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Rhode Island

september is that time of the season when our pumpkins are well on their downward cycle.

some are getting prettier ,some are getting really ugly, some are sapping all over the place, some stems are becoming suspect because they cant handle the stress any longer yet others look as fresh as a new born baby.

the plants are showing signs of wear and tare,those first couple sets of sides that a few weeks ago looked so fresh are taking on a brittle look, mildew is evident and that base you may have beem nursing all year is on its way out.

this is the month that will make or break your season.the little things you do now will help insure your summers work is around come weigh off day.

here are a few suggestions for september management. larry,joe and dave please add in your comments.

1.on cloudy cool days keep the fruit uncovered for more exposure to the sun
2.if your stem is getting soft spots scrape off the soft, spray or dab some 50/50 bleach solution on the area and keep a fan on it a few days ( we use a hair drier on low positioned a few feet away to first dry it up )
3.keep watering underneath on a regular basis as needed to keep the soil evenly moist. theres nothing worse that a couple inch rain storm in soil that is dry.
4. blanket and tarp over fruit every night that temp is below 60 degrees
5. avoid excess fertalizers, its to late to push her now.-slow and steady wins the race.

there are many more late season tips that im sure the guys will share with you

pap

9/1/2007 6:46:46 AM

Rhode Island

quinn werner --- we would like your suggestions and comments as well.

9/1/2007 6:48:14 AM

Leicester, NY

Pap,
I don’t do too much different than what you’ve mentioned. My high temp’s here in September might be around 70-75 F. I expose the fruit to full sun and get them as warm as I can during the day. Then late afternoon, I cover all the fruit with heavy blankets. Like you and Ron do, I put a tarp over the top of the blankets to keep the dew and dampness out. In the past, I’ve placed remote thermometer sensors on my fruit (top of pumpkin, under blankets). On a typical September night where temps get down into the low 40’s, my fruit skin temperature has stayed in the 60’s. I still apply my fish and liquid kelp the first half of September, but back off a bit on my watering. I still keep the soil moist, but there is not as much evaporation with the lower daily temperatures, so a little water goes a long way. I don’t apply any fish or kelp the last half of the month and water sparingly. If heavy fall rains are forecast, I will put a tarp over the fruit and try and keep the fruit area dry. I spray the fruit with lots of contact fungicides and calcium all through the month. I do use Agro-K and stay with the program until harvest.

9/1/2007 8:04:51 AM

Fairport,NY

Great Post!!!I am waiting for the replys on the edge of my seat..This last month scares me.

9/1/2007 8:08:18 AM

Georgia

Thanks yall..I was thinking last night about September. I had some squash bugs wilt a couple plants secondaries but at this point I wasnt to concerend. I was wondering if I should still spray a little fish and kelp and you heavy hitters always help a rookie out. A couple weeks to go..what a ride I tell you guys. Im also spraying the fruits with fungicides and didnt know if I was sussposed to but Joe you do so I must be doing something right. I actually do something weird I cover the pumpkins with a thermal blanket which is a rescue blanket which is waterproof and keeps ones heat in during emergencies. It works great and keeps the water off the pumpkin. Strange yes but it seems to work. Thanks again heavy hitters.

9/1/2007 8:19:42 AM

Mill Bay, British Columbia

Great post pap, thanks for starting it...looking forward to more tips and tricks of the trade.

With my late pollination, my pumpkin is only on day 34 today and is plugging along at 15# per day....and as pap mentioned is still "looks as fresh as a new born baby" and is very shiny and smooth.

In my case, what to do with a late pollination. Sherry or Jack Larue, Jake van Kooten, Craig Sandvic or any other Pacific Northwest heavy hitter inputs would be great!!

Glenn

9/1/2007 3:54:22 PM

Washington

We pretty much do the same thing as our season stays the same. As the nights get colder we add blankets on top of the sheets. We leave the sheets and blankets on them unless we are letting a problem area dry or have a fan on an injury. I posted on the new growers page about growth beyond 80 days. When Jack harvested his 1315 it was 108 days old and had put on over 22 inches in 27 days.

9/1/2007 5:58:14 PM

Leicester, NY

I might add that if one can keep the plant healthy and disease free, it goes a long way towards getting those additional pounds added on in September. Fighting powdery mildew starts in June-July with the fungicide spraying program. Long before some growers start thinking about PM. Keeping it out of the patch to begin with is very important. Once it starts showing up and taking over the plants, the pumpkin growing season is essentially over.

9/1/2007 6:46:25 PM

Northern Cambria, Pa.

Right you are Joe. Gotta keep the plant healthy into September. We also keep the sand packed tightly around the fruit to help support the sides and to help keep out mice. Keep an eye out for rodents and use mothballs around the fruit if you see any signs of them.

9/1/2007 7:42:56 PM

Washington

Healthy plants are a must for late growth. We are fortunate enough not to have any major problems with pests and disease. We will see some aphids which are easy to control. We might get a little powdery mildew late in the season. We do not have a routine fungicide/pesticide program that many of you need. We do not have a humidity problem that comes with the extreme heat that many growers experience that adds to disease problems. We will continue to overhead water straight from our well (about 45 degree water) until the fall rain sets in.

9/1/2007 8:24:01 PM

Littleton, Colo

Mr. Checkon it's an honor to ask you a question...mothballs ! How much ?? How close to the fruit?? Can they get wet and anything to worry about using them?? I'm starting to see small burrows around my patch. Thanks !!

9/1/2007 9:48:16 PM

Cheyenne, Wyoming

sl:

Do you uncover the pumpkins during the day, or are you leaving them covered with blankets and tarps during the day as well as the evening?

John

9/1/2007 11:19:16 PM

Puyallup, WA

Dick,
Up here in the NW, we have a hallelujah breakdown should we ever hit a low temperature of 60°. Normal lows out here are 52° throughout July and August. This year we had
August lows of 43°!

9/2/2007 12:39:31 AM

Northern Cambria, Pa.

Put the mothballs around the base of the fruit on the sand, not on the fruit but very close to it. Space them about every 3 or 4 inches around the perimeter.

9/2/2007 7:17:58 AM

Farmville, Virginia ([email protected])

I have been told that as long as the plant is healthy it is still possible for the pumpkin to gain weight inside even if it is not showing measurable growth on the outside. Is this fact or myth?

9/2/2007 7:56:26 AM

Littleton, Colo

Mr. Checkon...thanks!!

9/2/2007 10:37:01 AM

Washington

Beet, we leave the sheets/blankets on them most of the time. We will leave the stems or blossoms uncovered on nice days to air them out. Occasionally we will uncover them totally but we usually just leave them on. We do not cover them with a tarp. We overhead water so the sheets get wet but are normally dry or just damp by evening. When we spray calcium they stay wet.

9/2/2007 12:40:42 PM

maine USA

I want to thanks Paps for starting these threads, thanks to all of the HH's for your generous participation. Great information. KathyT

9/2/2007 1:40:05 PM

Rhode Island

mark

i always liked to believe that once she stopped growing on the outside she was thicking up on the inside but truthfully? i dont think much is gained once she stops growing.

pap

9/2/2007 8:22:00 PM

[email protected]

Can you restart their growth once they stop growing in September, and without cracking them? I have already cracked 2 pumpkins in one week, my track record isn't so great this year. Any suggestions?

Thank you again for this thread!

9/2/2007 9:50:40 PM

Littleton, Colo

As always...thank you Paps !! Thanks to all the HH !!

9/2/2007 10:51:25 PM

Northern Cambria, Pa.

Nothing will restart vigoruous growth in September but you must keep up the water as Pap said in an earlier post. If a big rain is in the forcast you should INCREASE the water a couple days before it arrives to minimize any growth surge. This will also help keep your fruit heavy and prevent internal cracks from dehydration of the wall flesh.

9/3/2007 8:02:57 AM

[email protected]

Okay, let me ask you heavy hitters this question on late ferts. I know most of you do not use them, but does anyone use a 0-0-60 anymore in September to try and pack on some weight? I have a bag of grow-more fert I got in a package deal and it is something like 8-10-40. Would any of you reccomend an addition of this formula this late to help pack on a few extra pounds?

By the way, great suggestion on the moth balls Larry, I have several digs in and around the patch this past week, mostly moles and voles, but I will get some mothballs just in case..

9/3/2007 11:10:28 AM

ordinary,VA

I use calcium (vigor-cal)from late june on.
but have never used calcium wraps. does any HH use calcium wraps?
If yes do you apply in the morning or night?

thanks for all the great post,
and Joe thanks for your advice on fungicide havent seen
any PM all year.

9/3/2007 2:21:34 PM

Farmville, Virginia ([email protected])

Ed,
Calcium wrap? Have you tried that on the shoulder yet? ;>)

9/3/2007 5:14:39 PM

[email protected]

Where's that buckeyepollinator when we need him?

9/3/2007 7:18:54 PM

[email protected]

Excuse me...Pennpollinator

9/3/2007 7:23:18 PM

Rhode Island

rocky

we have a bag of 0-0-50 sulfate of potash we purchased a couple years ago.

last year we applied 3 pounds per plant once in early september just for a little nudge homeward.

i would not do it more than once especially if your mid summer tissue test indicated your potash levels were good.

we only did it to replace what was taken in already. we did the same to three plants this year but two that are nursing sag lines we did not.

pap

9/3/2007 7:54:49 PM

[email protected]

Thx for the advice Pap, I havent used it in a while, but a one time application of the stuff shouldnt hurt me, I am just looking for an extra 40-50 pounds from here on out. I agree on the sag line, if I had one I would be cutting some secondaries this time of year, along with no fert apps, but since mine are looking healthy, I can push a bit.

9/3/2007 9:15:29 PM

ordinary,VA

hey Mark if Dick,Joe,Shelly or Larry says go with the calcium wrap on my shoulder it will be a go buddy!!

9/3/2007 9:39:16 PM

Rhode Island

we have never used calcium wraps .instead we spray calcium on the leaves and try and be sure our calcium levels are good off the early summer tissue test.
calcium does not move that well within the plant so its always better to have it already available in the soil.

i have nothing negative to say about the calcium wraps. they works according to a lot of people
pap

9/4/2007 5:45:45 AM

[email protected]

Pap, You mentioned in a post a few weeks back that you havent used calcium wraps, and you wouldnt especially on a nice colored fruit. Is there any reason a calcium wrap would change the color or texture of a nice colored fruit?

9/4/2007 6:51:26 AM

ordinary,VA

Thanks Pap!

9/4/2007 9:00:34 AM

Rhode Island

i dont rmember saying that rocky. i know of no calcium wraps changing fruit color . i do know someone who burned the skin on his pumpkin several years ago by having to strong a dose on his towel. probably the combination of a strong solution and a 95 degree day?
pap

9/4/2007 6:49:02 PM