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[email protected]

Here is a bit of information I thought I'd share, Finally had a few easier days, so cleaning up pumpkin info.

On September 17th, I measured my pumpkin, and marked exactly where the tape was. The Pumpkin taped 349 in ott. for an estimated weight of 892 lbs. Once this was done, We set up a scaffold, with a ratchett hoist, and an inline scale, lifted the pumpkin no more than an inch off the ground, but it was totally suspended on an inline scale, and it weighed 940 lbs.
17 days later, on Oct 4th we remeasured, and reweighed the pumpkin. The pumpkin gained 4 inches ott, for an estimated weight of 923 lbs. But when we weighed the pumpkin, it weighed 1011. lbs, actually the same weight as the weigh off, 16 hrs later.
So what does this mean, The OTT gain for the 17 days was 1.824 lbs per day, and the actuall weight for the 17 days was 4.176 pounds per day. The pumpkin gained twice as much in the last 17 days as it measured. The plant was very healthy and I kept up the water etc, as I did for the first 2 weeks of September.

I wish I had started at about the 500 lb mark, Next year!!!

Eddy

12/5/2007 8:47:47 PM

Minnesota([email protected])

Wow Eddy, very interesting indeed! Those late season gains could be much more important than we think. I wonder if Bill Bobier noticed anything similar in his study? Thanks for sharing this.

12/5/2007 8:53:04 PM

Western NY

I know of others who have done the same. compared to the 500 pound mark, by the time it is done growing, it will have picked up a percent or two compared to the chart.

12/5/2007 9:04:22 PM

Hamburg, NY

I've said this for many years. Late season pounds are not seen.

12/5/2007 9:51:13 PM

Hudsonville, Michigan ([email protected])

I've been in several discussions over the years where someone has said something to the effect of 'when it stops gaining inches, it's still getting thicker on the inside.' It's usually said with a smile, or chuckle, but maybe not so far off after all?!?

12/6/2007 6:54:56 AM

Western NY

I think when they've completely stopped growing on the outside, they're done putting on weight for good within a few days of no growth. As long as they continue to creep along, they're probably gaining more than it looks, though.

12/6/2007 8:16:58 AM

southwest MO

Ive notice on a couple of my pumpkins that after the tape measure stops adding inches the pumkin can still have suttle changes. Maybe the ribs get a tad more defined, or you notice a couple fresh tiny strech marks here or there. "As long as its doing something", I think its is still matureing and making gains however small.

Thank you for sharing that Eddy.

Dave

12/6/2007 9:35:18 AM

Pembroke, New Hampshire

A couple of thoughts:
The weighing on September 17th was of a pumpkin still on the vine...that weight is going to be inacurate as the vine may be supporting some of the weight. Any pumpkin still connected to the vine is not going to be able to be weighed without some variance.
The second thought doesn't apply here, but I've always thought that in some instances, late season OTT gains may be due to expanding internal cracks, which don't add weight, even if the OTT measurements increase.
Iceman, you're brave. I don't know that I'd risk moving my late season pumpkin...bad things can (and do) happen.

12/6/2007 10:04:52 AM

[email protected]

I thought about the vine support, When we weighed the fruit, I did keep a close eye on the vines and they still were quite lax, so they amount of weight distortion should have been minimal.
I did this because of what I seen Bill Bobier doing, Sure want to compare notes with him at Niagara.
I don't think it's bravery, I believe stupidity sometimes prevail, and impatience has a hand in it.
Eddy

12/6/2007 11:00:59 AM

Western NY

i picked mine up and moved it a few weeks before the weighoff. gotta keep the vine from kinking, might as well find out how much it weighs (unless you want the surprise). I wouldn't worry about it snapping, there's a lot of give to them if you have it set up right.

12/6/2007 11:31:19 AM

Pembroke, New Hampshire

Ask Bill Rodonis about moving pumpkins. This year he snapped the stem off of his best grower while moving it...not a happy time.

12/6/2007 11:42:25 AM

Pocatello ([email protected])

I've always thought this was possible, and in fact what can really happen... that we need to consider water content. It doesn't even need to be wall thickness. If the walls and all the fluffy stuff inside are relatively "wet" or "dry", that is going to have an effect on the weight. Even if the fruit has stopped growing on the outside, it may still be growing on the inside, or even simply filling up with moisture.

If we could monitor the amount of the "drip-drip-drip" that the vine is supplying to the stem, as long as that drip is dripping, it's going to add weight.

12/6/2007 2:11:12 PM

Pembroke, New Hampshire

Now there's an idea. There are sap flow devices on the market. I'm not sure of the physics, but it has something to do with measuring heat changes caused by the energy of moving water. Could one of these devices be attached to a pumpkin stem late in the season to measure flow of water into the pumpkin? That would be a true measurement of ongoing late season pumpkin growth.

12/6/2007 2:44:19 PM

Ohio

If you could attach one of them type devices to the stem and it work, that would really be something! You might be onto something there if it works, thats sounds like a great idea, but wonder how much one of them devices costs?

12/6/2007 3:41:06 PM

Mn

WOw thats a cool idae...how much woukld that $$$ though?

12/6/2007 3:44:15 PM

Pocatello ([email protected])

I wonder if some growers who actually grow on a set of scales could weigh in here... (That was a bad one, Cliff.)

Then we also factor in the notion that some of the moisture that enters the fruit is also evaporating from the fruit, a theory put forth by Ben down in Arizona.

12/6/2007 9:54:42 PM

Cottage Grove, MN

http://www.dynamax.com/sapflow.htm

Waiting on a quote...

12/7/2007 5:00:38 PM

San Jose [email protected]

sweden gustofsen (sp) grows on scales, spring type, but the only one i know of, he also has a machinist micrometer touching the pumpkin (to know if it is still growing) he said when the outside stops growing the weight gain stops as well

12/9/2007 8:53:19 PM