10 reasons why I didn't grow a 1000 lb'r

#1.  Vine rot. (you can stay on top of it, but it's a lot of work.)             
#2.  Split (720 Hester - 580 lbs)
#3.  Didn't cover vines enough and they kept blowing over in the wind.
#4.  Temperature changes (90 day/50 night)
#5.   Wasn't patient enough and went with a pumpkin that was too close to the stump.(991 Hunt, 3 feet from stump, grew fast but stopped at 450 lbs.)
#6.   Dill rings/sags..
#7.   Sags get cracks.  (859 Mombert, est. 618 lbs, tiny hairline crack..)
#8.  Ran out of seaweed and didn't order more.  Had to fight powdery mildew.
#9.  My pumpkin lifting tarp is only guaranteed for 600 lbs.
#10. And the last reason is:  A thousand pound pumpkin wouldn't have fit in the back of the Bronco anyway.

OTHER PLANTS:
My 720 Hester was amazing.  Vines as big as baseball bats, even with vine rot.  Leaves 28-30 inches.  It weighed (on a doctor’s scale in chunks) 100 lbs over the estimated weight.  The walls were 10-12 inches thick, except for the bottom, only 2 to 3 inches.  I couldn't find any weak parts, it just started to split like a peach.  Strange.
859 Mombert - It was a steady gainer, but it got a dill ring
and a hairline crack, so I quit watering and fertilizing, and started letting the vines grow again so it wouldn't crack anymore.  It put on another 60 pounds after that.
991 Hunt - Great.  I'll plant that again.
I also grew the 862 VanIderstine, but the vine kept blowing the tip off the main.  I ended up with  a couple of 200  lb’rs on secondarys.
And I grew the 772 A.Crueziger.  I experimented with it and only let the main grow.  Cut everything else off  It protested and quit at about 350 lbs (est.)

So, what did I learn this year?  How to cut leaves off, flush with the vine to avoid vine rot.
Less Miracle Gro is better than More.  Keep the ends of the vines shaded when it’s hot.
And, Captan paste works miracles..

Connie Giambra
San Rafael, CA
2nd yr

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iWon.com       http://www.iwon.com     why wouldn't you? 
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