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Date Posted

Upa Creek, MO

Those are wild looking, but they still have great color

10/24/2025 4:57:47 PM

Grittyville, WA

Probably a nutrient issue? What do organic growers do if they have, say, a copper deficiency? Or boron? Are these minerals "allowed"? Good luck next year.

10/25/2025 2:27:18 AM

Syracuse, NY

Google:

is there an "all-organic" 20-20-20 water-soluble fertilizer?

I had two fruits do similar things, though I made up for it on the next fruit on one of the plants with more-frequent apps of magic ferts, lol. That plant had initially had my fastest-growing fruit on it, but it aborted similarly;
In a few days, it had a welcome, open pollination. ThAt fruit is now harvested at 379 pounds and wishes I would sell it or place it at a neighbor's.
eg

10/25/2025 3:30:25 AM

Estonia

ahhahahaah :)))))

10/25/2025 3:39:29 AM

Netherlands

An organic gardener can add copper and boron. You can also add 250 grams of volcanic rock dust per square meter which is full of all kinds of (micro)nutrients.

10/25/2025 4:18:30 AM

Australia [email protected]

Would be worth getting a soil test done takes the guessing out

10/25/2025 2:51:31 PM

Moscow, Russia

It's not about the soil or a lack of nutrients. Because two other pumpkin plants in the same garden yielded fruit without cracking. And they grew normally, but they started late. With the same conditions, with the same watering and top dressing. It's definitely a mutation of these two plants.

10/27/2025 11:49:30 AM

Moscow, Russia

Arina Savvina, feel sorry for yourself, not only do you not understand what you are writing about, but you are also exposing yourself as a scandalous woman and spreading lies. You are deceiving the participants of your competition, helping to rob them, and trying to whiten your reputation at my expense. You're following me everywhere, it's not okay, you need to see a psychiatrist.

10/27/2025 4:22:16 PM

Grittyville, WA

I wouldn't blame the seed but I'm not saying you should do anything differently either.

I see a passionate cultural battle... all I can say is here in the USA we gave in to gmo's and roundup without much fight, and now our health is terrible.

But at least in my mind that issue is separate from the issue of competitive growing... I think growing for health and growing for size should be considered separate goals. There are a few overlaps, occasionally. Its fun when both goals overlap, however you'll be more as ease if you accept that sometimes those two goals are totally separate goals.

10/27/2025 10:02:39 PM

Syracuse, NY

Anyone:
I had 2 pumpkins last year and 1 squash that survived @ 221, 225 and 150 pounds, respectively. THIS year, I had 25 pumpkins and 1 squash, so let's just say 3 one year and 26 the next. The same basic # were planted. I did nothing different between the two years, except:
Last year, partially-composted horse manure was added to one of 5 patches and that patch also had had Mycorrhizae and a good dose of like 0-0-50 granular added for noteworthy potassium supplementation. No soil test, no #s, just do it.
I was probably not at ALL responsible with a schedule of when to apply my Miracle-Gro X-XX-X, 5-10-40, AB-C-DE, etc. and had the worst year EVER in all of like 23 years. Poof! I had many aborts, reliably, until I supposed that the plants, wherein Phosphorus is the key element attributed to flowering, fruiting, rooting, etc., were lacking it massively and so, I began seeing to it that my plants were getting a higher dosage and frequency of it therein, per affording it rather than tossing money away on PURE supposition. New flowers, more pollinations within DAYS, butt way too late. Vowed to correct this for this year, along with ONE fruit per plant - We are stretching the plants' abilities too far, folks. This year, nothing was done other than incorporating a 'every 3 days if possible' watering WITH ferts policy...and sometimes more or less, but very guilty if less(!) and I've had the best year, in years, by doing so(!) (*_*) No, no 1K-pounder, yet.

10/28/2025 2:39:27 AM

Syracuse, NY

See, if Phosphorous initiates all the above, why would it NOT be needed in excess 'after fruit set'????????????????
Follow your own advice, but allow for modifications, regardless from where they may arise; I grew only my own seeds this year and NOTICED that my 178 seed from '14 required more high-phosphorous fertilizer than any other plant did to get females to appear and stay the course. ALL 3 of them. The #2 one I 'saved' too late, looking similar to the 'mutants' above, BUT, it was growing rapidly.
Hey, this below is the difference between an abort beforehand and a 363.5'er in the end:
https://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=356234
Hence my wonder at adding said nutrient or a mix with a P-emphasis next year in an All-nAturAl and ImMEdIaTe fashion.
If you don't intend to EAT the fruits, you can 'go nuts', lol. Hell, I eat a little of my fruits I toss just to see if I could live offa them.
Not that bad, really.
Any advice is good advice, if it WORKS.
eric g

10/28/2025 2:39:40 AM