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Location

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Date Posted

Ohio

I was out burring my secondaries on my 1081 and cutting off the male flowers that already opened, and i heard a snnnnnnnnnn,,,AP!,, I look over to see what that noise was and my main vine snapped in half up by the tip, I DIDNT EVEN TOUCH IT!@!! It just snapped. I was like 10 feet away from it!!!

I already have 2 females Pollinated on this main, one is about 13 out and the other is 17 out, the break is about 3 feet in front of the last pumpkin on the main.

When do growers terminate the main vine? or do they? I havnt heard much talk about this. I dont understand why all my mains snap in half, lucky i already had one set on the main before it snapped.

6/29/2004 8:21:04 PM

Independence, MO

Sly
Do you have a ghost following you around?
Makes ya wonder
lol

6/29/2004 8:48:31 PM

Walkerton Ont

keep the pumpkin at 13 feet and 20 feet should be long enough 7 feet past pumpkin, leave secondaries a little bit longer, i dunno what to do. just a thought, your pumpkins are out far enough i think

6/29/2004 9:27:25 PM

Woodburn, Indiana

most people now are running 600 sq foot plants. i would make your plant around that size.

6/29/2004 9:33:45 PM

Commack, NY

Sly, some growers never terminate the vine. Instead they just wrap it around the patch. eventually it will slow down once the fruit takes off. others terminate the vine. And others dont allow enough slack in the vine for the fruit, and have to terminate the main right after the pumpkin....seems i end up doing this every year myself LOL good luck
Scott

6/29/2004 9:35:14 PM

Ohio

I Was going to let it keep growin, but its out about 20 feet, with the S curve Its a little longer because i made the curve big.
When I first heard the snap,I thought the noise was my dog in my patch or deer coming down through the weeds into my yard.I WAS CRUSHED WHEN I LOOKED OVER AND SEEN 3 FOOT OF VINE BROKE OFF,
I think the 55 degree temps we been having at night has something to do with the breaks, it wasnt like the vine was sticking straight up in the air ether, its weird, I was even real careful of this because my other two plants did this, I hope i can figure something out next year so this dont happen.
Becareful everyone, real careful, alot of peoples vine tips are snapping right now.

6/30/2004 7:14:37 AM

New Brunswick

Hmmm...could they be snapping because of the "curve" in the vine?? I have never curved mine and none have snapped. I allow mine to grow straight.

6/30/2004 9:03:59 AM

Appalachian Mtns.

no trouble here with snapping tips or main vines

6/30/2004 9:26:09 AM

Ohio

no, it didnt snap because of the curve i dont think, it happend about 3 feet after the curve, and my 1178 snapped before i could even make a s curve,lol

Southern you better knock on wood,lol

6/30/2004 11:33:46 AM

Ohio

One more thing, I try to keep my main vine flat to the ground all the time, im always ontop of that, its the next morning when i wake up they grow out of the X i have holding the vine down and start growing up to the sky, I hate to put it right at the tip where the new growth is so i put it a couple inches back on the vine.I have no idea what im doing wrong. Just bad luck maybe,I dunno.

6/30/2004 11:38:31 AM

Appalachian Mtns.

well, I take that back. my main on the 730 Stellpflug split for 7' while buried under compost. I have no idea what that was about.

6/30/2004 1:51:07 PM

Puyallup, WA

That's it!!! Atlantic Giant pumpkin growers are under
"The Curse of the Snapping Main"!! Tell me it ain't so!!

6/30/2004 5:41:37 PM

San Luis Obispo Ca

Me too SNAP! What a year! At the place that the snap took place I do have a pumpkin. So I cut vine at that point and nad hopefully that pumpkin that is left will grow, it is right at the end of the snaped main vine. At least I have pumpkin there. We will see what happens.

6/30/2004 6:02:46 PM

Ohio

Southern, good luck on your Back,(I read your Diary) I know exactly how your feeling, I have L4,L5 and S1 messed up, I should have had surgery years ago and didnt.Im lucky I only have to baby sit adults in prison and break up a few fights a week. I know I couldnt do real physical labor 40 hours a week.

7/1/2004 8:43:27 AM