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Mid Michigan

other than burying the main vine at a certain lenghth,
(which i'm very interested in knowing the answer to), once you cut the male flower for use in pollinating, are you supposed to bury the small vine/stem that it was on? Are you supposed to cut the male stem real close to the main vine it is on, or just notch it off up close to the bud?
Man, the more this thing goes along, the more questions i come up with that aren't really covered in the "how to" stuff........little details, ya know>?!
Cuzbiker

6/30/2001 9:07:26 AM

derry n.h u.s.a.

Hi cuz:
You bury the vines for two reasons.The no. 1 reason is vines at each leaf node or axil when buryied will sprout a root or two on the top side of the vine it also holds the plant in place when it's windy or stormy out.I dont bury the main only secondary vines.(I like to see the main and a foot or two of the secondarys exposed so i can check for borers and such)When you prune or dead head your plant thats when you run out of growing space or your into mid or early August.You simpley cut off the end of the vines with a sharp knife and bury the ends,BUT don't cut all at once a couple every other day will do the trick you don't want to blow up or split your pumpkin by deadheading your whole plant in one day.Never deadhead fertilize and watar in one day it's a "sure fire"way of exploding your prize.Good luck
. John G...

6/30/2001 11:26:46 AM

Mid Michigan

How about the main vine? Should i wait for a pumpkin or 3 to start growing before i stop the main vine growth?
How long is too long? It's about 17ft. now, and growing 4 to 6 inches a day!
Cuzbiker

6/30/2001 11:52:49 AM

derry n.h u.s.a.

If you've got a pumpkin on the main vine i'd let the main go at least ten ft or more beyond the set pumpkin before making that decision. some people let the main vine grow to 40 feet or so totol length before terminating it.But try to set a couple on the main and then thin em out.Keep the fastest growing one with good shape.Hope this helped.
John G...

6/30/2001 4:04:43 PM