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Location

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Oswego, NY

I read where you cut and bury secondary vines. How much of the vine do you bury, just the end a foot the whole vine?How much of the end do you cut?

7/13/2011 3:20:42 PM

Rhode Island

mains and secondary vines are buried for three reasons
1.encourage faster tap rooting
2.making it difficult for boring insects to enter the vines
3.holding the vines in position to prevent roll/overs during wind storms

third stage vines are pinched off the secondary vines each time you bury the secondaries.---once pinched off they dont grow back.

suggest you search out and purchase one of the many giant pumpkin grower publications available. it will help you.
don langevin has many great books on the sublect.

7/13/2011 6:40:29 PM

Rhode Island

ps---we bury the entire main and secondary vines.some growers just cover at each leaf node. once we have our secondary and main vines at the length we want? we cut the tip of the vines and this stops the vine from growing.
late july ( once we know borer season has passed)we go back and take the soil off the top of the main vine---allowing the top half of the main to be exposed.we dont bother to uncover the secondaries.

7/13/2011 6:44:22 PM

Frankfort Ohio

you can use a hose to spray the soil off of the main this makes it easier than trying to do it all by hand has worked great for me

7/13/2011 10:43:01 PM

Oswego, NY

Thank you, very help full.

7/14/2011 1:01:59 PM

Nottingham, UK

Took up advise on a reason post about unburying vines. Mine seemed well anchored down so I washed all the mud off with a watering can yesterday. Gave the plant a damn good soaking.

7/15/2011 5:30:16 AM

Newfoundland,pa

i'm new to growing.what's the reason for uncovering the vine if you bury it to get strong tap roots

7/16/2011 9:40:24 AM

Nottingham, UK

Tugz71: As Pap mentioned above,covering the vine with soil helps to anchor the plant down so that vines and leaves do not get snapped off during a windy day. After a while the plant will send down extra roots at each node (point at which the vine, leaf, flower and tendril comes from) and these roots will anchor the plant down so the soil will not be needed anymore so it can be removed. Its healthier for the vine to be uncovered to prevent rotting. It doesnt take long for tap roots to anchor down so no harm done whilst the vine has been covered but you might get rotting if left there for the season. Just from reading and not from experience.

7/18/2011 6:00:45 AM