From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Trumbull, CT 06611, USA

Any ideas. Does everyone use ice? If so, how long - like all day? Also is it necessary to keep the fruit cooled down the next day as well? Any ideas would be appreciated. Thanks, Ray

7/15/2006 12:31:01 PM

Ca

I always use ice. I usually put ice out when it's 80-85 degrees before it gets to hot. I use 1 gallon milk jugs of ice that I take out of my freezer. I removed the top of a old ice chest. I cover the fruit and ice with it. I also put shade cloth over the vine near the fruit. After it cools down at night or goes below 90 degrees I remove the ice. No need to ice the next day.

7/15/2006 12:47:05 PM

So. Maine

Ray , close to the same here except I put the 1 gallon ice jug close to the newly set fruit and CAREFULLY set a 5 gallon plastic pail upside down over both the ice jug & the fruit. I do this between 11 AM & noon if the temps are on the way to 90 or more. Al

7/15/2006 9:47:57 PM

Paradise Mountain, New York

Last year I used plastic soda bottles close but not touching the pumpkin. Then I put an Umbrella up to shade it. It worked great.

7/16/2006 12:29:45 AM

Beach Park, IL.

Is this just for newly pollinated fruit, or do you guys do this for the growing fruit as well??

7/16/2006 12:41:32 AM

Ca

Ice is only for newly pollinated fruit. If it is extremly hot using a shade cloth to cover a new fruit and main tips would not hurt untill you know it has set. I have had young tiny fruits abort when it was real hot before and just after pollination. I'm talking 100 plus temps. When it as been near 105 or more thats when it seems to happen the most for me.

7/16/2006 1:26:39 PM

Danville, CA ([email protected])

I am with Turken. Had my first abort yesterday out of over 30 successful and we have been high 90s low 100s everyday. I make sure to cover the newly pollinated fruit with a cup and then water with the rainbirds at about noon to cool them down a bit. Seems to work for me. Good luck!

7/16/2006 7:02:44 PM

Ontario

I use ice as well a couple of days before and after pollination, had no problems this year. Last year had all kinds of aborts when I diodn't cool them.

drew

7/16/2006 10:21:20 PM

Chico, Ca

we found that in very hot temps 100 f and up that it definitely helped to ice the females the day before we pollinated. We had some set at 95 f without ice.

7/18/2006 1:47:15 AM