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Key West, FL

Over night last night I had 6 of the 11 vines on my 880 crack or snap completely in half INCLUDING MY MAIN, which is the worst of any vine. One side of my 783 snaped in half. And a few days ago the main on my 746 blew out like a hole halfway around the vine right before the pumpkin! There seems to be an excess of sap coming from the wounds?

What the heck happened?

Yesterday was like the first sunny day in like 3 days but I can't think of anything else that could of caused this, no irregular watering, no fert in a couple weeks. All I know is over half the vines on my 880 are cracked. The 783 has the most flexable vines and only had one broken, maybe birds or something are landing on the tips of the vines?

6/26/2004 1:21:05 PM

Mastic Beach, New York

Ben..are we talking about at the tips? because i had that happen to me last year..wake up in the morning the mains were shooting for the sky..(lost a 845bobier main and 845 nesbitt mian...lucky i had a pea size fruit before the snapped)...the 735 pukos is doing the same thing this season...wish you the best **post some pics of it**

6/26/2004 1:39:54 PM

Ri

do they look like someone stuck a firecracker in the vines and they splintered open??

6/26/2004 1:41:05 PM

Wroclaw, Poland (51 N, 17 E)

My 846 Lloyd looks like this (pgri). It is 1,5" wide and 0,1" thick... I hope It won't make the plant grow so bad.. I burried it today.

6/26/2004 2:26:24 PM

Puyallup, WA

You've got company, Ben! Four of my seven plants have done the same thing the past two days!!!!!! It even happened to Geneva Emmons!!! Last year, it happend to only one of my plants, the Holland 966. Geneva thinks that it is a combination of genetics and weather. I think that over fertilization might also be a factor. I can send you a picture if you desire.

pqri....Yep....had three holes in the Holland 919 main two days ago! Most distressing!!

6/26/2004 4:01:21 PM

Greene County, Pa.

Wow Ben thats no good!!!sorry to hear the news. The vines on the 880 seem to have little give at all. Last night I was burrying my last vine, tried to move it a very tiny bit and SNAP! I had a 2 1/2 foot peice of vine in my hand. I was sick. Luckly it was the very first side vine that was 12 feet. But now is only around 10. I just cut it the rest of the way off and buried it. Then put the shovel and hoe away and left the patch for the night very frusterated.

Hopefully you have a fruit set on the main already.

Good Luck

6/26/2004 4:03:05 PM

No. Stonington, CT

i had the same thing happen, i found small hole in my 620 boytons main vine and when i went to check it out the vine just fell off.

6/26/2004 5:03:09 PM

Indiana

This topic has come up many times before. The last time I talked about it, we more or less determined that it was over fertility.

Tom

6/26/2004 5:44:48 PM

Northeast

Ive had the same thing happen to me before nice and warm push the vines down a little, cools off and they go snap real bummer happened on my 845 Bobier before and the 1026 Holland a couple of years ago hard to predict and hard to stop. If its gonna go cool I mound soil under the vine thats lifted at all off the groung and then criss cross sticks to prevent lowering during the night, I slowly let the plant down when the night time temps are higher or a little every day if its gonna be col again with the same procedure. Dave

6/26/2004 6:07:41 PM

Northeast

Just on the soil test mine was low if anything on Potash and calcium the organic matter was 19 % nothing really wapping, certain plants that are more rigid are more likely to do it than others. I have never had a vine blow up. Dave

6/26/2004 6:10:15 PM

Cologne / Germany

I had vines blowing up 2 years ago. Later the fruit on that plant (466 Deary) went down with a stem split. No heavy fertilizing, no unusual weather conditions. Looked like a genetic defect to me. If it´s oozing, I would also consider some soil based fungus like fusaria to be the reason.

6/26/2004 7:17:00 PM

Joliet, IL

i have had it also on the 1082 curry this year, on both the main and a few secondaries. i think it happens more
frequently this time of year because the plant contains
so much energy right now from all the tap roots it is
sinking. the vine is much thicker all the way out to the
tip than in the earlier stages. this gives it the ability
to rise and support itself reaching up for the sun that
is dead center in the sky especially around the solstice
time. the plant is strong and the weight of the growth
is too much to handle. my friend's 930 eatons main sticks
up so high and is so stocky that the only way to prevent
the snap that we figured was the bamboos crosses under
the vine for support and over the vine to hold down.
the key is to spread these crosses out a bit so the
plant is never restircted to tightly from growing up
but yet has a cradle to rest on as it grows out, and these
need to be adjusted every morning and evening, and even at
noon if on the weekends.

6/26/2004 7:48:13 PM

Key West, FL

Some of them have the firecracker look, others like my main are just split straight in half. I didn't even touch my plants yesterday, just looked at them. Haven't foliar fert or any kind of fert in 2 or 3 weeks. Then I walk down to my patch this morning and find half of my vine tips cracked or snapped off.

6/26/2004 8:41:33 PM

[email protected]

Ben,

Is there any sign of foot prints? Or any such disturbance of the soil?

6/26/2004 8:45:51 PM

Key West, FL

No, this does not look like vandalism, I'm posting some pics now.

6/26/2004 9:24:38 PM

Canada

Possibly a cat fight in the patch? or maybe an animal
walking threw.

Dave

6/26/2004 10:25:23 PM

In the shade - PDX, OR

Last year I had a main tip 'Blow off'.
At first I thought it was because of my dog. (since he had access to that part of the patch)

I really think this is due to a combination of 3 things. 1)overfertility 2) cool,then warm weather conditions & 3) water.

Sorry to hear that Ben.

6/27/2004 1:39:59 AM

Key West, FL

I think the cool to warm weather is the cause. There are no tracks, I would notice, lol. I always know when someone or something has been in my patch.

6/27/2004 2:34:47 AM

Colo.Spgs.CO. Pikes Peak Chapter @ [email protected]

Ben,I have yet to really start to train my vines here in colorado, as the temps are barely reaching the high 60s in the day,with nite time temps 45-53 during the last almost three weeks with almost no sunshine, and at least 6-7 inches of moisture. It stinks, as my vines are the fattest and most brittle than ever in the ten years I have been growing. Even at high noon my vines will snap if barely pushed on, 67 degrees & clouds stinks for weeks on end, and it seems even my leaves are brittle if you bend them they will damage...I wish our cold temps would go somewhere else, as we need a week of 90s and clear skies...Good Luck..

6/27/2004 3:13:18 AM

[email protected]

The dreaded Pumpkin Gnomes are at work in WA. Ben has disturbed the balance some how. Quick Ben, make a midnight offering to appease thy sins & move on with the season. But this time on a secondary.

On a serious note: Is there any exudate present at the breaks? Look for stringy or foaming sap. If there is, can you get it to a pathological lab ASAP? Tomorrow is good.

Steve

6/27/2004 8:56:03 AM

canal winchester ohio

Had the exact same problem last season & never did figure out why. The vines in your pics looks just like mine did & every fruit I pollinated would grow fairly slow for 10 days & then at about day 14 they would explode---split wide open.

6/27/2004 9:59:10 PM

Sequim, WA

Did Ben go to the patch tour in Ohio last year? I know Stan did, hmmmmmm could there be a connection? Now I'm not gonna say there's any sabotage going on here, but could it be an pathogen from back east doing damage in western patches? This sport it tough enough without jet hopping bugs.

6/27/2004 10:42:20 PM

Enumclaw WA

Same thing happened here about 5 days ago on a 966 Holland. It looked like a firecracker "blowout" on the bottom of the main but no oozing sap. Day/Night ambient temps have been over 30 degrees different, but less than that in the pumpkin condo. Have been foiliar feeding 2 times per week. Hmmm. My other plants are fine. Timely post. Thanks all for the discussion and happy growing.

6/28/2004 12:21:55 AM

Key West, FL

No, I didn't go to Ohio, lol.

6/28/2004 1:51:40 AM

Key West, FL

Great pumpkin, I think it has something to do with the recent weather.. I think the cool period and then all of the sudden the clouds burn off and the temps shoot up weather we had did it?

6/28/2004 1:53:33 AM

nanaimo,B.C,Canada

same thing with 2 of mine. The secondary main on the 1016 daletas has some holes which have split open almost right through the vine and also noticed a split on my 845 bobier sec main about 3/4 of a inch.

Dave

6/28/2004 2:51:24 AM

Puyallup, WA

Last year, my 966 main broke in half about this time...... same "modus operendi"!!

6/28/2004 12:02:49 PM

San Luis Obispo Ca

My ding dong done blown apart too, what !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!the!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

6/29/2004 11:32:19 PM

Enumclaw WA

So far, things are better in the patch. I appreciate the discussion and the theory. We just keep learning.

6/30/2004 12:22:46 AM