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Ohio

I'm wondering if it would be better to go with the very first pumpkin on the main vine instead of waiting for the 2ND or 3RD pumpkin that is further out.
Lets say you have 2 or 3 pumpkins pollinated on the same plant and then cut down to one, do you think there is a chance you might have culled the pumpkin that was going to be the plants main sink? Do you think this is possible that the pumpkin you ended up keeping didn't get that big because it never took over as a main sink and just ended up being like half a sink?,(if this makes sense,lol)

4/6/2007 8:18:34 PM

South Bloomfield, Ohio

Brooks,

Patience is a virtue. Don't pollinate until at least 13 feet out. This will give your main enough "slack"(for lack of a better term) to handle a growing giant. The main is going to have to elevate as the pumpkin grows.

Sure, go ahead and pollinate two or three and wait to see which ones might abort. If all survive the 100 pound mark, keep the first pollination and cull the rest.

The plant will take over from there and push whatever it has to give to that fruit, dependent upon its nutrition and other variables-some under your control and some not.

Don't ever look back with second thoughts. You have what you have regardless of which one you kept.

4/6/2007 8:43:54 PM

Oswego, New York

Good advice giantpumpkindude, I think I will take that to the patch with me this spring. Bonnie

4/6/2007 11:05:44 PM

Deer Park WA

It seems that 12 to 14 feet out is the majic number...

4/7/2007 12:20:46 AM

Ohio

Yea, I know all what your saying about the 13 ft mark, and your right, you will have what you have what ever you end up keeping, but what I'm trying to say is this, lets say you let them 3 pumpkins get to 100 pounds each and one of them pumpkins is the main sink of the entire plant,but you happen to cull the one that was the main sink of the plant, but you are now keeping the pumpkin that now might not take over as a sink to get that full growing power that comes from the entire plant. The plant just wont switch over fully making the entire plant thinking this is where all the energy is suppose to go.
I know this is something we might not ever find out ,but do you think its possible or do you think that no matter what you keep the plant will always switch over to the pumpkin you end up keeping making it the main sink?

13 feet out? Is this really true though? I grew a pumpkin last year with only two feet of main before the pumpkin(no stump, main or secondaries) and had to rely on everything past the pumpkin at the end of July for all its growth (604 lbs). so is 12 to 14 ft out the magic number because that what growers say it is, or is that something that we are all really not sure about because most growers don't keep the first pumpkin on the plant?
I know alot of pumpkins grown over 1000lbs set at the 6ft mark, the Wentzells have shown this time and time again with the pumpkins they grown, along with other growers.

So are we really sure that 12,13,14 ft out is when the pumpkin should be set? I guess this is something we might not ever find out huh?.

Brooks

4/7/2007 5:17:58 AM

Rhode Island

brooks

we usually pollinate three per main. if the first pumpkin is doing its job then pumpkins #2 and 3 will be smaller and develope slower. if by chance either # 2 fruit or #3 is the same size ( or larger) than #1 then thats the one i would go with.

we also like to pollinate three per main so we can not only pick the most agressive fruit, but also a shape is a concern as well.

brooks im quite sure setting fruit 12 to 14 ft out is the best. reason being you want a large food factory BEFORE the fruit. also with ample sides before the fruit (12-14 sets ), you dont hurt the plant as much if a side or two needs to be sacrificed later in the season.

pap

4/7/2007 6:05:12 AM

Cameron,ontario Team Lunatic

Brooks

For the most point, 12'+ seems to be the best length to pollinate a fruit, but there have been some cases where closer pumpkins do well also. The 1355.5 Marion (#1 in Canada) was 6' out from the stump & my own 1093.5 was only about 8' out from the stump last year.

Phil

4/7/2007 7:29:58 AM

Picton,ON ([email protected])

In talking with Ed Hemphill, he told me the 1407 was his closest pumpkin ever, I believe he said 6'.

I guess the question is, how big would the pumpkin have been if one further out was chosen.

Ron and Pap said at Niagara, that usually the first fruit, regardless of distance is the most agressive. I have a real problem getting my mains developed enough so that my first females are out 10-12 feet. I usually have females in late June, starting at 6-8 feet. I'm convinced that I still need to pollinate those first flowers, the challange is to get more early growth out of the plants, so that those first flowers are as far out as possible.

Bill Greers 1006 pumpkin was set July 1st, 15 feet out. The fact that the plant was agressive enough to have a main this size by the first of July is key!

4/7/2007 9:08:31 AM

Picton,ON ([email protected])

We had a situation last year, where the first pumpkin was dammaged and had to be removed (Way to go Brian). It had appeared to be the most aggressive. The second pumpkin ended up being our personal best last year.
So, did we just get lucky or was the distance out a factor. I have found that the second pumpkin usually won't do as well as the first, because the first pumpkin is taking all the energy. This seems to change if the first one is removed. So the question is, should the first pumpkin be removed as long as the second pumpkin is set ok, a decent shape and reasonable agressive?

4/7/2007 9:17:41 AM

Ontario

I have always found the second to be the most aggressive. I pollinate 3 on the main as well and make daily measurements and found the 2nd to be the best. Bryans 1373 and 1327 were 13 to 15 ft out. My 1208 was 16 ft out. I pollinate the 1st pumpkin around the 25 th of June usually 12 ft out but find that the plant is usually vining aggressively and by the time the second one is ready July 1st to 4th the plant is slowing down and that pumpkin takes off and surpases the 1st pumpkin in ten days. I've concluded that the 2nd is my keeper and usually don't adjust the vine for the first but do it for the second. As for one pumpkin being a sink I think the pumpkin plant just redirects its main energy to the pumpkin you keep after you make culls.

drew

4/7/2007 9:26:28 AM

Amherst, WI

Drew, how would you feel about not even pollinating the first one in late June, maybe even pulling the blossum off and going with the next one? Since you are training the vine for your second one out at 12 ft or so, why even let the first one have a chance? I wanted to do this with my 1354 Checkon last year, had my eye on a nice one at 13 ft, but the one I set at 9 ft just took over. This caused a bit of emergency vine training, and the thing ended up with a blossum split at day 23. The plant lost all hope of being a good competition plant at that time.

4/7/2007 9:58:57 AM

Picton,ON ([email protected])

I think Drew, is right on here. In my opinion, you should pollinate all blossoms on the main, just in case you get a heat wave the first week of July and can't get the second pumpkin to set.

4/7/2007 12:04:11 PM

Ontario

Randoo, No I always pollinate 1st 2nd 3rd and sometimes the 4th. You never know if one is going to abort or something happens to it. Don't want to put your hopes on one pumpkin too early.

drew

4/7/2007 1:01:33 PM

Spanish Ontario

I know the feeling 1233 reiss last year grew to 801 on main at 14 ft 752est on secondary didn,t have heart to cullthe 752 both were perfictly round an bright orange

4/7/2007 1:58:13 PM

Ca

I pretty much have to pollinate each one because of the summer heat. If I don't then I risk having no pollinated fruits. Once I get a set then I cull. I still try to have my final sets around 10-16 feet.

4/7/2007 5:32:27 PM

Deer Park, WI

Hi Brooks- I'd like to take a stab at your question directly. There's no way to predict which pumpkin will be your "main" sink. However, this becomes a non-issue because you can measure which pumpkin IS your main sink. By day 10, you'll know which of your sets is moving the fastest. Since the baby fruit arent drawing gallons of photosynthate from the sources, i do believe sources at this stage are capable of supplying sinks (little pumpers) all their nutrient demands. You cannot predict which fruit will grow the fastest later on in the season, but you can encourage the plant to channel its resources to your primary sink through some common practices: Pruning tertiaries, pruning males, keeping late season strays under control, culling all females after the primary fruit has reached beach ball size.

4/7/2007 5:58:40 PM

New Brunswick

Just keep your best
between stump and 25ft out.Edmund

4/7/2007 7:52:22 PM

Ohio

Thanks guys, this is a great information post for me and I hope it helps other growers also.

Joze, I like your theory alot and never really thought about it that way, thats a day-um good stab you just made that makes this dummy understand completely what I only half understood before, I never did completely 100% understand the sink theory before until I read your explanation. thanks Ol Bud! Tremor has tried to explained this sink theory to me time and time again but with his big college words I never really grasped it all,lol. (Sorry Tremor, its not your fault your smart, Ha!)
Pap, I never seem to make it to pollinating 3 pumpkins , Ill pollinate 2 at best, and that is what I usually went with, reason why I did that is because I didn't want anymore growth going to anymore pumpkins, I guess I always had it in my mind to take the best shaped and fastest growing pumpkin alot sooner then I should have, I always wanted to get all growth going to one pumpkin as soon as I could.
As a matter of fact I don't think I have had 3 pumpkins on one plant that went over 5 lbs each at one time in 4 years of growing, I just always thought that the sooner I get all growth to just one pumpkin the better. But now that I think about it, I guess this early growth going to one pumpkin isn't that important and wouldn't really matter at that stage of the pumpkins growth because your main and secondaries are still growing at a decent rate so letting a few small pumpkins grow for a while isn't going to hurt a thing.
This year I'm going to go with 3 pumpkins and let them grow for a while, like you and Drew do.(Hey! that rhymes!,lol) I think my results are going to be better. It works for you guys so its gotta work for me.

Thanks for the posts all,
Brooks

4/7/2007 9:00:13 PM