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Stanwood, Washington

Last year I did my first test ever I did it well after pollination and was surprised to find that Nitrogen was low. I think I really could have benefited from earlier testing. I am wondering how many tissue tests people do during the season and what is the best times during the plants growth cycle to do them.

5/25/2024 2:59:24 PM

Grittyville, WA

Great question. I only did one last year. I actually tested the adjacent plant (the one I chose to cull) in order to get the test done as early as possible (mid May) and not have to sacrifice any leaves from the plant I chose to keep. I think this early test was helpful to get things going more in the right direction mid-season. It was my plan all along to skimp on the soil testing (I didnt do one) instead I went "one stop shopping" with the early tissue test.

[Last edit: 05/29/24 2:12:26 AM]

5/29/2024 2:05:57 AM

Grittyville, WA

http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=338081

The previous 3 entries are pics of the leaves of the plant that was tested. The leaves dont look all that bad, just some subtle hints. The tissue test results arent so subtle, opposite of you on the nitrogen...

5/29/2024 2:08:39 AM

Grittyville, WA

Another question to consider is whereon the plant should the sample be taken. I had a nutrient issue at the back of my plant last year, but near the pumpkin the leaves looked good and the growth was normal. The mobile nutrients should be relatively even throughout the plant, but the immobile ones could be unevenly concentrated. In my case I was dumping zinc, copper iron, and miracle grow, etc at the back of the plant. I overdid one of these, but because of how the xylem is recharged by all the roots, it didnt transport that excess forward into the rest of the plant. It sounds hard to care about this but it could make it easier, for example I specifically dumped the miracle grow at the back of the plant because nitrogen is mobile, but its got a long ways to go before it reaches the pumpkin and I figured the plant would buffer it out as it moved along if I put too much... I didnt want to cause an abort via fertilizer shock like I did the year before. Just keep in mind that different nutrients flow around the plant differently. Hope thats not overwhelming, its a lot to untangle, but in the end it does provide a truthful perspective.

5/30/2024 1:04:29 AM

Richmond, BC, Canada

I tried tissue testing a few years ago but couldn't understand them very well. Then I thought that tissue testing gave results of the soil and plant 2 to 3 weeks after a soil test. Finding out that you have a problem 3 weeks after you discover a problem didn't make much sense to me so I started doing more soil tests. My normal routine of soil testing is 1 in the spring for amendments then 1 a month on the 15th of the month starting May 15th. Soil tests in my area is $100 each . I would love to do tissue testing as well but if you only do one or the other, I think soil testing gives you a bigger bang for the buck.

6/1/2024 11:19:17 PM