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Santa Cruz, CA

My son and I are trying to grow big pumpkins this summer for the first time. We got the seeds into the ground April 14th and the plants have been grwoing well. Last week I noticed a curling split in the main vine. (It looks like someone took a carrot peeler to it.) It's abount two inches long and a half an inch thick. I can now see into the hollow center of the vine. I noticed a second one today about the same size and about 5 inches from the original split. Is this something I need to worry about? Is there any thing I need to do? What is it?

6/8/2005 11:15:51 PM

Springfield, MO

Sounds like squirrels or some other critter gnawing on your vines looking for moisture. ...Chris

6/9/2005 12:09:32 AM

Santa Cruz, CA

If my problem is squirrels, how do you discourage them from gnawing? We do have squirrel in our area.

6/9/2005 12:16:24 AM

Puyallup, WA

I do not have squirls and I just notice that my 1247 had a
hole in it today. Had the same problem last year! It looks like a "blow out".

6/9/2005 12:42:06 AM

Santa Cruz, CA

What is a "blow out?" What causes that?

6/9/2005 1:23:49 AM

Key West, FL

I had a blow out last year, and also half of all my vine tips snapped off over night, that was all one night, I think it was something about the weather or something, caused a sudden surge in growth or something????

6/9/2005 1:30:24 AM

Montoursville, PA

Not sure but I always suspected, to much nitrogen. Getting elongated fast growth and little or no strength. I had them appear when I was coached to use urea for a starting boost.
....That having been said I have not had any since taking synthetics and urea both out of my grow.

6/9/2005 8:18:42 AM

Southern California

Had this happen once too. Can be a combination of genetics and inconsistent watering. If you have a ribbon or double vine you are likley to have blowouts. Add to that over watering and your vines will pop. Not much to do except to water consistantly and give the vine lots of support (don't push it in any direction too quickly).

6/9/2005 12:52:24 PM

San Diego

can be genetic too, some plants have brittle vines. MY 950 boyton has brittle vines this year, all organic, consistant watering, and still had my main split parallel by the stump where a secondary came off the main. it puller the main apart as the secondary fell to the ground and started running. My main blew out on me at 10 feet for no apparent reason besides cooler weather, this split was vertical and more of a blow out. Had to start a new main from a secondary.

If you have the parallel split with the vine, get a fungicide paste on it and cover it with some kind of small canopy to keep it dry if you use over head watering. Parallel splits you can live with, blow out vertical breaks are death to a vine:) Jimmy

6/9/2005 4:00:46 PM

Santa Cruz, CA

The main vine had a tip "blow out" last night and one of the secondary vines has a double vine on it. That's a total of three blow outs on the plant and I see two other possible smaller blow outs too. I'm getting a feeling this plant has something genetic going on because I have another plant on the same mound and it's not doing any of this. Do you pull the plant at this point? My son wants to wait and see. The blow out is about six inches from the tip and is bent over.

6/13/2005 2:15:47 AM