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Connecticut

This morning I checked the plants before work and everything seemed fine. Then when I got home I found leaves torn, two secondaries nipped off at the tips as well as the main vine. So I will not be able to set a pumpkin on the main because no female flowers have appeared.

(I think it was deer but it could have also been a woodchuck.) Whatever it was the silt fence was not enough to stop it.

The main is about 10ft. long and up until now it was pruned in the Christmas tree style. My question is, now what do I do?

I thought about trying to develop a new pruning strategy and call it 'the horseshoe pattern' but wanted to know if anyone had any suggestions.

I heard that Ron and Dick Wallace grew their 919.6 pounder on a plant that was only 125 square feet. If anyone has any further information or suggestion please let me know;-)

Any information or past experiences would be greatly appreciated.

6/14/2005 8:27:53 PM

Long Island,New York

First....Kill the woodchuck. Cut the main back to the nearest established sidevine (closest to the biten part) and train that secondary in the main's place using tertiaries as secondaries.

6/14/2005 8:47:18 PM

Topsfield, Ma.

G's on the money with this one...get the varmint. I had no trouble trapping them with the tips of pruned secondaries.
That's what they're after. Apples, lettuce, beans, were all looked over...best of luck!

6/14/2005 9:22:47 PM

Somers, CT

The girl at Agway told me to use banannas as bait. Woodchucks ate my garden last year.

6/15/2005 8:53:42 AM

Long Island,New York

Were you growing bananas in your garden?

6/15/2005 7:16:48 PM

[email protected]

I use bananas to trap the patch elephants in our hav-a-herd trap.

Ditto the retraining of a secondary. Email or call Dave. He had to do this last year & things worked out fine.

6/15/2005 10:09:10 PM