Dill Rings
Sorry for the bad message, I will try it again. In the
archives, it looks like it runs. I will try to be more
careful.
Duncan
It was recently pointed out to me by Al Eaton that the
term dill ring is actually quite an offensive insult
to the inventor of our wonderful hobby & sport, Mr.
Howard Dill. Considering the offensive nature of dill
rings and in keeping with Al's tasteful comment I have
taken to calling dill rings - sag lines. As a new
grower I was quite confused by this odd term and could
not quite picture in my mind what a sag line visually
looked like, let alone what a sag line was? So, what
is a sag line? A sag line is an internal stress crack
which develops during the fruit growth stage and runs
horizontally across the inside of a pumpkin from side
to side. A sag line is visually obvious from the
external view of a pumpkin by a continuous sag from
one side of the pumpkin to the other, typically in a
straight line. In some cases the sag line may not
extent completely to the other side of the pumpkin.
Inevitably sag lines can spell disaster for many a
grower. With a internal crack in the pumpkin which can
actually extent to just below the surface of the
pumpkin skin, the weight of the pumpkin combined with
gravity will begin to cause the pumpkin to cave in
upon itself. In addition with a internal crack
developed in the pumpkin flesh it becomes difficult
for the pumpkin to store more carbohydrates past the
point of the internal crack or sag line resulting in
limited weight gain past this point. More often than
not the infamous sag line results in small hole at
the juncture of the sag and a rib which has developed
from stem to blossom. The cause of sag lines is
believed to be genetic in nature. Although some
growers contest that sag lines are the result of
exposure to direct sunlight and subsequent heat when
the fruit is very immature. Subsequently the immature
fruit dry's out internally in a specific area, later
resulting in the sag line. While there may be some
merit to this theory I do not believe any grower as
taken the steps to grow a pumpkin in total darkness.
Personally I believe in the genetic theory. With
careful cross breeding by pedigree growers it is my
hope that sag lines will someday be bred out of Giant
Pumpkins.
Chris Andersen
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