Re: desperate
John, This year the weather here has been cold, then
hot, then cold. Usually, we get a morning fog which
burns off by 11 am, but that has been the exception
this year. The squirrels not only ate some of the
first females but they also chewed through the main
vine and several of the secondarys just as the first
females were forming.
Sally Ann set on a secondary vine about 12 feet out.
The plant was exceptionally healthy and several
secondarys really took off after the squirrel damage.
The plant covered over 800 square feet when Sally Ann
and two others pollinated in mid-August. I pinched off
all other females. Of the three that pollinated, one
didn't really do much so into the compost pile and the
second had a weird shape so out she goes leaving Sally
Ann - the only one that self-polinated. I let all the
vines including most tertiaries run until the plant
covered about 1,200 square feet, then I started
pruning all new growth.
This plant has been the healthiest I've ever seen.
Tap roots formed on virtually every vine including the
tertiaries. I buried all the vines as they grew.
This plant essentially has a 1,200 square foot root
ball. Some of the mature leaves are huge-about two
feet in diameter.
I fertilize with about a pound and a half of 20 20 20
soluable fertilizer once a week spraying it (diluted)
over the entire plant area. I prepared the planting
area with 5 yards of compost tilled in last fall and
another yard this spring. Early this spring I planted
a cover crop of buckwheat and tilled that in about six
weeks later.
I water just about every day and several times during
hot days to cool off the plant.
I stopped all pruning two days ago and didn't water
yesterday and Sally Ann rewarded me by growing 2
inches today. She is now at 298" OTT (536 lbs. est.)
and 137" circumference and still going. It is so huge
the squirrels just look at it now and back away,
figuring their lives are in danger or that it's just a
discarded 55 gallon drum.
Too bad there are no weigh-offs in early November, it
should be done just about then. If anybody has a
bigger pumpkin grown in the SF bay area, I like to
hear about it.
diana
--- Heilmanjon@aol.com wrote:
> diana,
>
> Great going! You will reach 600 pounds+ for
> Halloween. Tell us how you did it
> - the "on purpose" parts ;- )
> Are you in relatively hot area, or do you get the
> fog, etc. Trim your vines a
> lot, or let them go wild; fertilizer?
>
> And do you want to be in the North Bay - South Bay
> "contest?" Looks like you
> be the winner!
>
> According to Rocky back in Penn., next woodchuck,
> squirrel is the best white meat.
> John
>
---diana_doucet@yahoo.com wrote:
>
>> My pumpkin (sally-ann) was pollinated in mid-August
>> and now measures 296" OTT and is still adding an
>> inch a day.
=====
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