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Choctaw, OK

I came home from my vacation yesterday only to discover something not too good. My pumpkin on my 825 has two rib cracks. When i left for vacation, i covered the 825 pumkin with many blakets and water proof materail to keep it dry and warm during the cool nights while i was gone. When i got home, i took off the covers and noticed the pumkin really had defined it's ribs and had some cantalouping. There was also a faint dill ring that had developed on the ribs stretching from side to side, more toward the blossom end of the pumpkin....where the dill ring was most defined, there were cracks in two spots where the ribs meet(in two different spots, but along the dill ring line). These cracks are across the grain of the pumpkin and are really small, you cannot get pencil lead through them. I did stick a pin in them and felt no resistance. I have since covered with some fungicide, but i think the little splits have gone into the cavity........what do you guys think?? the pumpkin is 528 lbs estimated. I think since the splits were horizontal, accros the grain, and not legnthwise, i think it doesn't look so good for survival......

Casey

8/19/2001 12:18:06 PM

derry n.h u.s.a.

Case:
dust cracks with dry application of Captions(dry) You want them to air dry.A pin is a very sharp object and will penatrate through anything with ease.Use a piece of field straw to see if it breaks before it goes in the cavity,i think thats what they do at the Fairs if theres a questionable crack or split.I've had blossem splits before and some dissapier with growth of the pumpkin.I've also had big gash splits an inch long and a quarter inch wide and they have healed up just fine keep the dust to em.
hope this helped a bit .Best of luck hang in there you'll know in a few days.John G..

8/19/2001 3:05:43 PM

Choctaw, OK

Well, i am not sure if the pumpkin is really done for.....the splits are so small, but i know i could feel if i was going to hit something, i went in really slow. one of the splits i hit something and stopped and the other the pin goes all the way in. I have put some fugicide on. If the split truely went to the cavity, will the pumpkin stop growing??? i will measure tomorrow to see if there is any growth, otherwise, in about two weeks, if the split did hit the cavity, i should see signs of rot by that point. The splits are probably at the thinest spot on the pumpkin....i will post a pic...

thanks john.....if the pumpkin rots, how long till it will show signs of it??

Case

8/19/2001 5:00:26 PM

Long Island,New York

The pumpkin will continue to grow for a week or so then stall......then get soft.....only if the rot has set in. Seems that the bigger the pumpkin the longer it takes the rot to stop the growth.It is not unusual for a good pumpkin to put on 80-100 lbs after the split has been discovered.This may be enough time for the seeds to reach a point where they are mature enough for decent germination rates.If your looking to keep the seeds,seal off the crack,let it grow and measure everyday.When it stops,its done. If its still solid when it stops,you might be able to wait a day or two until it feels soft...like a overripe cantelope...then pull the seeds.If you wait too long the seeds will/can be ruined.
One other point for those that don't live on a farm...its a whole lot easier to get ride of a hard dead pumpkin than a mushy dead pumpkin.If you don't have a tractor or aplace to dump it,I recommend you cut up a hard pumpkin rather than a mushy rotten soft smelly pumpkin.......been there,done that...................G

8/19/2001 5:29:03 PM

Long Island,New York

oh....two more things.....1).Casey...I know I ribbed you a bit about that seed and splits but I was rooting for you and I send my sympathies. 2). Don't be fooled by the circumference when measuring ,as the pumpkin saggs and collapses the circ measure will increase very often.Watch the other two numbers...if they decrease its done.

8/19/2001 5:32:42 PM

Choctaw, OK

Hey, it is ok glenn. I did figure it wouldn't last because most don't and you are entitled to an opinion as i am as well, all growers value seeds differently.

i thought my 825 would be a gonner from blossom end split. This 825 has the characteristic of the 567.5 mombert, with the dill ring dip in the ribs. I was not expecting that. There is a chance it might hold, not sure, but i am not expecting it to make it...i guess i will find out in a week or so then huh?

check out my entries when they show up....you can see what the pumpkin looks like.

Case

8/19/2001 6:31:17 PM

Connecticut, USA

Sorry to hear Case. I lost my biggest two years in a row to rib splits.

8/20/2001 9:15:12 PM