From

Location

Message

Date Posted

French River,P.E.Island, Canada

How many deadheaded after the pumpkin and how many let the vine keep growing.........

1/24/2005 12:56:47 PM

Edmonton, Canada

I have done both, but my results seem to be better, when I've deadheaded the vine.

1/24/2005 1:11:26 PM

Halifax, Nova Scotia

Is there a correct way to deadhead?

1/24/2005 3:33:44 PM

Hilpoltstein, Bavaria, Germany

take a sharp knife and cut through? :-)

1/24/2005 3:56:27 PM

Montoursville, PA

Since the milldew spore need an open entry it might be worth using a bit of fungicide to all cuts surfaces. I use a squeeze bottle and give them all a puff.

1/24/2005 4:33:59 PM

Utah

right next to the pumpkin stem ? 1 inch past ? 3 inches past ? a foot past?

1/24/2005 5:36:50 PM

Cameron,ontario Team Lunatic

I deadhead them all and bury them 6" down.

Phil

1/24/2005 7:36:59 PM

Rhode Island

just as a precaution you might whant to rethink cutting the main after the pumpkin, in fact we prefer to let the main grow up until the end of sept

two reasons why i like the main after the pumpkin

1. if you loose the base and even most of the main up to the pumpkin it will continue to grow and feed off the main and sides after the pumpkin
2. even though you allow the main to grow its growth is very slow once the fruit takes off and this new growth is valuable once the older beat up leaves cant support growth any longer

1/24/2005 10:41:45 PM

Cologne / Germany

Yep, pap is the man you need to ask if you want to grow 1000 lbs without a stump :)
I also recognized the slow plant development after the fruit. Would it be a good idea to use some additional N fert for this area only?

1/25/2005 7:06:59 AM

Buffalo, MN ([email protected])

Interesting, I have been wondering what the results would be if deheading the main after the pumpkin. I had to cut two last year after the pumpkin was 500lb or bigger to reduce stem stress. The cutting did not seem to affect the daily growth at the time og the cutting. One won the MN State Fair at 713 on Aug 25 and the other one grew to 865 after frost damage on Aug 21.

1/25/2005 10:57:32 AM

Rhode Island

floh

adding something you dont need can have a very bad effect on the results you had hoped to attain

believe me ron and i have killed ourselves on more than one occasion in the past by adding something just cause we thought it would help

we no longer do that
we have our soil tested in the fall ( then adjust accordingly ) in the spring ( to make sure we have it right ) and one more time just after fruit set ( to add anything of major or minor nutrients that may be lacking

same goes for a tissue sample during mid season ( if a plant starts to look funky all you can do is either ride it out, guess whats wrong, ask your friends who will also take a guess, or send a tissue sample out and get it corrected )

that way you at least learn what you have going on and what to do to prevent it from happening again

its not cheap buts its what you need to do

1/25/2005 7:22:28 PM