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Choctaw, OK

I am sorry if this has been discussed recently, but I am having some problems with vines just deciding to decapitate (sp?) themselves. I have lost a few side vines (4...2 on 1247 handy, other 2 on 882) and the big blow was the main on the 882 Armstrong. I had this problem back in 2003 and i believed it also happened during a "hot" strech just like now. I have a feeling it might be more due to the spring manure plus spring fertilizers combining with the hot weather. In 2003 i put a TON of manure on. This year wasnt nearly as much, but i think it might be contributing.

Anyone have any insight(s) on why these "blow - outs" happen? I have been trying to support the vine and lay them down to prevent this from happening and I am having some success, but I am still losing some vines.

If anyone has any ideas or comments, post them. I would be interested to see what you guys have to say. Thanks, Casey

6/27/2005 1:28:33 AM

Puyallup, WA

Casey,
My 1247 also had several "blow-outs". It was the only one of 17 plants to do so in my patch this year. It seemed to have very stiff vines which curled up a lot.
Jack LaRue says it is because there is too much nitrogen in the soil. Never the less, his 1109 is in the same hoophouse(3' apart) and is the offspring of the 1247, but it lays down just fine! Go figure!

6/27/2005 1:53:37 AM

Key West, FL

I experience a bunch of blowouts last year over night, on all of my plants. A few other grower, and I think stan, said he had some blowouts that night too. I think it has to do with the weather. A hot day with a drastic cool off maybe?

6/27/2005 3:03:07 AM

Puyallup, WA

Oh yes....I had at least 8 last year!

6/27/2005 10:57:10 AM

San Diego

I've experienced some blow outs on my 950 boyton this year. I believe it is mainly caused by genetics. I went all organic this year and haven't fertilized at all, had consistant watering, etc. Seems my 950 is extremely aggresive while growing and it has vines that tend to be brittle, like to crack easy, split, etc. My blow ot looked like a fire cracker blew up the vine and peeled it back 3 inches in every direction. Plus my first pumpkin on a cut off secondary blew up at day 9, the most awesome sight I ever saw for bad news hehehehe Jimmy

6/27/2005 3:40:53 PM

On top of Brush Mountain, Pa.

I had a blowout last year. I had other plants that I treated exactly the same and had no similar problems. There had not been a big rain. I had not fertilized. It just blew apart. It looked exactly like an explosion with pieces curled back. I can't think of anything I could have done differently to have prevented it. I had three plants last year. One blew out. One went flat vine. On the third I got a small hole at a Dill ring and rib at 850 pounds, a beautiful round orange pumpkin. I had small pumpkins that I brought to our weighoff but nothing of note. So goes the life of pumpkin growers.

Marv in Altoona, PA

6/27/2005 5:47:47 PM

Choctaw, OK

thanks for the reply guys....its probably a whole bunch of things...i noticed the blowouts do happen at night, when i think most of the growing is occuring.

I have hit the plants hard with calcium nitrate and fish and seaweed ferts. Plus the manure and applied osmocote in spring. I could have some high nitro levels. lol

i have been able to keep a few mains from breaking open by trying to lay down the vines by pulling down on them slightly about every 5-8 hours. I have lost a few more side vines since this post, but most of them needed to be terminated anyways.

Thanks for the info guys.....

6/29/2005 1:06:33 PM

Olympia, Wa

dunno if mine was a blow out or something rubbed up against it.....but I noticed last nite out in the patch that my 407's main vine had a crack in the side of the main...about 6-8 below the tip.
I looked out the window this morning and sure as SHT!....darn thing was drooped over, it had split the rest of the way!......DANGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGIT!
now I am stuck witha mainless perfectly healthy good growing 14ft main vine.

NOW WHAT?...........................

I was just gettin all excited to pollinate next wk and everything....had picked out the pumpkin I was gonna give birth too and everything......
luckily last nite I didnt prune none of the secondary tips like I wanted to....must of had a premanition(sp)

6/30/2005 11:36:31 AM

Western PA

Well....I lived that nightmare this past Monday.... I sought the advice of a new friend, Larry of the PGPGA. He told me to wait a few days even a week until the broken end heals and then burry it. In the mean while, take the closest secondary vine to the break, this will be your new main. In a few weeks you will not even know it. My new main has grown one foot in the past 24 hours and has it's first new female. I lost 3 females when my main snapped. Still a lot of time left.....I have read other posts about this which state that the new main can get thicker than the original.

6/30/2005 10:19:01 PM

Choctaw, OK

Since i lost the main on one of my plants, i let all the side vines grow that i didnt prune off before the break. Best thing to do is run the closest side vine before the break as your new main. It might set you back a week or two.

7/1/2005 1:31:44 PM