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Canada

Right now the fruit on the 620 boyton is growing like crazy
at the fruit there are 2 tendrils one on each side of fruit
that are grabbing ahold of the weeds. would it stress the plant/fruit to cut these off ? also this fruit is on a sec
ondary
about 8 ft out the one on the main pollinated same day around the 22 ft mark aborted should i cut the tip of the secondary off its currently out 3 ft out past the fruit.

and should i leave the main growing or cut the tip as well seeing there are NO fruit on it ? how far back would you cu the main?

thanks

Dave

8/17/2004 3:58:17 AM

Rhode Island

dave
if you have made the secondary vine you main and have no fruit on the main then dead end the main ( at the tip )

allow the side where you have the pumpkin to keep growing ( this secondary is now your main and sides should be allowed to grow of this new main

if you have side vines to close to the pumpkin then the ones on the fruit side of the plant can get squeezed by the pumpkins shoulders as the fruit grows and can and will cause problems
better to trim one or both before the problen developes

i like air flow around the fruit and keeping the weeds down also helps keep a healthy plant

pap

8/17/2004 7:25:38 AM

Vancouver, White Rock, Canada

Same opinion here with deadending the main, and then allow the secondary where your fruit is to grow another 10 ft or so, then I'd even deadend that, too. As for tendrils, I always hack them off close to the pumpkin, to allow the vine to rise with the growing fruit. I'd prop the vine up around the fruit, too, as the pumpkin grows larger, pulling the vine off the ground. Stem stress is a killer.

8/17/2004 12:51:44 PM

Saugerties N. Y.

I know Its good practice to trim tap roots on either side of the pumpkin so the vine can rise, but would'nt it be better to grow the pumpkin with the vine still attached to the ground if possible to pick up more goodies from the ground. I try to leave my vine alone unless I see stem stress, I just hate cutting those tap roots.

8/19/2004 11:11:42 PM

Vancouver, White Rock, Canada

True enough, but once they get over 100lbs, depending on how the fruit is shaped, I find that the vine has to come off the ground, at least 2-3' either way down the vine, either I lift it, or the fruit will pull it off the ground. I'd rather lift it gently, than have all that stress on the stem. It all depends on how the fruit grows. I've seen fruit of a few hundred pounds growing off a vine that hadn't risen more than an inch or 2, but t'is rare.

8/20/2004 12:49:38 AM