From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Newcastle, CA

Has anyone tried to use extreme pruning on a pumpkin? like waiting for it to set fruit and then cutting everything above it off and feeding heaving? asking for a friend...

3/6/2020 12:00:50 PM

On top of Brush Mountain, Pa.

I think the question here is how many leaves does it take to support the growth of the pumpkin wherever it is being grown. I have seen reports, as an example, that it takes 10 tomato leaves to support as tomato. I have seen nothing for pumpkins though people have grown them on small plants.

3/6/2020 12:24:01 PM

Newcastle, CA

I'm just wondering if this is being overlooked. What if you only need a few leaves and lots of roots?

3/6/2020 12:43:00 PM

Wixom MI.

In a way the 150 sq ft. Pumpkin challange does that. The area is so small that the plant it headed off at all ends as soon as a pumpkin is set. Maybe you should grow a tomato like a pumpkin ! Lay the plant on the ground like a vine and burry the main stem and all the branches like a Christmas tree pattern and see if you can grow a massive root system like a pumpkin plant and then try to set a tomato on it ???

3/6/2020 12:57:38 PM

Newcastle, CA

could be on to something wixom.

3/6/2020 1:00:33 PM

Central NY

17 lber!!!

3/6/2020 1:33:30 PM

On top of Brush Mountain, Pa.

Fabrice Boudyo was originally laying his tomato plants flat on the ground (hay under them I think) when he first came onto the scene. This has to do with the movement of nutrients inside the plant, water, sugars from photosynthesis in the leaves and nutrients entering the plants through the roots. The idea was to overcome the forces of gravity. Transpiration is battling against gravity for sure. Pumpkins are already growing close to the ground and so I doubt the need to overcome gravity.

3/6/2020 1:42:19 PM

Norfolk, UK

I think I remember in Boudyo something in laying them down, but after setting?

I have very limited greenhouse space, so have though of trying to grow in spares in my 1940's barn cloches - around 20 inches tall, so growing horizontally is the most nly option (They string together, so as long as you like!)

3/6/2020 5:59:34 PM

Bonn, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

Tomato leaves must not get in touch with soil but will become yelloow and die.
There are some agriculture tomato growers using a bedding of straw to prevent soil contact.
I heard about cutting leaves and burrying the vine horizontally or diaginal to get more roots.

3/7/2020 12:46:26 PM