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Nh

i was just thinking the other day while looking over a pupmkin plant with one fruit on it. its a small pumpkin, maybe 75 to 100lbs.
thing is, its pretty much stopped growing.
so my question is, when a fruit stops growing, what is the plant itself actually continuing to stay green and alive for? I guess i don't understand why, if as fruit is present on a living plant, and that plant looks extremely healthy, why would it not grow until the plant is dead?
also, i have recently started putting blankets on my pupmpins at night.\
is this a silly idea?

9/2/2004 10:34:58 PM

Puyallup, WA

If I could answer that, I'd be a very rich man!

9/3/2004 12:48:18 AM

Colorado Hail, CO. Elev. 5,900 FT

Many different possibilities...

Unbalanced soil nutrients or a sudden PH change, one or more nutrients might be locked up due to too much of something else...

Plant has over abundance of N suddenly, and has switched back into vegetative growth mode. This happens usually earlier in the season, but I've seen it happen anytime. In the situations I've seen, following a period of rain and cold the temps go up with the precip ending, soil warms back up then and if you have {like}somewhat fresh manure, the microbs get active, break down N to a usuable form the plant can use, and KKKKrrerrassssh, the fruit slows or stops. You'll know if it is this if the vines and leaves surge in growth and/ or size...

Drastic changes in conditions and/ or in the microclimate. Insects, disease, soil moisture changes,Excessive foiliar sprays, applying the wrong plant hormone at the wrong time, or similar misc...

Genetic problem, problem of one or more non genetic thing, or problem with one or more thing that may cause genetic to react abnormal when genetic would behave normally any other time.

See, Stan had the best answer right off the bat....

9/3/2004 2:24:47 AM

[email protected]

Marc & Stan are both on to it. There are sudden changes in soil dynamics that we cannot afford to test for. Ideally we would jointly (all concerned growers donate) fund a research laboratory. In that lab, we would control/created/monitor & analyze many potential weather & nutrient combinations in a pest free controlled environment with full-time computer supported monitoring systems. We'd have a pile of cash so that we could perform regular tissue nutrient & pathogen analysis. Of course we'd also need to genotype the plants & work with tissue cultures to ensure genetic stability of all the test specimens & checks. Then we'd need to decide whether to make available the data only to supporting members or publish our findings for peer reviewed. Only peer reviewed & supported data is worthy to the scientific community. But with so little cash potential, we'd probably keep our findings to the contributing member only.

9/3/2004 11:19:29 AM

Pemberton, BC

You guy's don't do that? That's exactly why I can't afford beer! Chad :)

9/3/2004 10:06:46 PM

Colorado Hail, CO. Elev. 5,900 FT

And all this so we could find out why a hundred pounder stopped growing...lmaolol!

9/4/2004 12:08:24 AM

Colorado Hail, CO. Elev. 5,900 FT

oops.... I meant to also throw in that covering you fruit is a matter of pure grower choice. I've heard some keep the fruit uncovered in fall right before a cool spell to warm it up, others have put electric blankets or heaters out to keep the fruit warm, and others enclose the entire patch. I've tried them all, and hell if I know what worked good as my fruits were old anyway and didn't grow a lot before experimenting. Interesting that there are other madmen out there though...

9/4/2004 12:13:20 AM

Nh

man you guys are smart!
thanks for all of those reply's.
i guess the best thing i can do is to leave it alone huh?
like i mentioned, the plant is very healthy looking. neither the leaves or vine has grown in size for a long while.
but if there was a million dollars to jump start this pumpkin for another 100lbs in a month, do you think you could do it!

9/4/2004 12:41:41 AM