Re: Slow grower, or not?
Steve,
Bravo! I've been working on a way to summarize what you've said but how
could I say so much in a few words. You did it just now. Great work! Now if
only some of the Big Hitters would share some knowledge, ey? Maybe it's the
mystery of being a big hitter and remaining quiet? or maybe they just don't
want you to know what they don't either? LOL DOn
----- Original Message -----
From: "Steve Jepsen" <sls247@lesco.com>
To: <pumpkins@hort.net>
Sent: Monday, November 29, 2004 5:40 AM
Subject: RE: Slow grower, or not?
> Alan,
>
> Here's how the season goes here if the analogy would help.
>
> Seed start to open ground - one week - no fertilizer.
>
> The fertilizer ratios (when needed - depends on existing soil quality)
> are higher Nitrogen early (28-7-14, 20-20-20, etc). This we don't start
> for a week or more to allow the plants to acclimate & set roots. Some
> growers favor a "starter" fertilizer such as 15-30-15 (1 Tbsp per
> gallon) once after the first week.
>
> The high Nitrogen fertilizers would rarely last beyond 4 weeks.
>
> At 5 weeks the plants would be between 4-6 feet depending on the
> weather. This period can seem agonizingly slow in growth if the nights &
> days are cool or cloudy.
>
> Week 6-8 we switch to 10-52-10 to encourage flower formation. Vines
> should
> be about 8-10 feet at this point. This might be 2-3 weeks at most.
>
> A week or two prior to fruit set we eliminate all fertilizers to avoid
> failed pollinations. Too much Nitrogen at this time is disastrous.
>
> The goal here is to have a fruit set in the 8th or 9th week after
> setting the plants out.
> Thus the vines will be about 14-16 feet (5 meters).
>
> For the 3-4 weeks after fruit set we also don't use any fertilizer. But
> once the fruit are
> Firmly established, we then switch over to the higher potassium
> fertilizers such as
> 13-0-46 Potassium Nitrate or similar.
>
> All of the rates we use here (if at all) are greatly reduced from label
> recommendations. This is because the soil is already rich with organic
> matter (19%) & manures. All doses are singly & per week if made at all.
> A lot has to do with how the plants look. Healthy green growth is a good
> indication to skip a week. Lighter green or slow growth with smaller
> leaves indicates a need for Nitrogen.
>
> All of this is based on local soil conditions which are determined by a
> comprehensive soil test performed by a commercial soil testing
> laboratory.
>
> I suspect that day time misting & shade cloth might be in the future for
> you?
>
> Actual water use would range between 200-250 gallons per week for a 400
> sq ft plant minus real precipitation. But sandy soils in high heat might
> require more.
>
> Is your irrigation water all affluent from the house? If so, has it been
> tested to insure its use isn't causing a problem?
>
> There is also the chance that Nematodes or a soil borne vascular disease
> could be slowing down the growth of your plants.
>
> Steve
>
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