Little pissed at the deer

Right next to the clover plot I dumped a big load of composted horse crap and planted pumpkins. They are loving the compost and growing like crazy, 1 problem the deer are eating the flowers on the pumpkin plants. Stupid deer, now I am going to have to fence in the plants

 

Get some photographic evidence and terminal them with extreme prejudice, is how I would hand them.

Good luck,
MOBU

 

Missing out on the pumpkin seeds now

 

I have heard that deer love pumpkins. I would cage it now before it's to late and you have no Jack-o-Lanterns to carve!

 

And you are surprised by this???

 

How do you know the deer are eating the flowers? I have 25 acres of pumpkins and have never seen a deer eat the flowers.

 

Now that's a lot of pumpkins. Dan the pumpkin man. Has a good ring to it.

 

Here's what I suspect you're seeing, as I've never seen any evidence of deer touching pumpkins before they're ripe in the fall.
First, pumpkin flower anatomy.

Male flower. Notice it's on a long stem. Usually grows on long stems coming out from near the base of the plant. They're the first flowers you'll see on pumpkins.



Female flower. Notice the small pumpkin at the base of it. They grow out off of the vine and have a very short stem. When it opens, if it gets pollinated by bees from the male flower, it'll turn into a pumpkin. If it doesn't, it'll turn yellow and fall off.



Both male and female flowers only open for one morning and for only about 6 hours, then close up. After the male flower closes up, it falls off, usually the next day, just leaving the stem sticking up. It looks like something bit the flower off, but it actually just fell off.




So, I suspect what you're seeing is jut the stem sticking up from the male flower, after it fell off.


Oh, can't forget a picture of nature's hardest worker and one of the most important parts of our food supply.

 

Well I figured they wouldn't mess with them they have a clover plot to eat, plenty of feed in the feeder. I have other stuff to get done now I have to cage in the pumpkins

 

Well I was walking thru the plot last night checking to see if the plot needed mowing. where the flowers were they are chopped (bitten) off, there is no flower fallen off it is gone, the horses are not out in the pasture this time of year, oh yeah and the hoof prints in the mounds is a pretty solid clue too

 

Because the flower shrivels up to almost nothing and falls off.

 

Sheared ends, trust me the deer pruned the leaves, I will try to get some photos tonight

 

Your original post said flowers. Now you're talking about leaves? Which is it? I'd love to see pictures.

 

Sorry my bad it is the flowers

 

I like flowers in my salad.... especially violets