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Minnesota([email protected])

What do you folks do regarding vines close to the pumpkin?
I assume most leave a few feet of vine uncovered, before and after the pumpkin, on the vine the pumpkin is on. What do you do to the secondaries that are close to the pumpkin?
If the pumpkin is on the mainvine, do you leave the first few feet of secondaries(closest to the mainvine) uncovered, and then cover the rest of the secondary vine? Or will covering the ends of the secondaries, still not allow the mainvine to raise up at the pumpkin's stem. I'm guessing you need to leave a little give, like a curve in the secondaries, and then the rest of the secondary can be buried.
Also, do you bury the mainvine a few feet after the pumpkin, or is it best to leave it uncovered, so you can position is freely, later on, if need be.

7/28/2005 4:18:49 PM

Newcastle England

hi doug youve just posted my question so im waiting for replies the same as you.cheers peter

7/28/2005 5:05:50 PM

C N Y

ohhh, man....
i feel that the main vine and the surrounding secondaries within about 6 feet or so are like a giant piece of netting...if you pull on one small part of it, the surrounding netting is affected from a lot down to nearly not at all. same with where the stem of the pumpkin is.
the further away we get from the point of the disturbance, the less noticeable it becomes.

anyway, those secondary roots (ones from the main and the ones from the secondaries)
are somewhat forgiving, but not usually enough for us to say so. i put two fingers around and under the secondary vine, one on either side of the secondary root and pull straight up until i am satisfied that it is pulled-up enough for what i need, including entirely out of the soil.

main vine:
not buried, to at least 3 feet each way from the where the stem in question is. main vine roots need to be severed.
do not feel sorry for them, especially if you are burying other vines like crazy.
secondaries:
if you feel that the fruit is "the ONE", it is very advisable to cut, early-on, very closely to the fruit's stem i might add, the secondary vine that starts at the stem of the fruit in question. they are nothing but trouble down the line. the fruit will grow on top of it and the stem will get torn in half, or something bad.
if THAT vine has another pumpkin on it, you can just cut out a 1-or 2- foot section out of it and keep it buried so that the other pumpkin can still grow and produce seeds for you if you want; if you have an 898 Knauss X 845 Bobier on such a fruit, hey, how ya doin'? lol...nice to meetcha...name's eric, need seeds. lol.
anyway,

7/28/2005 7:01:20 PM

C N Y

phone started ringing and had to answer.
concerning the secondaries when the fruit is "stemming" from the main vine, i feel that the same distances and
buried-or not policy is the same...they are all part of the "net". the main vine should be as loose as a goose
on either side of the stem of the main vine fruit, and the
secondary vines' fruit(s) as well. whatever is preventing this needs to be UN-buried and the roots from it cut. the main after the fruit? no theory, since all of my sets have occurred after the main has thrown down some roots, but i suppose i would just let the main after the fruit do its own thing, because ENCOURAGING main vine-rooting by burying it after the fruit will speed up the growth, and you will soon be pulling up the main vine roots that you just put in place. i suggest making use of the secondaries as your root factories, AND, of course!, the main vine BEFORE the fruit, not within three feet of the fruit in question. eric

7/28/2005 7:23:58 PM

C N Y

what, no counter-replies or additions (yet)? lol
must be y'all's out in the patch! wish i were, too!
'nuther 2 hours and 5 minutes, 'till i can head on home and practice what i preach....2:04, 2:03.......

7/29/2005 5:26:21 PM

Minnesota([email protected])

Thanks Eric,
I took your advice, and left about 3 ft. of the the secondaries unburied, as well as three ft. before the pumpkin and after(I bury some of the main after the pumpkin). My pumpkin is long, so I don't expect to have a lot of problems with stem stress. I like your "net" analogy.

7/30/2005 11:56:49 AM