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canal winchester ohio

Awhile back I made a post concerning disease in my patch, well after some studying it seems my concern of PM caused me to bake my leaves. I was so badly overtaken by PM last season that I elimated all overhead watering.....Bad idea !!!
Between daily fertilizer spraying of leaves and weekly fungicide control mixed together with a extremly dry hot summer I baked my leaves. So when a bad storm rolled thru my area my plant wasn't pliable enough to bounce back causing me to grow the rest of the season on new leaves. I've always prided myself on being able to adapt on the fly, but being so blinded by what happened in the past I didn't see what I was doing in the present.
I'm making this post hoping to help someone next season avoid the bonehead mistake I made this season............Paul

9/27/2005 10:35:24 AM

Montoursville, PA

Mistakes and more difficulties than you can shake a stick at is my excuse this year. Just wait until you see and hear the result, of my friend, Larry Checkon's 2005 pumpkin. Looks like I might need a 1200 lb. handicap, to run the race, with Larry's management.

Let's see how that handicap might be administered. 500 for my age and general health, 250, for the cold weather, 250, for the hot weather,100, for the dry weather, 100, for finishing anything,in 2005. After getting GPC approvial, for this, Larry will likely be one, of the first, to grow a one ton fruit. Mercy. T'aint quite what I feel I really could do this year.

I never did like handicaps, in any game, but this pumpkin growing is getting, to the point I might reconsider my position.

9/27/2005 12:57:00 PM

Tipp City, Ohio

I made the same mistake this year. No overhead here this year. I just figured my leaves were maturing faster than normal due to the weather. Leaves in first week of August looked like they should in Mid September.

9/27/2005 8:56:37 PM

South Western Pa

In the same vain of don’t do what I did, here’s my big screw up. Last year I thought I needed more calcium in the soil; well my ph was ok so I just added gypsum. It shouldn’t be a problem right. Well I also added about 15 yards of mushroom compost, no problem here just organic matter. Well that’s what I thought, my ph ended up over 7 and my calcium to potassium ratio is sky high. It turns out mushroom compost is loaded with limestone.

Well that’s my big mistake for the year.

Mark

9/27/2005 10:07:56 PM

Ontario, Canada.

Paul, Once you go Organic you'll never have this trouble again. Sparing use of foliar fertilizers, pesticides and fungicides will prolong the life of your plant.

Compost tea sprayed onto the leaves with molasses can and does pay off big time in September. Until PM begins to appear in August withholding water from the leaves is not necessary. Restricting water on the leaves after PM is located in your area will slow down the rate of infection.

9/29/2005 1:15:05 PM

Indiana

I did less this year than the past three and my leaves are still looking fairly good and i should have the biggest pumpkin I've grown so far. once a week with fish/seaweed and about once every other week with a fungicide. I suppose you can kill them with kindness. hehe

9/30/2005 4:07:01 PM