in your pumpkin cultivation then ask for help from an Agriculture expert.

They will guide you through step-by-step procedures to get rid of the fungus and how to stop it from happening.

6. You  Missed the Blooming Time

The pumpkin flower starts blooming at dawn. Unlike other flowers, it doesn’t bloom for a long time.

It blooms for a day and once the pollination is done it will start getting gloomy. 

Once the pumpkin flower blooms and gets pollinated it is ready to give birth to a whole pumpkin. The process of pollination has to be done fast. 

Solution:

Sometimes your plant is absolutely healthy and it is you who has missed the chance of seeing the Bloom of pumpkin flowers.

If that is the case, the only thing you are going to see is a dull flower that will seem to be dying. 

Therefore give it some time to see if you see a small pumpkin a few days from there.

Missing the Bloom of the pumpkin flower is actually harmful if you are planning to do hand pollination. In such a case thereIn is nothing much you can do rather be careful. 

7. The Vein Already Has Pumpkin in It

Pumpkin veins are very delicate. They can only hold the weight of one pumpkin at a time.

Therefore if there is already a pumpkin growing in one way and then the other flowers in the vein will die eventually. 

This process is actually a self-defense mechanism for the plant. The plant doesn’t want to harm itself so it can give birth to a lot of other pumpkins which will carry the seeds in them.

As a result, nature functions in a way that one wind has only one pumpkin and the other flowers die. 

Thus it is safe to say that if the flowers are dying as there is another pumpkin then your plant is actually in a healthy state. 

Solution:

It is not healthy for a plant to have two pumpkins in a single vine. Therefore do not stress yourself in such cases and just go with the flow.

Pumpkin Flower Care

Watering	1-inch water per week
Temperature	75 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit during the day    60 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit at night
Fertilizer Type	Nitrogen- 9 Phosphorus- 12 Potassium- 12

FAQs

Wrapping Up

Female pumpkin flowers dying before opening means you are not gonna get flowers from that flower.

Thus it is necessary that you recognize the reason for its dying. If it is due to any of the mentioned reasons then the solutions will help you to get rid of your problem.

If you’re cultivating pumpkins with business intent and the flowers are dying vigorously then you should definitely speak with the consultant.