Re: beginner needs fruit info

>Alright, I have my first giant pumpkin ever - and it looks like it's
>growing like it should - at the moment, about 30 lb.s and gaining 1-2
>inches/day. It's about 8 or 9 days old.
>WHOOOOOHOOOOO WHOOOOOHOOOOO
>I have a couple of questions for anyone that will offer an opinion - I
>think everyone will have different views on each of the questions, but
>any info will help.
>
>1) Should I have a weekly 'preventative' fungicidal/insecticidal spray
>regime going - I haven't had any real problems with the plant except
>some leaf spot in the past that is still hanging around - will this
>adversely affect the pumpkin? I did spray this twice earlier on and it
>seemed to help. For a number of reasons (probably mainly unfounded) I
>would prefer not to spray unless it is absolutely necessary.
>
>2) Should I continue fertilizing using the 15-4-26 liquid one that
>I've been using for the past month or so? I haven't been using much -
>just a little boost every two weeks or so. I'm leaning towards slow
>growth and a smaller pumpkin at the weigh off than rapid growth and
>possibly only pumpkin remains at the contest. The fruit pollinated
>only two months before the big day, so no chance of a world record! I
>don't really care how big it gets, just as long as it gets weighed on
>the day.
>
>3) Plant protection - it has some shade cloth over it at the moment to
>keep temp's down and so that it is not in direct sunlight - it seems
>to be working fine, so I'll probably leave that as it is. What about
>putting stuff underneath the pumpkin so that it is off the soil. I
>know some people say it should be moved as little as possible, while
>others say that some polystyrene foam or bits of timber will help
>prevent fungus/insects/rotting etc. - is there a general consensus on
>the matter?
>
>The pumpkin seems to be in a pretty good spot - the vine is free to
>rise with the pumpkin, and is bending in the right direction while the
>actual stem looks quite long. Also, it seems to be very round it looks
>absolutely perfect to me (but I'm pretty biased!), with very pale
>yellow skin, and the ribs are just starting to form on one side. What
>are the chances of pumpkins aborting at this or a later stage - is
>there a danger period in which I should be very careful. It can still
>be very hot here at the moment, with two days over 100F last week - it
>seemed to have got through that, but I probably shouldn't count my
>chickens before they hatch.
>thanks in advance - I've got to go away for a couple of days so I'll
>have some juicy reading to do when I get back.
>cheers
>john

John:

1	Its probably a good idea to have a preventative spray program. Once
a week is what I use and also after a heavy rain. It is often much easier
to prevent rather than treat disease. I use daconil and sevin and I am
going to begin using methoxychlor during borer season. I spray them
separately and don't mix them together in the sprayer.

2	This part of fertilizing I'm still not sure of. Athough I would
continue  using the fert. I used 1 cup of 18-19-30 every 7 days delivered
through a sprinkler tower. I experienced no cracks or splits,but was afraid
to add any more fert for this reason. Your right, steady growth with even
fertilizing is the best.

3 I would leave the pumpkin as it is. There is alot more danger from moving
it to put stuff under it than from what is already under it. Smooth, even
soil is the best under it. I have seen very few pumpkins rot from the
bottom, but I have seen many suffer stem stress/cracks from attempted
movement or poor positioning. Just keep the sun off it and thats a big
help. As long as it keeps a good shine and continues to grow well its
probably going to be ok. A sign to look for is if the pumpkin dulls
rapidly. This could mean it is aborting. As the season goes on a slow
dulling is nautral, but if it going to abort the dulling happens quick with
a sharp drop in weight gains.

best of luck,
John


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