Re: Slow grower, or not?
Don Chambers,
Haven't you been watching? Mr Al Eaton himself wrote a very helpful account
of how he grew his world record pumpkin this year. Others I have found
particularly helpful with their posts to the list are, well, too numerous to
mention, but young Andrew Papez comes to mind, and Deb Sundstrom, and Vince
Zunino. I'm sorry I started since I'm overlooking many others who have
contributed a great deal.
Since it's Thanksgiving season, I thank God for you all!
Kathie
--
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>From: "Don Chambers" <dec@stratuswave.net>
>To: <pumpkins@hort.net>
>Subject: Re: Slow grower, or not?
>Date: Mon, Nov 29, 2004, 7:20 PM
>
> 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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