From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Pittsburgh, PA

Hi, it's Jay again. Dad wants me to ask if he should leave the little side shoots that are developing up near the main vine very close to the place the seed was planted. I saw where he was talking about and it looks to me like the main vines are half dead but then there's these new little shoots popping out. Thanks for any help you can provide. By the way, dad's 'kin is over 300 pounds according to the ott measurement and the circumference measurement. That sucker is huge.

8/7/2000 5:34:33 PM

South Hadley, MA

Hum, depends on a lot of things. Like where exactly the pumpkin is. If the fruit is on the main vine, I'd say that a rule of thumb is that lots and lots of little side shoots are not really your friends. Especially if they are crawling on top of each other and crowding each other out. On the other hand, I had a plant once that had vine borers right in the stump and I was afraid I was going to lose the whole thing, so I just let it grow. The plant managed to survive even with all the stump damage.
The thing I've seen is that the vine growth really does drop off a bit on its own once you have a nice big fruit like that set. So those side shoots really might not be public enemy #1. So I'd think about it, especially since you mentioned the main vine looking half dead. Those side vines just might be better than nothing.
Just my $0.02

8/8/2000 11:51:54 PM

Connecticut, USA

Be sure and remove any dead leaves that fall to the ground. They will rot and could spread the rot to your main vine. The vine will thicken and looked aged. That is normal. You want to keep the stump area clean so disease and rot don't set in. Also this allows you to keep spray on the stump for bugs and disease. Personally, I remove the small shoots that come out of the older vines. I don't think they will contribute to the size of the fruit and they get in the way.

8/10/2000 6:55:55 AM