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Entry Date
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Nick Name
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Location
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Thursday, August 03, 2023
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Matt D.
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Connecticut
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Entry 80 of 100 |
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Day 50 for the (F: 1832.5 Graham ’20 x M: 2365 Wolf ’21 (from Ron Wallace))
OTT = 426”
Est. Weight = 1,639 pounds
Avg. over last 10 days = 40.7 pounds per day
It seems that all of the extra items put in place are helping come together to keep the pumpkin growing. While naturally a pumpkin will slow in growth as it ages to call just over 40 pounds a day average a slow down is just a testament to its incredible growth previous.
However, with the quick growth there are two deep ribs and a bit of a sag line. Not much that can be done at this point, but try and keep the growth and environmental conditions consistent.
While any one of the systems implemented may not add much, the additive effect of all of them is what may be creating the “ideal” environment which includes…
High Tunnel Structure- To help control some of the moisture that the plant is exposed to during rain fall events.
Artificial Lighting- HPS lights are used to increase the day light length to simulate the solar solstice. (On from about 5am-7am and again from 7pm-9pm.)
Humidity Control- To help ensure the humidity levels do not drop below 45% and ideally targeting 65% while trying to keep moisture off the leaves as much as possible.
External Heater- Goal is to keep the night time temperatures around 72F (22C)
Irrigation Stagger- While 150 gallons of water is given a day, this amount is not all given at once. At 9am 100 gallons is provided and then at 1pm the additional 50 gallons is provided.
Fertigation- Using a 275-gallon stock tank the water is added and then the nutrients are mixed in with the aid of a ppm (parts per million) or EC (Electrical conductivity) meter. The goal is about 380ppm (on the 700ppm scale) or 0.6 EC.
All of this may be a lot of work but it is nice to see the pumpkin respond;-)
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