pumpkin questions
Hi Bindy,
I didn't see anyone else jump in with an answer, so I'll try to answer
your question. After all, it's July 21 here in California too.
Tertiaries look a lot like secondaries, the same way grandchildren look
a lot like children. In fact, think of your pumpkin vine as a family
tree.
Where it comes out of the ground, that would be Grams-&-Gramps. Just
like in your family, there'll be a Grams-&-Gramps on one side, another
Grams-&-Gramps on the other. These are the main vines, or primaries.
Then you'll see at every leaf a cluster with four elements: a leaf, a
tendril, a vine and a blossom. The vine will scarcely be recognizable as
a vine, but the other three elements can be readily identified.
Each of these vines is a secondary, and this is where the family tree
analogy breaks down. Not to worry, because you've come a long way in
understanding by this time.
As each of these secondary vines begins to unravel and reveal the
characteristics of a vine, you'll see at every leaf a cluster with four
elements: a leaf, a tendril, a vine and a blossom. Like Wagnerian opera,
certain elements show up repeatedly, giving the whole a unified and
harmonic design. These wee vines are the dreaded tertiaries. Many
growers nip them in the bud, before they take on the characteristics of
vines. Others, like myself, await the next heat wave.
Hope this helps!
Kathie
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