turgor and pumpkin growth

So if I have this right, the water uptake of a cell is controlled by (1)
the rigidity of cell walls, (2) the water supplied through roots and
leaves, and (3)  the water lost through evaporation.

Best pumpkin growth would be in conditions of high elasticity, high water
supply, and low evaporation.   Situations of Low:High:Low would lead to
pumpkin explosions.. no place to put (or get rid of) all the water coming
in.

It seems to me that we can more or less control 2 out of 3 of these
variables.  Water supply is easy... that is why God invented sprinklers.
Evaporation is a function of temperature and humidity... if the pumpkin is
cooler than the surrounding air, or if the air is comparatively humid,
evaporation will decrease.  I'm not sure I would recommend it but we could
all wax our pumpkins too.  No evaporation at all!

So how do we control cell rigidity?  Rick Noffke (great note!  Thanks
Rick!) said that rigidity responds to plant hormones, but what causes those
hormones to form/release?

With a few more answers, we'll be ready for some experimentation here.

		Dan Shapiro


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