RE: Running Vines
Brian:
You can aim your vines any direction you want by using small stakes (such as
those small, green bamboo stakes)and coaxing the growing end of the vine in
a given direction. The primary vine (which is what is starting to run for
you) should probably be aimed in the direction in which you have the
greatest distance for it to grow in a straight shot. The "christmas tree"
pattern is formed by the secondary vines that emerge at each leaf node.
These secondary vines should grow at 90 degrees to the main vine. Think of
the primary vine as the trunk, and the secondaries as the branches of the
christmas tree. If any vines emerge from the leaf nodes of the secondary
vines, they are called tertiary vines. Most growers remove all tertiary
vines (Don Langevin suggests this in his book).
Some growers remove every other secondary vine as well. I believe that
Geneva Emmons (former world record holder and your fellow Seattle-area
grower) has been following this practice.
You can get two or three primary vines from one plant. If you do, they
emerge within the first 18 inches or so of the base of the plant.
Additional primary vines should be routed in different directions. The
conventional wisdom is that you can grow one giant pumpkin per primary vine.
You should treat each primary vine like its own christmas tree, that is,
keep some of the secondaries that emerge and remove the tertiaries.
One final note. When you see females starting to appear on the vine, you do
not want your pumpkins growing on the "inside" of a curve, but instead on
the outside of a curve. This gives more room for the shoulders of your
pumpkin to grow without putting added stress on the vine.
Good luck to you. Hope this helps.
Frank P.
Madison, WI
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-pumpkins@hort.net [o*@hort.net]On Behalf
Of Brian
Sent: Thursday, July 03, 2003 5:37 AM
To: Pumpkin list
Subject: Running Vines
This is my first year growing. My plants are finally starting to vine out.
(I
started a little late) I hope this question is not too obvious, but I hear
people talk about running the vine in a flag pattern or a Christmas tree
pattern. What exactly is this? Am I to zig zag the vine across my patch? I
am
not sure how to run the vine to make the best use of space. I have about
4-500
square feet and my patch is not symmetrical. Can I make tight turns with the
vine? Any help here will be appreciated.
Brian Landreville
Seattle, Wa
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