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Minnesota([email protected])

I'm pruning most tendrils off this year.It seems to make vine burying easier. Maybe it gives the rest of the plant a little more energy as well?
Possible negatives could be a loss of water, before the cut heals(I imagine this is a very small amt. though). Also, the cut may be an avenue for disease or insects to strike. I'm wondering your thoughts on the issue.
Do your prune tendrils or not?

Doug

6/25/2005 1:22:08 PM

Oz

The tendrils can turn into roots.

6/25/2005 1:48:33 PM

Leicester, NY

Doug,
Most of the time, I just leave the tendrils alone. Some plants will throw some gigantic ones that make it hard to bury the vines. They get in the way and grab on to everything they can. I cut those big ones off and don't believe I've ever had any problems in doing so.

6/25/2005 2:05:20 PM

Key West, FL

I prune all mine off

6/25/2005 2:09:47 PM

San Luis Obispo Ca

Yes! often to direct energy to conserve space.

6/25/2005 3:43:48 PM

Milton PA

Nope, not one

6/25/2005 4:21:43 PM

Ohio

I cut mine off,makes it easier to bury for me.

6/25/2005 8:44:18 PM

Long Island,New York

They may be harder to burry but when burried with tendrils they anchor pretty good. I only prune the problem ones.

6/25/2005 9:48:56 PM

[email protected]

In the past I chopped them all off. My son has gotten very good at pinching them out before most people can even see them. But this year I've taken to leaving as many as possible & am removing only the troublesome ones. Like Glenn, I think they anchor better with that extra "bite".

6/25/2005 10:02:06 PM

[email protected]

Tendrils don't turn into roots.

6/25/2005 10:02:36 PM

Puyallup, WA

From my observation from patch tours, I believe that most of the "heavy hitters" trim off tendrills. The theory being, "Why waste the plants energy into making an appendage that does not help pumpkin growth"? I trim them and the secondary vines off when they are quite small....Well...usually anyway...those little "buggers" can grow pretty fast on a warm day!!!

6/25/2005 10:31:47 PM

Puyallup, WA

Ooops....that's tertiary vines, not secondary vines!

6/25/2005 10:33:03 PM

Western NY

i would leave all early stage tendrils just to get as much anchoring as possible. i might experiment a little with chopping off all tendrils after a certain age, but i really don't think it would be saving the plant that much energy. but then again, every little bit counts, right?

6/25/2005 11:03:27 PM

Paradise Mountain, New York

I leave them on

6/25/2005 11:47:14 PM

Key West, FL

I agree with stan, and they just wont lay down in my trenches right if I don't. So I pinch em before they start to uncurl.

6/25/2005 11:51:23 PM

Rexburg, Idaho

take em off, they wrap around leaves, other vines, weeds and in general are a pain

6/26/2005 12:17:22 AM

No Place Special

nope they stay on

6/26/2005 1:11:27 AM

Deer Park WA

I have tendrills on our 823* that are producing leaves on some of the long "fingers" and yes actually throwing down roots as discovered by un burying. All in all I leave them alone and bury over them, I like the way they seem to sniff out the errant weeds I missed under the canopy and choke the holey crap out of it!

6/26/2005 3:18:02 AM

Commack, NY

i prune the problomatic ones.......meaning the ones that wont allow the vine to lay down. any that go left to right, stay.

6/26/2005 10:39:31 AM

I have been cutting them all off this year. I'm burying secondary vines for the first time and the tendrils make it hard, and they hold the vine way up off the ground. I always cut them off the main vine, otherwise it never lays down and they like to strangle things like leaves and vines.

6/26/2005 12:55:11 PM

Minnesota([email protected])

Thanks for all the replies.
There's a number of good points made for pruning them, and not pruning them.

Doug

6/26/2005 1:00:33 PM

Saegertown Pa.

I leave them on only cut the problem ones off

6/26/2005 5:03:46 PM

Canada

last year I left them be, this year I snip them off just because of the way I have 3 of my plants growing, One of my front plants decided to take a turn while i was away and is now growing between my 2 rear plants so ive been cutting all the tendrils off so they dont grab onto the other plants.

Dave

6/26/2005 9:23:46 PM

Vancouver, White Rock, Canada

I prune them off if they aren't going to be beneficial (there's nothing to grab onto in the dirt). Once my main gets to the grass, I'll leave them for anchorage unless they're keeping the main in the air or whatever.

6/27/2005 12:41:37 AM

Hudsonville, Michigan ([email protected])

This year I've been trimming most of them. Too may seem to be very long and grabbing on to leaves, stalks, etc, which make it hard to maintain a nice Christmas tree. I've always trimmed the ones that point straight down since they inhibit the vine from laying down nice. But I've never considered that they may turn into roots. If that's true, then maybe I should just bury 'em...
Frank

6/27/2005 7:13:45 AM