Re: seedling mounds
- Subject: Re: seedling mounds
- From: D* R* <y*@att.net>
- Date: Sat, 28 Apr 2012 07:30:12 -0700 (PDT)
I can only go down about 10" before I hit clay. What kind of fertilizer?
________________________________
From: George & Carolyn Heyne <gheyne@millcomm.com>
To: pumpkins@hort.net
Sent: Fri, April 27, 2012 2:41:50 PM
Subject: Re: seedling mounds
Debbie,
For each of my pumpkin plants, I dig a hole about 20-22 inches deep with a three
foot diameter. I have no rocks in my soil, so it is a fairly easy dig. The hole
is filled with soil taken out, compost, fertilizer, peat, mole repellant,
mycorrhizal fungi, etc. There is a very slight mound when the hole is completely
filled which does not allow water to stand around the stump.
Throughout the growing season, water containing fish/seaweed, BiotaMax, calcium,
etc is poured around the stump. Since the soil is loose and with the slight
slope, the water mixture quickly drains down through the soil.. I have had no
problems with the stump rotting. Hope that helps.
George Heyne
Rochester, MN
----- Original Message ----- From: "Debbie Runkle" <yorunk13@att.net>
To: <pumpkins@hort.net>
Sent: Friday, April 27, 2012 8:17 AM
Subject: Re: seedling mounds
> Do you water around the mound during the season? Also, do you use anything
> special for your mounds, i.e. compost, etc.
>
>
>
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: George & Carolyn Heyne <gheyne@millcomm.com>
> To: pumpkins@hort.net
> Sent: Thu, April 26, 2012 4:27:05 PM
> Subject: Re: seedling mounds
>
> Debbie,
>
> I have just a very small mound for my pumpkin plants. There is just enough
>slope
> so that water will not stand around the base of the plant.
>
> George Heyne
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Debbie Runkle" <yorunk13@att.net>
> To: <pumpkins@hort.net>
> Sent: Thursday, April 26, 2012 10:34 AM
> Subject: Re: seedling mounds
>
>
>> uh, I am still unclear the size of the mound (diameter and height). It can't
>> be
>> too large since I will be placing a 8'Lx6'W greenhouse over it. Since I lost
>> all of my pumpkins last year (one was barely maturing when it rotted) I'm a
>> little paranoid this year.
>>
>> Debbie
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> ________________________________
>> From: "dbhaskaran@aol.com" <dbhaskaran@aol.com>
>> To: pumpkins@hort.net
>> Sent: Wed, April 25, 2012 10:15:04 PM
>> Subject: Re: seedling mounds
>>
>> Here is something I wrote a bit ago and have continued to update...later
there
>> is a section on the "pits" or Mounds....
>> Davebs Early Season Work!
>>
>> Ah, the precious seeds:
>> The watermelons are first up and I start them late March. To start the
seeds,
>> I place them in warm damp folded napkins in zip lock bags that are labeled
>> with the genetics. I put the zip lock bags into my germination chamber. This
>> chamber is a 40 qt Coleman cooler. I place into the cooler a heating mat that
>> is controlled by a digital temp controller and set it for 90 degrees. I also
>> put 2b of Styrofoam on the mat, so when I have the seeds resting on that
>> (and the temp probe) it is pretty even heat. The key is 90 deg and
stable..if
>> colder they might not germinateb&they are very fussyb&.not like pumpkins.
>>
>> In my basement, I have my grow lights set up (4 lights across). Under the
>> lights, I have a flat with an 8b dome and 4b clay pots ready to go (small
>> greenhouse). I have a heat mat under the flat and with the warmth from the
>> lights keep it at about 80-85 degrees. I do not turn the lights off.
>> However, I do open up the dome (has vents) to keep the humidity down a
>> bitb&otherwise the plants will rot fast.
>>
>> The seeds are checked and once sprouted, are moved down to the 4b clay pots
>> and are tagged for genetics. Normally about 1-3 days to sprout. Once they
>> break ground...another 2-4 daysb&I try to remove the dome and get them
>> bdryb again. The dome is used with the heat mat to keep the temp warm
>> until the seedlings are out of the ground. I try to keep the grow lights
>> about 3b off the plant. Once they have formed a true leaf (3rd one), I
>> transplant them to a 1 gallon Kempbs ice cream bucket. This bucket has been
>> turned over and the bottom cut off and the lid is now the base(making into a
>> big pot). This makes for easy transplanting to the garden, as I just pop the
>> lid and it slides into the hole in the garden without bothering the roots.
>> (Note: This is a George Heyne trick.) I try to get 1-2 ft vine before
>> transplanting to the garden.
>>
>> For pumpkins, I apply the same process, except for a few changes. Temp is
>> lowerb&80-90 degrees. I start them around April 15th. They will also sprout
>> faster, 30-48 hrs. I move the sprouted seeds to 6b clay pots and then will
>> transfer them to the garden by end of April, as they grow fast! So they just
>> stay a few days in the pots (5-7 days).
>>
>> I use a premium seed starter bag and mix it with a normal potting soil bag
and
>> then also add some Mychro rhizza (BIO ENDO GROW from Hollandbs web site:
>> http://www.hollandsgiants.com/).
>>
>>
>> Ah, the painful pits:
>> I have prepared the garden with cow manure and compost piles for each of my 5
>> bpitsb.
>> Plus in 2012, Ibll try to add black soil to lower my Organic %. (no
>> compost)
>> This was done in the fall and all unloaded by handJ. I first mark off a 10
ft
>> diameter circle and then start shoveling and keeping the soil clear of the
>> holeb&so maybe 3 feet between the circle and the old dirt. This is used as a
>> way to bring in the manure and compost with a big wheelbarrow. You will also
>> need to leave some gaps for the wheelbarrow to access the bpitb. Once I
>> have dug it out, around 2ft deepb&about 2-3 hours of digging per hole. I
>> refill the hole back with a mixture of compost and manure and also rototill
it
>> as I go. I also add these items:
>> 65 lbs Humates
>> 65 lbs Kelp
>> 65 lbs Calphos
>> 25 lbs Gypsum
>> 80 lbs Worm Casting
>> 03 lbs Mychro rhizza
>> 65 lbs Lime
>> 1/3 bag of peat
>> This also gets tilled in.
>>
>> Now, I put a 6 B= ft metal post right in the middle of the circle. This will
>> be used later to know where the 2 stumps are (2 plants on each side of the
>> post are grown via the Xmas tree method). I also use the post to hang
>> sprinklers and run a hose up it and out of the garden for access, later in
the
>> year. Ibll also drop some boards perpendicular to the post and stumpsb&as
>> an access walk to the stumps.
>>
>> Next, I put in my 40 ft heating cables in a circle around the postb&about 6-9
>> inches further out each time. I put the plug into a Kemps ice-cream bucket
to
>> protect it from rain and also to run a power cord to it. I put small holes
in
>> the side for the cords and one in bottom for drainage. I place a rock inside,
>> to keep it anchored and one on top of the lid.
>>
>> The final touch is to build up an 8b mound of soil around where the plant
>> will go (small pit) and use 4x4s cut to lengths that go on top of the mound
>> area to raise it higher so that I can put a window panel on top (cheap
>> greenhouse)b&since these plants go out before end the Aprilb&they need to be
>> able to handle some very cold nights plus snow. Once they outgrow this, I
put
>> a remay over them with 9 gauge wire. I will create a series of loops down
the
>> path the main vine will go later for main vine (bgolden pipeb)
>> protection.
>>
>> Note: I also put in 2 6b pots into the soil as if the plants were there so
>> when I do bring out the plantsb&I just pull the pot and put the potted plant
>> right there.
>>
>> As you can see for 10 plants/5 holesb&this takes a lot of hoursb&.and this
>> is just for the pumpkins! I do a lot less for the watermelon, but a similar
>> pattern.
>>
>> I hope this helps!
>> David Bhaskaran
>> 1355 lbs is my biggest ever grown pumpkin in 2009.
>> 195 lbs is my biggest ever watermelon in 2007.
>> 194.5 lbs in 2010
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Alan R. Laginess <alaginess@bop.gov>
>> To: pumpkin <pumpkins@hort.net>
>> Sent: Wed, Apr 25, 2012 9:20 pm
>> Subject: Re: seedling mounds
>>
>>
>> You may want to take a look at www.bigpumpkins.com There is a lot of
>> nfo on the site for you to use. I would get some bags of compost and
>> ake you mounds with that and regular garden soil. Mix in some micro for
>> etter root growth.
>>>>> Debbie Runkle <yorunk13@att.net> 4/25/2012 9:00 PM >>>
>> hat type of soil/compost do I need for my planting mounds? Also, how
>> arge
>> hould they be?
>> Is it better to start your seedlings in peat pots rather than regular
>> ots?
>> Debbie
>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
>> umpkin-growing archives: http://www.hort.net/lists/pumpkins/
>> o sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@hort.net with the
>> essage text UNSUBSCRIBE PUMPKINS
>>
>> his message is intended for official use and may
>> ontain SENSITIVE information. If this message
>> ontains SENSITIVE information, it should be
>> roperly delivered, labeled, stored, and disposed
>> f according to policy.b
>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
>> umpkin-growing archives: http://www.hort.net/lists/pumpkins/
>> o sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@hort.net with the
>> essage text UNSUBSCRIBE PUMPKINS
>>
>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
>> Pumpkin-growing archives: http://www.hort.net/lists/pumpkins/
>> To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@hort.net with the
>> message text UNSUBSCRIBE PUMPKINS
>>
>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
>> Pumpkin-growing archives: http://www.hort.net/lists/pumpkins/
>> To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@hort.net with the
>> message text UNSUBSCRIBE PUMPKINS
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> Pumpkin-growing archives: http://www.hort.net/lists/pumpkins/
> To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@hort.net with the
> message text UNSUBSCRIBE PUMPKINS
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> Pumpkin-growing archives: http://www.hort.net/lists/pumpkins/
> To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@hort.net with the
> message text UNSUBSCRIBE PUMPKINS
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Pumpkin-growing archives: http://www.hort.net/lists/pumpkins/
To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@hort.net with the
message text UNSUBSCRIBE PUMPKINS
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Pumpkin-growing archives: http://www.hort.net/lists/pumpkins/
To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@hort.net with the
message text UNSUBSCRIBE PUMPKINS
