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Ohio

Well,had some bad luck and wanted to know if i could get some help on this. Im growing 3 pumkins on one plant in the other garden below my house for my kids, its off the 1178 L.Wentzell, Well,,, I was growing 3,,,, all three of these pumpkins have a real hard wrinkled look at the stem end from the first time they started growing, the other half of the pumpkin is normal, it kinda looked like a torpedo. Yesterday i noticed that two of them was real soft at the touch all over,,,,,,, they are toast. Just wondering if the 0-0-60 experiment did this?, or maybe it was the 20-20-20 liquid fert. I didnt apply very much of the 0-0-60, I applied 4 little hand fulls around my entire plant. The 20-20-20 was applied like 2 weeks ago. the 0-0-60 like 4 days ago,Also notice that my leaves on the one side, the side that my 2 pumpkins rotted, The leaves look wilted and are starting to turn color.This was my test plant kinda to see what the 0-0-60 would do, Think this is what did it? or could it be something eles? My little girl was upset and ol daddy felt really bad for her so i told her she could have my 1081 pumpkin that is almost 400 pounds. Now I Dont have a pumpkin,LOL. That made her day. I have 1 pumpkin left on this plant and its still really hard to the touch, And that pumpkin is my sons,lol Maybe the 2 just aborted,,,,, I dunno?

7/31/2004 5:07:56 AM

[email protected]

Brook,

We need to be a little more specific (and careful! LOL).

"Four little handfuls" could weigh as much as what...?... a third of a pound (so .2 lbs K2O)...?... Over how big an area in size...?...a 20'diameter circle...?...So that's an area of 300 sq ft...?...Therefore if all these assumptions are correct, the amount of potash applied is then equivalent to .7 lbs of K20 per 1000 sq ft.

To safely apply 0-0-60, we really need to be a good deal more accurate than "4 little handfuls". The size of the treatment area needs to be carefully measured & then the desired rate considered (based on the findings of science &/or experience. Not gut) before weighing out the potash on a scale.

On those occasions I've applied granular potash here this year, I've measured (on a scale) & applied a Sulfate of Potash material that is one half that strength (0-0-28) in a quantity that sounds like half what you applied to an area 1200 sq ft or four times larger.

Could a trend be developing here?

PLEASE be more careful...LOL...from the information we have to work with, it does sound like chloride injury from the potash that was applied.

7/31/2004 1:22:05 PM

Western Pa.

It's ALL a learning experience. (If you stop learning, you stop growing!)

7/31/2004 1:47:24 PM

Ohio

Yea i didnt measure it,LOL,I wont do anything like that to the biggun I have growing, Thought id try it out on another plant first, and boy am I glad i tried it on that plant first to see what the reaction was. No more 0-0-60 for me, im gonna go with the green flo 0-0-25 . Sure wish I would have known about the green flo before I applied the 0-0-60 and not rush things, but one thing is that it wont happen next year, BE CAREFUL EVERYONE ON THE 0-0-60 , iM SERIOUS!!,LOL 4 little hand fulls to a area of about 400 square feet is alot more then i thought, i should have poured acid on em instead,lol

7/31/2004 3:00:41 PM

Appalachian Mtns.

Brooks....Would you e-mail me before you do anything else like that? Ya quit sending e-mails....
Yep, 0-0-60 burn. I wouldn't apply more than a tablespoon of that stuff around my plant. I almost ruined a patch's soil quality getting happy with that stuff. If your pumpkin is only gaining about 5# a day, or basically stopped, then I'd use just a touch. Otherwise, leave the plant alone and feed it fish/kelp.
Experience tells me that the more I mess with a plant, the more I mess up.

7/31/2004 3:42:58 PM

Ohio

Southern,I been sending ya emails buddy!!,lol, I must be sending it to one of your emials you dont use very much or something, i dunno?, I send you and Tremor emails before i try something stupid,lol Tremor was away on vaction for a couple days and you must have been too,Lol, I just dont want to seem like im being a thorn in your side sometimes.
Brooks

8/1/2004 10:18:53 AM

Appalachian Mtns.

Brooks,
You're not a thorn......"[email protected]"...or..."[email protected]"

8/1/2004 12:46:16 PM

Hudsonville, Michigan ([email protected])

Hey Anyone:
What would you consider max safe rate for 0-0-60 application in season (per 1000 sq. ft.)?

Frank

8/2/2004 6:31:11 PM

Appalachian Mtns.

2 lbs tops, and I consider that heavy...
I burned myself using potash last year, very gun shy now. This year, IF I need it, I'll be using a hydroponic, water soluble 5-12-26.

8/3/2004 12:32:04 AM

Southern California

I use a 5-10-40 from Growmore in Southern California. One year I applied too much early in the season which resulted in two small pumpkins killed and two big pumpkins growth being halted. I think this could be the most plant sensitive fertilizer you can use. I now apply one quarter of a teaspoon to three gallons of foliar spray each week and include calcium. That seems to be working.
Craig

8/3/2004 11:25:12 AM

Hudsonville, Michigan ([email protected])

Well, folks - that's the answer I suspected but didn't want to hear. I'm crashing & burning as we speak at my remote patch. Soil there was out of whack when I got a hold of it in May and while trying to correct it, I made two big mistakes based on what the guy at the Co-op recommended.
First it was too much sulfur in May, then too much potash in late June. I've lost a couple plants and the others are underperforming. (But I'm doing fine at my home patch which was untreated.) That's the last time I take any fert advice without double-checking it here...
Frank

8/3/2004 10:36:05 PM