From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Colorado Hail, CO. Elev. 5,900 FT

I wondered who allows suckers to grow this time of year. I have been told they hurt late season growth, others say it stimulates growth. I have noticed they help if old leaves are tattered/torn/damaged real bad, and are not producing much at all for the fruit. If I didn't use suckers this year, I'd have nothing at all on any plant thanks 18 hail storms {see diary}. What I have not actually figured out is what effects they have when you still have healthy leaves. Do they take away energy and water, or are they balancing things out somehow? I noticed the furthest new growth on a plant may slow down or even stop, but on vines before the fruit which have been tipped, shoots sprout up out of nowhere. Some of the suckers look like a cabbage head trying to escape from where they have been buried. They sure try hard to re grow at those junctures. The vines which are tipped in the buds and allowed to grow out without sides develop the biggest leaves and vines by the time they are finished growing out. These are the vines that have the most suckers. Any thoughts? Do those vines just have energy to burn and this a buffer to keep late season fruits from splitting, or are they just robbing the fruits energy? Could it help to let them develop and grow for a couple feet, then cut them off if you wanted to re stimulate fruit growth if fruits have slowed way down? I've never quite figured out those questions...

9/8/2004 12:59:17 PM

No Place Special

Excellent questions Mark. I have been wondering the same thing as I have much new growth coming on between the stump and fruit on my 869 plant. Old growth is still in pretty good shape also. Pumpkin growth has still been good so I haven’t cut it out yet. Actually I even set a pumpkin on one off shoot just to make a cross I didn’t make earlier this year. I can’t wait to see what others have to say about your post, I really wish I knew what was best. If the general consensus is to cut all new growth off, I probably will. Oh ya, the main reason I let any go in the first place was to get a clone. I should probably start that process pretty soon. Good post Mark!

9/8/2004 3:56:55 PM

Rhode Island

madman and mike
we keep our plants pruned and weed free up to september ist
once we get into sept unless the weeds and third stage growth are heavy we let the plants new growth stay on
( especially if this new growth is on the vines after the fruit )
the fruit will not allow much juice past the pumpkin if it still wants to grow
if you get a lot of new growth chances are your fruit is on a tapper down cycle and doesnt take in much nutrients so the plant has energy to spare
ever notice that a pumpkin around mid july with most sides before it deadheaded will take in most of the juice and allow very little past the fruit therefore the main and sides past the pumpkin will slow to a crawl ?
who knows, just one wannabe heavy hitters opinion

9/8/2004 6:17:07 PM