Re: How to keep my fruit from splitting

Thank you for the good advice. I went out to measure it this morning, and
like clockwork it had a split. Just like the other pumpkin, they were both
125 pounds looked identical with a deeply concave blossom end. So I just
have 3 left. One is chugging along at 5 pounds a day. it is up to 83 (wow, I
don't know why it doesn't just abort) and a couple others that are nothing
to write home about though I have one I stated late at 37 pounds putting on
7 pounds a day which I guess is OK for that weight. It is just next to a
wood pile where mice live, so who knows how long that will survive. I am
very disappointed, my plants look great, nice big leaves and flowers, the
stumps are as big around as a RedBull can. Not many bugs and no mildew. My
soil is fertile lots of compost. I don't know why the pumpkins are doing so
bad. I guess one problem might be when most of the flowers were fertilized
we had a hot snap of over 95 degree temperatures. I don't know if this had
an effect. I guess for my own sanity I will stop measuring everyday and just
let the plants do their things. I will try the fish emulsion on the plant
with the remaining pumpkins. By fish emulsion do you mean something like
Alaska 5-1-1?

Brian in Seattle


----- Original Message ----- 
From: <Pumpkinpirate1@aol.com>
To: <pumpkins@hort.net>
Sent: Tuesday, August 17, 2004 12:00 PM
Subject: Re: How to keep my fruit from splitting


> Brian
> If there is anyone that knows about splits its ME. I usually take my self
out
> of competition OH around September 1st or so.. So this is how to NOT split
> them.... Ok your pumpkin is growing and yes you want to give it a little
better
> odds at getting big. go out and buy Fish emulsion and liquid Kelp either
> separately or combined and use them as stump drenches. you will have a
good pick up
> of growth and you won't be pounding them with synthetic fertilizers when I
> have had my best pumpkins (not this year) during my best growth periods I
was
> putting on one gallon of Safer Brand fish emulsion on the stump per week.
Then
> like clock work I blew them up by bumping them with a high potassium
> fertilizers.
>
> Some pumpkins have a pre set flaw in them and you will split them no
matter
> what and some form when there are changes in the environment like warm
days
> cool nights, giving large boosts of fertilizers after long periods of no
> fertilizer raising the amount of water you are applying to the patch.
Random rain
> storm, I usually get it when we have three or four cloudy cool days then
BAM back
> into the high 80's .
>
>   Try the slow and simple routine give your plants 1 cup of fish emulsion
in
> a 5 gallon bucket with 4 gallons of water as a stump drench every other
day.
> Of course you can add more BUT we are talking SAFE !! you want that baby
as big
> as it can get but you also want it to make it to the finish line !!
>
>   Hope this helps and good luck on your season..
>
>     Kevin Smith .................     Zane's Daddy
> Pumpkin Pirate
>
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