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https://imgur.com/a/7Zuynap

The pic in the above link shows my young pumpkin vine. It's growing in the wrong direction - towards the house.

Is there a way to correct this problem?

6/4/2023 5:50:38 PM

San Diego

in the warmth of the day, gently turn the plant with small bamboo sticks until it runs the right way. You can sometimes just turn the vine up to 90 degrees if it is loose and a tad longer than your photo. Just go slow and don't push it too much at one time if it feels tight. Good luck

6/4/2023 6:12:57 PM

New Castle, Indiana

Yeah you should be able to train it to literally loop around 180 degrees, but you'll have to do it over the course of several days and also later in the day when the plant is most pliable. I actually have to do this with one of my FP plants as it decided to vine towards the edge of the patch. Well....I can't have that so we're gonna do a little U turn!

6/4/2023 9:36:26 PM

New Castle, Indiana

I should add...yes you'll have to get some bamboo rods to do this. Make an X with two rods over the vine, pulling it in the direction you want to go...but not too hard of course. This could even be more difficult if any of the nodes have rooted into the ground.

6/4/2023 9:39:04 PM

Syracuse, NY

My best plant so far was getting flopped about in the wind earlier today and I strove to put 3 sharpened bamboo stakes into the ground at select points to secure it in place once and for all.

I would turn the plant counterclockwise by pushing gently on the farthest-right leaf and stick (lol) a bamboo stake in on the right side of the stem just below the seed leaf; This would 'set' that adjustment to be as far as the plant will initially let you turn it - cumulatively, after several adjustments, it could equal unseen problems underground (remember the 'Indian Sunburn' in like 6th grade?) that add up over time.
Next, I'd put another stake in at the exact starting point of the 2nd large leaf on the left. I'd consider the plant to be anchored well at this time for more leftward guidance.
I'd then place two more stakes on the right sides of the two left largest leaves right where they turn into leaves to further pressure them to bias the plant gently counterclockwise with the plant's growth rate helping more than anything - The plant looks to be spiraling counterclockwise anyway. I think the leaf on the right can be left (lol) alone to counterbalance the left ones or else the plant may fall over from the other two growing. In fact, I'd put a stake in at a 30-to-45-degree angle pointing toward me to KEEP the plant from flopping over for sure.
Something I've always wanted to try in this case is to put up a temporary wall that the plant
HAS TO follow in its growth, a foot high or so and with a semi-smooth surface - one panel at
1/3 the desired direction, the next or same one moved to another 1/3, etc.
PS---I've wondered if sometimes when we put a stake in for this if the plant actually tries to curl around it (Thigmotropism):

https://www.thoughtco.com/plant-tropisms-4159843

Hmmm...Well, good luck! Later---eric g

6/4/2023 11:18:58 PM

Syracuse, NY

PS---I've been having great success with bamboo skewers and marshmallow roasting sticks from any grocery store on the
SMALLEST of pumpkin plants;
They are cheap, in packs of 50 or so and are pointed;
They enable protrusion into the soil with minimal destruction of roots from plowing into them from above at 3/8" thick, lol -
times how many tries are needed to get it right.
...been there & do that...eg

6/4/2023 11:25:19 PM

Grittyville, WA

In the future realize they like to grow away from the first true leaf, if you put the first true leaf towards the house it would very likely grow away from the house.

6/5/2023 12:39:19 AM

Syracuse, NY

Wow for me, lol that in my description I didn't even notice the orientation of the 1st TL. My OWN plants this year are directionally haywire/disobedient and even the one I did NOT pay attention to as I put it in final (839 Sandercock #2)...THAT one went the right weigh and it was put in at 90 degrees clockwise!
Livin' (& not much lernin') After Midnight eg

6/5/2023 11:06:59 AM

Kutztown, PA

Thigmotropism - Now there's a $40 word pumpkin pal! I love it! Trying to think how I can incorporate it into my usual vocabulary. :)

6/5/2023 3:04:46 PM

United States

What is special about bamboo? Is there a reason it would work better than any other type of thin wooden stick for this purpose?

6/5/2023 5:50:01 PM

Oak Grove, Mn

I knew I should have tried the spiral flag pattern this year for the 150 patch...i could have great fun playing with Thigmotropism.

I have a coworker that already thinks I am crazy. Just wait until i mention thigmotropism. I am guessing that thigmotropism will never be the word of the day on the gas pump video screen. Thanks pumpkinpal...I learned something new today.

Most of the time, I do not use sticks to move vines around unless the sticks are about 3 feet tall. I have had too much trouble with short sticks and wind. The wind blows the leaves around and all of sudden you are trying to figure out what insect is putting holes in your leaves. I am rather fond of the 8 inch landscape staples that I have.

6/5/2023 7:44:19 PM

Zimmerman, Minnesota

https://youtu.be/rXgV9sG5918

I stupidly planted one the wrong way this year so I had to do a complete 180 on it and if you watch my videos they show exactly how to do it…. it’ll be patch update 1 is the start and then 2 shows you I’m almost complete and then patch update 3 will show you how I completely turned it.

6/6/2023 12:06:15 AM

Syracuse, NY

Nope - Maria Menounos can keep her spot on there, fine by me!
Their distracting vids work well on me - no more EXACTLY 20 bucks have I put in in months...
Andrej, not that wood or plastic/fiberglass are any less effective, but bamboo is biodegradable (butt you can find it laying around from LAST year, for FREE!) and it is very 'grained', as in it is very stiff in the long direction, so it is not AS likely to bend/snap suddenly nor warp, as wood can and does do.
PS---I have several plants doing the same exact thing as yours - it is SO weird! eg

CB - I will certainly view those tomorrow.
Got my water pump hooked up today, so GP-Growing takes on a new meaning tomorrow! laters---eric g

6/6/2023 2:16:49 AM

New Castle, Indiana

@Andrej The bamboo is preferable because of its resistance to rot. You can leave the stakes in the ground they'll remain intact for a long time. Plus they have a smoother texture. A simple dowel rod will decay faster.

6/7/2023 12:02:13 AM