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Poulsbo, WA

I think I may have really messed up. I haved prunned off all my pumpkins except one. It wasn't exactly growing in the best spot, but is about ten feet down the main vine. It weighs about 60 pounds right now. It is about 3 and a half weeks from pollination. It looks like it is going to squish the main vine and I really can't do anything about it. It will quish it about a foot down past where the stem is attached. How will this affect my pumpkin? Any help would be appreciated.

8/10/2001 8:58:50 PM

Poulsbo, WA

I messed up in that message. It has been 3 and a half weeks since I pollinated the flower and it is know about 60lbs.

8/10/2001 9:00:57 PM

Ga.

can you lift it and put on a board,,,try this link and see

http://www.overpass.com/cgi-bin/redirect_byg.cgi?URL=http://www.bigpumpkins.com&TITLE=Backyard%20Gardener%20:%20Link%20to

8/10/2001 9:08:12 PM

Herndon, VA

Can you gently reposition the pumpkn so that it is not growing over the vine? Try carefully moving it a quarter to a half inch per day until it gets to the position you want.

8/10/2001 9:51:22 PM

Puyallup, WA

Well....you can cry alot! That's what I did when I tried to move the largest pumpkin that was sitting on the main of the Rockwell 771.5! I barely moved it and heard an ominous "crack"...I now have a 150 lb. pumpkin sitting in the middle of my patch!

8/10/2001 10:27:31 PM

Greencastle, PA

stan,
Don't be so harsh in his hour of need. lol

8/10/2001 11:48:54 PM

Yukon, Canada

You might try approaching the matter from underneath. I've had luck with excavation - it tends to be labour intensive though. But pumpkin growing is a labour of love isn't it?

8/11/2001 1:31:07 AM

Greencastle, PA

you could raise the vine and tiltit back, if you raise the vine and tip it back it will not put as much stress on the stem as jst tipping it back and will also help reposition it.

8/11/2001 10:45:58 AM

CT

If you are careful, you can definately move your pumpkin. We have moved ours many times because the shoulders keep growing up against the vine. We moved it just the other day, and it is over 300 lbs. Lift it gently and put in on a piece of 1" styrofoam. Then gently slide it a 1/4 to 1/2 inch at a time over a period of days and only in the hottest part of the day. Your stem should be fine. Good luck. RVSK

8/11/2001 12:07:44 PM

Poulsbo, WA

Thanks everyone for the replies. I have excavated underneath and that is not solving my problem. My pumpkin is growing directly in the middle of where my main vin splits in two. This means that I am stressing both vines. It is growing so fast that I can't even move it from side to side. I could fix my problem if I could cut one of the vines, but then I worry about what might happen if I do this. Anyways I am going to post a picture in my diary so if you all go take a look then maybe you might have some more ideas for me. My other problem is that this pumpkin is growing on the side of a five foot mound of soil. Take a look at my picture under BigAtlantic and tell me what you all think. Thanks again!

8/12/2001 1:24:24 AM

Deer Park WA

Try to balance your pumpkins natural position with the plants stem angle. Add a little soil here and there, and keep your specimin DRY and shaded. 1.5 months to go....
Best of luck, only you know,.... Gerry Gadberry....

8/12/2001 2:25:03 AM

Herndon, VA

I saw you're pic, yes it looks like you have quite a dilemma there! The secondary vine should have been whacked off a long time ago, this would have given you some better options. I'm not a big fan of removing secondaries so close to the pumpkin after it has been set, but you need to do something. Too bad it's your only pumpkin, but if it was mine I'd cut the secondary. I'd take the risk because the problem will only get worse as the pumpkin grows. that could cause the pumpkin to stop growing though. --Bruiser

8/12/2001 9:51:46 AM

Ga.

My AG's stem is in the same position as Big A's,,is this a bad position for the stem??The angle is what I'm looking at...Thanks...

8/12/2001 10:04:12 AM

Puyallup, WA

"Spare the rod....spoil the child." I thought that everybody cut off the secondary once the female pumpkin began to grow.

8/12/2001 12:27:24 PM

Greencastle, PA

1.5 months? will I get something over 100 pounds, my biggest is rippening (25 pounds) and my second biggest rotted a day ago, my only hope now is a baseball sized fruit on my 478 Kilbert and a female that just opened on a 649 dill. Do you think I'll get something that will wiegh 100+ pounds, I have a warm october, so that helps a bit.
Tom

PS is there any chance I'll break 379.6 pounds?

8/12/2001 2:24:10 PM

Poulsbo, WA

Just to let all know that this is may first experience every growing a pumpkin, especially an Atlantic Giant, and I do work full time so I don't have tons of time to spend with my pumpkin! (Stan)

Thanks for the info! I had already severed the roots under several of my leaves on both sides of the pumpkin ,but it did not give it any play cause there were some other vines interwinded with it. I finally got the guts to just really tug on the main vine to pull it through the rest of the inter twined vines and it pulled free giving me the chance to move the vine perpendicular to the vine. The secondary vine I was also able to move although it did split a tiny bit. I think that will heal though. What can I do about aphids. I have not used any insecticide yet and was trying not to. What do you recommend to get rid of them. They aren't bad yet. I have only found them under about five leaves, but they are doing damage and I know they will reproduce and really take over if given the chance.

8/12/2001 11:33:32 PM

Poulsbo, WA

By the way you can see the new picture of my perpendicular pumpkin under my diary (BigAtlantic)

Thanks again everyone!

8/12/2001 11:53:11 PM

Puyallup, WA

AG's are usually very "unruly children"! They require "strict" parents. I found out my first year just as you have that they quickly become a tangled mess if left to their own desires.
I see that the aphids hit your patch about the same time that they invaded mine! I used Malathion and Isotox.
Those varmits will suck the energy right out of your plants.

8/13/2001 11:02:15 AM

Grants Pass, Oregon

I just entered my pumpkin Hercules into our county fair. By their scale he weighed 135 pounds. Not bad for a new comer huh? He is a nice orange and round with lots of ribs.

8/13/2001 4:04:46 PM

Liverpool , England

Yo Polka,
your pumpkin should have a female name as all fruit are females. We know this as we use male flowers to pollinate it with. your poor fruit is now laying there with a gender complex. so next year think of a good female name and save the pumpkin any stress. lol lol

Alun

8/13/2001 7:43:55 PM

Grants Pass, Oregon

yo alun-

what you say is true, but it was stubborn. It just grew so fast at first this was the first name to pop into my head. But ok so as to not shame my last two pumpkins one is named cruella and I changed Zeus to Nala.(my daughter picked it) Does this sound better?

8/13/2001 10:11:03 PM

Omaha, NE

Big Altantic,
If you want to avoid the insectsides get ladybugs for your aphids. Let them out at night so they stay, and don't fly off.

Polka Dot,
When I told my son that someone on the site, had named their pumpkin Cruella, he had to name our second one Lucky. I am expecting the other to follow suit with the Dalmations or Disney names. Lucky isn't that Lucky though, I think he (she according to Alun) has stopped growing, due to the heat....Karen

8/13/2001 10:27:14 PM

Poulsbo, WA

Just to let everyone know, my wife had named my pumpkin my second wife, Scarlettina. So I am not sure where everyone got a male name out of that. Anyways, it is very happy now and taking on about 15lbs or more a day. Watch my diary and I will update it this weekend. I did use some Bug-be-Gone on the aphids and looks like it is working well.

8/14/2001 1:17:01 AM

Liverpool , England

Yo Polka,
That sounds better...should have called it Nula...that's my name spelt backwards.And Zeus spelt backwards would have been suez....which is a place in the middle East with a rather large canal. lol

Alun

8/14/2001 8:09:50 PM