pumpkin - problem, shrivelling up

[rog_pete]

Hello All

I have been growing  pumpkin (Big Max).  They have set fruit and are doing very well, or had been!   I now have 2 fruits which have grown, one to about the size of a football and over 2 days it just shrivelled up and seemed to die, it was the only fruit on that plant.  These are being grown for bg halloween lanterns ;D

I have another which is about the size of a beachball and today that has started to look like it is shrivelling up too

is there a problem? and what can I do about it?

thanks

[rog_pete]

[beanie3]

oh thats doesn't sound good - i don't have any reasons why but it doesn't sound good.  Hope it improves for you.

[pigeonseed]

Usually when they shrivel up early on, it's because they weren't pollinated. But if you say they have grown quite large, and then shrivelled up, it sounds like disease, doesn't it?

There's a thread atm about squash diseases - does it sound like your problem?
http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/index.php/topic,62486.0.html

[Bugloss2009]

have you picked them up and had a look underneath? They may be rotting where you can't see

[Digeroo]

Have  you looked for a mouse hole?

[rog_pete]

i have had a good look all around and the flesh is still intact... so no mice or holes

[Bugloss2009]

have you tried a puncture repair kit?

seriously they must be diseased. At that size if you cut the stems through they shouldn't be affected