From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Cornelius, Oregon

Here is one for newer growers. How many pumpkins do you raise per plant, and when do you trim down to that number?

Personally, I now have gone to one pumpkin per plant unless I have an exceptionally fast grower in which case I will leave on a buffer pumpkin on a secondary to try and reel in the growth of the larger one on the main. Once the large one begins slowing, I remove the smaller buffer pumpkin over the course of a few days as to not shock the plant and blow up the bigger one.

The Pumpkinguru

1/22/2005 12:20:44 PM

Key West, FL

1 pumpkin per plant. Usually when that one pumpkin is about 20 days old I will cull, start to cull off any others on the plant. Then I pick all the male and female flowers off.

1/22/2005 12:33:17 PM

Mill Bay, British Columbia

Brent, in my first year I grew 1 on the main and 1 on a strong secondary. Since I had only one plant, I thought it the right thing to do to have a back-up fruit in case the main one split or failed. That year I ended up with a 577.5 lb. and a 511 lb.

In my second year I expanded the patch to 850 sq. ft. and grew 2 plants with the plan of having one fruit on my main plant for competition, and more than one on the second plant for carvers and giving to weigh-off sponsors for display. Well, after watching 5 or 6 aborts on my main plant and not getting one to set at all, and exploding fruit on my second plant, all plans came to a screeching halt and I needed to "alter" my plans.

I was lucky to get a very late setting fruit (Aug. 11) on my second plant and managed a mere 252 lbs. (still good enough to beat Lawman though!!)

With a soil test done and amendments in place, I hope not to have the same issues this year and have absorbed some good advice from other growers. I again plan on growing 2 plants at home with one for competition and the other for carvers and display.

That may change since there are so many growers growing 2 fruit per plant this year and having huge success (Jake and Joel just to mention 2 locals).

I'm interested to hear your advice knowing that I have room for only 2 plants.

Glenn

1/22/2005 12:48:10 PM

Hilpoltstein, Bavaria, Germany

My two biggest ones in 2004 were off the same plant (801.5 Stelts). One on the main vine (472lbs) and one on a very strong secondary - some growers call it a rear main vine - (495lbs).
So, two fruit on this plant. I don't think that one would have been bigger if I removed the second one.

In 2003 I had two fruits on a 845 Bobier plant. One on the main (which eventually was 534lbs) and one on a secondary both pollinated on the same day.
The main vine fruit was growing faster than the secondary vine fruit. After about four weeks the secondary fruit was est. about 30lbs lighter than the main vine fruit. I decided to cut off the secondary fruit to give the main vine fruit all the energy. But the main vine fruit didn't grow any faster when the secondary fruit was removed. This makes me believe that a plant can support two fruits on separate vines without any problem.

In 2002 I had two fruits on my plant (712 Kuhn) as well.
One on the main (658lbs) and one on a secondary (518lbs). The main vine was broken though about two thirds so I decided to keep the secondary fruit as a back up in case the main vine would rot or something.

Martin

1/22/2005 1:02:55 PM

Cameron,ontario Team Lunatic

I always go with one. I wait until they are about the size of a basketball before I cull any of them. If they are going to blow up, they'll usually do it before they get to that size. I always check the growth rates to determine which pumpkin I'm going to keep. I'm like Brett, if there's a fast grower, I'll keep a pumpkin on the secondary.......Phil

1/22/2005 3:04:18 PM

Hobbiton New Zealand

Well I went culling this morning so I hope I got it right

1/22/2005 5:22:25 PM

[email protected]

I've heard that the earliest set(s) possible culled to one before basketball size or as early as possible. Risky this way but there are usually more than a few empty holes in the HH patches of New Hampshire every year.

1/22/2005 5:31:48 PM

Butler, Ohio

I tried growing 2 on a big max plant last year. I ended up just letting it go wild and I got a 94# er about 12 foot out on the main and a 69# er on the back side on a big secondary. Fought with the powdery mildew constantly from late august on.

1/23/2005 3:38:59 PM

C N Y

two is good, one on the main vine and one on
the first or second secondary, as a shock absorber....
correct me if i'm wrong, but one very well-known HH
grows one fruit on the real main, and on the backward-growing first secondary, grows another....i think he said
it is like back-to-back Christmas trees, from the same stump. he spoke at the '04 SEMINAR in Niagara Falls...
i think i'll try it! eg

1/27/2005 6:26:59 PM