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Ray, North Dakota

I started my diary, and to start with is a picture of my kids with our crop of Big Max and some Jack o Lanterns. I have a question on there. There are some blemishes on the biggest Big Max behind my daughter. Gray, rough spots. Is this from a pest munching on it, or the rough leaves rubbing against the skin?

2/26/2006 12:36:49 PM

Sioux Falls, SD garyboer@dakotalink.com

Doesn't quite look like leaf rubs to me. . .

2/26/2006 6:08:07 PM

Ray, North Dakota

Insects? Rabbits? The plants themselves were healthy all year, with some leaves getting munched on later in the season. I fogged the yard frequently for mosquitoes, so maybe I stalled an infestation?

2/26/2006 6:17:16 PM

Norton, MA

It just got scratched by someting, nicked a little bit. From what I see, it's nothing. That looks a little wierd for a Big Max though. AleX Noel.

2/26/2006 7:22:45 PM

Indiana

sunburn?

2/26/2006 9:41:18 PM

Eastern Pennsylvania

Did you have squash bugs at the end of the summer maybe?

the pumpkin on the left looks more like a prizewinner IMO

2/27/2006 12:24:18 PM

Ray, North Dakota

They were Big Max according to the packet. I think I bought them at Walmart. One was oblong and the other fairly round.

I constantly fog my yard for mosquitoes, so I wonder if any insect pests will be a problem for me? Never know. The plants were covered well by leaves, so I wonder if the rough edges of the leaves nicked them up. Could have been my kids too, little devils! Three days to go and there will be three!

I have some Prizewinner going in this year instead of Big Max. Sorry for posting this in the AG Genetics section....

2/27/2006 6:41:39 PM

Ray, North Dakota

What are the typical differences for Big Max and Prizewinner? You guys can tell by looks alone?

2/27/2006 6:42:19 PM

Syracuse, NY

sommmmmetimes those blemishes show-up on some fruits for seemingly no reason. in particular, on my 352 '05 (689.5 Sandercock X 1097.5 Beachy) there was this blemish,
that had no particular or apparent reason for being there---
seemingly no leaf to be scratched by, no known insect infestation either....and certainly no mechanical apparatus near the fruit to risk damage from(!). not this beauty!
on somebody else's 689.5 offspring,
the same TYPE of bleminsh also appeared to be there...
i am guessing it is a birthmark! of sorts, ahem, lol....

2/27/2006 6:53:33 PM

Norton, MA

Prizewinner, you can tell. They are usually very round, dark orange, and smooth. I'm not as familiar with Big Max, but aren't they usually kind of pinkish and much more cantelouped? May be wrong. AleX Noel.

2/27/2006 8:25:41 PM

Ray, North Dakota

My 77lb Big Max in question was oblong and flat on the bottom where it laid on the ground. The 55 lb, barely made it to maturity and was lighter color. It came late and I let it grow. I am...ummm....now 90% sure it was Big Max. You guys have me second guessing now lol. I am sure it was Big Max.

2/27/2006 8:40:33 PM

Kevinstinindians@yahoo.com

Sometimes BigMax pumpkins get wart like bumps on them, if they get rubbed a little they endup scab like bumps, it could be those. And other times pumkins just get weird, usually sunken patches of skin that kinda look like brown cantaloupe skin. I would've guessed the one on the left was a young PW. I prefer PW's over BM's but, those are nice looking BM's.

2/27/2006 10:48:45 PM

ENGLAND

With regard to the blemish. One thing to remember is that a very fine scratch or slight damage on a 1 week old Fruit will grow in size as the Fruit grows. Therefor the blemish may possibly be proportionate to the end result when the Fruit is fully grown. A fine scratch on a 1 week old Fruit could end up being a 2 inch wide scar on a 600-700 Lb fruit.

Just my one pennies worth.

2/28/2006 6:54:06 AM

Eastern Pennsylvania

yes I agree, a young PW. I also think Mike is right about the blemishes. prizewinners seem to go like a soccer ball as opposed to a football shape. The big max ribs are more pronounced. I've always felt Prizewinners are the best porchkins for shape and color.

2/28/2006 9:12:31 AM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Herbie,

Probably something (like a leaf) brushing up against the soft outer skin. Even a falling twig blowing out of a nearby tree can cause us fits in the patch. When you get an AG on the vine this year, you'll want to keep it covered so the sun & other potential atrocities don't cause similar results to your "chosen one".

You might get more disease related help if this inquiry were posted to the "Pest & Disease" boards since folks with a plant patholgy background don't often cruise the genetics board.

The blemishes on the right rear fruit appear to be caused by mechanical tearing of the fruit during growth. The necrotic tissue (blemish) that results is the fruits way of trying to heal itself. Heat scalding looks a lot like this too but is usually expressed in a broader fashion.

A fruit rot fungus would have caused a softer, wetter sunken condition that would likely have progressed to the ultimate stinking demise of the fruit oif one untreated.

There are some fungal & bacterial infections that cause similar problems that you can familiarize yourself with here:

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/cucurbit/

Look at the group of images in the upper left corner for fruit diseases. The rest are stem, root & leaf disorders that are no less significant & have been known to keep many of us awake at night.

2/28/2006 9:44:12 AM

Ray, North Dakota

If you notice the bigger pumpkin behind my daughter, it has very pronounced ribs. The smaller one I don't think made it to full maturity.

Both of those pumpkins were exposed to full sun all of the time, so sunburn sounds like a good explaination.

I am still sure I planted Big Max lol.

2/28/2006 10:07:16 AM

Norton, MA

Didn't mean to doubt you. It is possible however (no matter what the pack says) that an odd seed got mixed in, never know about that. AleX Noel.

2/28/2006 7:09:20 PM

Syracuse, NY

been there!
imagine my surprise when 1 zucchini
squash plant began appearing amongst my ('99)
patch of Cinderella rouge vif de etampes,
or HOWEVER it's spelt, lol...

3/1/2006 2:13:04 AM

Ray, North Dakota

Eric, you sent me the right seeds didn't you? lol

3/1/2006 10:46:46 AM

Syracuse, NY

yeah, man.
hhhey, isth...there hhhanything hhleft in that boddle//?/

lessee---510.6 and the 845 X 582 i think you are planting?
oyyyy. my stomach just growled at the thought. let's go!!!
not only can i not wait for my own season, but to see my own seeds grown elsewhere is a rush!

i think next year i will plant a LOT more of my own seeds.EG

3/1/2006 11:52:35 AM