Re: How to bury vines???
Mark,
There are two schools of thought on burying vines. But first, the basic
theory.
At each point on the vine where a leaf grows up, a side vine will atempt to
shoot out sideways and root will attempt to go down. As your vine gets a
little bigger, you will see this root as a little white "fang" looking thing.
So, if the soil is very loose, or if the juction described is covered with
dirt, the root will grow into a diffuse root system. This of course, should
aid in the plants getting nutrition from an are far larger than the place
where you put the seed in the ground.
End of theory.
Method one: Throw a shovelful of dirt on each juction. If you do not have
raid, and you do not use overhead watering, the dirt should stay on the
junction. One problem will come up, however. Where am I going to get the dirt
to throw on 746 junctions?
The second method is to dig little trenches 2 to 4 inches deep and lay the
vine into the trench as it touches down, covering it with the excavated dirt.
This is the preferred method since it is more secure, and because it provides
more work, and thus time, in the patch, away from other chores which could
take up a person's valuable time.
If you are going to try for a sizeable pumpkin, say over 500 pounds, which is
entirely doable, then I think you have to use one of these methods.
A word of warning - unless you are well melinated, wrap a scarf of some kind
around your neck if you do some trenching while the sun is up.
Good luck,
John in San Jose
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