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Oz

How many leaves out before you can adjust fert numbers?
I did a direct15-10-10,then a trench drenchtues. 10-0-0(dilute).
Base root growth on batch 2B is okey dookie.
Things are slow compared to my 2003 transplants.
I know,,,easy does it,,,,.

I sprayed "high yield" on everything,
and even did a perimiter spray...
poor spotted lady bugs,DOA,,
I did not see any cuke beetles near these plants that had ladybugs.
Last tuesday they had cuke beatles.
I may have killed my cure. There is some mozaic damage.
Oh well,I found a dull green catapiller(1/4x1inch),
at the base of my best contender.
Today I watered(trench) also.
The week end looks hot and iffy for rain.
Tuesday is next day I can get down to the patch.
Sorry to go on.

6/25/2005 12:02:24 AM

Sheridan . NY

MORIN-----10--15 DAYs prebloom you want to feed something close to a 9 18 9 --a 0 13 0 like Agro-k Vigor CAL Phos --Phosphate is a bloom enhanser for any thing you grow --the middle # is all way phosphate----high nitrogen will tend to abort blooms----craig

6/25/2005 9:35:52 AM

Www.extremepumpkinstore.com

I agree, several days after spraying vigor cal and 9-18-9 I harvested 24 males from the various plants in a 2 day period! It was as if they were growing over night!

6/25/2005 10:22:23 AM

Garden State Pumpkins

Miracle gro Bloombuster will work too...

6/25/2005 11:16:24 AM

Deer Park WA

Try to have a 400 sqft plant or so before you set a pumpkin. Just my 2 cents but we still are in the vegitive growth stage here in my nick of the woods...

6/26/2005 3:30:24 AM

Canada

some people claim not to add any fertilzers dureing pollintaion period, If plants are in good shape and size and havent had anything applied to them in over a month and not many females are showing, bascially just males would it be safe to add some 10-52-10 to prmote blooms
or would an 5-10-5 be just as good if not safer?

Dave

6/29/2005 2:44:59 AM

Chico, Ca

400 sqft before pollination? LOL we pollinate by date and not plant size. we usually only have around 100-150 sqft around fruit set. we grew our 758.5 with only 450 sqft. most of that sqft growth was after pumpkin set. If you have females pollinate them all and cull down later. around mid june I switch to a xx-XX-xx fert.go lightly with water soluable ferts as most people overapply them. running too high of nitrogen levels definately will hurt you with aborts. We use very little nitrogen early in our patch and rely on compost additions to feed our plants.

6/29/2005 6:50:37 PM

Canada

So all round an 10-52-10 1-2 weeks before pollination is
good?

7/1/2005 10:09:22 PM

Nipomo, California

Thats what I recently did with Miracle grow bloom booster.

7/2/2005 10:41:07 AM

Did the Bloom Booster work? All my females have been aborting this year before they bloom, so I'm applying it to see if it helps them survive. I'm running out of time and getting frustrated!

7/2/2005 1:38:52 PM

Canada

Brigitte,

Ya i'm in the same vote, all my plants are very large
and healthy but I'm not getting many females to show
and the ones that do show up they get about the size of a small marble and the flower never does open and they fall off.

a few weeks back i applied 10-52-10 as a drench and ive been getting a load of male flowers ive noticed a couple new females at the tips but i wont know for another 5-7 days if these ones are going to open or not. I'll let you
know. Man I hope these open because before ya know it its going to be Aug already :-(

Dave

7/8/2005 11:43:02 PM

Montoursville, PA

We have about a dozen new growers, in this area. Those that stayed with the basics, of manures, remineralization and cover crops definately have had no flower production problems. Whole plant problems like slow growth were the doings, of the entire consideration, of what weather provided.

Those who leaned, on the chemistry, to force early growth are now having weak leaves falling over, more than normal vine end break offs and blow outs. The early leaves on the main and first secondary vines are the most effected.

The best looking total group of plants I see, in this area are largely void, of any chemicals, in the soil and the plants are mulched with straw and leaves. Watering was limited, to minimum during the hot and dry days. If plant size and condition are major factors this gentleman's patch is ready, to fly into fruit production, even better than my own at this moment.

There have been great swings in the temperatures that seem, to have caused pollination problems and aborts. It has been nearly a month since those heat and cold swings passed on to more normal growing conditions. The later females have pollinated and grown normally.

Guess we have to remember that the only consistancy, in gardening, is the total inconsistancy that keeps showing up. :)

7/9/2005 7:05:49 AM