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Midway City, California

Calcium and towels Does it help the Pumpkin? How often is it applied? Do you leave the towels on or when do you take them off? When is the best time to use it? What was the results. Anything I Missed?

2/9/2007 2:15:56 PM

Sheridan . NY

I feel that towels wick the majorty of the calcium back up off the pumpkin -->just like a oil lamp the wick draws the the oil up the cloth wick for the flame to burn-- I feel that a foliar calcium spray on the pumpkin daily at very low doses works much better----daily spraying start when the pumkin is beach ball size till weigh off--

2/9/2007 4:09:38 PM

Rhode Island

we never used any towels and have had pretty good success.
would you want to hang around all day with a wet towel draped all over your body?

2/9/2007 4:18:45 PM

Montoursville, PA

LOL Pap........depends on what age one might be and if the pumpkin seemed to be in a loving mood.

2/9/2007 5:12:17 PM

Ontario, Canada.

Yeah, I agree with Craig. After trying this for a couple of years with poor success. Daily fruit spraying is best especially when the fruit is very young. I would begin earlier than Craig though. Starting lightly when the flower appears pausing at blossom time then daily after pollination spraying both the vine and blossom ends.

http://aob.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/95/4/571

• Hypothesis Here, it is suggested that BER is initiated by a cellular dysfunction in the distal portion of a young fruit during rapid cell expansion. It is proposed that insufficient Ca2+ is available for critical apoplastic and cytoplasmic functions when the cellular Ca demand imposed by vacuolation exceeds the Ca delivery to an expanding cell. A local Ca deficiency, therefore, may result in aberrant intracellular Ca2+ signals, a weakening of cell walls and a loss of cellular integrity. Ultimately it may lead to cell death and the visible symptoms of BER. Several experimental strategies are suggested to confirm the occurrence of aberrant Ca2+ concentrations in cells contributing to BER.

• Perspective Many genetic and genomic resources are becoming available for tomato. Ultimately, these will allow genes affecting the occurrence of BER to be identified. Such knowledge will inform breeding strategies to eliminate BER. In the meanwhile, increasing the apoplastic Ca concentration in susceptible fruit tissue should provide a simple and reliable, practical solution for the prevention of BER in tomatoes. It is suggested that current horticultural practices, such as the manipulation of the mineral composition of the feed or the growth environment, are not completely effective in reducing BER because they affect apoplastic Ca concentration in fruit tissue indirectly. Therefore, spraying Ca directly onto young fruits is recommended for the prevention of BER.

2/9/2007 5:14:51 PM

Roselle, IL GJGEM@sbcglobal.net

When I sprayed any earlier then beach ball size, it seemed to burn the pumpkin- Small spots and craters. This is using the Agro-k as directed.

2/9/2007 5:48:42 PM

Berlin,mi.(zuhlke2@hotmail.com)

i used them on my 1302 and it went light. i don't think i will bother next season.

2/9/2007 9:49:29 PM

Rhode Island

doc wet towels = shrinkage

2/9/2007 11:52:24 PM

Sheridan . NY

Good morin---ok first i suggest you used a micro fine calcium made for foliar spraying like Vigor Cal --calciums and fertlizers are like sand paper big grit and small--even some small particals arent refined enough--George were at 1/4 0z can try 1/8th oz or 16th oz--my reason for beach ball size is tenderness-- just as in we all have had that cucumber or zucchini we let go a day longer and it tuff to eat i feel the basket ball is the same thing---the calcium is be foliarly applyed in the feeding program for the baby at this point---

2/10/2007 7:00:28 AM