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Vancouver, White Rock, Canada

My pumpkin pretty much stopped growing a few weeks ago (see diary). It's still healthy and everything, but it is obviously getting older and has started cantalouping. Anyways, one of my vines went down to a wind storm the other day, so instead of resuscitating it, I hacked it off. The next day, the fruit had grown 6lbs. Then, nothing for 4 more days. So I then hacked off another piece of vine, and sure enough, another 2-3 lbs of growth, and then back to nothing again. Two days ago, I again did some pruning past the fruit and sure enough, I got another 8lbs over the last 2 days. I guess you wouldn't do this with a fruit at risk of splitting, but with this slow growing slug I have, a little pruning at the end of the season is getting the job done. I may prune a little more every day until the day I harvest when I'll have nothing left past the fruit? Thoughts? Recommendations? Violent objections? Personal attacks?

9/13/2004 1:49:19 AM

Vancouver, White Rock, Canada

Oh ya, and all of the growth has been the pumpkin filling out, the circumference hasn't changed at all over the last 2 weeks.

9/13/2004 2:03:11 AM

Ljubljana, Slovenia

I also observed growth spurts the night after I have removed leaves and secondaries under heavy PM attack. PM is a biotroph, which means that it feeds on living cells and tissues. Mature leaves normally export sugars but when PM sucks sugars from within the cells I guess that the leaf become sink instead of source.
On the other hand I think that every healthy leaf should stay on the plant.
Jernej

9/13/2004 4:37:30 AM

ontario

I think your correct.....but you can only get abit of extra growth this way......plants way of countering the pruning .....ok shoot me folks I agree.....LOL

9/13/2004 6:35:14 PM

Walkerton Ont

i wish my pumpkin will slow down or stop growing all toether dont want another disaster

9/13/2004 6:36:40 PM

ontario

ride it out Cory.ride it out LOL

9/13/2004 6:52:45 PM