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Roanoke Il

I that if we put our minds together we will all gain from our experiences in added size in our pumpkins next season. Question what works well for you I don't care if you have grown for one year or twenty. From plant size to seed selection to fertilizing to soil preperation ect.. What gets you those extra pounds. Anything that helps you! After all that is what pumpkin growing is about helping each other hit our goals. mark

9/9/2001 1:05:01 PM

Kuna, Id.

Mark,First time grower most important thing I found.Hand pollination to make sure all stigma are well covered with pollen.The bees and other criters do'nt do a very good job.Ken

9/9/2001 1:54:01 PM

Ga.

ken,,I wonder bout pollention,,and genetics..I planted seed packet seeds,,all my pumpkins have the same traits..Flat in one spot or the other,,as well as the butt end ..The middle is on the ground,,hummm,,the whatcha call it..The stigma maybe...suppose to be in the middle,,but it's on the ground instead...At first I thought it was pollention,,but now I'm leaning towards genetics.....

9/9/2001 2:06:30 PM

Topsfield, Ma.

currently having a personal best-type season. took a chance on an unproven seed and used soil heating cables because our springs are long and cold here in New England. establishing a strong root system early on seems to me to have been a deciding factor ! just my 2 cents worth.

9/9/2001 7:14:05 PM

Mid Michigan

I feel the same way Duff. Genetics play such a BIG roll tho. I started mine indoors in April, and moved it outside the 1st week in may under a cold frame with an old waterbed heater. I'm sure it had a solid root system to start with. My biggest is only about 135#, but we did have unusual heat, and drought here in Mid Michigan this summer.
The only thing i didn't try is the fish emulsion, and seaweed......gonna try that on for size next year to see what difference it makes..........oh yeah, LOTS OF WATER!
Cuzbiker

9/9/2001 7:43:45 PM

Kuna, Id.

Jeff,I also think genetics play a roll,but I pollinated half a female and I have a half a pumpkin on the vine.I wanted to see how important pollination was.It has proved to me to get my butt out of bed before the bees.Ken

9/10/2001 12:40:59 AM

Kuna, Id.

Jeff,If you really do'nt no the stigma are the lobes inside the female flower.Ken

9/10/2001 12:45:55 AM

St. George, NB Canada

With all the rest, I'd like to add Soil Preparation!

I have an area that is spring fed so it essentially self waters. Pumpkin is beautiful and round, but smallish by standards present. I expect the soil was not loose enough to give the roots that head start.

But next year I'm getting a proper rear-tine tiller down there and just you wait. Soil is also high in nitrogen I suspect, so have to deal with that too. (Hand pollinated and beautifully round btw). Bill C.

9/10/2001 6:05:01 AM

Ga.

I hand pollinated my biggest,,but must have missed a lobe,,cuz I got a big ole flat spot on top,,out of 3 nice ag's,,,only 1 has a good uniform shape,,but it has a deformity by the extending lobe,,kinda like a tail,,,,so no nice uniform pumpkins this year,,hope to get hold of some real seed next year....Jeff ^_^

9/10/2001 7:52:48 AM

Deer Park, WI

Cool question mark. Here's my advice- Prune prune prune. Keep the plants under control. Eliminate all possiblities of Tertiaries. Keep the secondaries organized. Prune em in the beginning of August. Not only does this promote fruit growth, but also eliminates possibility of "hidden" fruit. Those little 30-40 lbers that grow secretly under the cover of layers of leaves and criss-crossed vines. An well-pruned plant is easier to maintain. Good air circulation, less to water, Fewer bug hiding spots. THe list goes on and on................

9/10/2001 9:50:47 AM

Rexburg, Idaho

What did I do different that helped. I brought a big tractor in and ripped the soil down to a depth of 12-18 inches. This broke up my hardpan and helped (I think). A tiller only gets 6-7 inches deep and its probably not enough. Double digging works too but 1000 sq feet of double digging is a lot of work.

9/10/2001 8:24:59 PM

Ga.

very impressive pumpkin Joe,,nice shape too..whats Tertiaries??

9/10/2001 8:34:44 PM

Omaha, NE

Jeff, Thanks for asking about tertiaries. I have been wondering myself, I can figure out what the secondaries are, but have been wondering what were tertiaries. Karen

9/10/2001 9:35:20 PM

Buffalo, NY

Tertiaries are like Secondary's secondaries?

Mark

9/10/2001 10:12:02 PM

Leicester, NY

I agree that soil preparation (mostly in the fall), great seed genetics, pruning the tertiaries and burying the vines are all very important. In addition to these things, a grower must be very careful never to stress the plant. This is easier said than done, but too much or too little of almost anything from watering to fertilizing and the plant starts to mature the fruit and the growth cycle shuts down. Once that maturing process starts, I don’t know of anyway to turn it back on again…Joe P.

9/10/2001 10:49:42 PM

Lake Stevens, WA, USA

The main vine is called a primary. A vine that comes off the primary is called a secondary. Vines that come off a secondary are called tertiaries.

David,
Lake Stevens, WA

9/11/2001 1:52:38 AM

St. George, NB Canada

Joe:

What makes a good pruning job? And apart from tilling, what should I do to prepare the soil in the fall? Bill C.

9/11/2001 5:48:27 AM

Ga.

Joe,,just out of curiosoty,,,,what was you feeding that big ole fat girl??

9/11/2001 7:19:56 AM

Deer Park, WI

Uh-oh, we got some "joe" confusion here. If you are asking me, I consider good pruning to be a plant with NO tertiaries. You do not want vines crossing over each other. Secondary vines between 10-20 feet. Main vine 20-30 feet. Depending on your patch size and growing conditions. Good pruninng also involves pinching off females before they are pollinated, so they do not draw resources from the plant. Prune tendrils so they do not choke leaves or leaf stalks. It also involves removing dead material from the plant, especially the stump area, where bugs and diseases do well.

9/11/2001 8:58:17 AM

Ga.

hmmm,,,Joe ain't tellin what he used for fertilizer,,,hehe

9/11/2001 9:04:01 AM