Re: A possible solution to fusarium wilt

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Hello to all,

   I have been signed off the group for some time but my love of pumpkin growing couldn't keep me away for two long. For the past 3 years my pumpkin plants have been devastated by fusarium wilt which is a fungus that attacks and kills pumpkin roots. I tried many new products this year with no change whatever. I had pretty much given up on the idea of growing pumpkins in this infected soil utill a few weeks ago when I was walking through my orchard. I noticed that some of the older fruit trees show pronounced marks on their lower trunks where they were grafted when young seedlings. They are commonly grafted onto roots of more hardy or disease resistant trees. Then I thought why couldn't I do this with pumpkins??? maybe it would avoid fusarium???

   Even though all Atlantic giants I planted in my soil this year died from fusarium not a single regular pumpkin, butternut squash had died. And only 15% of my prizewinners and old heirloom giant pumpkins had died from the disease. So why couldn't I graft the AG's on these or other rootstocks?? I looked it up on the internet and the technique is possible at less than a week old. Now that I know it is possible I have a few questions left that some of you out there may be able to help me with:

1. Are AG's(C. maxima) graft compatible with regular pumpkins and butternuts(C.Pepo and C. moshata)?
2. And if they are would their rootstocks have a dwarfing effect on the plants or would the vine roots compensate for this?
3. Would the disease also attack the vine roots?(I have never seen the disease attack vine roots only up from the main stump)
4. What root stocks would anyone recommend?   Which C. maxima plant gets the biggest? Would banana squash or maybe hubbard work??

Thanks for any advice!!
John
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