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Follansbee, Wv

Would it hurt to allow the main vines from two different plants overlap for about five feet, at the very ends? If you look at the last entry of my diary, you will see what I am planning. I want to put one plant at each end of the windrow, and let them grow towards each other. To have a 25' main, the ends of each plant will overlap for about 5 feet. I am going to offset the plants a foot or two so the vines won't actually be touching, but will be within a foot of each other. I don't think it will be a problem that far out, but just wanted to check. Thanks

1/9/2005 9:54:08 AM

Deer Park, WI

Personally i would shy away from letting main tips overlap. Since i usually expect secondary vines grow to 15', even at the main vine tip, this would create an incredible mess of criss-crossed vines. Vine burying and weeding may be nightmarish where the plants cross.

My suggestion would be to terminate the mains at 20 feet, which would put them just about touching each other.

1/10/2005 9:22:16 AM

Commack, NY

In 2003 i planted my plants 4 feet apart, and 2 feet offset. I grew them toward each other. The first 4' of main vine, each plant had secondaries only on one side. Once the main got past the stump of the other plant, i did a typical X-mas tree pattern (secondaries on each side). It wasn't anymore upkeep than normal. I grew a 1030, and a 578 that year.

1/10/2005 10:43:21 AM

Ljubljana, Slovenia

A speculation in addition to the crowding effect: is it possible that plants of different genetics chemically sense each other as a foe? ..not only the reduced light as in the case of their own leaves.

1/10/2005 10:47:02 AM

Utah

Scott Armstrong did something like this a year or two ago.
you just have to cut off all the secondaries on the insides of the two plants until the pass each other.

I don't think it is a bad idea.

the space you have is fixed... so the question is ... which vines do you think will be most productive to your plant/pumpkin....
the secondaries at the end of the main vine if you cross the mains...
or the older secondaries near the stump(base) of the plant if you don't cross the mains?

Also if you go with what Joze suggested ... you can 90 turn the main at the end of the patch and run it to the side of the patch. that way you get extra length out of you main ... so your last vine on one side is the main not a secondary.

1/10/2005 10:47:38 AM

Utah

opps- Scott beat me to the post !

1/10/2005 10:50:05 AM

Ljubljana, Slovenia

My apologies for this winter discussion :-).. but on the second thought, plants of different genetic origin should LOVE each other, otherwise they could not produce new crosses... or they prefer to love each other only at some distance?

1/10/2005 10:54:38 AM

Follansbee, Wv

Thanks for all the replies. I believe I will lengthen the windrow by two more feet, and terminate the mains at 20' as Joe suggests. The additional 2 feet will give me some walking room between the plants. Of course turning the main at the end would work too, but it would require trimming all of the secondaries on both sides after the turn. It would provide a last ditch effort for a fruit set as well, but what are the odds of getting a fruit to a weigh off that was set more than 20' out? At that point a set on a secondary would have about as much chance, provided it was set early enough (I'm just speculating here so correct me if I'm wrong). Of course, if I can't get a good set by the time the main terminates at 20 feet, there probably isn't much hope anyway. Dang, I need MORE ROOM. Well, I can gain another 4', I guess. There goes the peas...oh well, I hate shelling the damn things anyway. So, I will now terminate the mains at 24', and have 2' of space between the main tip terminations, (and no fresh peas next fall...I love those things too).
I wonder how mad my neighbor would be if I tilled up part of his yard...

1/10/2005 12:39:02 PM

Utah

don't ask ... don't tell... Hee hee !

no seriously ...
I rather have the main than that last secondary. That's what I did last year.
you should be able to get something set by 20ft ... but if
not I think that you'd rather have something set than nothing set. even if it is past 20 ft. and I think you'd rather have that something on the main than on a secondary, even if the secondaries out that far will be removed.

another option would be to grow your mains diagonally across the 20 ft of length. depending on the width of your patch that might get you to 25 ft mains. then the question is how do you grow the secondaries...
a couple of options come to mind.
1st would be to run them parallel to the edges of the patch- that would be at approximately 45 degrees from the main. the older ones would be longer ...that is how I personally would it.
the other would be to grow them perpandicular to the main ... which would give you longer ones in the middle and shorter ones at the base/stump and the far end... I could see this maybe being better from a sink/source point of view. ?
or one last option would be to do some angle inbetween 45 and 90. sketch it out ... see if you like anything ... remember to put a large pumpkin in there somewhere and see how that affects things.
good luck with whatever you choose.
gordon

1/10/2005 2:46:20 PM

Follansbee, Wv

Thanks Gordon. I actually was considering the 45º angle idea, but was worried about much shorter secondaries at the end of the main. I may need the feeding power of those secondaries late in the season. Giving up the peas will allow me to have 24 foot mains. I may move the potatoes as well, and get 26 foot mains. The potatoes are easy, I only plant one row of reds to go with the green beans when I can them up. They like low pH, so moving them to a dirt mound I have from the pool excavation won't be a problem. If 26 foot mains and 10-12 foot secondaries isn't enough, I give up! LOL

1/10/2005 3:22:03 PM

Ontario, Canada.

Monty, Give it up your hooked on AGP's. By spring time you will have no potatoes or beans. After years of gardening, I have given up on all vegetables and flowers. Nothing but pumpkins and other giants will I grow.

1/10/2005 7:44:56 PM

Ohio

I told him the same thing,lmao, He wont have anything but AG's in his garden once he grows one of these MONSTERS!! bA HAHAHA, and by spring time I bet he might grow a tomato or two, but it will be grown next to his mail box out next to the road, or up against his pool.lololol No veggies for you this year Monty, you got the AG Bug and it cant be cured.

1/11/2005 10:13:53 AM