RE: vine burial

Growing anything is therapy! It sounds like you are doing the things
necessary to get a winner. Has your weather changed? I know that I am having
a terrible time with everything in my garden right now, including the
pumpkins. Our weather in Northern Indiana is 10 to 15 degrees F below
average for the last six weeks. I only planted 2 acres of field pumpkins
this year and they are very behind average. The theory behind pinching the
main is to direct energy to the fruit. It should not cause plant growth or
fruit growth to stunt. Hang in there! Glad to see that there are some other
FREAKS out there. If all else fails try playing music for your girl. I have
found the Rolling Stones has worked for me in the past.


Steve Haberman
Insurance Management
959 E 4th St.
Marion, IN 45952
Cell: (574) 551-5601
Email: shaberman@insmgt.com
Fax: (765) 664-0761

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-pumpkins@hort.net [o*@hort.net] On Behalf Of
Bridgette Antoinette Tojek
Sent: Monday, August 18, 2008 2:15 PM
To: pumpkins@hort.net
Subject: Re: vine burial

Here is what happened: I pollinated on July 13th, and once the fruit looked
to be about beach ball size, I started measuring for estimated weight on a
daily basis. I had a few days of 3lb growth and the next few days had a 5 lb
growth and then a few nights experienced 12 lbs for two days. It was worth
looking forward too every morning! I could visibly see the change- and let
me tell you the shoulders on this chic are wider than my boys and he is a
Marine! That day I decided to bury all the secondary vines and the few
tertiaries. I went and put plant food stakes by each buried vine and I had
to feed the surrounding companion planted sunflowers and grass with a
6-10-10. I also removed all female blossoms and some male blossoms. I guess
I put her through the wringer! I measured the next two days and there was no
growth at all. I was so discouraged.  I figured the plant was healing
herself and diverting energies to the buried vines, maybe growing tap roots.
Then the leaves started turning yellow- I am guessing I over fed it.
Three days after I culled blossoms and buried vines, I am starting to have a
3 lb daily gain, that has been for the last few nights anyway.
Its as if I am back at the starting block.
I also put a smartgrow pad around the base which has a slow releasing feed
as well as a moisture preservation component but most importantly slug
repellent.  I have yet to have to use Sevin- the Japanese beetles are not
too bad and I have not seen the moth that has the SVB in my area yet. I did
buy a 5% dust and make keen daily observations. I will be ready in case I
need to dust. Everything that is there are attacking the  12 ft tall
sunflowers, not the pumpkin. One sunflower is being herbiverized from the
inside out by the ants but are not touching the pumpkin. I did not remove
the grass- I figured just as many good things are there as bad. Next year I
will remove grass but plan to keep the sunflowers as companions.
So I guess the main point is that the pumpkin was experiencing phenomenal
growth and I decided to bury the vines, cull the blossoms and now I have
stunted the growth considerably with only 7 weeks left to weight off.  I was
so psyched that at day 30, I had a  fruit that exceeded 200 pounds and this
is my first year growing and now it seems as if I may have just lost my
chance. My fruit is 8 ft from the base and there is 15 ft more vine past the
fruit but all my leaves are considerably small for being on a Giant.  I
think I may not bury the end of it because I do not want to depress the
growth like I did the first time because if that discouragement creeps back
in to my life, I may just find myself curled up in the corner in a fetal
position calling for my grandma! !:
1:Is this growth pattern normal?
2: Do you think I need to bury the terminus of the primary vine and
3: How many hours a week does the average competitive giant pumpkin grower
spend in therapy?


On Mon, Aug 18, 2008 at 11:51 AM, vince <anaid_tecuod@yahoo.com> wrote:
> I always let the main vine continue to grow until it reaches the end 
> of the patch which is about 30 feet.  Many growers will terminate it 
> at some point.  I think this is probably pretty safe to do at about 
> day 50 or so at which time all vines should be terminated.  I have 
> seen significant pumpkin growth to day 100.  I like to have some newer 
> leaves on the plant to help support that late growth.
>
> vince
>
> --- Bridgette Antoinette Tojek <honeybempowered@gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> My main concern now is the Primary Vine. I removed all female 
>> blossoms, as opposed to the blossom and fruit from the primary vine.
>> That was how I culled. Every time I removed the blossom that was at 
>> the end, a new one would grow. This put on three more feet because it 
>> happened three times. I was trying to divert all energy to the fruit 
>> but as I culled, each time one more foot of new vegetative growth 
>> appeared with a new female at the end. What do I do with the terminal 
>> end of the primary vine because once again, a new female is emerging.
>>
>> On Sun, Aug 17, 2008 at 11:04 PM, vince <anaid_tecuod@yahoo.com> 
>> wrote:
>> > When terminating a vine or pinching off a teriary, I
>> usually do
>> > not bury the ends but leave them to dry in the air to
>> reduce
>> > the chance of causing the severed end to rot.  They will
>> air
>> > dry in a few days and I've never had a problem.  I usually pinch 
>> > off teriaries when they are very small which leaves a very minor 
>> > injury.  When I terminate larger secondaries, I
>> > always cut right   at the far edge of a leaf juction so as
>> not
>> > to leave a long hollow tube of vine.  The hollow part
>> narrows
>> > right at a leaf junction.
>> >
>> > I don't believe burying the ends of the vines provides any benefit 
>> > and could cause rot problems.
>> >
>> > vince
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > --- Bridgette Antoinette Tojek <honeybempowered@gmail.com>
>> > wrote:
>> >
>> >> Thanks for that info- I will carefully evaluate what I
>> have
>> >> been
>> >> feeding the plant and try to decide what went wrong. I
>> also
>> >> do not
>> >> know what it means to pinch the vine. Is this simply
>> bending
>> >> the end
>> >> and then burying it? Kind of clamping the end of the vine?
>> I
>> >> just
>> >> worry about leaving an opening/ gap for bacteria and such.
>> >> But I need
>> >> to do this as soon as possible but am reluctant to do so without a 
>> >> response from the experts. I am sure it seems simple
>> enough
>> >> to most but to me it seems as if I am missing something.
>> >> Sorry
>> >> Bridgette
>> >
>> >
>>
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>> >
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> The Angel whispers serentity,and the echo is peace.
>>
>>
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--
The Angel whispers serentity,and the echo is peace.

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