Re: Effects Of Weather On Vine Growth
- To: pumpkins@mallorn.com
- Subject: Re: Effects Of Weather On Vine Growth
- From: C*@aol.com
- Date: Tue, 9 Jun 1998 22:47:43 EDT
George:
About a month ago, we also had high winds for two weeks straight and suffered
terrible wind damage to the plants, which were nearly full grown. As hard as I
tried to anchor the vines in place with criss-crossed sticks to lessen the
impact of the winds, the huge leaves acted like sails. As quickly as I afixed
the vines, the winds tore them loose and sent the vines tumbling.
The leaves closest to the stump were damaged the most, as the vines were well
rooted there. In fact, many leaves were shredded, like a banana leaf. The
stems, however, withstood the forces and still remain vertical, some without
much leaf left. Sort of an eerie skeletal reminder of the necessity of wind
protection, which I failed to factor into my growing equation.
As far as measuring the vines to note the effects of growth, I did not, but
the photographs tell the real story. My Castellucci 682.4 plant, which looks
pretty good today, took the worst beating of all. It's vines beame so
entangled with one another, that it was impossible for them to be separated
once the winds dies down. The tendrils wrapped themselves around each other's
vines, causing several vines to grow together. The stems curled to expose
their leaves to the sun, and separating them became futile. I finally waited
for the winds to stabilize, then clipped the tendrils, allowing for careful
vine separation.
You can bet I will be thinking ahead now for next year's garden, and wind
protection will be a primary consideration. I suppose the backyard grower with
a fenced in yard should really appreciate his ready made wind guard.
Thinking about getting some of that tall corn seed from Joel Holland......
Barb Kincaid
Orlando, FL
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