Re: New to the list and to pumpkin growing a few questions

Hey Brian

Let me attempt to answer some of your questions.  List, if I am wrong with any of this information please feel free to correct me!

First thing first, the best thing to do is have the seedlings under the lights nearly as soon as they pop the surface.  You said that your plants had grown to about 5 or 6 inches.  Is this the stem you are talking about?  If these plants haven't been outside or under any artifical light this is probably the case.  They have become leggy (meaning long and lanky).  Artificial lighting will prevent this if used early on.  At this point you have two options.  You could start new seeds altogether or you could bury the plant up to the seed leaves when you plant it outside.  If you choose the latter option, make sure to put the plants under some lighting until they are ready to be moved outside.  So far I haven't had any problems with leaving the light on 24/7, but also make sure that the light is at least a good foot and a half away from the plants.  I have burnt several leaves from having the lights too close

As for the heating pad, I dont think it would hurt to leave it on right now.  If it is a heating pad specifically made for plants I dont think it would get too hot, but if it isn't, I would make sure that you dont cook the roots.  Personally I just use the heat mats to raise the soil temps during germination.  I don't have much experience with heating pads, would someone else like to offer some advice?

For watering you want the soil to be semi-moist but not soggy.  I generally water once a day.  It shouldn't be much of a problem if you are using pots with drainage holes.

Many growers dust their seeds in a fungicide called Captan before planting them to reduce the risk of losing them to funguses.  I would recommend that you buy Sevin (insecticide) and Daconil (fungicide) to use when the plants become a little less tender.  Daconil is made by Ortho and is now marketed under the name Garden Disease Control.  Everyone has their favorites when it comes to fungicides and insecticides.  You just have to seen which ones work best for you.  Actually, most people struggle with containing and preventing funguses throughout the entire season, primarily Powdery Mildew.  A good offense is the best defense.  When the plants become a little more mature (4-6) true leaves, you can start spraying.  It is best to do it later at night when the sun goes down or early in the morning before the sun comes up to prevent the leaves from burning.

Two of the best books you could ever buy for growing giant pumpkins are Don Langevin's How to Grow World Class Giant Pumpkins I & II.  A 3rd edition of this series I believe is coming out later this year or early next.  Both of these books can be bought on Amazon.com Believe me...they are well worth the money.  Hope this helps! Good Luck!!  

Steve

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